Social Justice

PRAHAAR
The final hit to UPSC Exam

Comprehensive, Integrated and Current Linked Notes for CSE Mains 2022
EXCLUSiVE FOR MAiNS 2022
Social Justice
Updated Reﬁned Revised Concised
And more relevant to current pattern and demand of UPSC CSE Mains 2022
Join 60 Day Daily Mains Answer Writing program

and Get all PRAHAAR booklets (PDF) free
Online & Offline Online & Offline

60 DAYS Rigorous UPSC Selection At Aﬀordable Price
Daily Answer Writing Program UPSC Mains Crash Course
2022 2022
(Mains Test Series 2022) 60 Days Class Program
Including

200+Hours 4 GS + 1 Essay Dedicated

of Classes Test (With detailed Mentorship
evaluation)
key component of 60 Day daily rigorous mains answer writing Program for CSE mains 2022

dpp.onlyias.in
+91-7007-931-912

OnlyIAS Nothing Else PRAHAAR: Social Justice
SOCIAL JUSTICE 4
WELFARE SCHEMES FOR VULNERABLE SECTIONS OF THE SOCIETY 4
Scheduled Castes 4
Key Facts about SCs 4
Issues concerning SCs & STs: 5
Welfare Programmes for SCs 5
Budget 2021-2022 6
Manual scavenging In India 9
Scheduled Tribes 10
Basic data and facts about ST’s 10
PVTGs 11
General Issues concerning STs 11
Welfare programmes for STs 11
Support to STs during COVID pandemic 12
Underutilization of Funds under TSP in Karnataka 13
Recommendations of Dhebar commission (1960) regarding education 13
Xaxa Committee recommendations for welfare of STs 13
Mungekar Report 14
MSP for Minor Forest Produce 14
Institutions for Tribal Development 15
Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 15
Role played by NCST and NCSC in progress of SC/ST 16
Reservation for sc/st as a tool for social and educational empowerment 18

What is a Reservation ? 18
Reservation for SCs & STs 19
Need for reservation 19
Impact of reservation 19
Other Backward Class 20

Constitutional provisions for OBC’s 20
Schemes for welfare of OBCs 20
First Backward Classes Commission 21
OBC Reservation 21
Impact of OBC Reservation 21
Subcategorization Of OBCs 22
National Commission for Backward Classes 22
Role of NCBC as an agency for welfare of OBC 23
Recent judgment of SC (struck down Maratha Reservation - May 2021) 23
Constraints In performance of welfare schemes for SC/ST/OBC – critical examination 24
Women 26
Status of women in India- fact and data 26
Legislative Interventions for women welfare 29
Welfare Schemes/ programmes for women 31
Institutions for women welfare 32
India’s measures for women empowerment 35
Pam Rajput Committee 35
Issues in news 36
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) (Beijing + 25) 36
'From Insights to Action: Gender Equality in the Wake of COVID-19' – UN Women Report 36
Surrogacy Act 2021 36
https://onlyias.com info@onlyias.com /+91-7007931912

1
Join our telegram: Click /OnlyIAS Nothing Else. Join IDMP: dpp.onlyias.in
Assisted Reproductive Technology 38

Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2021 40
Marriage Age for Women 41
Marital Rape and Conjugal Rights 44
Children 45
Constitutional Safeguards for Children 46
Issues related to children 46
Legislative Interventions for children Welfare 47
National Policy on children , 2013 47
Institutional Framework for children welfare 48
Welfare schemes for children 48
Critical analysis of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme 50
Critical analysis of Integrated Child Development Scheme 50
Senior citizens 52
Key facts 53
Challenges faced by senior Citizens 53
Welfare schemes for senior citizens 54
Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (Amendment) Bill, 2019. 55
Persons with Disabilities / Divyang 56

Key Facts 56
PWD Welfare 56
Constraints in implementation of welfare programmes 58
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 58
LGBT Community 59
Basic data 59
Issues Concerning LGBT 59
Steps taken for LGBT Welfare 60
Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 – critical evaluation 61
Minorities 62
Constitutional safeguards for minorities 62
Socioeconomic status of minorities 62
Institutions for Minorities welfare 63
Schemes for minority welfare 64
ISSUES RELATING TO DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF SOCIAL SECTOR/SERVICES RELATING TO

HEALTH, EDUCATION, HUMAN RESOURCES. 66
Health 66
Introduction 66
Constitutional Provisions 66
Key Facts 66
Health structure In India 67
Challenges/ Health Issues in India 67
Recent Issues concerning health 71

Antibiotic Resistance 71
Vision 2035: Public Health Surveillance in India 72
Early warning systems 73
PM Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Scheme 74
WASH Programme 75
India’s fight against COVID-19 76

Covid-19 first case in India 76

2
Challenges before India 76

Health related challenges 76
Initiatives taken to fight pandemic 77
Result of early measures / Impact of Lockdown 78
Medical Oxygen Crisis during second COVID wave 79
Role of ASHA Workers during COVID 80
Vaccine hesitancy 80
Mental Health & effect of covid 19 on mental health 81
Education 83
Introduction 83
Constitutional provisions 83
Key Facts 83
New Education Policy, 2020 93
Human Resource 97
Financial Inclusion 100
ISSUES RELATED TO HUNGER AND POVERTY. 102
Hunger 102
Key Facts 102
Status of India in nutrition and hunger 102
Hidden Hunger 105
Poverty 107
Key Facts (World Bank 107
Poverty in India 107
Impact of poverty 109
Poverty alleviation programmes in India 110
Why poverty still persists in India ? 111
Urban Poverty /poor 112
Universal Social Welfare: 113
Multidimensional Poverty Index 116
Other related issues in news 118

3
SOCIAL JUSTICE
Striving for social justice is the most valuable thing to do in life. - Albert Einstein
Freedom is incomplete without social justice. - Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
A just society is that society in which ascending sense of reverence and descending sense of contempt is
dissolved into the creation of a compassionate society” – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar
The measure of the greatness of a society is found in the way it treats those most in need, those who have
nothing apart from their poverty! - Pope Francis
What is meant by social Justice?

 Social justice means ensuring that everyone’s human rights are respected and protected and everyone has
equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities. Basic principles of social justice include human
rights, access, participation, and equity.
Provisions in the Constitution for Social justice

Fundamental Rights Other provisions
 Article 14 - Right to equality.  Preamble - Guaranteed all its people social,
 Article 15 - Forbids discrimination on grounds of economic and political justice; equality of status
religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. and opportunity.
 Article 15(4) – The special provisions/reservation for  Directive Principles for state policy
the advancement of SCs & STs. o Article - 38 - State to secure a social order for
 Article 16 - Equality of opportunity in matters of the promotion of welfare of the people.
public employment. o Article 41 - Aims to secure work, education
 Article - 16 (4) - Reservation for backward classes. and public assistance rights for persons in
 Article 17 - Abolished untouchability cases of unemployment, old age, sickness,
 Article 19 - Guarantees freedom of speech and disablement, and undeserved want.
expression. o Article - 46 - Promotion of Educational and
 Article 21 - Right to life & liberty. Economic interests of Scheduled Castes,
 Article - 23 – Prohibits trafficking, beggar and other Scheduled Tribes and other weaker sections.
similar forms of forced labour.  Art. 164 (1) – Provides for Tribal Affairs Ministers
in Bihar, MP and Orissa.
WELFARE SCHEMES FOR VULNERABLE SECTIONS OF THE SOCIETY
 High incidence of poverty and low educational attainment are the two major challenges faced by weaker
sections in India. Other challenges include high levels of malnutrition and limited opportunities for
meaningful economic engagement.
 India has introduced several laws to address the oppression, inequality, and discrimination faced by the
historically disadvantaged castes and tribes, disabled, transgenders etc. and to improve their
socioeconomic positions.
SCHEDULED CASTES
Key Facts about SCs

 The Scheduled Castes are defined under the article 341 and they comprise about 16.2 % of India's population
(2011 Census). Punjab, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh have the highest share of SC population.
 Literacy rate - 66.1 % (men - 75.2 %, Women - 56.5 %), Sex Ratio - 933.
4
Issues concerning SCs & STs:

 Prejudice against SCs and STs persists - Despite abolishing untouchability, prejudice against SCs and STs
persists in some form or the other. For ex. they are prohibited from entering temples and public wells.
 Atrocities against SCs and STs -There has been an increase of 15.55 per cent in crimes against women and
children from SC/ST communities in the last three years (2017-2019), the conviction rate under Prevention
of Atrocities Act in the same period has been as low as 26.86 per cent, with pendency at an alarming 84.09
per cent.
 Landlessness - More and more Dalits and Adivasis are becoming landless and are joining the ranks of
agricultural labourers.
 Poor representation in higher
Group services SCs STs OBCs
level govt services - Despite
providing reservation quotas in Group A services 13.31 % 5.89 % 11.77 %
jobs, the representation of SCs Group B services 16.27 % 6.75 % 12.39 %
and STs in the higher levels of all
public services remains poor. C (excluding safai 17.35 % 8.6 % 18.97
 Malnutrition - SCs and STs are Karmacharis)
worst affected by the problem of C (safai Karmchari) 42.92 % 6.05 % 12.3 %
malnutrition. Maternal anaemia, Total 17.55 8.37 % 18.24 %
children with low-birth-weight
related deficiencies are other
problems that affect SC/ST Representation of weaker sections in services
communities.
 Poverty and exploitation - According to the global multidimensional poverty index (MPI), 2018, 50 per cent
of all tribals in the country are poor as
are 33 per cent of Dalits and 33 per
cent of Muslims.
 Economic backwardness - They have
very few assets and employed in
lower-income occupations. About 71
per cent of Scheduled Caste farmers
are agricultural labourers.
 Poor implementation of
constitutional and legislative
safeguards – Despite constitution
guarantees equality for all, SC and STs
communities are treated unequally. They are excluded from social economic and political participation.
Similarly, despite banning manual scavenging by law, still large no. of people are engaged in it.
 Inclusion and exclusion errors in welfare programmes – SCs and STs communities are excluded from
benefits of various schemes due to their illiteracy, unawareness, lack of documents, administrative apathy
etc.
 Cultural humiliation and political marginalisation – They are subjected to discrimination due to their food
habits, attire etc. and they are excluded from religious functions. In politics too despite reservation they
end up being proxies of dominant leaders.
 Poor implementation of schemes - The State Economic Survey 2019-20 has said that less than 40% of the
funds allocated for the Scheduled Caste Component Schemes (SCCS) and Tribal Component Scheme (TCS)
were spent in the current fiscal up to December 2020
Welfare Programmes for SCs

 Educational Empowerment - Various scholarships are provided to the (SCs) students.

5
o Pre-Matric Scholarship to SC Students & Post matric Scholarship to SC Students - It covers

approximately 55 lakh students per year, studying
at the post matriculation or post-secondary stage, Budget 2021-2022
right up to PhD.
 Allocation for schemes for the welfare of the
o Top Class Education for Scheduled Caste Students SCs increased by 51.65% from 83,256 cr. in
- Provide financial support for pursuing studies 2020-21 to 1,26,259.20 cr. in 2021-2022.
beyond 12th class.  Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for SC
o National Fellowship - Provides financial assistance students has been revamped and also
for pursuing research studies. There are 2000 slots enhanced the Central assistance.
for Scheduled Caste every year for all the subjects.  The Budget 2021-22 allotted ₹35,219 crore
3% fellowships are reserved for Persons with for six years till 2025-2026, to benefit 4 crore
Disabilities candidates belonging to SC categories SC students.
o PM-YASHASVI (Young Achievers Scholarship Award Scheme for Vibrant India): The Central Government
is contemplating setting up a Rs 7,200-crore national scholarship scheme for meritorious students which
will absorb all the existing scholarship schemes under PM YASHASWI.
 Economic Empowerment
o National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation - NSFDC assists the target group by
refinancing loans, skill training, Entrepreneurship Development Programmes etc.
o National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation - Provides credit facilities to
beneficiaries amongst Safai Karamcharis, manual
scavengers and their dependents for income generating SC upheld the constitutional validity of
activities. To promote mechanized cleaning, it provided the Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes
concessional finance to the tune of Rs.31.96 Crores to 21 (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment
ULBs in various States(2019-20). IT facilitated skill Act, 2018.
development training to 19033 beneficiaries.
 The amendment had brought in to
o Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Scheduled nullify an SC order diluting stringent
Castes - To promote entrepreneurship amongst the
provisions of the law.
Scheduled Castes.
 The 2018 judgment had diluted the
o Ambedkar Social Innovation & Incubation Mission - To
original 1989 legislation, saying the
promote innovation and enterprise among SC students
studying in higher educational institutions. SCs/STs were using the provisions to
file false criminal complaints against
innocent persons.
 Entrepreneurship Development Programmes:
 However, after strong protests
o Entrepreneurship Development Programmes are being
conducted by the Small Industries Service Institutes against the dilution across the
(SISIs) exclusively for weaker sections of society. People country, the central government
belonging to STs are given motivation and training to removed this provision to bring the
equip them to set up small scale industries. law back to its original form.
o The Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO)
offers consultancy services in managerial, technical, economic and other fields. For SC and ST
entrepreneurs, a 50% concession of charges/fees is applicable.
o The Rural Artisans Programme also conducts promotional schemes and training programmes for rural
SC and ST artisans to improve their technology and tools, upgrade skills and knowledge and help them
set up trades.
o Standup India: Each Scheduled Commercial bank branch to give Greenfield Loans between ₹10 lakh
and ₹1 Cr to at least 1 SC/ST and at least 1 Woman entrepreneur with tenure up to 7 years
o ASIIM (2020): Ambedkar Social Innovation & Incubation Mission by Social Justice ministry to Support
1000 Startups of SC Youth over next 4 Years via venture capital fund
 Social Empowerment

6
o The Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 - Provides punishment for the preaching and practice of
Untouchability.
o Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 2015 - Provides for more
stringent provisions for prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. Its
amendment to the original 1989 act.
a) The Act has been enacted keeping in view the express constitutional safeguards enumerated in
Articles 15 (Prohibition of Discrimination), 17 (Abolition of Untouchability) and 21 (Protection of
Life and Personal Liberty) of the Constitution, with a twin-fold objective of protecting the
members of these vulnerable communities as well as to provide relief and rehabilitation to the
victims of caste-based atrocities.
b) In the amended SC/ST Act (2018), preliminary inquiry is not a must and no prior approval is also
required for appointing authorities for senior police officers to file FIRs in cases of atrocities on
SC and ST.
Supreme Court on SC/ST Act:

Recently, in a judgement, the Supreme Court has observed that the apex court and high courts have the power to
quash criminal cases filed under various ‘special statutes’ including the SC/ST Act.
The Supreme Court has inherent powers under Article 142 of the Constitution or that of the High Court under
Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to quash proceedings under the Scheduled Castes and the
Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act), 1989 (SC/ST Act).
Situations on Quashing Cases under ‘Special Statutes’:
 When the court is satisfied that the offence in question, although covered under the SC/ST Act, is primarily
private or civil in nature or when this offence has not been committed on account of the victim’s caste or
where the continuation of legal proceedings would constitute an abuse of process of law.
 When considering a prayer for quashing on the basis of a compromise/settlement between the two parties,
the court is satisfied that the underlying objective of the SC/ST Act would not be contravened if the crime
goes unpunished.
Social Sector Spending

Context:
The Budget 2022-23 witnessed reduction in overall social sector spending, which includes education, well-being,
housing, and social welfare. Expenditure on the social sector is projected to decline from 6.5% of total expenditure
in the ongoing fiscal to 6.1%. These reductions have been observed in following sectors --
 Reduced food subsidy: Throughout the pandemic, Public Distribution System has been a lifeline for many.
Beneficiaries of National Food Security Act received additional food grains under Pradhan Mantri Garib
Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). However, the allocated food subsidy (BE) for 2022-23 is 2.06 lakh crore (less
than last year’s allocation of 2.86 lakh crore) is only enough to cover regular NFSA entitlements. This
indicates that there is no plan to extend the PMGKAY.
 Reduction in Mid-day Meal Scheme allocation: Earlier National Mid-day Meal scheme was rechristened to
Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN) in 2021 with increased coverage. Despite that,
allocation for scheme has reduced from 11,500 crore last year to 10,233 crore this year. • Nominal increase
in Health budget: Overall Health budget at Rs 83,000 crore has gone up by only 16% over BE for 2021-22
and by less than Rs1,000 crore compared to RE for 2021-22 (Rs 82,921 crore). Even this nominal increase is
due to inclusion of “water & sanitation” under the health budget.
Budgets for important schemes such as Saksham Anganwadi, maternity entitlements (PM Matru Vandana Yojana,
Janani Surakhsa Yojana) and social security pensions are the same as the allocations for last year.
Need for the Social Sector Spending:

7
 Economic Growth: In India, Private consumption expenditure is the biggest driver of economic growth.
However, due to reduced social sector spending by the government and recent COVID induced lockdowns
reduced consumer demand. So, increased social sector spending by the government will increase consumer
demand thereby economic recovery.
 Demographic dividend: Spending on Human Capital will help India reap benefits of demographic dividend.
•
 To reduce Inequalities: Recent Oxfam report “Inequality kills”, stated that the pandemic has created the
biggest surge in billionaire wealth ever. World’s 10 richest men have doubled their fortunes, while over 160
million people are projected to have been pushed into poverty. K-shaped economic recovery after the
pandemic in India (incomes of poorer sections of society are decreasing, while those of richer sections are
increasing) also reflects increased inequalities in India. This suggests the need for increased social sector
spending by the government.
 To reduce poverty and hunger: Reduced social sector spending by governments force the poor to spend
more on non-food essential items squeezing their expenditure on Human resource development, health
and Education.
As Amartya Sen states, the government should adopt a capability approach to addressing poverty issue by
increasing its spending on nutrition, health, education and social security.

8
Manual scavenging In India

Why in the news ?
 Safai Mitra Suraksha Challenge was launched on World Toilet Day - 19 Nov 2020, to prevent ‘hazardous
cleaning’ of sewers and septic tanks and promote their mechanized cleaning.
 Recently the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has told Parliament that no death were
reported due to manual scavenging.
About Manual scavenging

 Manual scavenging refers to the unsafe and manual removal of human excrement from public streets and
dry latrines, cleaning septic tanks, gutters and sewers”.
 Manual scavenging is the “most inhuman” and violative of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Article
21.
 The SECC 2011 identified 1,82,505 households with the primary occupation of manual scavenging. Several
organisations suggest that more than 75 % of manual scavengers are women.
 282 sanitation workers have died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks in the country between 2016 and
November 2019 (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment).
Responsibility for identifying manual scavengers:

Every local authority (municipality or panchayat), cantonment board or railway authority is responsible for surveying
its area to identify manual scavengers.
Government Interventions
 The ‘Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 - For eradication
of dry latrines and manual scavenging and rehabilitation of manual scavengers in alternative occupations.
This law makes it an offence to:
 Employ people as manual scavengers to clean insanitary latrines
 Employ people to clean sewers and septic tanks without protective gear
 Construct insanitary latrines
 Not demolish or convert insanitary latrines within a certain period of this Act coming into force
 National Commission for Safai Karamcharis - A statutory body to look into matters concerning the Safai
Karamcharis' welfare and make recommendations to the government.
 National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation - Provides financial assistance to the
Safai Karamchari, Scavengers and their dependents for any viable income generating schemes. It has
empanelled 22 training institutions and identified a variety of skill training in an attempt to boost alternative
employment and encourage entrepreneurship.
 Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS).
 Swachh Bharat Abhiyan - Eradication of manual scavenging is one of the objectives of Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan.
 Safai Mitra Suraksha Challenge - Aims to completely mechanise all septic and sewage tank cleaning
operations in 243 cities across India, by April 30, 2021.
Rehabilitation of manual scavengers
 An initial one-time cash assistance
 Scholarship to the children of manual scavenger
 Allotment of residential plot and financial assistance for house construction of a ready built house
 Training in a livelihood skill with payment of stipend of at least Rs 3000 per month
 Provision for subsidy, along with concessional loans, to at least one adult member of the family

9
Punishment for violation of the Act:

 Under section 8 of this Act, a person violating this will be punishable with imprisonment for up to two years
or a fine of up to I2 lakh or both.
 For any subsequent violations, the imprisonment may extend up to five years and the fine can go up to I5
lakh or both.
Challenges
 Lack of proper identification - Wide difference between official and NGO figures. Ex - National survey 2018
acknowledged manual scavengers in the statutory towns of 14 Indian states.
 Implementation gaps - Of the 87,913 manual scavengers identified by the national survey (2018), only
27,268 have been integrated into relevant schemes.
 Government apathy - Local administrations are not ready to accept that manual scavenging existed in their
jurisdictions. (2018 baseline survey, under WaterAid India’s project)
 Govt Biggest violator - Indian Railways have toilets dropping the excreta from trains on the tracks and thus
employ scavengers to clean the tracks manually.
 Reduced funding - Government has reduced the Budget allocation for the self-employment scheme in
February by 9% to Rs 100 crore for 2021-’22.
 Other - The practice is driven by caste, class and income divides, Absence of a viable alternative income
source, most people are unaware about their entitlements and rights.
Way Forward
 Acknowledgement of the issue and its gravity is the first step, it leads to proper identification of manual
scavengers. Apart from it, implementation of laws in letter and spirit, social sensitization about the
practice, awareness of schemes and programmes, generating alternative livelihood opportunities would
be the key to get rid of this evil practice.
SCHEDULED TRIBES
Basic data and facts about ST’s

 Scheduled Tribes are defined under the article 342 and they comprise 8.2 % of the Indian population (2011
Census) and 89.97% of them live in rural areas and 10.03% in urban areas.
 The essential characteristics of these communities are - Primitive Traits, Geographical isolation, Distinct
culture, Shy of contact with the community at large and economically backward.
 Broadly the STs inhabit two distinct geographical areas – the Central India and the North- Eastern Area.
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha have the largest ST population.
 There is no notified ST population in 3 States (Delhi NCR, Punjab and Haryana) and 2 UTs (Puducherry and
Chandigarh).
 Literacy rate - 59% (Male - 68.5 %, Female - 49.40 %), Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report 2017-18
reveals an improvement in literacy rate of STs at 69.4%.

10
PVTGs
 PVTGs are less developed among the tribals. In 1973, the Dhebar Commission first recognised them as
Primitive Tribal Groups. In 2006, the Government renamed the PTGs as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal
Groups (PVTGs).
 Basic characteristics of PVTGs - They are mostly homogenous, with a small population, relatively
physically isolated, social institutes cast in a simple mould, absence of written language, relatively
simple technology and a slower rate of change etc.
 There are 75 PVTGs residing in 18 States and UT of A&N Islands. These tribal groups are widely different
culturally, thus their problems are also very different from group to group.
Issues concerning PVTGs
 Inequalities - The level of inequalities in social and economic conditions is very high amongst PVTGs.
 Declining population - The growth of PVTGs' population is either stagnating or declining, compared to
the general population growth particularly in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands where the declining rate
is very high.
 Poor Health - They fare poorly in health indicators due to factors like poverty, illiteracy, lack of safe
drinking water, bad sanitary conditions, difficult terrain, malnutrition, poor maternal and child health
services, unavailability of health and nutritional services, superstition etc.
 Illiteracy - Average literacy rate of PVTGs varies 10% to 44%.
 Livelihood - Due to deforestation, climate changes and new forest conservation policies, their Non
timber forest produce collection is getting hampered. Because of the lack of awareness about the value
of NTFP produce, PVTGs have been exploited by the middle men.
The Scheme for Development of Primitive Vulnerable Tribal Groups
 Launched in 2008 to ensure socio-economic development of PVTGs.
 Activities supported under the scheme include housing, land distribution, land development, agricultural
development, cattle development, construction of link roads, installation of non-conventional sources of
energy, social security, etc
General Issues concerning STs

 Tribal Culture - Education, urbanization, industrialization and sanskritization has affected tribal culture and
led to an identity crisis among them
 Forest Rights - Forest policies and regulations have jeopardized the traditional rights of tribal people and
thus activities such as food gathering, shifting cultivation have been affected.
 Land alienation - Since the colonial period, tribal land has been acquired for developmental activities and
agriculture expansion and gradually they have been reduced to agriculture landless labourers.
 Lack of Education - Inadequate schools, absence of quality education, absence of competent teachers, lack
of education in mother tongue has led to low literacy among tribals. The tribal drop-outs at primary and
secondary level is much higher than that of the general population.
 Lack of basic infrastructure - Absence of roads, pucca houses, electricity, drinking water and sanitation
facilities, schools, hospitals etc.
 Displacement & enforced migration -It has led to an increasing number of Scheduled Tribes working as
contract labourers in the construction industry and as domestic workers in major cities.
Welfare programmes for STs

 Educational Empowerment -
o Pre-Matric & post matric Scholarship Scheme, National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher
Education etc.

11
o Vocational Training Centres in Tribal Areas - To upgrade the skills of the tribal youth in various
traditional/ modern vocations. Ministry of Road & Transport announced the government is working to
set up Driver Training Centres in tribal areas and in the 115 poorest districts in the country.
o Eklavya Model Residential School / Ashram Schools - Provide residential education for ST students. In
2018 Government announced setting up of Eklavya Model Residential Schools in every block with
more than 50 per cent Scheduled Tribes population and at least 20,000 tribal persons.
o Scheme of Strengthening Education among the ST Girls in Low Literacy Districts - The scheme aims to
bridge the gap in literacy levels between the general female population and tribal women, in the
identified districts or blocks.
o Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (for SC, ST, Support to STs during COVID pandemic
OBCs, minority & BPL). - To ensure access and  MSP hiked - The Ministry of Tribal Affairs
quality education to girls from disadvantaged has hiked the MSP of items of Minor
groups by setting up residential schools at upper Forest Produce.
primary level.  Purchase of Unsold Stocks - TRIFED plans
to procure tribal products worth approx.
School Innovation Ambassador Training Program
Rs. 23 Cr from tribal artisans across the
Context country.
 Recently, the Union Education Minister and Union  Monthly Ration - TRIFED procuring and
Tribal Affairs Minister jointly launched the School distributing ration kits worth Rs 1000/- to
Innovation Ambassador Training Program (SIATP). tribal families across India.
Significance  Working Capital to small artisans -
 It will benefit a large number of schools for tribal TRIFED is engaged in discussions with
children across the country by giving wings to the Financial Institutions to provide
creativity of the children. favourable funding terms for soft loan to
 It will nurture lakhs of students with innovation tribal artisans.
capabilities, develop a culture of innovation and lay the
foundation of a new and vibrant India.
 The students of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) will greatly benefit from SIATP since it is also
the endeavour of the Tribal Affairs Ministry to give the best possible education to the tribal children.
 Economic Empowerment
o Institutional Support for Development and Marketing of Tribal Products/Produce. – The scheme has
poor record as only 8 states have been granted aid under the scheme Chhattisgarh was granted funds
(Rs. 2.32 crores) only once in 2014 but the State did not utilize them. Tripura is the only State to have
been granted funds each year since 2014 until 2018 and it has utilized all the funds allocated to it.
o Micro Credit Scheme for Self Help Groups comprising ST members. - As per MoRD data, the Rs 2.8 lakh
crore leveraged from the banking system to SHGs. The number of enterprises per village went up by 79
per cent, per capital monthly income by 22 per cent. STs also benefitted greatly.
o Adivasi Mahila Sashaktikaran Yojana - Economic development of scheduled tribal women. Loans upto
90% for scheme costing upto ₹1 lakh are provided at a concessional rate of interest of 4% p.a.
o Stand Up India Scheme - To promote entrepreneurship among aspiring Women and SC/ST
entrepreneurs. The scheme failed to make any impact, only to 57 entrepreneurs received loan under
the scheme till 2018.
 Social Empowerment
o Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub Plan - Provided by the MOTA to the States for family-oriented
income-generation schemes in sectors of agriculture, horticulture, sericulture etc.

12
o Development of Forest Village - It was

Underutilization of Funds under TSP in Karnataka
launched during the 10th Plan to raise the
 The overall progress in SCP and TSP were a dismal
HDI and provide basic facilities and services
15 % and 9% respectively, of the total fund
for inhabitants.
allocated.
o The Provisions of the Panchayats  73 members of legislative assembly and 36
(Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 - members of legislative council have not
The Act extended the provisions of proposed/taken up any work under the TSP and
Panchayats to the tribal areas of nine states SCP for 2019-20.
that have Fifth Schedule Areas.
o Swasthya Portal – Its e-portal, providing all health and nutrition related information of the tribal
population of India in a single platform.
Recommendations of Dhebar commission (1960) regarding education

 Provide the mid-day meal, clothing, free book, reading and writing materials, etc. to all the tribal children
in backward areas, opening of schools in localities where there were at least 30 school-going children,
adjustment of timing, vacations, and holidays of schools to suit the tribal social and cultural life, create
an atmosphere of tribal culture in the schools etc.
 The Kothari Commission endorsed the recommendations of the Dhebar Commission and also suggested
the need to educate parents simultaneously.
Xaxa Committee recommendations for welfare of STs
 Regarding legal & administrative framework  Regarding Land Alienation

o Empower Tribes Advisory Council, widening o Laws protecting tribal land from alienation must
its scope and responsibilities and transforming be upheld at all costs. A reasonable share of the
it into the Tribes Advisory, Protective and wealth generated by the resources in their
Developmental Council. homelands must accrue to them by law.
o Autonomous Councils must be covered under o Prevent all kinds of tribal land alienation
the State Finance Commission and FC must lay through strict enforcement of laws and restore
down appropriate principles of resource alienated land to the tribal owners as per the
distribution between the State and the provisions of the PESA.
Autonomous Council.
 Regarding Education
 Socio-economic development o Teachers for schools in the tribal regions should
o Ensure due share in socio-economic progress be recruited locally.
for tribals, including facilities like health, o New teacher training institutions should be
education, livelihood, drinking water, opened and the curriculum for the training
sanitation, roads, electricity and sustainable should be compatible with the socio-cultural
income. milieu, tribal ethos, language etc
o Reservation for tribal women (one-third) as o The State Governments should develop a policy
well as smaller tribal groups in the ADCs and for multilingual education, so that early learning
other political institutions. is conducted in the local language.
o Establish agro-based training institutions and o Inclusion of local culture, folklore and history in
related labour-intensive processing industries the curriculum can help in building confidence
in tribal regions of tribal children and enhance the relevance of
o Micro watersheds should be given top-most education in their lives.
priority in tribal areas to enhance agricultural o Residential schools should be set up specifically
productivity. for Nomadic Tribes.

13
o All steps must be taken by the Government for o Right of Children to Free and Compulsory
skill development among the tribal youth to Education Act, 2009 should be stringently
make them employable or self-employed implemented.
 Regarding Culture
o Respect and protect tribals customary rights to land, forest, culture and sources of livelihood. Allow to
participate in the protection and management of forests.
o The right to preservation of their language, culture and traditions, and to protect themselves against the
loss of identity, must be recognized, protected, documented and allowed to thrive as a dynamic living
culture.
Mungekar Report
 Stop the practice of routinely extending all laws to the Scheduled Areas without adaptation to the Tribal milieu
and to consciously adapt the laws to the Scheduled Areas.
 The Office of the Governors in Scheduled Areas should have a separate, weIl staffed and well equipped set up
to take care of the ST-related matters.
 The Gram Sabha should become fully functional and must be given a top priority by all concerned irrespective
of the position they may hold in the System.
 Participatory Approach of Programme Implementation should be a compulsory pre-requisite for programme
implementation.
 There shall be a single line administration that is responsive to the people.
 Protective measures must precede developmental programmes with suitable amends in the Tribal Sub Plan
frame to ensure that the story of their earlier neglect is not repeated
 Review land laws: All State laws about land alienation should be reviewed and suitably amended to enable
Gram Sabhas to take effective action for protecting Tribal land and restoration of illegally alienated lands
 Devolution of powers to the nearest level in the field. Instances of misuse should be met with a stringent action
against the culprits and institutionalizing effective correctives
 The unacknowledged health crisis in Tribal areas should be handled in a mission-mode in a holistic frame. The
traditional healers and daies should be an integral part of this Mission.
MSP for Minor Forest Produce

Why in the news ?
 The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has revised the MSP for MFP list and has included 14 additional MFPs in the
list.
MFPs & their importance
 MFP are non-wood forest products. It includes bamboo, canes, fodder, leaves, gums, waxes, dyes, resins
and many forms of food including nuts,
wild fruits etc.
 MFP is a major source of livelihood for
Tribals. Collection and sale of MFPs
contribute 40 – 60 % of tribal annual
earnings.
 MFP provides food, shelter, medicines
and cash income for forest dwellers. The
MFP sector has the potential to create
about 10 million work days annually.
 Most of the Minor Forest Produces are
collected and used/sold by women, thus it
also ensures women empowerment.

14
MSP for MFP

 GOI introduced a minimum support price (MSP) for a select list of MFP through the Scheme of Mechanism
for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price in 2011.
 Scheme of Mechanism for Marketing of MFP through MSP
o The scheme is designed as a social safety net for improvement of livelihood of MFP gatherers by
providing them a fair price for the MFPs they collect.
o MSP & The Van Dhan tribal start-ups components of this scheme have emerged as a source of
employment generation among tribals.
Way Forward
 MFP contributes to the livelihoods and alleviating poverty of nearly 100 million people. Ensuring fair returns
to these poor people is the duty of the State.
Institutions for Tribal Development

 National Scheduled Tribe Finance and Development Corporation - Work for economic upliftment of the STs
by extending concessional financial assistance to the target group.
 Tribal Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (TRIFED) - It is a national level cooperative body est. in
1987. Its objective is socio-economic development of tribal people by way of marketing development of the
tribal products.
o Van Dhan Yojana (2018) - For skill upgradation and capacity building of tribal gatherers and ensuring
marketability of their raw products by setting up primary processing and value addition facilities.
o Van Dhan Samajik Doori Jagrookta Abhiyaan (2020) - To educate the tribals in COVID related safety
measures.
o Tech for Tribals scheme (2020) - To impart the training to tribal forest product gatherers through a 30-
day course developed by the higher educational institutions like IITs.
Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006
 Popularly known as Forests Rights Act, 2006 was enacted to protect the marginalised socio-economic class
of citizens and balance the right to environment with their right to life and livelihood.
 It recognizes the rights of the forest dwelling tribal communities and other traditional forest dwellers to
forest resources, on which these communities are dependent for a variety of needs including livelihood.
 The Act encompasses Rights of Self-cultivation and Habitation which are usually regarded as Individual
rights; and Community Rights as Grazing, Fishing and access to Water bodies in forests, Habitat Rights for
PVTGs etc.
Importance
 It seeks to undo the historical injustice occurred to the forest dwelling communities
 The act ensures land tenure, livelihood and food security of the forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other
traditional forest dwellers.
 It strengthens the conservation regime of the forests by including the responsibilities and authority of
Forest Rights holders for sustainable use, conservation of biodiversity and maintenance of ecological
balance.
 It expands the mandate of the Fifth and the Sixth Schedules of the Constitution that protect the claims of
indigenous communities over tracts of land or forests they inhabit.
 It has the potential to democratise forest governance by recognising community forest resource rights.

15
Implementation so far
 Till September 2018 end, a total of 4,219,741 claims (individual and community claims) have been filed and
1,889, 835 titles (individual and community claims) amounting to 17,848,733 acres of forest lands have
been distributed. But this also means that a total of 1,934,345 claims were rejected.
Challenges for implementation
 Lack of Political will: There is no political will to implement this act as assertion of power of forest dwelling
communities is in direct conflict with the agenda of ease of doing business.
 Systemic issues: There is lack of coordination between the tribal, revenue and forest department on
implementation of the Act. There are multiple laws that are in conflict with FRA and to operationalise FRA
on the ground
 Functional/implementation barriers: There are number of implementation challenges. A large number of
claims are being rejected; pending or limited rights are recognised. The area recognized has been drastically
reduced from the area, which has been claimed without any proper reasons.
 Other - Resistance by forest bureaucracy, documentation, illiteracy and unawareness among forest
dwellers, Naxalisam etc.
 Dilution of Act: Certain sections of environmentalists raise the concern that FRA bends more in the favour
of individual rights, giving lesser scope for community rights.
 Institutional Roadblock: Rough maps of community and individual claims are prepared by Gram Sabha
which at times often lack technical knowhow and suffers from educational incapacity.
 Lack of Transparency- The nominations for members for the taluk-level and district-level committees were
not transparent.
 Women rights- The FRA provides for equal rights in titles issued under the Act for women but on the ground
level, women were hardly visible in this regard.
 Proofs of evidence - In the initial stages of implementation, there was insistence on satellite images as
evidence while other admissible proofs were ignored, as happened in Gujarat resulting in mass rejections
of claims.
 Decline in the quality of forest produce- The tribals possess lands (including the lands recognised under
the FRA) that are small, of poor quality, infertile without irrigation facilities thus forcing them to look for
other sources of livelihood. In Chhattisgarh, earnings from activities such as collection of tendu leaves for
rolling local cigars were affected when there was an influx of labourers from Bihar who were willing to work
for low wages.
 Lack of coordination- The biggest challenge throughout the country has been a lack of coordination
between tribal, forest and revenue departments at the local level.
Way forward
Reducing poverty has direct linkage with rights, especially when it comes to forest dwellers who are primarily
dependent on natural resources. FRA provides a good opportunity for development of forest dwellers as well as
forest conservation, it should not be missed.
Role played by NCST and NCSC in progress of SC/ST
National Commission for STs

 The 89th Amendment bifurcated the erstwhile National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes and set up the NCST under Article 338-A to oversee the implementation of various safeguards
provided to STs under the Constitution.
 Functions
o To investigate and monitor all matters relating to the safeguards provided for the STs under the
Constitution or under any other law and to evaluate the working of such safeguards.

16
o To inquire into specific complaints with respect to the deprivation of rights and safeguards of the Scheduled
Tribes.
o To participate and advise in the planning process of socio-economic development of the STs and to evaluate
the progress of their development under the Union and any State.
o To present to the President, annually and at such other times as the Commission may deem fit, reports
upon the working of those safeguards.
Role played by NCST in welfare of SC/ST

 NCSC took Suo-moto recognition of atrocities against SC and ST communities in recent Bengal post-poll
violence.
 It started online complaint portal for complaints of atrocities against scheduled castes.
 Commission requested government to file a review Subhash Mahajan case which had diluted SC/ST
(prevention of Atrocities) act, 1989. and subsequently government restored original provisions.
 Raised cases of exploitation of Scheduled Caste Labour in the Brick Kiln Sector.
 Recommended inclusion of Namasudra, Pond, Poundra etc. (Bengali displaced persons) community in the
list of Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh.
National Commission for SCs

o It is a constitutional body established under article 338 to provide safeguards against the exploitation of
Scheduled Castes and Anglo-Indian communities to promote and protect their social, educational,
economic, cultural interests and special provisions made in the Constitution.
o Functions - Similar to NCSTs with respect to Scheduled castes.
Role played by NCST in welfare of ST

 Raised issue of displacement and rehabilitation of STs due to developmental projects with MOEFCCC and
recommended measure to safeguard tribal rights. It presented two reports to president regarding this -
o Indira Sagar Polavaram Project Affected Tribal People and
o Rourkela Steel Plant on Rehabilitation & Resettlement of Displaced Tribal.
 Represented in legal matters related to interest of tribals. for ex in Chhattisgarh HC regarding the denial of
promotion of SCs & STs officers of Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board.
 It took Suo-moto recognition of Amendment if SCs and STs, PoA Act, 1989 recommended for providing
time bound disposal of cases by the special courts.
 It also contributed in policy issues related to Enumeration of Migrant STs, Implementation of Forest Right
Act, Amendment of Land Acquisition and RR Bill etc.
Challenges/ Limitations of NCSC/NCSTs
 Lack of proper infrastructure, human resources, power to implement its own decisions.
 Non-binding recommendations: Atrocities against members of the Scheduled Castes account for 89% of
the crimes against SCs and STs combined. Even though the Commission has extensive powers of
investigation and inquiry in this area and can fix responsibility and recommend action, its recommendations
are not binding.
 Less sensitive: The existing priorities of the Commission are visibly lopsided in favour of the elite of these
communities. Since the Commission, for the most part, acts on complaints, it is said that commission have
been less than sensitive to the poor Dalits which are engendered by the lack of education or information.
The Commission has not used its powers of suo motu cognisance actively enough.
 Litigation: In the matter of criminal investigation, that would require it to follow prevailing rules and
procedures pertaining to evidence and prosecution. This retard the effectiveness of the commission by
rendering it vulnerable to litigation in the form of appeals to higher judicial bodies and thereby nullifying
its operational effectiveness.

17
 Delays: There are delays in conducting the inquiry and in delivering judgements. Moreover, there is a
perception that the Commission tends to confirm the government’s position on most cases.
 Irregularity: The Commission is supposed to prepare an annual report for presentation to Parliament.
Reports are often tabled two or more years after they have been submitted to the President. Even when
Reports are tabled in Parliament, they are frequently not discussed.
 Proliferation: In many policy sectors, as in the case of the Scheduled Castes, the proliferation of institutions
has created an institutional confusion in which the roles and powers of each are obfuscated. The duplication
and multiplication of institutions has created more confusion.
Suggestions
 The Commission should work with legislators to identify four or five priorities across all government
schemes and reorient all spending (SCP) around those priorities.
 The Commission could also have a role in facilitating economic empowerment and entrepreneurship.
 It shall work to promote skills and small business development in the service economy.
 The Commission has a constitutional mandate to participate in the social and economic planning for SC
welfare — it should use this mandate to guide such a group.
Way Forward
 To enable commissions to work effectively, Government must create proper infrastructure, timely
appointments, legal backing to recommendations, consultation in legal/policy matters related to Scheduled
caste communities and tribal welfare.
 Additional powers: Commission should be given additional powers, in the matter of criminal investigation.
 Timely Discussion: The Annual Report is a crucial activity of the Commission, the importance of which is
generally overlooked. An amendment is required either in Article 338 itself or in the rules by which the
President may fix a period for the discussion of the Report in Parliament.
 Undertake studies: It would be appropriate for the Commission to undertake qualitative studies,
commission social anthropologists and other social scientists to undertake such studies, and to
institutionalize mechanisms by which contemporary changes and transitions in the social structure can be
mirrored, recorded and acted upon.
 Database: There is a pressing need for reliable data on a variety of subjects like the experience of reserved
constituencies in parliament as well as the state legislatures, etc. In this manner, the Commission would
also become more responsive to societal issues like the changing context of untouchability and intra-group
conflicts of interest, and contribute to debates in civil society.
 Appointment: A more thoroughly institutionalized mechanism for appointing the Chairperson, Vice-
Chairperson and other members, would be appropriate. As it has been observed that the leadership and
personnel are key determinants of the Commission’s effectiveness.
 More sensitive: To counter elite biases, the Commission needs to be sensitive to the exclusions that the
lack of education and information may engender, and should ideally use its suo motu powers more actively.
RESERVATION FOR SC/ST AS A TOOL FOR SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL EMPOWERMENT
What is a Reservation ?
 Reservation is a system of affirmative action to ensure social justice for historically disadvantaged groups
by improving representation in education, employment and politics.
 Originally reservation was only given to SCs and STs but was later extended to OBCs (only in education
and public employment) in 1987 after the implementation of the Mandal Commission report.
 103rd amendment act 2019, provided 10% additional quota for the economically weaker sections amongst
the erstwhile unreserved category students.

18
Reservation for SCs & STs

 Article 15(4) – The special provisions/reservation for the advancement of SCs & STs.
 Reservation in jobs and education - 15 % and 7.5 % reservation to services and educational institutions
is provided for SCs and STs respectively.
 Political Reservation -
o Article 330 & 332 provides reservation of seats for the scheduled caste and Scheduled Tribes in
the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies.
o Article 243D provides reservation of seats for SCs and STs in every Panchayat.
o Article 243T provides reservation of seats for SCs and STs in every Municipality.
 Reservations in promotions (Article 16 -4A) - 85th constitutional amendment act 2001 provided
reservations to SCs and STs in matters of promotion as well.
 M. Nagaraj vs Union of India 2006 case the SC restricted the scope of the 85th amendment by
introducing application of creamy layer. This was upheld in a 2018 Supreme Court judgement as well.
Need for reservation

 Discrimination - These social groups have faced Social, political and economic discrimination in the past
and they still face it in many parts of country.
 Backwardness - They are socially backward and
they face various forms of caste-based
discrimination.
 Untouchability - They were subjected to the
practice of untouchability, which takes the form
of various social restrictions.
 Representation - Inadequate representation of
backward classes in the public services.
Education and positions of power and lucrative
jobs were denied to them.
 Manual scavenging - Social evil practice still
exists in the country and mostly backward
communities are employed in it.
 Level playing field - To provide a level playing field for backward communities for their advancement.
How Reservation is undermined ?

Impact of reservation  lateral entry – It undermined the reservations
 In the Central Administrative Services, SCs system because the quotas did not apply.
reached 14 per cent of the Class C in 1984, 14.3  Judiciary - For ex. the SC Ruled that reservation
per cent of the Class B in 2003 and 13.3 per cent in job promotions was not a fundamental right.
of the Class A in 2015. SC upheld UGC notification which sought to shift
 In the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), the unit of provision of reservations from a
their proportion rose from 14.6 per cent in university as a whole to the departmental level.
2004 to 18.1 per cent in 2014.  Privatisation - The total number of employees
 In parallel, the SCs’ literacy rate jumped from has dropped so dramatically between 2003 and
21.38 per cent in 1981 to 66.1 per cent in 2011. 2012, from 32.69 lakh to 26.30 lakh in the Central
Government Services.
Suggestions to achieve desired goal
 Sub-categorization of SC & ST communities and priority for most poor people to avail reservation benefits.

19
 Limit the reservation benefits to 1 or 2 generations. It can be discontinued for the next generation of
government servants.
 Apply Creamy- Layer concept to SC and ST communities.
 As the public sector jobs are declining the government should devise other programs for the capacity
building and overall development of backward communities.
 To stimulate entrepreneurship in SC/ST communities; reservation in government contracts and projects
for enterprises promoted by SC/ST professionals should be introduced.
 Strengthen the legal and judicial protection of Dalits under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention
of Atrocities) Act.
 Vertical Reservation – Recognise inequalities within each vertical category and prioritize disabled, women
etc within each category.
Way Forward
 Reservation is a positive discrimination needed to prevent caste supremacists from outright denying the
less privileged their right for betterment. Although reservation cannot end caste prejudice, it can and
prevent denial of rights to them. It enables their social, economic and political mobility in this way
reservation acts as an agent of social change.
2020 SC Ruling
 The SC ruled states can sub-classify the list of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and socially
and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs), to provide preferential treatment to the especially deprived
among them “to achieve the real purpose of reservation”.
Previous years Questions on this topic

2018
 Multiplicity of various commissions for the vulnerable sections of the society leads to problems of
overlapping jurisdiction and duplication of functions- Is it better to merge all commissions into an umbrella
Human Rights Commission? Argue your case.
 Whether the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) can enforce the implementation of
constitutional reservation for the Scheduled Castes in the religious minority institutions? Examine.
OTHER BACKWARD CLASS

Constitutional provisions for OBC’s
 In the Indian Constitution, OBCs are described as socially and educationally backward classes. The Mandal
Commission estimated the OBC population at 52 per cent while NSSO estimated 41.7 per cent (2009-10).
 Lists of OBCs are maintained by both the National Commission for Backward Classes and the individual
states.
 Article 340 of the Indian Constitution provides for the Appointment of a Commission to investigate the
conditions of backward classes. Till date, Two Backward Class Commissions were appointed –
(a) Kaka Kalelkar commission and (b) B.P. Mandal Commission.
Schemes for welfare of OBCs
 Educational Welfare
o Pre-Matric Scholarship to OBCs - The aim of this Scheme is to motivate children of OBCs studying
at the pre-matric stage.
o Post-Matric Scholarship to OBCs - Provide financial assistance to the OBC students studying at
post-matriculation to enable them to complete their education.

20
o
National Fellowship for OBCs Students - Provide financial assistance to the OBC students in
obtaining quality higher education leading to degrees such as M.Phil and Ph.D.
 Economic welfare
 New Swarnima for Women - Under this scheme, women belonging to backward classes living below
double the poverty line can obtain a loan upto Rs.1,00,000/- @ 5% p.a.
 Saksham - This is a special scheme under Term Loan for young professionals belonging to Backward
Classes of the target group.
 Shilp Sampada - The objective of this scheme is to upgrade the technical and entrepreneurial skills
of Backward Classes by providing training and financial assistance.
 Krishi Sampada - To provide concessional loans under Microfinance to small farmers, vegetable
vendors of the target group for requirements of funds during Rabi & Kharif or any cash crop.
 Social Welfare
o Assistance for Skill development of OBCs/ DNTs/EBCs - Involves the Voluntary Organization and
National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC) to improve educational
and socio-economic conditions of the OBCs/DNTs/EBCs.
o Constitutional status to National Backward class commission for the overall progress of the
backward communities.
First Backward Classes Commission

 It was established in 1953 under the chairmanship of Kaka Kalelkar, and submitted its report in 1955. It had
prepared a list of 2,399 backward castes in the country, of which 837 had been classified as the "most
backward".
 Key Recommendations -
o Recommended "caste as the criteria" to determine backwardness.
o Treat all women as a "backward" class.
o Reservation of 70 % seats in all technical and professional institutions for qualified students of backward
classes.
o Reservation of vacancies in all government services and local bodies for other backward classes.
 The report was never implemented.
OBC Reservation
 Second Backward Class Commission - The GOI had appointed the Mandal Commission in 1979. It
submitted a report in 1980 and recommended 27 % reservation in favor of OBCs. The government
accepted it in 1990.
 Socially and Educationally Backward - OBCs were considered socially and educationally backward classes
and granted reservation in Education - article 15 (4) and Jobs - article 16 (4) to ensure their social and
educational development.
 Indra Sawhney case (1992) - The Supreme Court upheld the OBC reservation but it excluded economically
well-off OBCs known as a “creamy layer”. Thus, they are not eligible for the benefits of reservation.
Impact of OBC Reservation

 They have made considerable progress in education, their representation in employment increased, in
politics too they have become powerful.
 In 2013, OBCs represented 8.37 per cent of the Class A in the Central Government Services, 10.01 per cent
of Class B and 17.98 per cent of Class C.
 Their percentage in the CPSEs jumped from 16.6 per cent in 2004 to 28.5 per cent in 2014.

21
 At the same time, poorer sections within OBCs have not got reservation benefits. Thus, the demand for
subcategorization within the OBCs has received serious attention.
Subcategorization Of OBCs
Why in the news?
 The Justice Rohini Commission, is learnt to have drawn up a proposal to divide OBC castes into four
subcategories and split 27% of the OBC quota reservation into 2,6,9 and 10 per cent, respectively. The
National Commission for Backward Classes is also in favour of it.
Subcategorization Of OBC
 It refers to creating categories within OBCs for the reservation to ensure “equitable distribution” of
representation among all OBC communities.
 The President of India appointed a commission headed by Retd Delhi HC Chief Justice G Rohini, to Examine
Sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes in 2017.
Need of Subcategorization
 OBCs are Heterogeneous - OBCs include diverse social groups and communities with different socio-
economic backgrounds. Only a few affluent communities among them have secured a major part of this
27% reservation.
 Inequitable Benefits of Reservation - As per the first consultation paper published by the Just. Rohini
Commission 25% of benefits from OBC reservations have been availed by only 10 sub-castes. 983 sub-castes
have availed almost no benefits from reservations.
 Inequality within the OBCs - Clubbing together dominant castes like Kunabi, Yadav that are much close to
the upper caste in every aspect and nomadic communities that are worse off than some Dalit communities
set up an unfair race within leading to rising inequality in OBCs.
 Implemented in states - OBC sub-categorization is already being implemented at the State level in more
than 10 states and has resulted in the betterment of the most backward sections among the OBCs.
 NCBC recommendation - It had recommended sub-categorization of OBCs into three groups: Extremely
Backward Classes, More Backward Classes, and Backward Classes back in 2015.
 Better distribution of reservation benefits - Ensuring a sub-quota as per their population share will ensure
just and fair distribution of reservation benefits.
Conclusion
 Sub Categorisation of OBCs is much needed to ensure social justice for most backward communities. It is
time to push for an early, transparent, and fair implementation of OBC sub-categorization to ensure that
marginalized sub-castes get due benefits to maximize social justice for OBCs.
National Commission for Backward Classes
Why in the news ?

 The NCBC has urged the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to collect data on the population of
Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the country “as part of Census of India 2021 exercise.
About NCBC
 It was set up in 1993 as a statutory body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. 102nd
amendment 2018 inserted Article 338B and provided it constitutional status.
 The commission was the outcome of Indra Sawhney & Others v. Union of India. The SC had directed the
Government to constitute a permanent body for entertaining, examining and recommending upon
requests for inclusion and exclusion in the list of OBCs.

22
 Composition - Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and three other Members appointed by the president.
Power and Duties

 To investigate and monitor all matters relating to the safeguards provided for the SEBC and to evaluate the
working of such safeguards.
 To inquire into specific complaints with respect to the deprivation of rights and safeguards of the SEBC. To
present to the President reports upon the working of those safeguards.
 To recommend measures that should be taken for the effective implementation of safeguards and other
measures for the protection, welfare and socio-economic development of SEBC.
 To participate and advise on the socio-economic development of the socially and educationally backward
classes and to evaluate the progress of their development.
 NCBC has the powers of a civil court.
Role of NCBC as an agency for welfare of OBC

 Recently NCBC, summoned the Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh regarding non-
allotment of seats in the institute to OBC students as per the provision of the reservation.
 National Commission for Backward Classes has issued a notice to the health ministry complaining that the
post-Mandal 27 per cent quota was not implemented systematically.
Limitations
 Non-Binding Recommendations - Recommendations are not binding on the government.
 Multidimensional challenges - Mere granting constitutional status will not result in advancement of OBCs
as it consists of very diverse communities with different socio-economic backgrounds and challenges.
 Ignores SC directives - It does not reflect the features of an expert body as mandated by the Supreme Court.
Such as the Act does not talk about the periodic revision of the backward class list in consultation with the
NCBC as recommended by the Supreme Court.
 No power to define - NCBC has no power to define backwardness. Hence it cannot resolve the issue of
demands of various castes to be included as BCs.
 There is no expert body provided under the NCBC as recommended by the Supreme Court.
 Many states have not yet implemented the 27% reservation to OBCs.
 The Supreme Court and High Courts have a small representation of OBCs.
 OBCs are underrepresented in numerous government committees, commissions, boards, and other
forums.
The 102nd amendment

 It also introduced Article 366(26C) and 342-A as per which the President can notify a class as SEBC.
Recent judgment of SC (struck down Maratha Reservation - May 2021)
 There will be only one list and it “can only be amended through a law enacted by Parliament”.
 Only the President (read the Centre) can decide the list of socially and educationally backward
communities for granting reservation.
 States can only make suggestions for inclusion, exclusion or modification of castes or communities in the
SEBC list.
Suggestions
 Composition: Mandatorily include experts and females in order to ensure gender sensitivity.

23
 Transparency: Recommendation of commission and tracker of action taken shall be available in the public
domain.
 Capacity building and sensitisation of lawyers, judges and policemen to ensure empathetic treatment and
timely redressal of grievances of backward class members.
 effective implementation of existing government policies and impact evaluation for timely course
correction.
 Other steps required: Coordination with civil society, Incentivise Good Social Work, entrepreneurship
promotion etc.
Way Forward
 Caste based identities are deeply entrenched and an integral part of Indian society. It plays an important
role in deciding access to education, employment and social status of individuals. Constitutional status to
NCBC is a good beginning in the right direction to ensure welfare and equality of BCs.
Constraints In performance of welfare schemes for SC/ST/OBC – critical examination

 Poverty and Inequality - Problems of isolation, exclusion and occupational subjugation are major obstacles
to main streaming these social groups in the socio-economic development of the country.
 Insufficient funding -While due allocation for SCs in this year’s budget should be Rs 1,39,172 crore as per
NITI Aayog guidelines, the allocation was Rs 83,257 crore, or 60%.
 Poor Governance - Governance including lack of inter-ministerial convergence and suboptimal targeting of
beneficiaries is another major issue.
 Funds not allocated scheme wise - Resources are distributed thinly among a large number of schemes,
especially under the scheduled caste sub-plan (SCSP) and tribal subplan (TSP), instead of among a few
targeted schemes.
 Ground realities are ignored - Mainstreaming these groups has also been hampered by the inability to
incorporate specific cultural and social requirements of SC/ST groups while designing interventions.
 Poor outcomes - Each ministry is supposed to set aside 15 per cent of its spending in a Scheduled Caste Sub
Plan, but often their outcomes are insignificant.
 Top to down approach - Absence of people’s participation in design, planning and implementation, and
the absence of accountability.
 Negligence of Dalit and Adivasi women - The 2020-21 Budget allocates 0.8% (Rs 7,986.34 crore) for Dalit
women and 0.34% (Rs 3,174.91 crore) for tribal women from the Centrally Sponsored Schemes and Central
Sector Schemes.
 Unawareness - There is limited awareness about the schemes resulting in leakages and denial of benefits.
Way Forward
 Make existing government efforts more effective and participatory.
 Initiate ranking states for their innovation, effectiveness, and impact of social schemes.
 Identify key social practices across the country that still segregate Dalits—whether in schools, homes, or
workplaces — and run targeted communication campaigns for students and teachers, villagers, companies,
etc.
 The budget allocation for the SC/ST communities should be proportionate to their share in the population.
 Constant scrutiny, review and revision” of the effectiveness and quantum of scholarship and fellowship
schemes provided to them.
Economic Weaker Sections:
Context:
 Recently ,the government has accepted the report of a three-member panel constituted to revisit the
Economical Weaker Section (EWS) criteria
 The Union government has approved reservations for the OBC and EWS (Economically Weaker Section)
categories within the All India Quota (AIQ) for National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), the uniform
entrance examination for medical and dental colleges across the country.

24
EWS quota: Background

 The 10% reservation was introduced through the 103rd Constitution Amendment and enforced in January
2019.
 It added Clause (6) to Article 15 to empower the Government to introduce special provisions for the EWS
among citizens except those in the classes that already enjoy reservation.
 It allows reservation in educational institutions, both public and private, whether aided or unaided,
excluding those run by minority institutions, up to a maximum of 10%.
 It also added Clause (6) to Article 16 to facilitate reservation in employment.
 The new clauses make it clear that the EWS reservation will be in addition to the existing reservation.
EWS Quota (In Favour) EWS Quota (Against)
 The economically weaker sections have not reaped  Reservation based entirely on economic criteria is
the benefits of higher educational institutions and not an all-in-one solution, though family income
public employment due to their financial can be one of the parameters.
incapacity.  Determining economic backwardness is a major
 The quota is progressive and could address the challenge as there are concerns regarding the
issues of educational and income inequality in inclusion and exclusion of persons under the
India. criteria.
 The reservation criteria should be economic  In M. Nagaraj v. Union of India (2006), a
because there are many classes other than Constitution Bench ruled that equality is part of the
backward classes who are living under abysmal basic structure of the Constitution. The 50 per cent
conditions but cannot avail reservation and its ceiling is a constitutional requirement without
intended benefits. which the structure of equality of opportunity
 In Ram Singh v. Union of India (2015), The SC would collapse.
asserted that social deficiencies may exist beyond  The implementation of the quota is a challenge in
the concept of caste (e.g. economic status/gender itself as the states do not have the finances to
identity as in transgender). The “quota-for-poor” enforce even the present and constitutionally
policy is symptomatic of a larger failure. It replaces mandated reservations.
the principle that welfare should be the basic  It washes away the constitutionally permitted
raison d’être of public policy, it hides the colossal gatekeeping mechanism of social and educational
failure of the state in handling questions of poverty backwardness and makes reservation available to
and deprivation and, at the same time, it indicates everyone irrespective of social backwardness.
a dead-end in policy-making itself  Reservation has also become synonymous with
anti-merit, with the extension of reservation; this
opinion might get further ingrained in the public
psyche.
Way Forward:
 Rational criteria: There has to be collective wisdom to define and measure the economic weakness of
certain sections of the society in order to shape the concept of economic justice.
 Judicial guidance: Judicial interpretation will pave the wave forward for deciding the criterion for EWS
Quota.
 Targeted beneficiaries: The centre needs to resort to more rational criteria for deciding the targeted
beneficiary of this reservation system. Caste Census data can be useful in this regard.
 Income study: The per capita income or GDP or the difference in purchasing power in the rural and urban
areas, should be taken into account while a single income limit was formulated for the whole country.
 Preserving the merit: We cannot rule out the sorry state of economic backwardness hampering merit in
our country.

25
WOMEN
 Women constitute almost 50 % of the population of India. Thus, ideally, they should have equal share in
education, health, employment, politics etc. But, in contrast, many women in India continue to face
significant difficulties and they lag on developmental parameters.
Constitutional Provisions
 Article 15(3) - Allows for positive discrimination in favour  Article 42 - Allows for provisions to be
of women. made by the State for securing just and
 Article 23 - Prohibition of traffic in human beings and humane conditions of work and for
forced labour maternity relief.
 Article 39(A) - The State shall ensure that men and women  Article 243D - Mandates not less than one-
equally, have the right to an adequate means of livelihood. third reservation for women in panchayats
at all levels. 20 states have made provision
 Article 39 (d) - Equal pay for equal work. for 50% reservation for women in PRIs
 Article 51(A) (e)) - Renounce practices derogatory to the in their respective State Panchayati Raj
dignity of women. Acts.
Status of women in India- fact and data

o Literacy - The literacy rate in the country is 74.04 per cent, 82.14 for males and 65.46 for females (2011
Census).
o Sex Ratio - The sex ratio in the country
had always remained unfavourable to
females. It was 940 in 2011 (2011
Census).
o Child Sex Ratio - Declined from 927 in
2011 to 918 in 2011 census.
o Women Workforce participation Rate -
In 2019, about 20.7 percent of women
were in the labor force across India,
down from approximately 30 percent in
1990 (WB).
Time spent on domestic duties, social
stigma against women in employment,
and regressive attitude of employers are some of the main reasons for it.
o Gender Gap - India slipped 28 places, ranking 140 among 156 countries (World Economic Forum’s
Global Gender Gap Index 2021).
o Sexual Harassment - 35% of women in full time corporate sector jobs have experienced sexual
harassment (The Women in the Workplace report).
o The Maternal Mortality Ratio - Declined to 113 in 2016-18 from 122 in 2015-17 and 130 in 2014-2016
(special bulletin on Maternal Mortality in India 2016-18).
o Health - More than 50 per cent women are anaemic in the majority of the states. (National Family
Health Survey 2019-20).
o Domestic Violence - One in three (34%) married women (aged 15-49) have experienced physical, sexual
or emotional violence by their husband or partners (NCRB).
o SDG 5 - "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls"

26
Political Exclusion of women

 Parliament - In current Loksabha - 14% (78 MPs) female MPs, ie. the highest number of women MPs since
1952. In Rajya Sabha only 25 (10.2%) out of 245 members are women.
 Assemblies - Only 9% of 4,120 MLAs were women (ADR report). In recent assembly elections (2021) Only
5 % women in Tamil Nadu and only 11 women were elected to the 140-member Kerala state Assembly.
The Women’s Reservation Bill
 Seeks to amend the constitution to set aside for women one-third of all seats in the Lok Sabha, as well
as in all state legislatures.
 Passed by Rajya Sabha in 2010 and pending in Lok Sabha.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AG AINST WOMEN

Context:
There was a rise of 46% in complaints of crimes against women in the first eight months of 2021 over the
corresponding period of last year.
About
 United Nations defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is
likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts,
coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life”.
 Violence against women is a social, economic, developmental, legal, educational, human right, and health
(physical and mental) issue.
Impact of COVID-19
 Since the outbreak of COVID-19, all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic
violence, has intensified.
 Emerging data shows an increase in calls to domestic violence helplines in many countries since the
outbreak of COVID-19.
 This is the Shadow Pandemic growing amidst the COVID-19 crisis. In some countries, resources and efforts
have been diverted from violence against women response to immediate COVID-19 relief. It has caused
increase in violence against women.
Reasons:
 Patriarchal attitude: The major factor behind the violent behaviour of men is the patriarchal attitude which
perceives woman as an object and gives her a low status in the society. Violence arises from patriarchal
notions of ownership over women’s bodies, labour, reproductive rights and level of autonomy.
 Historically unequal power relations: The political, economic and social processes that have evolved over
many centuries have kept men in a position of power over women.
 Control of women’s sexuality: Many societies use violence as a way to control a woman’s sexuality, and
likewise in many societies violence is used to punish women who exhibit sexual behaviour, preferences and
attitudes that violate cultural norms.
 Cultural ideology: Culture defines gender roles and some customs, traditions and religions are used to
justify violence against women when women transgress these culturally assigned roles.
 Doctrines of privacy: The persistent belief in many societies that violence against women is a private issue
seriously impedes attempts to eradicate this violence.
 Patterns of conflict resolution: Links have been identified between violence against women in the home
and community in areas that are in conflict or that are militarised.
Challenges

27
 Unreported Cases Crimes against Women remain mostly unreported globally. Fear of societal shame is a
big reason for under-reporting. NFHS 4 showed that 1 in every 3 women faced some kind of violence but
only 1.5% of them have reported it to Police
 Less Sensitised Police Personnel: Police are the first person to encounter the Victim or accused. Their
cooperation and attitude towards the victims matter a lot.
 Pending Cases: Cases relating to crimes against women have the most backlog, close to 89.6%. Conviction
rate is also very low.
 Time Bound Investigations: Laid back (calm and relaxed) behaviour of the investigating authorities in a
time bound way is a major roadblock.
 Making Laws without proper implementation Just making the laws will not work, needs to be checked for
its proper implementation. Unnao case proves that making laws is not sufficient, its proper implementation
is necessary Gender Disparity: Discriminatory gender norms and stereotypes coupled with prevalent
patriarchy leads to crimes against women.
 Female infanticide and Sex selective Abortions: Even in Modern India, daughters are still considered an
economic burden.
 Trafficking and forced prostitution It is so prevalent all over the world. People are trafficked to different
states and even country in bait of jobs and later are forced to do manual work or even worse prostitution.
 Online Abuse and harassment As the internet becomes an increasingly important part of human existence
to make their voices heard, a woman’s inability to feel safe online is an impediment to her freedom. Women
are regularly subject to online rape threats, online harassment, cyber-stalking, blackmail, trolling, slut-
shaming and more.
Legal Protection from Crimes against Women
 Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redress al) Act, 2013 was passed
with the aim of giving insurance to the ladies at work environment.
 Acid Attack: Section 326B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 deals with utilisation of corrosive substances and
intentional tossing or endeavouring to toss corrosive separately.
 Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005: This Act protects women from any
act/conduct/omission/commission that harms, injures or potential to harm is to be considered as domestic
violence.
 Dowry deaths: Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 has stringent provisions for punishment and prevention of
dowry-related atrocities against women.
Schemes for Women Empowerment
 One Stop Centre Scheme: One Stop Centres (OSC) are intended to support women affected by violence, in
private and public spaces, within the family, community and at the workplace.
 Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme: Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao is a campaign of the Government of India that
aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of welfare services intended for girls in India.
 UJJAWALA: A Comprehensive Scheme for Prevention of trafficking and Rescue, Rehabilitation and Re-
integration of Victims of Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation.
 SWADHAR Greh: A Scheme for Women in Difficult Circumstances
 Mahila police Volunteers (MPV): An MPV will serve as a public-police interface in order to fight crime
against women.
 Mahila Shakti Kendra (MSK) aims to empower rural women with opportunities for skill development and
employment.
Way Forward
 Sound gender transformative policies, from policies around childcare to equal pay, and laws that support
gender equality,

28
 Strengthened health system response that ensures access to survivor-centred care and referral to other
services as needed
 School and educational interventions to challenge discriminatory attitudes and beliefs, including
comprehensive sexuality education
 Targeted investment in sustainable and effective evidence-based prevention strategies at local, national,
regional and global levels, and
 Strengthening data collection and investing in high quality surveys on violence against women and
improving measurement of the different forms of violence experienced by women, including those who
are most marginalized.
 Gender sensitization: A gender sensitization of all stakeholders is an important component of effective
responses to domestic violence. It should form part of the curriculum of training of the police, judiciary,
bureaucracy, policymakers, social workers, counsellors, and other service providers.
 Disseminate Information: Many women are unable to escape domestic violence because they are unaware
of available legal services and agencies working in this area. Therefore, disseminating information on the
range of services available is essential.
Conclusion
Most of the problems would reduce if the Country has a stringent policy with even more stringent implementation.
Everything else can follow. Countries should honour their commitments to increased and strong political will and
leadership to tackle violence against women in all its forms.
Legislative Interventions for women welfare
THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF WOMEN AT WORKPLACE (PREVENTION, PROHIBITION AND REDRESSAL) ACT, 2013
 It was enacted to protect women from sexual harassment at their place of work. It also provides safeguards
against false or malicious charges.
 Key Provisions
 Internal Complaints Committee - Every employer is required to constitute an Internal Complaints
Committee at each office or branch with 10 or more employees.
 Local Complaints Committee - The District Officer is required to constitute a Local Complaints
Committee at each district, and if required at the block level.
 Power of civil Court - The Complaints Committees
have the powers of civil courts for gathering evidence. Recent SC Judgement on Sexual
harassment at the workplace
 Awareness & sensitisation - Obliges employers to
 Sexual harassment at the
conduct education and sensitisation programmes and
workplace is an affront to the
develop policies against sexual harassment.
fundamental rights of a women to
 Punishments - Non-compliance with the Act is equality under Articles 14 & 15 and
punishable with a fine of up to ₹ 50,000. Repeated her right to live with dignity under
violations lead to higher penalties and cancellation of Article 21 of the constitution as
licence or deregistration to conduct business. well as her right to practice any
 Challenges profession/occupation/trade/busi
o Exception - The act is not applied to Armed forces ness.
which are largely male dominated.
o Not gender neutral - it does not consider sexual harassment experienced by transgenders and
males etc.
o Monitoring - There is no authority to ensure a proper mechanism for monitoring its
implementation.
o lack of awareness among majority of the employees working both in organised and unorganised
sector.

29
o Other – Noncompliance of companies, lack of expertise of ICC, victimization of women complainant

etc.
 Way forward
The act is major step to address sexual harassment at workplace. To increase women labour force
participation and realise the goal of gender equality, the act must be strengthened with necessary reforms
such as it shall be made gender neutral, applied to armed forces, training to ICCs, penalise organizations
for non-compliance etc and implemented in latter and spirit.
THE MATERNITY BENEFIT (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2017
 Key Provisions
o Enhanced maternity leave from existing 12 weeks to 26 weeks.
o Extended maternity benefit to adopting mothers and commissioning mothers.
o Introduced an enabling provision relating to "work from home" for women, which may be exercised
after the expiry of the 26 weeks' leave period.
o Makes creche facility mandatory for every establishment employing 50 or more employees.
o Women employees would be permitted to visit the crèche 4 times during the day.
o makes it mandatory for employers to educate women about the maternity benefits available to them
at the time of their appointment.
 Issues with Act
o Ignores roughly 90 per cent of the Indian women who are employed in the unorganised sector.
o Even the current entitlements under the National Food Security Act 2013 are not fully implemented
o Cost - The high costs of maternity leave drive companies to discriminate against women in higher-level
jobs.
o Childcare - Childcare is treated solely as women’s responsibility.
o Financial burden only on employer: In most countries, the cost of maternity leave is shared by the
government, employer, insurance agency and other social security programs. In Singapore, for example,
the employer bears the cost for 8 weeks and public funds for 8 weeks. In Australia and Canada, public
funds bear the full cost. A social insurance scheme bears the cost in France.
REPORT OF TEAMLEASE – A HUMAN RESOURCE COMPANY
 The Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Act 2017 is yet to deliver a positive impact on job opportunities
for women. In a contrast, women’s participation has dropped in more than five out of 10 sectors since
the implementation of the act.
 Only 53 per cent of the employers have a complete awareness of the act and its provisions. Only 40
per cent of all employers surveyed provide the mandated 26 weeks of paid maternity leave.
 Lack of awareness about the act, increase in the cost and increased burden on fellow employees are
some of the fallout employers are attributing to the act.
THE MUSLIM WOMEN (PROTECTION OF RIGHTS ON MARRIAGE) ACT, 2019

30
 It makes all declaration of talaq, including in written or electronic form,

Talaq-e-biddat
to be void and illegal.
 It makes declaration of talaq a cognizable offence, attracting up to three It refers to the practice under
years’ imprisonment with a fine. Muslim personal laws where
 A Muslim woman against whom talaq has been declared, is entitled to pronouncement of the word
seek subsistence allowance from her husband for herself and for her ‘talaq’ thrice in one sitting by
dependent children. a Muslim man to his wife
 Also she is entitled to seek custody of her minor children. The manner results in an instant and
of custody will be determined by the Magistrate. irrevocable divorce.
Other acts
 Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 - To prevent the giving or receiving of a dowry.
 The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 provides for payment of equal remuneration to men and women for
same work or work of similar nature.
 The indecent representation of women (prohibition) act, 1986 - To prohibit indecent representation of
women through advertisements or in publications, writings, paintings, figures or in any other manner.
 Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 - To protect women from domestic violence.
 The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 – It was enacted to remove gender discriminatory
provisions in the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. Under the amendment, the daughter of a coparcener shall by
birth become a coparcener in her own right in the same manner as the son.
CONVENTION ON THE EL IMINATION OF ALL FOR MS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN

 It was adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly and is often described as an international bill of rights for
women.
 The Convention provides the basis for realizing equality between women and men through ensuring women's
equal access to, and equal opportunities in, political and public life.
Key Provisions
 It focuses on non-discrimination, sex stereotypes, and sex trafficking.
 It outlines women's rights in the public sphere with an emphasis on political life, representation, and rights to
nationality.
 Describes the economic and social rights of women, particularly focusing on education, employment, and
health.
 It outlines women's right to equality in marriage and family life along with the right to equality before the law.
Welfare Schemes/ programmes for women
PRADHAN MANTRI UJJWALA YOJANA
 Launched in 2016 to safeguard the health of women and children by providing free LPG connections to
women of Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.
 Union Budget 2021-22 announced to give out one crore more free cooking gas connections under the
scheme.
 Performance of the scheme
 8 crore free LPG connections were provided to poor women households. In just four years (2016-
20) household LPG coverage grew to 98% from 56% in 2014-15.
 The scheme led to an increase in LPG consumption by 56% in 2019 as compared to 2014.
 Before Ujjwala, India was the second largest contributor to the global morbidity due to household
and ambient air pollution.

31
 Impact on women
 It will ensure universal coverage of cooking gas in the country. This measure will empower women
and protect their health.
 It will reduce drudgery and the time spent on cooking.
 Concerns
o Ujjwala beneficiaries return to unclean cooking fuel because of the high cost of refilling cylinders.
o There has been only a 20% increase in the overall usage of clean cooking fuel despite 98 % LPG
coverage.
o WHO estimates about 5 lakh deaths in India alone due to unclean cooking fuels. Most of these
premature deaths were due to non-communicable diseases.
Institutions for women welfare
MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT
 The broad mandate of the Ministry is to have holistic development of Women and Children.
 The Ministry formulates plans, policies and programmes; enacts/ amends legislation, guides and
coordinates the efforts of both governmental and NGOs working in the field of Women and Child
Development.
 The major policy initiatives undertaken by the Ministry in the recent past include universalisation of
ICDS, Kishori Shakti Yojana, Poshan Abhiyan, establishment of the Commission for protection of Child
Rights and enactment of Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act.
THE NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR WOMEN
 It was set up as statutory body in January 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990 to:
o Review the Constitutional and Legal safeguards for women.
o Recommend remedial legislative measures.
o Facilitate redressal of grievances.
o Advise the Government on all policy matters affecting women.
STEPS TAKEN BY NCW WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

o The Commission completed its visits to all the States/UTs except Lakshadweep and prepared Gender
Profiles to assess the status of women and their empowerment.
o It received a large number of complaints and acted suo-moto in several cases to provide speedy
justice.
o It took up the issue of child marriage, sponsored legal awareness programmes, Parivarik Mahila Lok
Adalats.
o It reviewed laws such as Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, PNDT Act 1994, Indian Penal Code 1860 and
the National Commission for Women Act, 1990 to make them more stringent and effective.
o It conducted workshops/seminars for gender awareness and took up publicity campaign against
female foeticide, violence against women etc. in order to generate awareness in the society against
these social evils.
SCHEMES FOR HEALTH/NUTRITION/MATERNITY

32
 National Nutrition Programme (Poshan Abhiyan) - The programme through the targets strive to reduce
the level of stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia and low
birth weight babies. Outcome of the schemes
 The Mother and Child Tracking System 2009 - To  Comprehensive national nutrition
monitor the health care system to ensure that all mothers survey (2016-18) has shown that
and their children have access to a range of services, stunting has come down to 34.7 per
including pregnancy care, medical care during delivery, cent from 38.4 per cent noted in the
and immunizations. National Family Health Survey in 2015-
16.
 Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana - Provides
 During the same period, wasting came
Conditional Maternity Benefit for pregnant and lactating
down to 17.3 per cent from 21.0 per
women aged 19 and over for their first two live births.
cent and underweight to 33.4 per cent
 SUMAN (Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan) - Aims to from 35.7 per cent.
provide dignified and quality health care at no cost to
every woman and new-born visiting a public health facility. Under it All pregnant women, new-borns and
mothers up to 6 months of delivery are able to avail several free health care services.
 Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Yojana: envisages to improve the quality and coverage of Antenatal
Care (ANC), Diagnostics and Counselling services as part of the Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Child and
Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) Strategy. Under the PMSMA, the pregnant ladies will be given free health
check-up and required treatment for free on 9th of every month. The scheme will be applicable for
pregnant women to avail in all Government hospitals across the country.
 Labour Room & Quality Improvement Initiative (LaQshya): This program will benefit every pregnant
woman and new born delivering in public health institutions. It will improve quality of care for pregnant
women in labour room, maternity Operation Theatre and Obstetrics Intensive Care Units (ICUs) & High
Dependency Units (HDUs).
SCHEMES FOR WOMEN SAFETY
 Universalisation of Help line - A single uniform number (181) to provide 24 hours emergency and non-
emergency response to women affected by violence.
 Mahila Police Volunteers - To report to authorities/police the incidences of violence against women such
as domestic violence, child marriage, dowry harassment and violence etc.
 National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal - This portal caters to complaints pertaining to cybercrimes only
with special focus on cybercrimes against women and children.
 Sexual Harassment electronic–Box (SHe-Box) - Online complaint management system for registering
complaints related to sexual harassment at workplace by women.
 Nirbhaya Fund – set up to support initiatives towards protecting the dignity and ensuring safety of women
in India. The fund is administered by Ministry of Finance.
TO INCREASE WFPR

33
 Reservation in police force - GOI directed to all State Governments to increase representation of women
in police to 33% of the total strength.
 Rashtriya Mahila Kosh - The main objective of RMK is Women In PRIs
to provide micro-credit to poor women for various
 There are 14.5 lakh women into leadership
livelihood support and income generating activities.
positions in India’s local governance. they
 Scheme for working women hostel - To promote have played key role in COVID – 19 fight.
availability of safe and conveniently located  Arranging ration, isolation or hospital beds
accommodation for working women, with day care for the Covid-19 patients, providing urgent
facilities for their children. medical support for pregnant women also
 Digital Laado - It is a nationwide initiative in which gained their attention.
every daughter will be taught and trained to develop  In recognition of this reality and the work
their talent and skills to work from home itself. of women leaders, this year’s International
Women’s Day, 8 March 2021,
SCHEMES FOR POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT was globally celebrated on the theme
of ‘Women in leadership: Achieving an
 Training for women heads of panchayats - In order to equal future in a COVID-19 world.’
empower women heads of panchayats, WCD has
initiated a massive programme to train over 2 lakh
women heads of Panchayats.
 Gender Champions - It is being implemented through educational institutions to sensitize young students
and create awareness on laws, legislations, legal rights and life skills education.
SCHEMES FOR ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
 Women of India Exhibitions/Festivals - To provide a platform for women entrepreneurs and farmers
especially from rural India to exhibit and sell their products.
 Mahila e-haat - Direct online digital marketing platform for women entrepreneurs/SHGs/ NGOs in March
2016.
 Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (SABLA)- To help young women become self-
reliant, including nutritional supplementation and education, health education and services, and life skills
and vocational training.
SCHEMES TO HELP WOMEN IN DISTRESS
 SWADHAR Greh (A Scheme for Women in Difficult Circumstances) - For rehabilitation of women in difficult
circumstances. The scheme covers women who are deserted and without any social and economic support,
victims of domestic violence, family tension and natural disasters.
 UJJAWALA - A Comprehensive Scheme for Prevention of trafficking and Rescue, Rehabilitation and
Reintegration of Victims of Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation. There are 254 projects including
134 Protective and Rehabilitative Homes in the country. The number of beneficiaries are 5,291 (2019).
 One Stop Centre (Sakhi) - A woman who has suffered violence can get medical, police, legal and
psychological counselling assistance at these centres.
 The Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act (ITPA), 1956 - Prohibits commercial sexual exploitation and all
cases relating to prostitution registered under the Act.
SCHEMES REGARDING MARRIAGES
 Dhanlaxmi Scheme - Aimed at doing away with child marriage by offering parents an attractive insurance
cover, and encouraging parents to educate their children as well as covering certain medical expenses for
girl babies.

34
 NRI Matrimonial Disputes - MWCD has prepared Standard Operating Procedures for women involved in
NRI matrimonial disputes. These SoPs narrate the step wise correct legal recourse to be undertaken by
women to facilitate speedy access to justice.
SC Judgement (2020) about Permanent commission for women

 Women officers in the Indian Army can get command positions at par with male officers. The
government's arguments against it were discriminatory, disturbing and based on stereotypes.
 The court also said that permanent commission to all women officers should be made available
regardless of their years of service.
India’s measures for women empowerment
Legislative Interventions Institutions Schemes/programmes Other measures
The Prohibition of Child Set up Nodal Ministry Beti Bachao Beti Gender Budgeting
Marriage Act (2006) of Women and Child Padhao
Development
The Criminal Law National Commission Integrated Child National Cyber Crime
(Amendment), Act 2013 for Women (NCW) Protection Scheme Reporting Portal
The Sexual Harassment of National Commission Ujjawala scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan

Women at Workplace for Protection of Child
Mahila Shakti Kendras
(Prevention, Prohibition Rights
and Redressal) Act, 2013 (MSK), Nirbhaya Fund
The Protection of Children Working women One Stop Support to Training and
from Sexual Offences Act, hostels, Centre Scheme, Employment Programme for
(2012) universalisation of SWADHAR Greh Women
helpline
Pam Rajput Committee

 It was set up in 2012 to study and make recommendations to improve the status of women in India.
Key Recommendations
 50 per cent reservation for women in all decision-making bodies.
 The Parliamentary Committee on the Empowerment of Women must examine the gender implications of
all proposed legislation.
 the National Commission for Women, must go beyond ‘reactive interventions’ to fulfil the proactive
assisted Reproductimandate of studying, recommending and influencing policies, laws, programmes and
budgets to ensure full benefits to the stakeholders
 Suggested to appoint a separate panel to study the status of Muslim women in the country.
 Mandatory payment of maintenance to wife and children in the event of separation or divorce
 Separate law to fight “honour” killings and changes in the Muslim and the Christian family laws as they are
loaded against women.
 Complete ban on the practice of “oral, unilateral and triple talaaq (divorce)” and polygamy.
 Reforms in Criminal Justice system
o overhaul of the criminal justice system to ensure justice for women.
o More gender sensitive enforcement machinery
o Greater awareness of different legislation and their interconnectedness,
o Accountability for securing women’s rights.

35
ISSUES IN NEWS
12 critical areas of concern
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) (Beijing + 25) 1. Women and the environment
About the BDPfA 2. Women in power and decision-
 It was adopted at The Fourth World Conference on Women, making.
1995. It is widely known as the most progressive blueprint for 3. The girl child
4. Women and the economy
advancing women's rights.
5. Women and poverty\
 It reaffirms the fundamental principles adopted by the World 6. Violence against women
Conference on Human Rights, that the human rights of 7. Human rights of women
women and of the girl child are an inalienable, integral and 8. Education and training of women
indivisible part of universal human rights. 9. Institutional mechanisms for the
advancement of women
'From Insights to Action: Gender Equality in the Wake of COVID-19' – 10. Women and health
UN Women Report 11. Women and the media
12. Women and armed conflict
 The impacts of coronavirus on women and girls are far more than their counterparts. Even within the same
gender, marginalized groups are more likely to die from COVID-19.
 In comparison to white women, Indian women are at 2.7 times likely to die of COVID-19.
 Coronavirus pandemic has also gravely affected women's financial health. more women have lost their jobs
or businesses as a result of COVID-19 (25% of women vs. 21% of men).
 In 2021, it is expected there will be 118 women in poverty for every 100 poor men globally, and this ratio
could rise to 121 poor women for every 100 poor men by 2030
 The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has also impacted the mental health of women due to the significant
increase in unpaid care and domestic work.
 While the violence against women and girls has spiked multi folds since the outbreak of COVID-19, the
reporting of the same has dropped.
Surrogacy Act 2021

Context:
Surrogacy is the practice whereby one woman carries the child for another with the intention that the child should
be handed over after birth. Such a surrogacy arrangement may be altruistic or commercial in nature.
Objectives:
 Curb unethical practices: It seeks to curb unethical practices related to issues of exploitation of the
surrogate.

36
 Regulation: Couples would arrive in India, and buy wombs and take children back. Thus, it has become
more than imperative to regulate surrogacy in the country.
 To curb the exploitation of women: Unmarried women sell
their wombs to tide over financial crises. This should not
happen.
o Ex - There has been a case in Andhra where a 74-year-
old woman gave birth to twins. How will such an old
person bring up their children? It is physically unhealthy
and ethically wrong.
 To curb sex selection: there are unregulated IVF centres all over
the country and with unregulated surrogacy taking place sex
selection was happening in both ways.
 To stop reproductive medical tourism: India has become a
centre of the global fertility industry, with reproductive medical
tourism seeing a huge rise.
Key Features:
 Definition: It defines surrogacy as a practice where a woman gives birth to a child for an intending couple
with the intention to hand over the child after the birth to the intending couple.
 Regulation of surrogacy: The Bill prohibits commercial surrogacy, but allows altruistic surrogacy.
 Purposes: Surrogacy is permitted when it is —
 For intending couples who suffer from proven infertility;
 Altruistic;
 Not for commercial purposes and for producing children for sale, prostitution or other forms of
exploitation; and
 For any condition or disease specified through regulations.
 Eligibility: The intending couple should have a ‘certificate of essentiality’ and a ‘certificate of eligibility’
issued by the appropriate authority.
 Appropriate authority: The central and state governments shall appoint one or more appropriate
authorities. Functions:
 Granting, suspending or cancelling registration of surrogacy clinics
 Enforcing standards for surrogacy clinics
 Investigating and taking action against breach of the provisions of the Bill
 Recommending modifications to the rules and regulations.
 National and State Surrogacy Boards: The central and the state governments shall constitute the National
Surrogacy Board (NSB) and the State Surrogacy Boards (SSB), respectively. Functions of the NSB include, (i)
advising the central government on policy matters relating to surrogacy; (ii) laying down the code of
conduct of surrogacy clinics; and (iii) supervising the functioning of SSBs.
 Parentage and abortion of surrogate child: A child born out of a surrogacy procedure will be deemed to
be the biological child of the intending couple. An abortion of the surrogate child requires the written
consent of the surrogate mother and the authorisation of the appropriate authority. This authorisation
must be compliant with the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.
 Offences and penalties: The offences under the Bill include:
o Undertaking or advertising commercial surrogacy; exploiting the surrogate mother
o Abandoning, exploiting or disowning a surrogate child; and
o Selling or importing human embryo or gametes for surrogacy.
o The penalty for such offences is imprisonment up to 10 years and a fine up to 10 lakh rupees.
Issues:
 Violation of fundamental right: The Supreme Court in Devika Biswas V. Union of India, held that the right
to reproduction is an essential facet of 'Right to Life' under Article 21.
o Restricting the Bills to heterosexual couples is in contravention to this.
o ICMR guidelines allow single mothers to benefit from ART but this is missing in the act.

37
 Takes away women’s reproductive choice: The law takes away from the right of women to make their own
reproductive choices and the right of persons to parenthood.
 Complete ban on Commercial Surrogacy: A total ban on commercial surrogacy will push the industry
underground and render surrogate mothers even more vulnerable.
 ‘Close relative’ not defined: One of the conditions to be proved is that the surrogate mother is a ‘close
relative’ of the intended couple who commissioned the surrogacy. However, the act failed to specify who
would be ‘close relative’.
 Definition of ‘infertility’ – It is restricted to failure to conceive and does not cover all cases in which a couple
is unable to bear a child. For example, medical conditions where a woman may conceive but is unable to
carry a child throughout the period of pregnancy.
Significance:
 Provides for Market Regulation: Act provides for registration of surrogacy clinics and ensures appropriate
safeguards in terms of penalties defined to prevent misuse.
 Safeguards the rights of the surrogate mother: By ensuring to the mother basic rights of proper pre and
post-natal care. Earlier, surrogates were forced to give birth in dingy shelters which adversely impacted the
health of the mother and the child. o Also, safeguards have been adopted to ensure the right of the women
on her body with provision for her to abort and also by defining the responsibility of the surrogate parents
vis-à-vis the child.
 Safeguards the rights of the child - Abandonment of child due to genetic or other disability, or changing of
a couple's social or marital status is legally not allowed.
 Promotes medical tourism in the country: India is a huge market for surrogacy as is reflected from the fact
that in 2012, the size of India's surrogacy industry was $2 billion a year with more than 3,000 fertility clinics
engaged in this across the country.
 Supports Intended Parents: By helping them exercise their right to life and complete their family.
Assisted Reproductive Technology

Context:
Recently, Lok Sabha has passed the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2021. The ART Regulation
Bill aims to regulate and supervise assisted reproductive technology clinics and banks, prevent misuse of the
technology and promote the ethical practice of the services.
About ART
The Bill defines ART to include all techniques that seek to obtain a pregnancy by handling the sperm or the oocyte
(immature egg cell) outside the human body and transferring the gamete or the embryo into the reproductive
system of a woman. Examples of ART services include –
 Gamete (sperm or oocyte) donation

 In-vitro-fertilisation (fertilising an egg in the lab), and
 Gestational surrogacy (the child is not biologically related to surrogate mother).
ART services will be provided through:

 ART clinics which offer ART related treatments and procedures, and
 ART banks which store and supply gametes
Features of the ART Regulation Act 2021.
Regulation of ART clinics and banks:

 The Bill provides for the establishment of the National Registry of Clinics and Banks, which will act as a
central database for details of all the clinics and banks in the country.

38
 The Registry will grant registration to ART clinics which will be valid for five years and can be renewed for a
further five years.
 Registration may be cancelled or suspended if the entity contravenes the provisions of the Bill.
 National and State Boards: It provides for the establishment of National and State Boards for Surrogacy for
the regulation of ART services. The National Board shall advise the Central Government on policy matters
relating to assisted reproductive technology.
 Rules for ART service providers: ART procedures can only be carried out with the written informed consent
of both the person seeking ART services as well as the gamete donor.
 Rights of a Child Born through ART: It provides that the child born through assisted reproductive
technology shall be deemed to be a biological child of the commissioning couple and the said child shall be
entitled to all the rights and privileges available to a natural child only from the commissioning couple under
any law for the time being in force.
 Pre-implant testing: The Bill mandates that pre-implantation genetic testing shall be used to screen the
embryo for known, pre-existing, heritable, or genetic diseases. The National Board will lay down conditions
on pre-implantation testing.
o Offences:
o Offences under the act include clinics offering sex selection, abandoning or exploiting children
born through ART, the selling, buying, or importing of human embryos and exploiting the
couple or donors concerned in any form.
o Proposed jail terms for violations range from five to 12 years, and fines from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25
lakh.
o No court will take cognisance of offences under the actl, except on a complaint made by the
National or State Board or any officer authorised by the Boards.
Significance of ART Regulation Act 2021
 Standardising the ART practices: India does not have standard protocols of ART clinics yet. The passage of
the bill will ensure the standard practice of ART across India.
 Prevent the exploitation of patients: The bill has provisions to protect the rights of the donors, the
commissioning couple and the children born out of ART. So, it will be impossible for outlaws to operate
within the system and exploit patients to make huge profits.
 Safeguard reproductive rights: Without registration and a proper database of medical institutions and
clinics providing ART services, it is impossible to regulate services like surrogacy and Medical Termination
of Pregnancy. So, the ART regulation Bill will aid other related legislations and facilitate reproductive rights.
Concerns:
 Discrimination in Accessibility: The Bill allows for a married heterosexual couple and a woman above the
age of marriage to use ARTs and excludes single men, cohabiting heterosexual couples and LGBTQ+
individuals and couples from accessing ARTs.
 Duplication of Rules and Procedures: Both Surrogacy and ART Bills will set up multiple bodies for
registration which will result in duplication or worse, lack of regulation. For example, a surrogacy clinic is
not required to report surrogacy to the National Registry.
 Violation of Right to Equality: The bill violates Article 14 of India's constitution and is also silent on the
rights of children. According to Article 14, equality before law and equal protection of law to any person
within India cannot be denied.
 Cost of the Services: The cost of the procedure should be effectively monitored so that even the poor can
avail of its services.
Way Forward:

39
 Make the bill inclusive: The Bill has to include LGBTQIA+ and single men into the ambit. Further, the ART
service providers have to form inbuilt ethics committees and mandated counselling services within their
facility.
 Regulate costs: The cost of the procedure should be effectively monitored so that even the poor can avail
of its services. Further, the government can initiate ART facilities in select government hospitals to help
poor and marginalised sections.
 Consider the Surrogacy bill and ART bill together: Surrogacy Bill that is intrinsically connected with the ART
Bill was pending in the Rajya Sabha. It would be appropriate if both Bills be considered together before they
are passed. So the government has to consider them together.
 Counselling Services: Clinics must have ethics committees and mandated counselling services should be
independent of them.
 All ART bodies should be bound by the directions of central and state governments in the national interest,
friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency and morality.
Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2021

Why in news ?
 The Rajya Sabha has approved the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2021 to amend
the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.
Features
 The Bill allows abortion on the advice of one doctor up to 20 weeks, and two doctors in the case of certain
categories of women between 20 and 24 weeks.
 The Bill sets up state level Medical Boards to decide if a pregnancy may be terminated after 24 weeks in
cases of substantial foetal abnormalities.
 The ground of failure of contraceptive has been extended to women and her partner. Unmarried woman
can also terminate pregnancies within the gestational limits under the Act.
Significance of Bill
 Terminating a pregnancy is the choice of the pregnant woman, and a part of her reproductive rights.
 Several petitions were pending in the Courts seeking permission for aborting pregnancies beyond the
present permissible limit on grounds of foetal abnormalities or sexual violence faced by women.
 It acknowledges the abortion needs of unmarried women for the first time and is a step forward in ensuring
universal access to safe abortion services for women and girls.
 It penalises medical practitioners who fail to protect the privacy and confidentiality of women who wish
to terminate their pregnancy.
 It helps ensure safe abortion services are available to the most vulnerable and remotely-located women.
Issues with Bill

 Medical Board to decide termination only in certain cases.
 Categories of women who can terminate pregnancy between 20-24 weeks not specified.
 Time frame for Medical Board’s decision not specified.
 Unclear if transgender persons will be covered.
 Unavailability of qualified medical professionals to terminate pregnancies.
Way Forward
 The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2021 is for expanding access of women to safe
and legal abortion services on therapeutic, eugenic, humanitarian or social grounds. The amendments will
increase the ambit and access of women to safe abortion services and will ensure dignity, autonomy,
confidentiality and justice for women who need to terminate pregnancy.

40
Marriage Age for Women
Context:
The government decided to raise the legal age of marriage of women from 18 to 21 years. The Union Cabinet
cleared the proposal and a bill to amend the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006, was introduced in
Parliament. The decision to raise the legal age of marriage for women is based on the recommendation of a panel
led by Jaya Jaitly.
Also, The Odisha government has rolled out a plan to make the state completely free of child marriage by 2030
Jaya Jaitley Committee:
In June 2020, the Ministry of Women & Child Development set up a task force to look into the correlation between
the age of marriage with issues of women’s nutrition, prevalence of anaemia, IMR, MMR and other social indices.
The committee was to look at the feasibility of increasing the age of marriage and its implication on women and
child health, as well as how to increase access to education for women.
Key recommendations:
 Age of marriage to be increased: The committee has recommended the age of marriage be increased to 21
years, on the basis of feedback they received from young adults from 16 universities across the country.
 Increasing access to schools and colleges for girls: The committee also asked the government to look into
increasing access to schools and colleges for girls, including their transportation to these institutes from far-
flung areas.
 Sex education: Skill and business training has also been recommended, as has sex education in schools.
 An awareness campaign: Undertaken on a massive scale on the increase in age of marriage, and to
encourage social acceptance of the new legislation, which they have said would be far more effective than
coercive measures.
By raising the age of marriage for women to 21 years, the proposed legislation brings parity in the legal age of
marriage for men and women. It contains amendments to personal laws of various communities relating to age of
marriage to ensure uniformity in this regard.
Facts and figures:

 According to a report by Pew Research Centre, a large number of countries have capped the marital age at
18 for both boys and girls. The list includes Australia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Germany, Israel,
Iceland, Switzerland, and Russia.
 According to National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) 2019-21, women in the age group of 20-24 years
who were married before they turned 18, are 14.7% in urban and 27% in rural areas. Women aged 15-19
years who were already mothers or pregnant at the time of the survey were 3.8% (urban) and 7.9% (rural).
 Marriage laws in India
 Personal laws of various religions that deal with marriage have their own standards, often reflecting
custom.
 Hindus and Christians: The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872 sets
18 years as the minimum age for the bride and 21 years as the minimum age for the groom.
 Islam: The marriage of a minor who has attained puberty is considered valid according to the Muslim
Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937.
 Now, the govt will have to amend the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, the Special Marriage Act
and personal laws such as the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.
 In 2018, the Law Commission had suggested that 18 years should be the minimum legal age for both men
and women to get married. As per the panel, "If a universal age for a majority is recognised and that grants
all citizens the right to choose their governments, surely, they must also be considered capable of choosing
their spouse".

41
 There should be harmony between Age of Consent, the right to choose abortion, Indian laws have allowed
women aged 18 and above to decide on their own.
Reasons for the Child Marriage:
Social Factors:
 Lack of education: A big determinant of the age of marriage is education. Around 45% of women with no
education and 40% with primary education married before the age of 18, according to NFHS-4.
 Social background: Child marriages are more prevalent in rural areas and among Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes.
 Value of virginity: It is believed that husband needs virgin wife and if the daughter had premarital sex it will
dishonor their family. Some societies/castes have social stigma against girl married after puberty.
 Gender norms: Males are more valued in Indian families and women's primary role is to produce sons.
Practice of dowry: If the girl is married at a lower age they may not demand dowry as the girl is pure and
believed to be an incarnation of goddess Laxmi. Families see it as protection against sexual assault. The dowry
amount increases with the age and the education level of the girl. Hence, the “incentive” of the system of
dowry perpetuates child marriage.
 Low awareness about social protection programs: These schemes are often limited to providing cash
transfers without the accompanying messages to address the multi-dimensional nature of child marriage.
Child marriage is seen as custom which has been borrowed from past and people do not want to change it.
Economic Factors:
 Seen as a burden: Economically, child marriages work as mechanisms that are quick income earners. A girl
child is seen as a leeway to a large dowry, to be given to her family upon her marriage.
 Poverty: Women from poor households tend to marry earlier. While more than 30% of women from the
lowest two wealth quintiles were married by the age of 18, the corresponding figure in the richest quintile
was 8%.
 Trafficking: Poor families are tempted to sell their girls not just into marriage, but into prostitution, as the
transaction enables large sums of money to benefit the girl’s family and harms the girl.
 More working hands: Child marriage means more children and more children will earn more and save family
from financial problems.
 More importance to male children: Families do not want to invest in a girl's education as there is no return
from her and rather be trained to become a good wife till the age of 13 or 14 and then they are married.
 Undervaluation of economic importance of Girls: Girls are often seen as a liability with limited economic role.
Women’s work is confined to the household and is not valued.
It may escalate the instances of foeticide and unwed mothers. According to

experts, the pressure to educate young girls until 21 among poor families will
increase the rate of sex-selective abortion in the country. The fear of rape or
elopement will also loom large, especially in the rural areas due to the proposed
law.
Imposing a marriageable age will not yield desired results. "Such issues must be
dealt with public awareness and holding wider discussions.
Women’s rights activists have opposed the suggestion and have cited evidence
to show that such a move may be used to incarcerate young adults marrying
without parents’ consent.
Also, this move would lead to criminalisation of a large number of marriages
that will take place once the law comes into effect.

42
Reasons for increasing Age:
 Gender-neutrality: With this decision, the government will be bringing the age of marriage for both men
and women at par.
 Motherhood complexities: An early age of marriage, and consequent early pregnancies, also have impacts
on nutritional levels of mothers and their children, and their overall health and mental wellbeing.
 Mother and Child Mortality: It also has an impact on Infant Mortality Rate and Maternal Mortality Rate.
Women empowerment: The decision would empower women who are cut off from access to education
and livelihood due to an early marriage.
 Protection from abuse: This will essentially outlaw premature girls marriages and prevent the abuse of
minors.
 Socio-economic Fronts: Increasing the legal age for the marriage of women has enormous benefits
including: Lowering the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) Improvement of nutrition levels Financial front
opportunities will be opened up for women to pursue higher education and careers and become financially
empowered, thus resulting in a more egalitarian society.
 More female labour force participation: Increasing the marriage age will lead to more females doing
graduation and hence improving the female labour force participation ratio. The percentage of females
doing graduation will increase by at least 5-7 percentage points from the current level of 9.8 per cent.
Challenges:
 Illegal marriages: Such legislation would push a large portion of the population into illegal marriages leading
to non-institutional births.
 Ineffectiveness of existing laws: Decrease in child marriages has not been because of the existing law but
because of an increase in girls’ education and employment opportunities.
 Unnecessary coercion: The law would end up being coercive, and in particular negatively impact
marginalised communities, such as the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes, making them law-breakers.
 Rights of the girls are threatened: Increasing the age of marriage to 21 years would mean that girls will have
no say in their personal matters until they are 21.
 Exploitation of law by parents: The law has been used by parents against eloping daughters. It has become
a tool for parental control and for punishment of boys or men whom girls choose as their husbands.
 Social validity of marriages: Even if the law declares a marriage before the specified age as void, in the eyes
of the community, arranged marriages will have social validity. This worsens the condition of the girls who
are widowed even before reaching the new legal age for marriage.
 Increased female infanticide: Raising the female marriage age in India that have high son preference and
high poverty may have the unintended consequence of increasing the prevalence of female infanticide and
sex-selective abortion.
Way Forward:
 Marriage as an institution is not a situation of age but has been built on many other things, including
economic pattern, fear of violence on young girls, early pregnancies, sexual relationship, a lot of these
things impact marriage but age does not. Before increasing the legal age for marriage, the government
should work on the Right to Education Act (RTE). It should be extended beyond 14 years and should be
guaranteed to at least senior secondary schooling.
 Girls need to get equal opportunities in terms of health, education, and living. Bringing in more women to
the workforce like South Korea and Japan can also help to improve gender imbalance and solve issues of
early marriages.
 Replicate the best-performing state: The Niti Aayog recently acknowledged the Odisha government with
the SKOCH award for combating child marriage by empowering adolescents and declaring villages as child
marriage-free. Such practices need to be replicated by other states.

43
 Girls belonging to socio-economically weak families are forced into child marriages and providing them
financial support, especially for pursuing education, will automatically raise the age of marriage among
women.
 Early Pregnancy issues: Steps to be taken to address early pregnancies instead of focusing on the age of
marriage by extending family planning and reproductive health support which focus on preparation for
pregnancy and delaying the first birth.
 Awareness Programme: An awareness campaign is required on a massive scale on the increase in age of
marriage, and to encourage social acceptance of the new legislation, which they have said would be far
more effective than coercive measures.
 The country has a long way to go
before Indian women manage to be
on equal footing with men
irrespective of their caste, creed,
religion, and socio-economic status.
Marital Rape and Conjugal Rights
Context:
Recently, the Kerala High Court observed
that Marital rape is a good ground to claim
divorce.
Observation of Court:
 In a patriarchal society, the
“reasonable person” is always a
male, who judges the place of a
female in the social process.
Therefore, women end up being
perceived as baby-making machines where their right to bodily autonomy and reproductive rights are
inconceivable and preposterous.
 A spouse has a choice not to suffer and law cannot compel a spouse to suffer against his or her wish by
denial of divorce by the court.
A spouse has a choice not to suffer and law cannot compel a spouse to suffer against his or her wish by denial of
divorce by the court.
About Conjugal rights:
 Section 9 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 deals with restitution of conjugal rights. It recognises one aspect
of conjugal rights — the right to consortium and protects it by allowing a spouse to move court to enforce
the right.
 Conjugal rights are rights created by marriage
 The law recognizes these rights— both in personal laws dealing with marriage, divorce etc, and in criminal
law requiring payment of maintenance and alimony to a spouse.
 Conjugal Rights includes Living together: The spouses or the married couple should live together Marital
intercourse: The spouses or the married couple have rights and duties together with each other and have
physical or sexual relationships. Comfort to each other: The spouses should give comfort to each other like;
emotional and mental comfort. Matrimonial Obligation: The married couple is supposed to share the
responsibility of the households as well.
Marital Rape:
 Marital rape (or spousal rape) is an act in which one of the spouses indulges in sexual intercourse without
the consent of the other.
44
Arguments Against criminalizing Marital Rape
 Destabilise marriage as an institution: It may create absolutely anarchy in families and destabilize the
institution of marriage and thereby destroy the family platform which upholds family values and helps in
sustaining the country.
o Indian society believes that marriage is a sacrament
 Misuse of law: It may become an easy tool for harassing the husbands by misusing the law similar to the
growing misuse of section 498A (harassment caused to a married woman by her husband and in-laws) of
the IPC.
 Awareness is more important: Merely criminalizing marital rape may not stop it as “moral and social
awareness” plays a vital role in stopping such an act.
 Diversity in Cultures of the states: India has its unique problems due to various factors like literacy, lack of
financial empowerment of the majority of females, the mindset of the society, vast diversity, poverty, etc.
and these should be considered carefully before criminalizing marital rape.
o Also, criminal law is in the Concurrent List and implemented by the states and there is a vast
diversity in the cultures of these states
 Law Commission has not recommended: Indian Law Commission and the Parliamentary Standing
Committee on Home Affairs after thoroughly examining the matter did not recommend the criminalization
of marital rape.
 No violation of Article 21: Non-criminalisation of marital rape is “not a violation” of Article 21 of the
Constitution as a wife is not compelled to live with a sexually abusive husband under personal law.
 Implementation issues: Criminalizing marital rape will create serious implementational issues like
o If all sexual acts by a man with his wife will qualify to be marital rape, then the judgment as to
whether it is a marital rape or not will singularly rest with the wife who cannot always be trusted.
o What evidences the courts will rely upon in such circumstances, as there can be no lasting evidence
in case of sexual acts between a man and his wife
Way Forward
 It is high time that the legislature should take cognisance of this legal infirmity and bring marital rape within
the purview of rape laws by eliminating Section 375 (Exception) of IPC. By removing this law, women will
be safer from abusive spouses.

1. Which steps are required for constitutionalisation of a commission? Do you think imparting constitutionality
to the national commission for women would ensure greater gender justice and empowerment in India?
Give reasons. – 2020
2. In order to enhance the prospects of social development, sound and adequate health care policies are
needed in the fields of geriatric and maternal health care. Discuss.
3. “The reservation of seats for women in the institution of local self-government has had a limited impact on
the patriarchal character of the Indian political process”. Comment. - 2019
CHILDREN
Introduction
 Universally children are defined as a person male or female who is below 18 years of age. Children are the
first call on the agenda of human resource development because the foundation for lifelong learning and
human development is laid in these crucial, early years.

45
 Keeping in view the problems and challenges faced by the Indian children, laws have been introduced and
various policies and programmes are being implemented for the welfare of children in India.
Constitutional Safeguards for Children
 Article - 21 A - The State shall provide free and  Article-243 G - Provides for institutionalisation of
compulsory education to all children of the age 6- child care by seeking to entrust programmes of
14years. women and child development to Panchayat (item
 Article 24 - Prohibits employment of Children 25 of Schedule 11).
below the age of 14 years in any factory or mine or  Article-39 (f) - Directs that child are given
in any other hazardous activity. opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy
 Article - 45 - The State shall endeavour to provide manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity
early childhood care and education for all children and that childhood and youth are protected
until they complete the age of six years. against exploitation and against moral and material
abandonment.
Issues related to children

 Child Abuse - Two out of every three children were physically Invisible Pandemics - COVID 19
abused. 53.22% children reported having faced one or more pandemic impact
forms of sexual abuse (MWCD study in 2007).
 COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated
 High levels of malnutrition - 38.4% of children are stunted. four other existing pandemics:
More than half (54%) of adolescent girls have anaemia malnutrition, poverty, violence, and
compared to 30 % of boys. mental health issues.
 Poor learning outcomes - Only 42.5 % of children in grade  Extended periods of lockdown have
three can read a grade one text. also added to the heightened
 Child Marriages - India is home to the largest number (⅓ rd vulnerabilities to Gender based
of the world) of child brides in the world & ranks 4th among Violence (GBV) and violence against
the eight South Asian countries in terms of child marriage children for those already at risk.
prevalence.  Many are trapped with their abusers
 Drop-out rate of students - The all-India average dropout and not able to access help or
rate of primary students is 4.13 per cent while it is 17.06 per services.
cent in the secondary levels (Educational Statistics at a
Glance, 2018).
 Cyber bullying - AS per 2019 UNICEF U-Report poll, one in three children in India reported that they
experienced cyberbullying.
 Child Pornography - At least 25,000 images of child sexual abuse are uploaded every day from India (U.S.
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children).
 Child Labours - There are around 12.9 million child labours in India (ILO,2016). The number of child
labourers in India is 10.1 million as per the census of 2011.

46
Legislative Interventions for children Welfare

 The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act 1994 - Prohibits determination of sex of foetus
and killing of female child in the mother’s womb. The Act
also bans the advertisement using pre-natal diagnostic POCSO Amendment Act 2019
technique for sex determination.  The Act has enhanced punishment under
 The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 various sections of the Act including
- Prohibits the engagement of children in certain punishment for aggravated penetrative
employments and regulates the conditions of work of sexual assault to be increased to include
children in certain other employments. death penalty.
 The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children)  It also increased the minimum punishment
Act, 2015 - It specifies procedural safeguards in cases of for penetrative sexual assault from seven
children in conflict with law. It seeks to address
years to 10 years and, if the child is below 16
challenges in the existing Act such as delays in adoption
processes, high pendency of cases, accountability of years of age, the minimum punishment has
institutions, etc. been increased to 20 years.
 The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 - Prohibit  Punishment for possessing pornographic
child marriage, protect and provide relief to victim and material in any form involving a child, even
enhance punishment for those who abet, promote or if the accused persons have failed to delete
solemnize such marriage. or destroy or report the same with an
 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 - intention to share it.
To protect children from offences of sexual assault,
sexual harassment and pornography and provide for establishment of Special Courts for trial of such offences
and related matters and incidents.
UN CONVENTION ON CHILDREN RIGHTS
 It is an international human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and
cultural rights of children.
 It obliges parties to take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to
protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence.
 The Convention forbids capital punishment for children.
 The Convention also acknowledges that children have the right to express their opinions and to be
protected from abuse or exploitation, and to have their privacy protected.
National Policy on children , 2013

 The policy reiterates commitment to the right based approach in addressing the continuing and emerging
challenges in the situation of children.
 It recognizes that every child is unique and a supremely important national asset and special measures and
affirmative action are required to diminish or eliminate conditions that cause discrimination.
 Survival, health, nutrition, development, education, protection and participation are the undeniable right
of every child and are the key priorities of this Policy.
Recommendations
Education
 Promote affordable and accessible quality education up to the secondary level for all children. Address
discrimination of all forms in schools and foster equal opportunity, treatment and participation.
 Prioritise education for disadvantaged groups by creating enabling environment through necessary
legislative measures, policy and provisions
 Provide access to ICT tools for equitable, inclusive education for all children, especially in remote, tribal
and hard reach areas.

47
Survival, Health & Nutrition

 Provide universal and affordable access to health services and protect children from all water-borne,
vector-borne, blood and other childhood diseases.
 Improve maternal health care, including antenatal care, safe delivery by skilled health personnel, post
natal care and nutritional support.
 Address key causes and determinants of child mortality and Secure the right of the girl child to life,
survival, health and nutrition.
Protection
 The State shall promote and strengthen legislative, administrative and institutional redressal
mechanisms at the National and State level for the protection of child rights.
 The State shall protect all children from all forms of violence and abuse, harm, neglect, stigma,
discrimination, deprivation, economic exploitation sexual exploitation etc.
Institutional Framework for children welfare
THE NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR PROTECTION OF CHILD RIGHTS (NCPCR)
 It is a statutory body established under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Act 2005
to protect, promote and defend child rights in the country.
 Functions
 Examine and review the safeguards provided by or under any law for the protection of child rights
and recommend measures for their effective implementation.
 Inquire into violation of child rights and recommend initiation of proceedings in such cases.
 Look into the matters relating to the children in need of special care and protection including
children in distress, marginalized and disadvantaged children, juveniles’ children etc.
 Spread child rights literacy among various sections of society and promote awareness of the
safeguards available for protection of these rights.
 Inquire into complaints and take suo motu notice of matter relating to -Deprivation and violation
of child rights, non-implementation of laws etc.
THE CENTRAL ADOPTION RESOURCE AUTHORITY (CARA)
 It is an autonomous body under the MoWCD. It primarily deals with adoption of orphan, abandoned and
surrendered children through recognised agencies.
 As per the provisions of Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions, 1993, it is designated as the
Central Authority to deal with in-country and inter-country adoption of children.
Welfare schemes for children
Education & Health

o The Integrated Child Protection Scheme - ICPS brings together multiple existing child protection
schemes under one comprehensive umbrella, and integrates additional interventions for protecting
children and preventing harm.
o National Health Mission - Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent (RMNCH+A) Strategy
of NHM comprehensively integrates interventions that improve child health and nutrition status and
addresses factors contributing to neonatal, infant, under-five mortality and malnutrition.
o Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan - Aimed at the universalisation of primary education "in a time bound manner.

48
o Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat - It is a sub-programme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to improve comprehensive
early reading, writing and early mathematics programmes for children in Classes I and II.
o Mid-Day Meal - To enhance the enrollment, retention and attendance and simultaneously improve
nutritional levels among school going children studying in Classes I to VIII.
Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan

 Launched in 2018. It subsumed the three Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik
Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).
 Objectives - Provision of quality education and enhancing learning outcomes of students; Bridging Social
and Gender Gaps in School Education; Ensuring equity and inclusion at all levels of school education;
Ensuring minimum standards in schooling provisions; Promoting Vocationalisation of education; Support
States in implementation of RTE Act, 2009.
For children in distress

o Khoya-Paya Portal - To provide a platform to the public to share the details of missing/found/ sighted
children with the public at large. Over 3355 children have been united/rehabilitated between 2015 -
2017.
o MWCD MOU with Railways - For rescue and rehabilitation of runaway, abandoned, kidnapped,
trafficked children via railways. 33 main railway stations have been equipped with facilities for rescue,
rehabilitation, and restoration of missing families.
o CHILDLINE - Nation-wide 1098 helpline number for rescuing and assisting children in distress conditions.
o POCSO e-Box - It is an online complaint box for reporting child sexual abuse.
Child Labour Child Labours in India

 Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 -  There are 10.1 million child
prohibits the engagement of children in certain types of labours in India of which 5.6
occupations and regulates the condition of work of children million are boys and 4.5 million
in other occupations. are girls (2011 Census).
 Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Amendment Act,  In India, 20 percent of all children
2016 - Provides for complete prohibition on employment or aged 15 to 17 years old are
work of children below 14 years and also prohibits involved in hazardous industries
employment of adolescents (14-18 years) in hazardous and jobs (ILO).
occupations and processes.  Measuring the exact scale of child
 The National Child Labour Project - Started in 1988 for labour in India is difficult as it is
rehabilitating the children withdrawn from employment often hidden and under-
thereby reducing the incidence of child labour. reported.
 Reasons – Poverty, inequalities,
 Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour illiteracy, cheap labours, poor
(PENCIL) - It is an electronic platform that aims at involving implementation of laws, gender
Centre, State, District, Governments, civil society and the and caste discrimination etc
general public in achieving the target of child labour free
society.
Schemes for Girl Child

o Udaan - Initiative of the Central Board of Secondary Education to enable girl students to soar to higher
education from schools, and to eventually take various leadership roles in future.
o Sukanya Samriddhi Yojna (2015) - A small deposit scheme, launched as a part of the ‘Beti Bachao Beti
Padhao' to encourage parents of a girl-child to stock a fund for their education and marriage. within 2
months of launch, 1,80,000 accounts had been opened under the scheme.

49
o Ladli Laxmi Yojana (MP) - To improve the health and educational status of the girls. It seeks to prevent
female foeticide and to bring the positive attitude among people towards girl child birth and with the
aim of preventing child marriages.
o Kanyashree Prakalpa (west Bengal) - To improve the status and wellbeing of girls, specifically those
from socio-economically disadvantaged families through Conditional Cash Transfers. Female gender
ratio in higher education institutions in Bengal has gone up from 42% in 2010 to 47.3 % in 2020. The
scheme had won UN Public Service Award in 2017.
o Bhagyalaxmi Scheme (Karnataka) - To promote the birth of girl children in below poverty line families
and to raise the status of the girl child in the family in particular and society in general.
Critical analysis of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
o Objective - To address issues from declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR), women empowerment, removal of
gender inequality to protecting a girl child.
o The key elements of the scheme include the enforcement of the PC and PNDT Act, and a nationwide
awareness and advocacy campaign.
o BBBP’s emphasis is on changing mindsets through training, sensitisation, awareness-raising and
community mobilisation on the ground.
Performance of the scheme
Sex Ratio at birth Education
o Sex ratio at birth at the national level improved from
918 in 2014-15 to 934 in 2019-20 (MWCD informed o Gross Enrolment Ratio of girls in the schools at
the Rajya Sabha). secondary level has improved from 77.45
(2014-15) to 81.32.
o Out of 640 districts covered under BBBP 422 districts
o Percentage of schools with functional separate
have shown improvement in SRB from 2014-15 to
toilets for girls has shown improvement from
2018-2019.
92.1% in 2014-15 to 95.1% in 2018-19.
Health
Attitudinal change:
o Percentage of 1st Trimester ANC Registration has
shown an improving trend from 61% in 2014-15 to o There is a positive behavioural change towards
71% in 2019-20. the girl child and Status of institutional
o Percentage of Institutional Deliveries has shown an deliveries have also improved (National Council
improving trend from 87% in 2014-15 to 94% in 2019- of Applied Economic Research).
20.
Concerns
o States across India have utilised just 45 per cent of the funds allocated under the scheme in the last five years
(2015-16 to 2019-20).
Way Forward
 A change in mindset towards the girl child is not only essential for gender equality and women
empowerment but also to realise the vision of a new India because any nation cannot progress, leaving its
50% population behind. A first step towards women empowerment is to ensure the survival of girl children
and the BBBP campaign is a right step in the right direction.
Critical analysis of Integrated Child Development Scheme

 Launched in 1975, ICDS provides food, preschool education, primary healthcare, immunization, health
check-up and referral services to children under 6 years of age and their mothers.

50
Objectives
 To improve the nutritional and health status of children in the age-group 0-6 years.
 To lay the foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development of the child.
 To reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropout.
 To enhance the capability of the mother to look after the normal health and nutritional needs of the child
through proper nutrition and health education.
Performance Shortcomings
 4.59 lakh new AWCs/mini-AWCs became  Anganwadi (childcare centre) services have a poor
operational during XI Plan. The number of reach among the key beneficiaries – the poorest of the
operational AWCs/ mini-AWCs increased from poor and uneducated mothers.
13,04,611 in March 2012 to 13,46,186 in  AWCs are overburdened, underpaid and mostly
March 2015. unskilled.
 Number of beneficiaries for supplementary  Nearly a fourth of the operational AWCs lack drinking
nutrition increased from 705.43 lakh at the water facilities and 36 per cent do not have toilets.
end of X Plan to 1022.33 lakh in March 2015. Service delivery is not consistent in quality and
 Number of beneficiaries [Children (3-6 quantity across the country.
years)] for pre-school education increased  Difficulties in pursuing the goal of universalisation for
from 300.81 lakh at the end of X Plan to 365.44 several reasons for ex - huge infrastructure and
lakh in March 2015. resource requirement, siphoning of funds etc.
 ICDS is currently the most significant  World Bank - Inability to target the girl child
government intervention for reducing improvements, participation of wealthier children more
maternal and childhood malnutrition than the poorer children and lowest level of funding for
the poorest and the most undernourished states of
India.
Suggestions
 Convergence of complementary services, which is essential for realisation of ICDS goals.
 The existing monitoring system of ICDS needs to be strengthened and revamped.
 Strengthening of infrastructure, human resources and incentive structure of health workers)
 The institution of Gram Sabha should be utilised to sensitise people about entitlement of
food/medicine/other facilities, the rights of children and services available at AWC.
Way Forward
 ICDS objectives are consistent with the SDGs for reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, and
eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. ICDS has the potential not only to improve the nutrition status of
children and women, but also to break the lifecycle of malnutrition by improving health and nutrition of
pregnant women and adolescent girls.
Issues in news
THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN FROM SEXUAL OFFENCES (POCSO) RULES, 2020
Why in news ?
 The Centre has notified a set of new rules enabling implementation of the recent amendments to the
POCSO Act

51
Key Provisions
 Mandatory police verification of school and care home staff.
 Procedures to report sexual abuse material such as pornography and imparting age-appropriate child rights
education.
 The state government have been asked to formulate a child protection policy based on the principle of zero
tolerance to violence against children.
 The central government and every state government shall provide periodic training including orientation
programmes, sensitisation workshops and refresher courses to all persons, whether regular or contractual,
coming in contact with the children, to sensitise them about child safety and protection.
 The Centre and state governments have been asked to prepare age-appropriate educational material and
curriculum for children, informing them about various aspects of personal safety.

2016
1. Examine the main provisions of the National Child Policy and throw light on the status of its
implementation.
SENIOR CITIZENS
 As per the Census figures of 2011, the population of senior citizens (60 + age) in India is 10.38 crore i.e.,
8.06% of the total population. The share of elderly persons increased from 5.6% in 1961 the proportion
has increased to 8.6% in 20 11.
 A report released by the United Nations Population Fund and Help Age India suggests that the number of
elderly persons is expected to grow to 173 million by 2026.

52
Key facts
 8.6% of India’s total population is elderly (Census-2011)
 More than 71% of the population of senior citizens live in rural areas.
 Feminization of the elderly population - Sex ratio of the elderly has increased from 938 women to 1,000
men (1971) to 1,033 in 2011 and is projected to increase to 1,060 by 2026. (UNFPA Report)
 Kerala has the maximum proportion (16.5%) of elderly people in its population and Bihar has least
proportion (7.7%)
 A large percentage (30%) of the elderly are below the poverty line.
Challenges faced by senior Citizens

 Morbidity and disabilities - 75% of them suffer from chronic disease, 40% have disability and 20% have
issues related to mental health (UNFPA).
 Poverty - Major proportion of the elderly
women were poorer; received the lowest
income per person; had the greatest percentage
of primary level education.
 Disintegration of traditional joint families -
With the emerging prevalence of nuclear
families the elderly are likely to be exposed to
emotional, physical and financial insecurity.
 Lack of Social Support - The elderly in India are
much more vulnerable because of the less
government spending on the social security
system. The elderly in urban areas rely primarily
on hired domestic help to meet their basic needs.
 Lack of physical infrastructure - It is a major deterrent to providing comfort to the aged. Many elder citizens
need better access to physical infrastructure, both in their own homes and in public spaces.
Silver Economy is defined as the system of production, distribution and consumption of goods and services
aimed at utilising the purchasing potential of the older and ageing populations, as well as satisfying their
consumption requirements and living essentials and healthcare needs.
SENIORCARE AGING GROWTH ENGINE INITIATIVE (SAGE INITIATIVE):
 Recently, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment virtually launched the SAGE (Seniorcare Aging
Growth Engine) initiative and SAGE portal for elderly persons.
 Objective: To encourage the selected “startups” based on the innovative products and services address the
services from health, housing, care centers, technology access linked to needs ranging from finances, food and
wealth management to legal guidance.
 The SAGE portal will be a “one-stop access” of elderly care products and services by credible start-ups.
 The SAGE project aims to identify, evaluate, verify, aggregate, and deliver products, solutions and services
directly to the stakeholders. The Ministry will act as a facilitator, enabling the elderly to access the products
through identified start-ups.
 An amount of Rs. 100 crore has been assigned for the promotion of the silver economy. It is the system of
production, distribution and consumption of goods and services aimed at using the purchasing potential of
older and ageing people and satisfying their consumption, living and health needs.
QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ELDERLY INDEX, 2021

53
 It has been released by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).
 It identifies regional patterns of ageing across Indian States and assesses the overall ageing situation in India.
 Using this index as a tool, the State governments and the stakeholders can identify the areas they need to work
upon to provide their older generation with a comfortable life.
Welfare schemes for senior citizens

 The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment - Develops and implements Acts, Policies and
Programmes for welfare of Senior Citizens to ensure that Senior Citizens may lead a secured, dignified and
productive life.
 Integrated programme for senior citizens - To improve the quality of life of the Senior Citizens by providing
basic amenities like shelter, food, medical care and entertainment opportunities
 Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana - It provides Physical Aids and Assisted-living Devices for Senior citizens
belonging to BPL category. Till Jan 2019, 77 distribution camps have been organised benefitting 70939
senior citizens belonging to BPL Category.
 Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme - Scheme provides social assistance for the old age
persons.
 Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana - It will provide an assured pension based on a guaranteed rate of return
of 8% per annum for ten years, with an option to opt for pension on a monthly / quarterly / half yearly and
annual basis.
 National Programme for the Health Care for the Elderly - To provide accessible, affordable, and high-
quality long-term, comprehensive and dedicated care services to an Ageing population.
 The National Policy on Senior Citizens, 2011 - Envisages state support for financial and food security, health
care, shelter and protection against exploitation.
 National Awards for Senior Citizens - Vayoshreshtha Samman: To recognize the efforts made by eminent
senior citizens and Institutions involved in rendering distinguished services for the cause of elderly persons,
especially indigent senior citizens.
 National Council of Senior Citizens (NCSrC): It was constituted in 1999 under the Chairpersonship of the
Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment to oversee implementation of the Policy and advise the
Government in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes for the aged.
 National Action Plan for the Welfare of Senior Citizens (NAPSrC): This Plan takes care of the top four needs
of the senior citizens viz., financial security, food, health care and human interaction /life of dignity. It is an
umbrella scheme, effective since 1st April 2020, has four sub-schemes under it, namely:
 Scheme of Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens (IPSrC)
 State Action Plan for Senior Citizens (SAPSrC)
 Convergence with Initiatives of other Ministries/Departments in Government of India in the field
of Senior Citizens Welfare (CWMSrC)
Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002
 Provides a roadmap for addressing challenges of an ageing society and realisation of human rights of
older persons.
 It focused on three priority areas - 1. Older persons and development 2. Advancing health and well-being
into old age 3. Ensuring enabling and supportive environments.
 The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals also recognises the importance of realizing their
full potential and their contribution for inclusive development.
Suggestions

54
 Fulfilling needs for services and social protection for senior citizens, protection of their rights and enabling
them to contribute in the development process.
 Better equip people in earlier age cohorts, so that they remain in good physical and mental health and
continue their involvement in family and community throughout the ageing process.
 Stronger partnerships between civil society, community and families are necessary to complement the
actions taken by Governments
Way forward
 Ageing has become a major social challenge and there is a need to provide for the economic and health
needs of the elderly and to create a social milieu, which is conducive and sensitive to emotional needs of
the elderly. Increased investments, political will and addressing gaps in data and statistics are key for this.
Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
Why in the news ?

 The Parliamentary Standing Committee has recommended to include provisions for counselling services
and It also suggested digital and financial literacy services for seniors in its report on the Maintenance and
Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
Key Differences between the act and proposed amendment Bill
Provisions Maintenance and Welfare of Parents Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior
and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 Citizens (Amendment) Bill, 2019
Children  Children refers to children and Adds step-children, adoptive children, children-in-
grandchildren, excluding minors. laws, and the legal guardian of minor children.
Parents  Parents include biological, adoptive,  Adds parent-in-laws, and grandparents.

and step-parents.
Maintenance  Maintenance includes provision of  Expands the definition to include the provision
food, clothing, residence, medical of healthcare, safety, and security for parents
attendance and treatment. and senior citizens to lead a life of dignity.
Welfare  Welfare includes provision of food,  Expands the definition to include the provision
healthcare, and other amenities of housing, clothing, safety, and other amenities
necessary for senior citizens. necessary for the physical and mental well-
being of a senior citizen or parent.
Maintenance  Children and relatives must pay  Reduces the number of days to 15.
Amount maintenance amount within 30 days
of the order of the Tribunal.
 Maintenance Tribunals may direct  The Bill removes this upper limit on the
children to pay a maximum of Rs maintenance fee.
10,000 per month as maintenance
amount to their parents.

55
Abandonment  Punishable with imprisonment of up Punishable with imprisonment between three

of senior to 3 months, or fine of up to Rs and six months, or a fine of up to Rs 10,000, or both.
citizen or 5,000, or both.
parent
Abuse of  No provision.  Punishable with imprisonment between three

senior citizen and six months, or fine of up to Rs 10,000, or
both.
Healthcare  Provides for facilities such as  All hospitals, including private organisations, to
separate queues and beds for senior provide these facilities for senior citizens
citizens in government hospitals.
Police  No provision.  Every police station must have at least one

protection officer to deal with issues related to parents and
senior citizens.
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES / DIVYANG

 "Person with disability" means a person with long term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment
which, in interaction with barriers, hinders his full and effective participation in society equally with others.
 According to the world health organization, nearly 15 % of the world population has some form of disability.
Key Facts
 As per the Census 2011, the differently-abled population in India is 26.8 million. In percentage terms, this
stands at 2.21 %.
 Over 18 million in the rural areas and just 8.1 million enumerated in the urban settings. The percentage of
men with disabilities is 2.41 as against 2.01 in women.
 44% of the disabled are female and remaining 56% are male.
 According to the Census 2011, 27 per cent of disabled children between the ages of 5-19 had never
attended an educational institution.
 73.6% of persons living with disabilities in India are outside the labour force. Those with mental disabilities
and women with disabilities and those in rural areas are most neglected (ILO).
 50% of the children with mental illness never attended educational institution.
 54% of the disabled children with multiple disabilities never attended educational institutions.
PWD Welfare
 Department of Empowerment of Persons with
Disabilities (Divyangjan) - A separate
Department of Disability Affairs was established
for welfare and empowerment of the Persons
with Disabilities.
 National Policy for Persons with Disabilities
2006 - Aims to create an environment that
provides equal opportunities for protection of
their rights and full participation in society. It
outlines specific measures and strategies for
ensuring protection of rights of PwDs and their
inclusion in the society.

56
 Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) - The campaign targets at enhancing the accessibility of
built environment, transport system and Information & communication Ecosystem.
 Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme - To create an enabling environment to ensure equal opportunities,
equity, social justice and empowerment of persons with disabilities.
 Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID) Program –
o Union Minister of Social Justice launched a 6- month Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID)
Program on rehabilitation of Divyangjan.
o The program aims to create a pool of grass-root rehabilitation workers at community level who can
work alongside ASHA and Anganwadi workers to handle cross disability issues and facilitate inclusion
of persons with disabilities in the society.
o The program has been designed to provide competency based knowledge and skills among these
workers to enhance their ability for successfully discharging their duties. These workers will be called
'Divyang Mitra' i.e. friends of persons with disabilities.
 Assistance to Disabled persons for purchasing / fitting of aids / appliances scheme (ADIP Scheme)- To assist
the needy disabled persons in procuring durable, sophisticated and scientifically manufactured, modern,
standard aids and appliances.
 National Action Plan for Skill development: It aims to cover 2.5 million persons with disabilities by the year
2022 through various stakeholders.
 Unique ID for Persons with Disabilities – This project is being implemented with a view of creating a National
Database for PwDs, and to issue a Unique Disability Identity Card (UDID) to each person with disabilities.
 Mobile Aided Note Identifier (MANI) - It is a mobile application for aiding visually impaired persons to identify
the denomination of Indian Banknotes. It has been developed by the Reserve Bank of India.
 National Fellowship for Students with Disabilities (RGMF) -The scheme aims to increase opportunities to
students with disabilities for pursuing higher education. Under the Scheme, 200 Fellowships per year are
granted to students with disability.
 Accessible elections - ECI has implemented several measures to make a conducive environment for PwDs to
cast their vote. For ex -
o Braille signage on the Ballot Unit of EVM
o Entering polling stations without waiting in the queue.
o Facility granted to take wheelchairs inside polling stations.
o permits a companion to accompany a blind/infirm elector.
o Poll personnel were trained & sensitized regarding special needs of PwDs.
 India signed the UN Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with
Disabilities. It puts an obligation to take appropriate measures to ensure persons with disabilities access, to the
physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications, and to other facilities and
services.

57
 India is a signatory to the ‘Declaration on the Full

Participation and Equality of People’ with Guidelines for digital education for children with
Disabilities in the Asia-Pacific Region. disabilities
 India is also a signatory to the Biwako Millennium  Covid 19 has impacted education of children
Framework working towards an inclusive, barrier with disabilities. for ex – half of the NCERT books
free and rights-based society. available on DIKSHA were not accessible for
visually impaired children.
Constraints in implementation of welfare programmes  Recently, the education ministry has laid down
new guidelines for producing digital education
 Accurate identification of the disabled resources for children with disabilities.
population, because People tend to hide their
 It recommended that all textbooks be made
disability to avoid facing social stigma.
digitally accessible in a phased manner, so that
 Beyond Census statistics, there is a lack of
they are available in multiple formats such as
appropriately disaggregated data for PwDs
text, audio, video and sign language with turn on
generated at regular intervals.
and turn off features.
 Suboptimal implementation: The
implementation of the Schemes for Transgender
Persons is suboptimal.
 Disability related issues require multi-sectoral action, which has been difficult to achieve in practice
 Absence of institutional architecture and policy framework.
Suggestions
 Provide access to adequate food, water, shelter, clothing and health care through the provision of income,
family and community support and self-help.
 Ensure employment generation for PwDs including job fairs.
 Ensure access to appropriate educational and training programmes.
 Provide them Quality Vocational Training with high employability.
 Awareness about universal accessibility by creating an enabling and barrier-free environment.
Way Forward
 India is committed to ensure welfare and social justice for the PWDs. It has initiated several measures to
enable a conducive environment for PWDs to realise their true potential. Empowerment of PWDs is also
fruitful for India as the World Bank estimated that leaving PWDs, outside the economy, translates into a
foregone GDP of about 5% to 7%.
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016

 The RPWD Act, 2016 provides that “the appropriate Government shall ensure that the PWD enjoys the right
to equality, life with dignity, and respect for his or her own integrity equally with others.”
Key provisions
 Widened scope - Disability has been defined based on an evolving and dynamic concept. The types of
disabilities have been increased from 7 to 21.
 Education - Every child with benchmark disability between the age group of 6 and 18 years shall have the
right to free education.
 Reservation in higher education - 5% reservation in seats in Government and Government aided higher
educational institutions for persons with benchmark disabilities.
 Accessibility - Stress has been given to ensure accessibility in public buildings (both Government and
private) in a prescribed time-frame.
 Reservation in Jobs - 4% reservation in Government jobs for certain persons or class of persons with
benchmark disability.

58
 Financial support - Creation of National and State Funds to provide financial support to the persons with
disabilities.
 Penalties for offence against PWDs - The Act provides for penalties for offences committed against persons
with disabilities.
 Special Courts - Designated special Courts to handle cases concerning violation of rights of PwDs.
Way Forward
The Act lays stress on non-discrimination, full and effective participation and inclusion in society, respect for
difference and acceptance of disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity, equality of opportunity,
accessibility etc.

1. Does the rights of persons with disabilities act, 2016 ensure effective mechanisms for empowerment and
inclusion of the intended beneficiaries in society ? Discuss.
LGBT COMMUNITY
Basic data
 As per the 2011 census about 6 Lakh transgender people lives in India. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) face certain social and legal difficulties.
Constitutional articles:
Issues Concerning LGBT
 Discrimination in matters of employment, housing, health and education among other areas.
 High dropout rate and lower average of school years.
 They face exploitation, and exclusion. Ambedkar thought of the village as a unit of violence and that is
most true for LGBT issues.
 Lack of awareness among the LGBT community about welfare schemes and their rights.
 Lack of sensitivity of government, public institutions, people etc towards LGBT communities.
 They are subjected to violence, sexual harassment, physical and psychological abuse. They face the most
threat from their own families.
 They are among the poorest people. Most of them are forced to prostitution and beggary.
 Homosexuality remains a criminal offense in 71 countries. In 6 % of countries homosexuality is punishable
by death.
 Isolation and Drug Abuse: They gradually develop low self-esteem and low self-confidence and become
isolated from friends and family. These people mostly get addicted to drugs, alcohol, and tobacco to get
themselves relieved of stress and rejection and discrimination.
 Health Issues: Criminalisation of homosexuality leads to discrimination and results in LGBTQ people getting
poor or inadequate access to services within the health system. It also creates barriers to both the
availability and the ability to access HIV prevention, testing and treatment services.
A study by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India

 99 % of transgender people have experienced social rejections on multiple occasions.
 52 % of the community has faced harassment by their school classmates and 15 percent from their
teachers, resulting in their dropping out of school.
 As per Census Report 2011, 4.8 lakh people in India are Transgenders.

59
 30000 transgenders are registered with the Election Commission of India.

 50%-60% transgenders have never attended schools.
 89% of Transgenders are said there are no jobs for even qualified ones.
Steps taken for LGBT Welfare
GOVERNMENT
o National Portal for Transgender Persons - To help a transgender person in applying for a Certificate and
Identity card digitally from anywhere in the country.
o Garima Greh - To provide shelter to Transgender persons, with basic amenities like shelter, food, medical
care and recreational facilities. It will provide support for the capacity-building/skill development of them.
o Kerala State - First state to announce a transgender policy. Launched a continuing education programme
called Samanwaya aimed at transgender persons. Also directed all universities and affiliated arts and
science colleges to reserve two seats for transgender people.
o Sweekruti Scheme (Odisha) - It’s an umbrella scheme to enabling environment to ensure equal
opportunities, equity, social justice & empowerment of transgender persons of the state.
o Smile Scheme: Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment has launched the Central Sector scheme
“SMILE: Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise.
 It is set to provide welfare and rehabilitation to the Transgender community and the people
engaged in the act of begging.
 It includes two sub-schemes –
 Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging:
It will focus on Survey and identification, Mobilisation, Rescue/ Shelter Home and Comprehensive
resettlement.
 Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons:
 It provides scholarships for the Transgender students
 It has provisions for Skill Development and Livelihood under the PM-DAKSH scheme.
 The Housing facility in the form of ‘Garima Greh’ ensures food, clothing, recreational
facilities, skill development opportunities, recreational activities and medical support etc.
 Provides a comprehensive package in convergence with PM-JAY supporting Gender-
Reaffirmation surgeries through selected hospitals.
JUDICIAL INTERVENTIONS
o Naz foundation v NCT of Delhi 2009: It is a landmark judgement of the Delhi High Court. It held that treating
consensual homosexual sex between adults as a crime is a violation of Fundamental Rights. The Court also
held that Section 377 offended the guarantee of equality enshrined in Article 14 of the constitution as it
creates an unreasonable classification and targets homosexual as a class.
o Suresh Kumar Koushal v. Naz Foundation (2013): It sets aside the Delhi High Court judgment and reinstated
Section 377 of the IPC.
o NALSA Judgement, 2014 - The Court upheld the right of all persons to self-identify their gender. It also
directed the government to recognize third gender persons as a “socially and educationally backward class
of citizens”, & provide reservations in educational institutions and public employment.
o Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India (2018)- The SC ruled that Section 377 of IPC is unconstitutional as it
infringed on the fundamental rights of autonomy, intimacy, and identity, thus legalising homosexuality in
India. However, Section 377 remains in force for sex with minors, Non consensual sexual acts and bestiality.
CIVIL SOCIETY

60
o Popular TV shows such as Satyamev Jayate and The Tara Sharma Show have helped raise awareness among
parents about LGBT issues.
o Social media and corporate initiatives have created increasing awareness of LGBT rights.
o UGC Regulation on Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions - Prohibits discrimination, bullying and
ragging targeted at a student on the ground of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Suggestions
 There should be compulsory sexuality/gender education at grade school and at college level. School and
college administration need to be sensitized on issues of stigma.
 Establishing platform for political entry of transgenders. There should be a Transgender Welfare Board in
every state.
 Welfare schemes applicable in each state should cater to the category of “Gender Minorities”.
 Housing and Land allocation schemes for gender non-conforming persons should be effective.
 Sexual harassment mechanisms should be gender neutral and domestic violence based on gender should
be recognized as a separate offense.
 The parliament should pass an Anti-Discrimination Bill that penalizes discrimination and harassment on
the basis of gender.
 Rope religious institutions to influence societal attitude because religious institutions have wider
acceptance in the society.
Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 – critical evaluation

The act was enacted with objective to provide for protection of rights of transgender people, their welfare, and
other related matters.
Key Provisions
 Defines a trans person as someone whose gender does not match the one assigned at birth.
 Prohibits discrimination against them in employment, education, healthcare and other services.
 Allows self-perception of gender identity. But mandates their recognition on the basis of a certificate of
identity issued by a district magistrate.
 It criminalizes begging.
 prescribes offences against transgender persons along with the penalties.
 Established National Council for Transgender Persons - The Union Minister of Social Justice &
Empowerment will be Chairperson and Union Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment will be
Vice-Chairperson. The council has following functions -
o To advise the Central Government on the formulation of policies, programmes, legislation and
projects with respect to transgender persons.
o To monitor and evaluate the impact of policies and programmes designed for achieving equality
and full participation of transgender persons.
o To redress the grievances of transgender persons.
Criticism
 Ignores NALSA judgement
o The act goes against the very crux of the NALSA judgement as it does not allow for self-
determination of transgender status.
o The Act also does not offer the reservations in public employment and education as had been
directed by an earlier Supreme Court judgment.

61
 Silent on civil Rights - Civil Rights such as marriage, adoption, succession are ignored. The Act is also unclear
on the trans individuals’ access to welfare benefits.
 Inequal Treatment - The act provides for maximum two years' imprisonment for sexually assaulting a
transgender person, whereas the minimum penalty for raping a cisgender woman is 10 years.
 Focuses more in transwomen and Hijra - There is little emphasis on the intersex, gender queer and
transmen.
 Criminalize Begging - Without providing an alternative for livelihood for transgenders the act criminalizes
begging on which most of them survive.
Way Forward
 LGBT community is increasingly gaining tolerance and acceptance, especially in large cities but for most
LGBT people in India, home and school, acceptance of their sexuality and freedom to openly express their
gender choices still remain a constant struggle.
 Thus, the government needs to provide equal constitutional rights to empower them, reduce social stigmas
and improve their socio-economic position.
Milestone for LGBTQ Rights
 Saurabh Kirpal, a senior advocate, may become India's first openly gay judge.
 The Supreme Court Collegium has finally recommended his appointment as a judge of the Delhi High Court
after four deferments.
 Although a conflict of interest was cited as an excuse for deferment, a popular argument in legal circles has
been that delay in suggesting his name was due to his sexual orientation.
 If selected, his promotion will constitute a key turning point in the history of LGBTQ rights.
 The term LGBTQ refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning.
 Previously, the European Parliament designated the European Union as an "LGBTIQ Freedom Zone."
MINORITIES
 Although the constitution uses the word minority and recognises linguistic and religious minorities, it does
not define the term.
 Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, Jains have been notified as minority communities
under National Commission of Minorities Act, 1992. They constitute about 19% of the population of the
country.
 The Ministry of Minority Affairs is established to improve the socio-economic conditions of the minority
communities through affirmative action and inclusive development.
Constitutional safeguards for minorities
 Article 25 - Freedom of conscience and free  Article 29 - Right to conserve the distinct language,
profession, practice and propagation of religion. script or culture of any citizen in India.
 Article 26 - Freedom to manage religious affairs.  Article 30 - Right of all religious and linguistic
 Article 28 - Freedom as to attendance at religious minorities to establish and administer educational
instruction or religious worship in certain institutions of their choice.
educational institutions  Article 350 (B) - President shall appoint a Special
Officer for linguistic minorities.
Socioeconomic status of minorities
 Attendance rates in educational institutions were higher among males than females, also higher in urban
areas than in rural areas (NSO).
 Jains have the highest percentage of literates (86.73%) above 7 years. Muslims, on the other hand, have
the highest percentage of illiterates (42.72%) as per 2011 census.

62
 The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for male was much higher than females for all religious groups
(NSO).
SACHAR COMMITTEE
 It was appointed in 2005 to study the social, economic and educational condition of Muslims in India. It
submitted a report in 2006.
 The Committee suggested that policies should “sharply focus on inclusive development and
‘mainstreaming’ of the Community while respecting diversity.
Key Recommendations
 Set up an Equal Opportunity Commission to look into grievances of deprived groups like minorities.
 Create a nomination procedure to increase participation of minorities in public bodies.
 Establish a delimitation procedure that does not reserve constituencies with a high minority population
for SCs.
 Increase employment share of Muslims, particularly where there is a great deal of public dealing. Work
out mechanisms to link madrasas with higher secondary school boards.
 Recognise degrees from madrasas for eligibility in defence, civil and banking examinations.
Problems Minority Funds Unused

 Poverty and exclusion  According to Economic Survey 2020, 41.89 crore
 Feeling of alienation were allocated for area development in urban
 hate crimes against the minority communities areas and 51 crores for rural areas in 2019-20
 Lack of livelihood opportunities.  By December 2019 only 25.13 crore & 22.16
crore respectively had been spent.
 Deprive of basic amenities
 Communal tension & riots.
 Underrepresentation in politics & govt jobs
Institutions for Minorities welfare
The National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC)

 Objective - To promote economic activities amongst the backward sections of notified minorities.
 To achieve its objective, NMDFC is providing concessional finance for self-employment activities to families
with income below double the poverty line.
National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions

 It is a statutory body established by the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act,
2004, to protect and safeguard the educational institutions, established by the religious minorities in India.
 It ensures rights of religious minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice
as provided in the Article 30 of the Constitution of India.
National Commission for minorities

It was set up under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. It has following functions:
o Evaluate the progress of the development of Minorities & monitor the working of the safeguards
provided in the Constitution and in laws.
o Make recommendations for the effective implementation of safeguards for the protection of the
interests of Minorities.

63
o Look into specific complaints regarding deprivation of rights and safeguards of the Minorities and take
up such matters with the appropriate authorities.
o Conduct studies, research and analysis on the issues relating to socio-economic and educational
development of Minorities.
o The NCM is in charge of ensuring that the Prime Minister’s 15-point programme is implemented.
Important work of NCM
 Commission has investigated matters of communal conflict and riots. In 2012, a team was sent to Assam
to investigate the Bodo-Muslim clashes, and their findings were submitted to the government.
Challenges
o The commission has been without a chairman since May 2020
o Insufficient investigative powers.
o Annual reports of NCM were never have not been tabled in Parliament since 2010.
o Recommendations are not binding and never implemented by the government.
Way forward
The NCM shall be provided with any “teeth” in terms of their legal capacity to carry out their Constitutional
mandate. In this regard, the government must fill the vacancies timely and make its recommendations
legally binding and all other reforms which are plaguing the efficiency and effectivity of the NCM.
Schemes for minority welfare
EDUCATIONAL EMPOWERMENT
 Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme - Scholarship is given to the students studying from class I to X to encourage
the parents so that their children complete the school education
 Post-matric Scholarship Scheme - Under this scheme scholarship is given to meritorious students studying
from class XI to Ph.D. 30% of the total scholarship is given to girl students under the scheme.
 Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme - To pursue technical and professional courses at Graduate and
Post-Graduate level from a recognised institution.
 Maulana Azad National Fellowship - To provide integrated five years fellowships in the form of financial
assistance to M.Phil and Ph.D students from minority communities.
 Padho Pardesh - It provides 'interest subsidy' for minority students for overseas studies at Masters, M.Phil.
and Ph.D. Level.
 Naya Savera - Financial assistance is provided for free coaching in Coaching Institutions to prepare minority
students for competitive examinations for private and Government jobs.
 Nai Udaan - Support for Students who clear Prelims conducted by UPSC, SSC, State Public Service
Commission (PSC) etc.
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
 USTAAD - The Scheme aims at upgrading Skills and Training in preservation of traditional Ancestral
Arts/Crafts of minorities.
 Nai Manzil - Aims to engage constructively with poor minority youth and help them obtain sustainable and
gainful employment opportunities.
 Maulana Azad National Academy for Skills - It was established by NMDFC for meeting all skill up-
gradation/development needs of Minority Communities.
 Artisan Credit Scheme for Minorities - To meet credit requirements of the artisans both in terms of working
capital requirement & fixed capital requirement for purchase of equipment/tools/machineries.

64
OTHER SCHEMES
 Minority Cyber Gram - To introduce digital literacy skills in identified minority clusters in India through
designated Digital Fellows towards knowledge empowerment and entitlement gains of minority focused
groups and beneficiaries.
 Hamari Dharohar - To preserve the rich heritage of minority communities in the context of Indian culture.
 Jiyo Parsi - Scheme for Containing Population Decline of Parsis in India.
 Nai Roshni - To develop the leadership quality of minority women and to empower and instill confidence
among minority women.
 Prime Minister’s New 15-Point Programme - To ensure that an appropriate percentage of the priority
sector lending is targeted for the minority communities and that the benefits of various government
sponsored schemes reach the disadvantaged sections of the minority communities.
 PM Jan Vikas Karyakram - To improve socio-economic conditions of minorities and provide basic amenities
and reduce imbalances in comparison with national average in the identified Minority Concentration Areas.
Way forward
 Minorities in India enjoys constitutional and legal safeguards, despite they lag on several socio-economic
indicators. In the recent time, human rights violation and cases of hatred and violence are increasing
against them, especially against the Muslims.
 The Government must take strong actions against the culprits and ensure justice for the victims. Along
with-it Government shall implement the welfare programmes in latter and spirit to uplift minorities and
bring on par with the rest of the population so that Unity in the diversity is preserved because socio-
economic -political inequalities shakes the fraternity and thus unity of the nation.
Conclusion
Equality, non-discrimination and social justice for weaker sections are among the core principles of the
constitution. Social justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence of all citizens. It is a
base for the economic development and progress of the country. Since the independence successive governments
have worked for sustainable development, poverty eradication, the promotion of full employment and decent work,
universal social protection, gender equality and access to social well-being and justice for all. But still miles have to go.

65
ISSUES RELATING TO D EVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF S OCIAL SECTOR/SERVICES RELATING

TO HEALTH, EDUCATION, HUMAN RESOURCES.
HEALTH
Introduction
 Health is a foundational investment in human capital and in economic growth—without good health,
children are unable to go to school and adults are unable to go to work.
 Access to timely, acceptable, and affordable health care of appropriate quality is the right of every person.
The WHO Constitution (1946) envisages “the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental right
of every human being.”
 SDG 3 is to "Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages".
Constitutional Provisions
 Article 39 (E) - Directs the State to secure the  Article 243G - Endows the Panchayats and
health of workers, men, women and children. Municipalities to strengthen public health under
 Article 42 - Directs the State to create just and Article 243G
humane conditions of work and maternity relief.  Fundamental Right - The SC in Bandhua Mukti
 Article 47 - State to raise the nutrition levels and Morcha v Union of India & Others interpreted the
standard of living of people and to improve public right to health under Article 21. In State of Punjab &
health. others v Mohinder Singh Chawla the SC reaffirmed
that the right to health is fundamental to the right to
life.
Key Facts
Global Nutrition Report 2021 Sample Registration System
 Anaemic Indian Women: Over half of Indian women in the age group (2016-2018)
15-49 years are anaemic. There has been a rise in anaemic Indian  Maternity Mortality Rate -
women since 2016 from 52.6% to 53% in 2020. One in two women of 113 per 100,000 live births
reproductive age is anaemic.  Infant Mortality Rate - 33 per
 Child Wasting: Over 17% of Indian children under 5 years of age are 1,000 live births
affected. India is also among 23 countries that have made no progress  life expectancy - 69. 4 yrs.
or are worsening on reducing ‘childhood wasting’. Disease burden in India
 Child Stunting: Over 34% of children under 5 years of age are still
affected. India is among 53 countries ‘on course’ to meet the target  In 2017, there were about 9·7
for stunting. million deaths and 486 million
 India Meeting Targets: India is meeting 7 of the 13 global nutrition DALYs in India. More than a
targets which include sodium intake, raised blood pressure (both men third of national DALYs arose
and women), obesity (both men and women) and diabetes (both men from communicable,
maternal, perinatal, and
and women).
nutritional disorders (Lancet
World Malaria Report, 2021 Report).
o India achieved a reduction of 83.34% in malaria morbidity and 92% in  The contribution of most of
malaria mortality between the year 2000 and 2019, thereby achieving the major non-communicable
Goal 6 of the Millennium Development Goals. disease groups to the total
o India accounted for 83 per cent of cases in the WHO South-East Asia disease burden has increased
Region. all over India since 1990.
 In 2016, three of the five
o Sri Lanka was certified malaria-free in 2016 and remains malaria-free.
leading individual causes of
China and El Salvador were certified by WHO as malaria-free in 2021,
disease burden in India were
and the Islamic Republic of Iran attained 3 consecutive years of zero
non-communicable.
indigenous cases in 2020.
 Household air pollution was
o WHO Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016–2030 - WHO had responsible for 5% of the total
updated the WHO Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016–2030 in disease burden in India in
66
the year 2021. It has incorporated lessons learned from global malaria 2016, and outdoor air
response during 2016–2020. Lessons included stalled progress, covid- pollution for 6%.
19 pandemic and high burden to high impact approach.
Health structure In India

 The healthcare system is organised into primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.
 At the primary level are Sub Centres and Primary Health Centres (PHCs). At the secondary level there are
Community Health Centres (CHCs) and smaller Sub-District hospitals and at the top level there are Medical
Colleges and District/General Hospitals.
 India has a mixed health-care system, inclusive of public and private health-care service providers.
Challenges/ Health Issues in India
 Poor investment in health - India's spending on healthcare ie. 1.28 % of the GDP is among the lowest in the
world while in developed countries, it is somewhere between 10-18 per cent.
 Out-of-pocket expenditure as a proportion of the current health expenditure was 65.06% in 2015.
 Dominance of Private Hospitals- The private medical sector remains the primary source of health care for
70% of households in urban areas and 63% of households in rural areas (NFHS-3).
 Unequal public health systems - States in India have unequal public health systems, primarily due to
restricted technical expertise and fiscal constraints (2019 NITI Aayog report).
 lack of basic infrastructure - The country had 8.5 hospital beds for 10,000 citizens and eight doctors per
10,000 people before the Covid Pandemic.
 lack of trained health professionals - India has one physician for every 1,404 people and 1.7 nurses per
1,000 people (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare). Most of them are concentrated in urban areas.
 Poor governance of the health sector - Malpractices such as overbilling, unnecessary diagnostic tests and
surgical procedures etc are prevalent in hospitals. There is also a lack of accountability across both private
and public clinics in India.
 Low quality care - Low quality care is prevalent due to misdiagnosis, under trained health professionals,
and the prescription of incorrect medicines.
 Barriers of access - Both social and financial inequality results in barriers of access to healthcare services in
India. Services aren't accessible for the disabled, mentally challenged, and elderly populations.
 Inter-state variation in health expenditure – Developed states like Kerala, Delhi spends more than the
poorer states such as Jharkhand Bihar, Uttar Pradesh etc.
 Other - Non-availability of diagnostic tools and increasing reluctance of qualified and experienced
healthcare professionals to practice in rural, under-equipped and financially less lucrative rural areas are
becoming big challenges.
Universal Health Coverage

 UHC means that all individuals and communities receive the health services they need without suffering
financial hardship. Achieving UHC is one of the targets (SDG3.8) the nations of the world set when adopting
the SDGs in 2015.
 Protecting people from the financial consequences of paying for health services out of their own pockets
reduces the risk that people will be pushed into poverty because unexpected illness requires them to use up
their life savings, sell assets, or borrow – destroying their futures and often those of their children.
 A lack of universal access to quality, affordable health services also endanger countries’ long-term economic
prospects and makes them more vulnerable to pandemic risks.
 Constraints
o Inadequate focus on comprehensive preventive care and primary care in the past.

67
o The multiplicity of government-sponsored insurance schemes has resulted in the fragmentation of

the risk pool.
o There is an acute shortage of motivated human resources for health.
o 84 per cent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for drugs manufactured in India are
imported.
o The prices of diagnostic tests can vary widely across the country. For example, a lipid profile test can
cost Rs. 90 in some cities, going up to Rs. 7,110 in others.
 Way Forward
o Galvanize health facilities in the public sector and engage the private sector.
o Ensure access to affordable drugs and medical devices.
o Boost domestic production of APIs by setting up six large API intermediate clusters as per the
recommendations of the Katoch Committee
o Strengthen health research capacity.
o Identify key traditional medicine and facilitate collaboration with modern systems of medicine.
12TH FYP STRATEGY FOR HEALTH
The long-term objective of this strategy is to establish a system of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the country.
Following are Key points of it -
 Substantial expansion and strengthening of the public sector health care system, freeing the vulnerable
population from dependence on high cost and often unreachable private sector health care systems.
 The expenditure on health should increase to 2.5 percent of GDP by the end of the Twelfth Five Year Plan.
The provision of clean drinking water and sanitation should have high priority in health-related resource
allocation.
 Financial and managerial system will be redesigned to ensure efficient utilization of available resources
and achieve better health outcomes.
 Coordinated delivery of services within and across sectors, delegation matched with accountability,
fostering a spirit of innovation are some of the measures proposed.
 Increasing the cooperation between private and public sector health care providers to achieve health
goals.
 A large expansion of medical schools, nursing colleges, and so on, is necessary to increase the availability
of skilled human resources, and public sector medical schools must play a major role in the process.
 A series of prescription drugs reforms, promotion of essential, generic medicine and making these
universally available free of cost to all patients in public facilities as a part of the Essential Health Package
will be a priority.
 Effective regulation in medical practice, public health, food and drugs is essential to safeguard people
against risks and unethical practices.
NATIONAL HEALTH POLICY, 2017
 Goal - The attainment of the highest possible level of health and wellbeing for all at all ages, through a
preventive and promotive health care orientation in all developmental policies, and universal access to
good quality health care services.
 Key Targets

68
o Increase health expenditure by Government as a percentage of GDP from the existing 1.15 % to 2.5
% by 2025.
o Increase Life Expectancy at birth from 67.5 to 70 & reduce TFR to 2.1, reduce Under Five Mortality to
23 by 2025.
o Reduce MMR from current levels to 100 by 2020, reduce neonatal mortality to 16 and still birth rate to
“single digit” by 2025.
o Achieve target of 90:90:90, for HIV/AIDS i.e, - 90% of HIV infected people know their HIV status, 90%
of HIV patients receive sustained antiretroviral therapy and 90% of all people receiving ART will have
viral suppression.
OTHER SCHEME TO ENSURE HEALTH FOR ALL
 National Health Mission - Envisages achievement of universal access to equitable, affordable & quality
health care services that are accountable and responsive to people's needs. Core components - universal
coverage, achieving quality standards, Continuum of Care and Decentralised Planning.
 India Newborn Action Plan - For accelerating the reduction of preventable new-born deaths and stillbirths
in the country with the goal of attaining ‘Single Digit Neo-Natal Mortality Rate (NMR) by 2030’ and ‘Single
Digit Still Birth Rate (SBR) by 2030’.
 PM Swasthya Suraksha Yojana - Aims at correcting the imbalances in the availability of affordable
healthcare facilities in the different parts of the country in general, and augmenting facilities for quality
medical education in the under-served States in particular.
 Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi:
It is a single non-lapsable reserve fund for Health from the proceeds of Health and Education Cess. a single
non-lapsable reserve fund for Health from the proceeds of Health and Education Cess.
Salient Features:
 It is a non-lapsable reserve fund for Health in the Public Account.
 Proceeds of share of health in the Health and Education Cess will be credited into PMSSN.
 Accruals into the PMSSN will be utilized for the flagship schemes of the Ministry of Health & Family
Welfare namely –
o Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)
o Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs)
o National Health Mission Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY)
o Emergency & disaster preparedness and responses during health emergencies
o Any future programme/scheme that targets to achieve progress towards Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and the targets set out in the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017.
 Administration and maintenance of the PMSSN is entrusted to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
(MoHFW)
Significances:
 Improved Developmental Outcomes: From an economic standpoint, better health improves
productivity, and reduces losses due to premature death, prolonged disability and early
retirement.
 Enhance Opportunities: One extra year of population life expectancy raises GDP per capita by 4%,
investment in health creates millions of jobs, largely for women, through a much needed expansion
of the health workforce.

69
 Ayushyaman Bharat - It has two components which are

Achievement of Ayushman Bharat
complementary to each other.
 Provided 1 crore treatments to
 Health and Welfare centres (HWCs) - 1,50,000
patients from the country's poorest
HWCs will be created to deliver Comprehensive
households since its launch
Primary Health Care, that is universal and free to
(May2020).
users.
 These treatments worth Rs 13,412
 Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana - It provides crore.
health insurance cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per year to over
10 crore poor and vulnerable families seeking secondary and tertiary care.
 National Programme for the Health Care for the Elderly - To provide accessible, affordable, and high-
quality long-term, comprehensive and dedicated care services to an Ageing population.
 e-Sanjeevani (Telemedicine Service Platform)- It comprises of two variants namely - doctor to doctor (e-
Sanjeevani AB-HWC) telemedicine platform and patient to doctor telemedicine platform (e-
SanjeevaniOPD) which provides outpatient services to the citizens in the confines of their homes.
 Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana - It offers cash compensation to insured persons when they are rendered
unemployed.
Suggestions
 Increase the government spending on the health sector and address the gap in health infra service and
medical infrastructure.
 Strengthen the public-private partnership and assist the private sector in realising public health goals.
 Utilize integrated digital technologies while preparing for COVID-like challenges in future.
 Research should focus on preventive measures to tackle future outbreaks of serious infectious diseases.
 Improve health related governance as certain regulations are needed to check the undesirable practices
like over-billing.
One Health
 The concept of ‘One Health’ recognises that the health of human beings is connected to the health of
animals and the environment.
 It is gaining importance as most of the contagious diseases affecting humans are zoonotic (animal to man
origin) in nature and it can be effectively implemented for reducing incidence of emerging zoonotic threats
like COVID-19.
NITI AAYOG REPORT: HEALTH INSURANCE FOR INDIA’S MISSING MIDDLE
Recently, NITI Aayog has released a comprehensive report titled Health Insurance for India’s Missing Middle, which
brings out the gaps in the health insurance coverage across the Indian population and offers solutions to address
the situation.
“Missing Middle”
 The missing middle refers to the non-poor segments of the population who remain prone to catastrophic and
impoverishing health expenditure, despite the financial capacity to pay for contributory health insurance.
 It constitutes the self-employed (agriculture and non-agriculture) in rural areas, and a broad array of
occupations – informal, semi-formal, and formal – in urban areas.
 The deprived and poor sections receive Government subsidized health insurance, while the relatively well-off
in the organized sector of the economy are covered under social health insurance, or private voluntary
insurance and Missing Middle positioned between the deprived poorer sections, and the relatively well-off
organized sector.

70
 At least 30% of the population, or 40 crore individuals are Missing middle as per the report. They are devoid of
any financial protection for health.
Features of the Report:
 Low Public Expenditure on health has constrained the capacity and quality of healthcare services in the
public sector. It diverts the majority of individual (about two-thirds) to seek treatment in the costlier private
sector. However, low financial protection leads to high out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE).
 Missing Middle: According to the report, at least 30% of the population, or 40 crore individuals (referred
as the Missing middle in this report) are devoid of any financial protection for health.
 Low Insurance Penetration: Significant challenges will need to be overcome to increase the penetration of
health insurance. The government has an important role to play in increasing consumer awareness and
confidence, modifying regulation for standardized product and consumer protection, and potentially
offering a platform to improve operational efficiency.
Recommendations:
The report has recommended three models for increasing the health insurance coverage in the country:
Creation of a Large and Diversified Risk Pool: The success of a private voluntary contributory health insurance
product requires creation of a large and diversified risk pool. For this to happen the Government should build
consumer awareness of health insurance through Information Education Communication campaigns.
Developing a Modified, Standardized Health Insurance Product: The cost of health insurance needs to come
down, in line with the affordability of the missing middle. For example- Aarogya Sanjeevani can be made
affordable.
Government Subsidized Health Insurance: This model can be utilized for segments of the missing middle which
remain uncovered, due to limited ability to pay for the voluntary contributory models. In the medium-term,
once the supply-side and utilization of PMJAY is strengthened, their infrastructure can be leveraged to allow
voluntary contributions to the missing middle.
Way Forward
 Integrated Approach: A combination of the three models, phased in at different times, can ensure coverage
for the missing middle population.
 Outreach Strategy: Government databases such as National Food Security Act (NFSA), Pradhan Mantri
Suraksha Bima Yojana, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) for agricultural households can
be shared with private insurers after taking consent from these households. This will increase the outreach
of insurance products with the needy section of the population.
Way Forward (For the Overall Helath Section)
Inequality in the distribution of health services has adversely affected the country’s progress, the need of the hour
is political will and policy making. The right to health must be enjoyed without discrimination on the grounds of
race, age, ethnicity or any other status. Non-discrimination and equality require states to take steps to redress any
discriminatory law, practice or policy.
RECENT ISSUES CONCERNING HEALTH

Antibiotic Resistance
 Antibiotic resistance occurs when microorganisms become resistant from the effects of antimicrobials. As
a result, standard treatments/ medicines become ineffective. It occurs naturally too but the situation is
likely to be grave due to manmade reasons.

71
 WHO describes it as an invisible pandemic & called it one of the biggest health risks, estimated to kill 50
million people by 2050.
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES TO TACKLE AR
 Schedule 1 drugs - Mandatory prescription of the

doctor for purchase of schedule 1 drugs.
 National Action Plan on AR - Unveiled National
Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance in 2017,
aligned with Global Action Plan to tackle
Antimicrobial Resistance.
 Regulation in Agri use -Maharashtra Govt – stopped
selling antibiotics to farmers without prescription to
stop its misuse in the animal.
 Awareness campaigns - Apart from it, the government is spreading awareness about Antibiotic Resistance
through campaigns, advertisements, and civil society.
 International cooperation - Govt is collaborating with WHO which has launched AWaRe- Online Tool For
safer use of antibiotics and curb resistance.
 Swachh Bharat - Besides that Swachh Bharat helps to contain Antibiotic resistance by adequate sanitation
and improved hygiene.
 Red Line campaign - Mandates prescription for antibiotics with a red line to curb their irrational use and
create awareness on the dangers of taking antibiotics without being prescribed.
Vision 2035: Public Health Surveillance in India

 It is a white paper released by NITI Ayog, envisaged to serve as a vision document to propel public health
surveillance in India and establish India as a global leader in the area.
 It lays out India’s vision 2035 for public health surveillance through the integration of the three-tiered public
health system into Ayushman Bharat.
 It is a continuation of the work on health systems strengthening. It contributes by suggesting
mainstreaming of surveillance by making individual electronic health records the basis for surveillance.
Public health surveillance
 Public health surveillance is an important function that cuts across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels
of care. Surveillance is an important Public Health function and it is an essential action for disease detection,
prevention, and control. Surveillance is ‘Information for Action’.
Challenges
 Data Management - Effective data management is critical to the public health surveillance mission. Poor
quality of data is also a major limiting factor.
 Early Detection of Emerging Diseases - The need for enhancing detection of emerging diseases faster and
enhancing public health emergency response and recovery capabilities introduce new analytic challenges.
 Inadequate Computing Resources - With the increase in number of sources and volume of data available
for analysis, insufficient resources in the computing environment might be a limiting factor on timely
processing of data and communication of results
 Shortage of Skilled Staff - Human resources to accomplish analytic data management, statistical analysis,
visualization of data and effectively communicating uncertainty in health-data evidence are needed in
public health surveillance.
Suggestions
 Developing and mobilizing technologies and methodologies

72
 Establish a governance framework that is inclusive of political, policy, technical, and managerial leadership
at the national and state level.
 Identify broad disease categories that will be included under Public Health Surveillance.
 Enhance surveillance of non-communicable diseases and conditions in a stepwise manner.
 Prioritize diseases that can be targeted for elimination as a public health problem, regularly.
 Improve core support functions, core functions, and system attributes for surveillance at all levels;
national, state, district, and block.
 Establish mechanisms to streamline data sharing, capture, analysis, and dissemination for action.
 Encourage innovations at every step-in surveillance activity.
Way forward
The purpose of surveillance is to empower decision makers to lead and manage more effectively by providing
timely, useful evidence. It is useful both for measuring the need for interventions and for directly measuring the
effects of interventions. Thus, it is essential to strengthen public health surveillance, while protecting the
individual’s privacy and confidentiality.
Early warning systems

 Early warning systems are timely surveillance systems that collect information on epidemic-prone
diseases in order to trigger prompt public health interventions.
 In most cases they rely on an in-depth review done by epidemiologists of the data coming in, which
is rarely done in a systematic way.
 WHO is strengthening the existing surveillance systems for infectious diseases developing early
warning systems based on the new concepts and techniques.
AYUSHMAN BHARAT DIGITAL MISSION (ABDM)
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare formulated the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission with the aim to provide
the necessary support for the integration of digital health infrastructure in the country.
This visionary initiative, stemming from the National Health Policy, 2017 intends to digitise healthcare in India.
Features:
 Health ID: It will be issued for every citizen that will also work as their health account. The ID will be used
to uniquely identify persons, authenticate them, and threading their health records (only with the informed
consent of the patient) across multiple systems and stakeholders. It will contain the details of test, disease,
the medicines and diagnosis.
 Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR) It is a comprehensive repository of all healthcare professionals
involved in delivery of healthcare services across both modern and traditional systems of medicine.
Enrolling in the Healthcare Professionals Registry will enable them to get connected to India’s digital health
ecosystem.
 Health Facility Registry (HFR): It is a comprehensive repository of health facilities of the country across
different systems of medicine. It includes both public and private health facilities including hospitals, clinics,
diagnostic laboratories and imaging centres, pharmacies, etc.
 Personal Health Records (PHR): It is an electronic application through which patients can maintain and
manage their health information (and that of others for whom they are authorised) in a private, secure,
and confidential environment.
 Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission Sandbox: The Sandbox, created as a part of the mission, will act as a
framework for technology and product testing that will help organisations, including private players

73
intending to be a part of the national digital health ecosystem become a Health Information Provider or
Health Information User or efficiently link with building blocks of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.
Challenges/Concerns
 Digital Divide: This could lead to exclusion of digitally illiterate and unconnected remote, hilly and tribal
areas.
 Data Breach/Privacy issues: The lack of a data protection bill could lead to the misuse of data by private
firms.
 Huge requirement of skilled labours: Need for skilled manpower in the digital domain versus the latest
computer skills.
 Inadequate Primary Health Care data: Lack of infrastructure and staff at primary level.
 Issue of interoperability of systems built by different states & the central repositories.
Significance
 Create interoperability within the digital health ecosystem, similar to the role played by the Unified
Payments Interface in revolutionising payments.
 Citizens will get to access healthcare facilities at a click.
 Improve the efficiency, effectiveness and transparency of health service delivery.
 Provide choice to individuals to access both public and private health services, facilitate compliance with
guidelines and protocols and ensure transparency in pricing.
 Health care professionals will have better access to patient’s medical records.
Way Forward
 India’s public health system has to be strengthened and rejuvenated
 Data protection measures will have to be robust to preserve personal information.
 The standardisation of NDHM architecture across the country will need to find ways to accommodate state-
specific rules.
 It should be made transparent and easy to understand for the public.
 It also needs to be in sync with government schemes like Ayushman Bharat Yojana and other IT-enabled
schemes like Reproductive Child Health Care and NIKSHAY etc.
 The National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) still does not recognize Health as a justiciable right. There
should be a push draft at making health a right, as prescribed in the draft National Health Policy, 2015.
PM Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Scheme

 The scheme announced in Budget 2021 to develop capacities of primary, secondary, and tertiary care
health systems, strengthen existing national institutions, and create new institutions, to cater to detection
and cure of new and emerging diseases.
About the scheme
 Under this scheme, “budgetary investment in the health sector has been increased to strengthen
healthcare services, health emergency preparedness and response and thereby strengthen IHR core
capacities.
 Main interventions
o National Institution for One Health
o 17,788 rural and 11,024 urban Health and Wellness Centers
o 4 regional National Institutes for Virology
o Integrated public health labs in all districts and 3382 block public health units in 11 states
o Critical care hospital blocks in 602 districts and 12 central institutions

74
o Strengthening of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), its 5 regional branches and 20
metropolitan health surveillance units
o Expansion of the Integrated Health Information Portal to all States/UTs to connect all public health
labs
o 17 new Public Health Units and strengthening of 33 existing Public Health Units
o Regional Research Platform for WHO South-East Asia Region
o 9 Biosafety Level III laboratories.
Conclusion: This scheme will help fulfil the SDG goal related to health and will also help uphold the health objectives
envisioned in National health Policy 2017.
WASH Programme
Why in news ?
 NABARD announced a special refinance facility to support the government’s Water, Sanitisation and
Hygiene (WASH) programme.
What is WASH?
 WASH is an acronym that stands for "water, sanitation and hygiene". Universal, affordable and
sustainable access to WASH is a key public health issue and is the focus of the first two targets
of Sustainable Development Goal 6.
 World Health Organization in 2019 found that "Worldwide, 1.9 million deaths and 123
million DALYs could have been prevented in 2016 with adequate WASH.
Importance of WASH

Improving access to WASH services can improve ‘Drinking Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and
health, life expectancy, student learning, gender Housing Condition’ Report 2020
equality, etc. This can reduce illness and death, and
also affect poverty reduction and socio-economic  Members of 56 per cent urban
development. households reported washing their
 Lack of sanitation contributes to about 700,000 child hands with water and soap before
deaths every-year due to diarrhoea, mainly eating, only 25.3 per cent households in
in developing countries. The WASH-attributable rural areas did so.
disease burden amounts to 3.3% of global deaths.  This low level of hand hygiene is likely

Chronic diarrhoea can have long-term negative effects to pose a major challenge as the
on children, in terms of both physical and cognitive country deals with COVID-19.
development.
 lack of WASH facilities at schools can prevent students (especially girls) from attending school, and
reduce their educational achievements and later work productivity.
 Water is central to Covid-19 management, frequent hand washing has been suggested as a
preventative measure and its intake recommended as essential for recovery from infection.
Challenges
 Infrastructure - Migration to urban areas, resulting in denser clusters of poverty, poses a challenge for
sanitation infrastructures.
 Urban Slums - Insufficient supply, demand constraints that limit people's access to these services and
institutional constraints prevent the poor from accessing adequate urban services.
 Improper water distribution systems - The World Health Organization estimates that 25%-45% of
water in distribution lines is lost through leaks in developing countries. Cross-contamination
of wastewater into potable water lines has resulted in major disease outbreaks.
 Climate change - Climate change poses increased risk to WASH systems, particular in poor and
developing countries where access to safely managed basic sanitation is low.
GOI Programmes

75
 Swachh Bharat – Launched in 2014, to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste
management.
o The government provided subsidy for construction of nearly 110 million toilets between 2014
and 2019.
o SBM has changed the behaviour of hundreds of millions of people with respect to toilet access
and usage.
o 500 million people have stopped defecating in the open since 2014.
 AMRUT – Launched in 2015 to establish infrastructure that could ensure adequate robust sewage
networks and water supply for urban transformation
 Jal Jeevan Mission – JJM is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual
household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India
Way forward
Safe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene are crucial to human health and well-being. Safe WASH is not only a
prerequisite to health, but contributes to livelihoods, school attendance and dignity and helps to create resilient
communities living in healthy environments.
INDIA’S FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19
Covid-19 first case in India

 The first case of COVID-19 infection reported in Kerala, in Jan 2020. Till June 12, 2021 total 2.94 crore cases
were detected out of which 2.8 crore recovered and 3.70 lakh people lost their lives in India.
 Despite these horrifying facts, looking at the huge population, density and minimal health services, India
tackled COVID pandemic successfully. With the 'whole of government' and 'whole of society' approach,
India was able to fight the pandemic much better than other countries.
Challenges before India
India was predicted to be at high risk for COVID-19 for a number of reasons
 Population – India has huge population of approx. 1.40 crore with high density i.e. 464
people/km2 compared with Italy’s 206, Spain’s 91, Iran’s 52 and the USA’s 36.
 WASH - Only 36% of Indians wash their hands with soap before a meal. Even more distressingly, 160 million
Indians do not have access to clean water to wash their hands (NSSO).
 Disease burden - The prevalence among Indian adults of diabetes and hypertension is 10% and 25%,
respectively. India has high rates of TB and pneumonia.
 Awareness - The awareness about disease dynamics is very poor, even among the wealthier and more
educated parts of the population.
 Denying service to poor – Private hospitals denial of health services to common people and overcharging
patient was major concern during the pandemic.
 Imposing a lockdown is next to impossible in India’s vast rural hinterland, home to 900 million people (65%
of the population). Seventy per cent of the rural population is dependent on agriculture and April and May
is the harvesting season for their Rabi crops.
Health related challenges

 Inadequate Ventilators - India had just 20 000 ventilators. That is a 98% shortfall.
 Low testing rate - India had an abnormally low testing rate of 18 per million population (South Korea 6931,
Italy 5268, UK 1469, USA 1280
 Acute shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), oxygen, health personnel, medicines, beds etc
 Shortage of Doctors - India has just 0.8 doctors per 1000 population as against Italy’s 4.1, China’s 1.8,
Spain’s 4.1, Iran’s 1.1 and the USA’s 2.6.
 Inadequate Beds - India has just 0.7 hospital beds per 1000 population as against Italy’s 3.4, Spain’s 3, Iran’s
1.5 and the USA’s 2.9.

76
Initiatives taken to fight pandemic

 Voluntary public curfew - People have been urged to voluntarily stay indoors to check the spread of
coronavirus while public transport will be suspended or curtailed and all markets and shops except those
dealing in essential items will be closed on the day.
 Lockdown - On 24th March 2020, the Indian government declared a complete nationwide lockdown for
three weeks. It included -
o Stay at home orders except for emergency situations like groceries, pharmacies and medical aid.
o Shutting down of tourist spots, religious places, cinema halls, malls, and the public transport system
o Closure of schools, colleges and universities.
o Cancellation of all the regional and nations conferences, sports gatherings, mass gatherings.
o Self-reporting portal for symptomatic patients.
 Amendment to Epidemic Diseases Act, 1987 – To provide protections for healthcare personnel combatting
epidemic diseases and expands the powers of the central government to prevent the spread of such
diseases.
 COVID-19 Emergency Fund – It is based on voluntary contributions from all the SAARC member countries
to combat COVID-19 in the region. The fund can be used by any of the partner countries to meet the cost
of immediate actions.
 Aarogya Setu - Aarogya Setu is an Indian COVID–19 "contact tracing, syndromic mapping and self-
assessment" digital service, primarily a mobile app.
 Project 'Extension of Hospitals - To plug a major health infrastructure gap in India's fight against Covid-19,
especially in rural areas and smaller towns, India has started project 'Extension of Hospitals' in various
states.
 Spread Awareness –
o PM personally addressed nation eight to nine times."
o Caller tune was set to inform Covid-appropriate behaviour.
o The Aarogya Setu app gave warning of nearby affected people; around 160 million people
downloaded it.
 Vaccination – India enrolled the largest vaccination programme in the world, Under which 3 vaccines ie.
Covidshield, Covaxin , Sputnik were given. About 21.8% of adults in India, 42.1 % of those aged 45 and 45.9
% of people aged above 60 had been administered at least 1 dose of COVID -19 vaccine (June 2021).
 Tika Mahotsav /vaccine festival – It was held from April 11-14 to inoculate maximum number of eligible
people against the coronavirus amid a surge in cases.
 COWIN - A digital platform Co-WIN was developed to support the vaccination activity with real-time
information ensuring that the vaccine is given to the right people at the right time.
 ‘Chase the virus’ campaign/ The Dharavi model – It was launched by Maharashtra government. It involves
a proactive approach including early detection, hospitalisation, treatment, and of course, testing to limit
the spread of Covid-19. the campaign was globally hailed and followed by other countries for ex –
Philippines.
 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package - govt approved
significant investments to the tune of Rs. 15,000 crores for development of diagnostics and COV1D-
dedicatcd treatment facilities, centralized procurement of essential medical equipment and drugs required
for treatment of infected patients.

77
Result of early measures / Impact of Lockdown

 India was the first country to respond within an hour when WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. India’ s
early measures resulted in positive outcome for ex – India’s recovery rate was 97 % and its fatality rate 1.44
was the lowest in the world.
 The lockdown provided essential buy time to prepare for the eventual flood of cases.
 India increased laboratory facilities to 2,362 now from the sole lab at NIV.
 Made provisions for more than 19 lakh beds at more than 15,000 facilities.
 As many as 12,000 quarantine centres were also built for easy isolation.
 The country took the bold decision to become Aatmanirbhar (self-reliant) by ramping up PPE
manufacturing to 5 lakh kits daily.
 It also estimated that, in the absence of any intervention, India could expect to see 5–20% of its urban
population infected in a first wave. At an overall mortality rate of 1%, the death toll could climb to hundreds
of thousands.
The major concerns for India are

 Upcoming festival season and possible rising rate of cases.
 Monsoon and rising of other disease outbreaks.
 Maintaining livelihood of >20% of population who fall under below poverty line.
 Sudden irresponsible mass gathering or religious events nullifying the government's effort.
 Crowding of cities due to decline in cases.

78
Medical Oxygen Crisis during second COVID wave

 Indian faced acute shortage of oxygen in second wave of COVID 19. As per one estimate Close to 512
deaths have taken place between April and May 21 either due to lack of oxygen, shortage or denial
in India during its second wave of Covid-19.
 The Allahabad High court observed that “death of Covid patients just for non-supplying of oxygen to
the hospitals is a criminal act and not less than a genocide”.
Reasons for shortage
 Demand supply gap – During the peak time, The daily production capacity (including for industry use)
of oxygen currently was 7,127 MT while the demand is 6,600 MT.
 Regional Imbalance - Most oxygen producers are based in India's east, while the soaring demand has
been in cities in the western and northern parts of the country
 Industrial Use - India was producing enough oxygen, at just over 7,000 tons a day. but Most was used
for industrial purpose.
 Poor Governance - There is no centralized coordination of oxygen supply and distribution.
 Inadequate transport and storage capacity - Liquid oxygen at very low temperatures has to be
transported in cryogenic tankers to distributors, which then convert it into gas for filling cylinders. But
India is short of cryogenic tankers.
 Cost - The increase in cost for transport and logistics has increased the cost of refilling cylinders. A
cylinder that would earlier cost Rs 100-150 for refiling, amid the peak cost Rs 500-2000.
Initiatives taken By Govt.
 GOI directed most of the country's supply of industrially produced oxygen toward the health care
system.
 The Centre pressed into service trains and defence aircraft to transport medical oxygen and cryogenic
tankers across the country to save the lives of COVID-19 patients.
 Central government issue guidelines on judicious use of oxygen and warned hospitals of indiscriminate
use of non-invasive ventilation methods on patients.
 Centre-appointed Empowered Group-2, formed to monitor the supply of essential medical equipment
during the pandemic focused on 12 high burden states and channelized surplus oxygen to these states.
It also identified hospitals in far-flung areas to install pressure swing absorption (PSA) plants, which can
manufacture their own oxygen and make the hospitals self-reliant.
 Smaller manufacturers that produced industrial oxygen, were allowed to produce medical oxygen by
changing certain specifications
 The government issued orders to convert argon and nitrogen tankers into oxygen ones.
 Several civil hospitals have set up such jumbo tankers to avoid their daily wait for cylinders.
 Several countries for ex – United Kingdom, USA, UAE Singapore assisted India to address oxygen shortage
and fight the COVID -19.
Due to such timely interventions, in the later time medical oxygen availability increasing to 9,200 tonnes and
India could save lives of hundreds of people.
Way Forward
India's ongoing COVID-19 fight is a continuous process, and any loosening of grip over this pandemic could prove
fatal for millions of Indians especially those who belong to below the poverty line. Indian government is leaving no
stones unturned when it comes to utilizing its resources to maximum capacity to fight against COVID-19. The COVID-
19 pandemic is an opportunity to invest in the public health infrastructure of India, an area of systemic neglect over
the past few decades.

79
Role of ASHA Workers during COVID

ASHAs, had been working against all odds ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
 1.6 lakh Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) have tracked in two phases over 30.43 lakh migrants
who returned to Uttar Pradesh during the COVID-19 lockdown.
 They assisted the state government in contact tracing and community surveillance.
 They counselled the family members and explained in detail the steps to be taken during home quarantine.
 They not only identified persons with symptoms but also regularly followed up on their health status.
 ASHA’s have facilitated sample collection.
 They enhanced awareness about essential and non-essential healthcare services and how to access these.
 ASHAs have assisted the Panchayati Raj Department in development of the community quarantine
centers.
 They have also been instrumental in providing Reproductive Maternal Neonatal and Child Health (RMNCH)
services which were directly affected by the lockdown measures and the necessity of maintaining physical
distancing.
CHALLENGES FACED BY ASHA WORKERS
 ASHA workers were not treated in the same manner as doctors despite the fact that both are in the
frontline in the fight against the pandemic.
 “ASHAs have not been supplied with adequate PPE as they perform contract tracing and interact with
newly infected cases in the community.
 This poses a huge risk to them and their families, resulting in stigma and discrimination by the community
for being high-risk COVID-19 contacts.
 There has also led to multiple cases of violence against ASHAs and their families.
 They also did not have access to priority or free testing. If tested positive for COVID-19, ASHAs were not
receiving support for their treatment.
SUGGESTIONS
 Recognition of ASHAs’ work by the government and their communities through financial and non-financial
incentives
 Development of institutional mechanisms for feeding ASHAs’ experiences, needs and class, caste and
gender realities in policymaking
 Development and dissemination of clear and concise guidelines for ASHAs in a timely manner
 Establishment of a capacity building strategy, particularly in relation to use of technology and initiate
supervision initiatives for ASHAs
 Development of support systems for ensuring the physical and mental well-being of ASHAs
 Initiation of broader health system reforms for ASHAs including strengthening policies for fair recruitment,
retention, financial protection, leave management, protection against sexual harassment, physical and
mental health protection and stigma prevention with clear accountability at all levels.
 Convergence with vertical programmes such as livelihoods, nutrition to complement the work of ASHAs.
Vaccine hesitancy
Why in news ?
 A 2020 Gallup poll, published in May 2021 revealed that one in three adults worldwide said they would not
take covid-19 vaccine. In India 18 % people stated that they won’t take vaccine.
What is Vaccine Hesitancy ?

80
 Refers to delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability of vaccine services. It is influenced
by factors such as complacency, convenience and confidence.
 Reasons – Lack of awareness, fear based on inaccurate information, Cost and cultural issues, Confidence
deficit, conspiracies and disinformation, illiteracy etc.
 The consequences of vaccine hesitancy are disastrous. If herd immunity does not develop disease outbreaks
and pandemic will prevail. the slower the vaccination rate, the wider the spread of infection and greater
the chances of mutations and the emerging new variants.
Suggestions to tackle it
 Quash rumours and conspiracies with truth and reliable information.
 Appeal influential members and leaders to take vaccines to set the precedent.
 Engage with community leaders to encourage people to take vaccines.
 Publicity to testimonies of vaccinated persons on TV advertise and newspapers.
Mental Health & effect of covid 19 on mental health

 According to survey conducted by the Indian Psychiatry Society there has been a 20 percent rise in mental
illness cases, with at least one in five Indians suffering from it.
 People have been living in fear of losing their jobs, businesses, etc due to the lockdown, resulting in mental
distress.
 People are staying indoors with limited resources and suffering from anxiety, panic attacks, and even
alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
Steps taken by government
 GOI issued “Minding our minds during the COVID-19 pandemic” guidelines which includes various ways to
deal with such issues during coronavirus pandemic.
 Manodarpan initiative under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, aims to provide psycho-social support to
students for their mental health and well-being.
Conclusion: The coronavirus disease continues to spread across the world following a trajectory that is difficult to
predict. The health, humanitarian and socio-economic policies adopted by countries will determine the speed and
strength of the recovery.
NFHS SURVEY
Context:
Recently, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released the fifth round of the National Family Health
Survey (NFHS) Report. This survey was conducted between 2019 and 2021.
Key Findings:
Population:
In this section, Certain indicators related to population are measured such as:
 Use of family planning methods (includes female or male sterilisation, and use of contraceptives)
 All states (except Mizoram) have seen an increase in the use of family planning methods. Goa (42%) and
Bihar (32%) have seen the highest increase in the use of family planning methods.
 Total Fertility Rate (TFR): It is the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime. TFR of 2.1
is considered as the replacement level fertility rate at which population stability is achieved. The National
Population Policy, 2000 had sought to achieve replacement level fertility by the year 2010.
Because of increase in family Planning methods, most states have seen a decrease in the total fertility rate
(TFR). Bihar’s TFR has declined from 3.4 (in NFHS-4) to 3.
Sex ratio at birth: It is the number of female children born per 1,000 male children born. Sex ratio at birth for
children born in the last five years is below 950 for seven (of the 17) states. In three states, the ratio is below 900
81
(Goa: 838, Himachal Pradesh: 875, and Telangana: 894). The ratio has declined in seven states. The most notable
decline was in Goa (from 966 to 838), and Kerala (from 1,047 to 951). Only Tripura has a sex ratio at birth above
1,000 (i.e., more females are born than males).
Health and Nutrition: Health related indicators:
 Proportion of institutional births across states: Institutional births and out of pocket expenditure on
deliveries have increased in some states. In Kerala, nearly 100% of the births were institutional births. Only
46% of the births in Nagaland were institutional births.
 The average out of pocket expenditure for deliveries at public health facilities: The average out of pocket
expenditure on a delivery in a public health facility increased in 8 of the 17 states. In West Bengal, the
average expenditure on deliveries declined (66% of the cost in 2015-16), and the proportion of institutional
births increased from 75% to 92%.
 Infant mortality rate (IMR): IMR has marginally declined in nearly all states. Assam has seen one of the
largest drops in IMR, from 48 deaths (per 1,000 live births) to 32 deaths. IMR remains high in Bihar (47
deaths per 1,000 live births).
 Nutrition levels for children and adults:
 The level of stunting among children under 5 years has marginally declined from 38 to 36 percent for India
since the last four years. Stunting is higher among children in rural areas (37%) than urban areas (30%) in
2019-21. Variation in stunting ranges from the lowest in Puducherry (20%) and highest in Meghalaya (47%)
 Compared with NFHS-4, the prevalence of overweight or obesity has increased in most States/UTs in NFHS-
5. At the national level, it increased from 21% to 24% among women and 19% to 23% among men.
Access to Infrastructure: This indicator includes access to electricity, improved source of drinking water, improved
sanitation facility, and clean fuel for cooking (LPG / natural gas or biogas). Further, certain indicators related to
access to infrastructure among women: use of mobile phones, internet usage, use of a savings account, and
ownership of land or house are also part of this indicator.
 Access to electricity, improved source of drinking water and sanitation facility: Between NFHS-4 and
NFHS-5, the use of clean cooking fuel (44% to 59%) and improved sanitation facilities (49% to 70%),
including a hand-washing facility with soap and water (60% to 78%) have improved considerably.
 Use of Mobile Phones by Women: The proportion of women who have a mobile phone has increased
across all states. However, only about 50% women own and use a mobile phone in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,
Gujarat, and West Bengal.
 Internet Users: The Survey measured the proportion of men and women (15-49 years of age) who have
ever used the internet. Across all states, the proportion of men who have used the internet was higher
than women, with the difference being higher than 25% in states such as Telangana, Gujarat, and Andhra
Pradesh.
 Bank Account and Ownership of Land and Buildings: The proportion of women who have a savings or bank
account has increased across all 17 states. Bihar (51%-point) and Manipur (39%-point) have seen the
highest increase in this regard. However, the proportion of women who own a house or land (including
joint ownership) has declined in 9 of the 17 states. Tripura, Maharashtra and Assam have seen a large
decline in women owning house/ land.
Gender related indicators: This section includes -

I.Teenage pregnancy and contraceptive use:
 Teenage pregnancies came down from 7.9% to 6.8%. As per report, women who are employed are more
likely to use modern contraception.
 Report noted that contraceptive use has increased in communities and regions that have seen more
socioeconomic progress and also with increase in income levels.
 The contraceptive prevalence rate has increased to 67 percent from 54 percent
II.Spousal violence among married women - Overall: Domestic violence has come down marginally from 31.2% in
2015-16 to 29.3% in 2019-21. Domestic violence against women is highest in Karnataka at 48%, followed by Bihar,
Telangana, Manipur and Tamil Nadu.

82

 ‘To ensure effective implementation of policies addressing water, sanitation and hygiene needs, the
identification of beneficiary segments is to be synchronized with the anticipated outcomes’ Examine the
statement in the context of the WASH scheme. (2017)
 Appropriate local community level healthcare intervention is a prerequisite to achieve ‘Health for All’ in
India. Explain. (2018)
 In order to enhance the prospects of social development, sound and adequate health care policies are
needed particularly in the fields of geriatric and maternal health care. Discuss. (Answer in 150 words)
(2020)
EDUCATION
Introduction
Education transforms lives and is at the heart of building peace, eradicating poverty and driving sustainable
development. Education is a human right for all throughout life and that access must be matched by quality.
Constitutional provisions
86th amendment act, 2002
It added the right to education as a fundamental right under article 21 A, changed the subject matter of
article 45, and added a Fundamental duty under article 51 A.
 Article 21 A - The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to
fourteen years.
 Article 45 - Provide early childhood care and education for all children until they complete the age of six
years.
 Article 51 A – Every parent or guardian to ensure that their child or ward was provided opportunities for
education between the ages of six and fourteen years.
Key Facts
 The literacy rate (2011 census) – 74.04 %, 82.14 for males and 65.46 for females. Kerala is first with a 93.91
% literacy rate, Bihar (63.82 %) ranks last.
 The National Statistical Commission – literacy 77.7% in 2017–18, 84.7% for male and 70.3% for female.
 The 42nd amendment to the constitution in 1976 made education a ‘concurrent subject’.
 Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education has increased steadily over the past decade, reaching a (GER) of
26.3% in 2019.
 The pupil to teacher ratio within the public school system for primary education is 35:1.
 India spends only 4% of the GDP on education, less than some developing countries for ex. South Africa’s
expenditure on education is 6.1% of its GDP.
ASER, 2020
Digital education – exclusionary mode of learning

 Pandemic has caused school closure due to migration and loss of livelihood. The digital pivot in India’s
schooling system risks pushing it into deeper inequality.
 Only about one-third of the surveyed children had access to online learning; only 11 per cent had access
to live online classes.
UNESCO’S GLOBAL EDUC ATION MONITORING REPORT, 2020 – PANDEMIC IMPACT
 The COVID-19 pandemic has widened inequalities in education systems across the world.

83
 Education budgets were cut by 65 % of low and lower-middle income countries after the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
 Fewer than 10% of countries have laws that help ensure full inclusion in education. In April 2020, almost
91% of students around the world were out of school. For poor students who depend on school for free
meals or even free sanitary napkins, closures have been a major blow.
 40% of the poorest countries failed to support learners at risk during COVID-19 crisis and ensure inclusion
in education.
 Education systems responded with distance learning solutions, all of which offered less or more imperfect
substitutes for classroom instruction.
 India has used a mix of all three systems for educational continuity i.e. Radio and television and online
learning platforms.
Challenges
 Primary and secondary education – Poorly resourced public schools, lack of infrastructure, teacher
absenteeism, Quality of its education in government run schools, High stakes associated with board
examinations, absence of life skills training, poor teacher-student ratio, Neglect of Indian languages etc.
 Higher education – Gross Enrolment Ratio (26.3% in 2018), Unqualified and untrained teachers, absence
of fundamental facilities like drinking water, urinals and power, furniture and study materials, poor Quality,
Expensive education, Unsafe environments for girls, political interference, Inadequate research,
privatization etc.
Primary Education
 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan – Aimed at the universalisation of primary education “in a time bound manner.
 Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat – It is a sub-programme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to improve comprehensive
early reading, writing and early mathematics programmes for children in Classes I and II.
 Mid-Day Meal – To enhance the enrolment, retention and attendance and simultaneously improve
nutritional levels among school going children studying in Classes I to VIII.
 RTE Act, 2009 – It was enacted to enforce article 21 A. It states that all children of the age of 6-14 years
should be provided free and compulsory education. It also provides 25% reservation for economically
disadvantaged communities in admission to Class I in all private schools.
 NIPUN Bharat Mission:
 The Ministry of Education has launched the National Mission on Foundational Literacy and
Numeracy called National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy
(NIPUN Bharat).
 It has been launched under the aegis of the centrally sponsored scheme of Samagra Shiksha.
 Vision: It aims to achieve the goal of universal proficiency in foundational literacy and numeracy
for every child by the end of Grade 3, by 2026-27, as envisaged by National Education Policy 2020.
It aims to cover the learning needs of children in the age group of 3 to 9 years.
 It will focus on providing access and retaining children in foundational years of schooling; teacher
capacity building; development of high quality and diversified Student and Teacher
Resources/Learning Materials; and tracking the progress of each child in achieving learning
outcomes.
Secondary Education
 Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan – Launched in 2009 with the objective to enhance access to
secondary education and to improve its quality. Other objectives include removing gender, socio-economic
and disability barriers, providing universal access to secondary level education.

84
 National Scheme of Incentives to Girls for Secondary Education – It aims to promote enrolment of girl
children in the age group of 14-18 at secondary stage.
 Scheme of Vocational Education – Integrates vocational education with general academic education. The
major aim is to prepare educated, employable and competitive human resources for various sectors of the
economy.
 Atal Innovation Mission – To create and promote an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship across
the country at school, university, research institutions, MSME and industry levels.
Higher Education
 UDAAN – To enable disadvantaged girl students and other students from SC/ST & minorities to transit from
school to post-school professional education especially in Science and Math.
 SAKSHAM – To award 1000 scholarships per annum to differently abled students to pursue technical
education based on merit in the qualifying examination to pursue technical education.
 Ishan Uday – Special Scholarship Scheme to promote higher education and for encouraging children
belonging to economically weaker sections of the NE region.
 SWAYAM Programme – Under this programme, Professors of centrally funded institutions like IITs, IIMs,
Centrally universities will offer online courses to citizens of our country.
 Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan – RUSA is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), launched in 2013
aimed at providing strategic funding to eligible state higher educational institutions.
Recent measures
Primary & Secondary Education
 Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States (STARS) project - Envisions improving the overall
monitoring and measurement activities in the Indian School Education System through interventions in
selected states.
 PRAGYATA – Guidelines for digital education developed from the perspective of learners, for students who
are presently at home due to lockdown.
 Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan – It subsumed the three Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya
Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE). Objectives – Provision of quality
education and enhancing learning outcomes of students; Ensuring equity and inclusion at all levels of school
education etc.

85
Higher education
Research Enrollment of Students Funding and Improving Qualities

Regulation
Revitalising Infrastructure National Education Policy National Institutional
and Systems in Education (NEP) 2020 aims at increasing Rashtriya Uchchatar Ranking Framework
(RISE) scheme funded by the GER in higher education Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), (NIRF) 2015, a
a restructured Higher to 50% by 2035 with emphasis 2013 aims at financing methodology adopted by
Education Financing on making the curriculum state institutions with the MoE to rank higher
Agency (HEFA) aims at flexible through an respect to their education institutions in
Increased investments in interdisciplinary approach, governance and India in order to
research and related creating multiple exit points, performance. encourage institutes to
infrastructure in premier and scholarships to ST, SC, compete against each
educational institutions. OBC and SEDGs students as Higher Education other and simultaneously
per their merit. Financing Agency work towards their
Prime Minister’s Research (HEFA), 2018, a joint growth.
Fellows (PMRF) Scheme New UGC regulation for Open venture of MoE and
to enhance the quality of and Distance Learning that Canara Bank aims to NIRF is also one of the
technical research allows entry of reputed leverage funds from the criteria for private
institutions to offer education market, donations and institutions assessment
IMPRINT (IMPacting on the distance mode. CSR funds to be used to for the Institutions of
Research INnovation and finance improvement in Eminence (IoE) Scheme
Technology) India, Joint SWAYAM portal to reach out infrastructure in top that provide the
initiative of IITs and IISc to to people and allow them to institutions. regulatory architecture
boost original scientific secure good quality for setting up or
and technological education. Higher Education upgrading of 20
research. Commission of India Institutions (10 from
YUKTI 2.0’ – Platform to help (HECI) was proposed to public sector and 10 from
Scheme for Promotion of systematically assimilate act as an overarching the private sector) as
Academic and Research technologies having regulator of higher world-class teaching and
Collaboration (SPARC) commercial potential and education by replacing research institutions. o
aims at improving the information related to UGC or AITCE.
research ecosystem of incubated startups in our Mandatory Assessments:
India’s higher educational higher education institutions. Institutions of Eminence The UGC has made NAAC
institutions by facilitating Unnat Bharat Abhiyan – To – It has been launched in assessments compulsory
academic and research enable higher educational order to implement the for all HEIs that apply for
collaborations between institutions to work with the commitment of the funding and the AICTE
Indian institutions and people of rural India in Government to recently announced that
the best institutions in the identifying development empower the Higher at least half the
world. challenges and evolving Educational Institutions programmes run by an
appropriate solutions for and to help them HEI must be accredited by
accelerating sustainable become world class the NBA
growth. teaching and research
institutions.
Suggestions
 Allocate at least 6% of GDP on education
 Strengthen primary and secondary education
 Address inequalities in education
 Personalised training, skill-based learning
 Use of technology, focus on children with special needs
86
 Infrastructure development
 Focus on ethical & moral education
 Teachers training
 Adult literacy
 Gender neutral education
 Increase the gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education.
 Make higher education more inclusive for the most vulnerable groups.
 Create an enabling ecosystem to enhance the spirit of research and innovation.
 Improve employability of students completing their higher education
Way Forward
Education is prerequisite for economic, political, and social transformation. Well-educated and equipped
population with relevant skills, attitudes, and knowledge is needed for the overall development of society. Thus, it
has been adopted as SDG 4 is "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all".
NATIONAL DIGITAL EDUCATION ARCHITECTURE (NDEAR):
 It will provide education eco-system architecture for development of digital infrastructure, a federated but
interoperable system that will ensure autonomy of all stakeholders, especially States and UTs. It will help
in building up a new education ecosystem that will create a digital foundation leading to self-governance
of all parties involved, particularly states and the Centre.
 It lets educationists do evaluation based on talents and abilities, helping students understand their area of
specialties that can be utilised in their future profession.
 Under this, the government will not be building technology solutions for the education sector but will act
as an enabler, offering a framework wherein technology can be developed and built by anyone.
 It promotes a ‘digital first’ approach, supporting teaching and learning activities, and facilitating educational
planning as well as governance and administrative activities.
NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR TECHNOLOGY (NEAT)
 The Ministry of Education had announced NEAT as a Public-Private partnership model between the
Government (through its implementing agency AICTE) and the Education Technology companies across
India.
 It is an initiative to provide the use of best-developed technological solutions in the education sector to
enhance the employability of the youth on a single platform for learners' convenience.
 These solutions use artificial intelligence for a personalised and customised learning experience for better
learning outcomes and skill development in niche areas.
Significance
 It will be a game-changer in bridging the digital divide, especially among the economically disadvantaged
students and also in fulfilling the knowledge-based requirement of India and the world.
 It bridges the gap between ED-Tech companies, academic institutions and students with its B2B (Business
to Business) and B2C (Business to Consumer) model.
REGULATION OF EDTECH
ED-Tech is essentially a combination of ‘education’ and ‘technology’. It is a combined use of computer hardware,
software and educational theory to facilitate learning. During Covid-19, remote learning suddenly became the only
alternative as institutions, students, guardians, and authorities switched to the digital mode. The Indian ED-Tech
industry was valued at US$ 750 million in 2020 and is expected to reach US $4 billion by 2025.

87
Self -Regulation
The ED-Tech companies have formed a collective — India ED-Tech Consortium — under the aegis of the Internet
and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). This consortium has adopted a code of conduct for their businesses.
However, the Government has already hinted at formulating a policy to regulate the ED-Tech sector.
Need for Regulation
 Privacy Risk: The apps collect large quantities of data from the learners through the gadgets. These data
are analysed in minute detail to customise learning and design future versions of the app. Sensors like GPS,
gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer and biometric sensors provide data about the learner’s
surroundings along with intimate data like the emotions and attitudes experienced and expressed via facial
expressions. It helps to make customised products as well as jeopardise privacy and security of the user.
 Monopoly: Being heavily venture capital funded, EdTech platforms can offer their services at low or no
charges (predatory pricing) and heading towards forming monopolies.
 Algorithmic bias: As most of these platforms run on AI based tools, there are chances of Algorithmic biases
which will have long-term consequences for a child’s academic career. For Example: Recently, students in
the United Kingdom (UK) were graded by an algorithm. This caused uproar when students from
disadvantaged backgrounds received lower scores than White students, reflecting the implicit bias in the
process.
 Loan based fee system: Ed-tech companies have a fee structure that is not affordable to everyone Edtech
companies being a service offered based on the interest of consumers they charge high.
 Lack of emphasis on social skills: Ed-Tech platforms can’t replace the traditional school system. Beyond
classroom instruction, school environments serves a variety of developmental functions for young
individual like important life skills, such as ability to collaborate, play, deliberate, and disagree.
Way Forward
 There must be a mechanism to thoroughly map the ED-Tech landscape, especially their scale, reach, and
impact. The focus should be on access, equity, infrastructure, governance, and quality-related outcomes
and challenges for teachers and students.
 The policy formulation and planning process must strive to enable convergence across schemes (education,
skills, digital governance, and finance),
 It must be ensured that ED-Tech policies focus on three key elements: Accessibility, Enabling processes of
teaching, learning, and evaluation, Governance – Improving governance systems including planning,
management, and monitoring processes.
PRIVATE SECTOR IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Most of our premier institutions of education have been funded by the government (State or Central) and they are
all run as not-for-profit enterprises. Entry in the private sector in the field of education began with professional
courses such as engineering, dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, etc. The avenues for the private sector increased
overtime as it was realised by the private sector that there was a reasonable supply of interested students who
could afford the cost of education.
Role of Private Institution:

 Academic freedom: The government does not play a role in the appointment of faculty and staff. Further,
they are not dependent on government aid for carrying out day-to-day activities.
 Better Infrastructure: Private institutions promise better academic performance of students by providing
better infrastructure and good quality teachers. They use this as a crucial factor for attracting parents
towards them.
 Complement the government schools and universities: They support the universities as the government
does not have the capacity to solely accommodate the huge Indian population.
 Raising resources from corporate sector: Raising of funds, grants and loans from the Corporate sector
under the Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) are improving the ecosystem of higher education in India.
88
 Establishment of private universities for not-for-profit purposes: These types of universities are making
the higher education cheaper and access to students belonging to lower economic sections.
Issues:
 Rising Inequalities: Private institutions create a class divide. They are costly and expensive thus beyond the
scope of many people. Further gender and caste inequalities are also prevalent in them. The boys and
students from upper-caste backgrounds are overwhelmingly represented in private institutions relative to
public ones.
 Profit Motive: Many private institutions are established by Businessmen who also need to protect their
business interests. This leads to moulding of the institution’s policy in line with the government’s interest
or the popular sentiment in society. For instance, historian Ramachandra Guha had to decline to join
Ahmedabad University after a religious group’s protest over his appointment.
 Overnight Closures: Many private institutions promise good quality education at low rates. Less fees results
in poor infrastructure and inefficient teachers, thereby threatening their survival and leading to overnight
closures. This puts many children out of the education map.
 Lack of transparency: Higher private institutes use opaque methodology to lure students. Lack of clarity in
course and fee structure lead to loss of students.
 Security of Tenure: This is not available in private institutions due to which teachers have to surrender
towards the wishes of private management. Ex. Two renowned faculties of Ashoka university (Pratap
Bhanu Mehta and Arvind Subramanian) have recently resigned. Allegedly, the owners of the institution
were cautious of their outspoken criticism of the government.
 Flawed Results: Better results are generated due to the privileged children studying in them and not the
quality of resources offered by them.
Way Forward:
 Democratic decision Making

 Proper implementation of the Right to Education act
 Recommendations of the Central Square Foundation report on private participation can be implemented.
Its recommendations include:
Reviewing the non-profit mandate for the education sector and existing fee regulations Opening corporate
governance structures to private schools Classifying private schools as micro, small, or medium enterprises
 Role of state can’t be ignored for maintaining a just and equal educational system
Conclusion
It must be borne in mind that what is most important is imparting education, be it through the private sector or
public sector. It has been alleged that public institutes are not in good condition therefore, efforts must be made
to make public institutions as good as private ones. Private universities are important keeping in mind the urgent
need of good institutes in accordance with rising expectations and population.
BRAIN DRAIN
Context:
 According to the recent information from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), More than six lakh Indians
renounced citizenship in the past five years. This year alone, till September 30, 2021, - - 1,11,287 Indians
gave up their citizenship. This shows the amount of Brain drain from India
 There is a long list of Tech companies which are headed by Indians who migrated to the US. The list includes
Twitter, Google, Microsoft, Adobe, IBM, Palo Alto Networks among others. This reflects the talent pool of
India which is working abroad.
Data:
 According to a Global Wealth Migration Review report, in 2019, India came second only to China when it
came to high net worth individuals (HNIs) leaving the country. As many as 7,000 HNIs left India in 2019.

89
 Morgan Stanley report, “35,000 Indian Entrepreneurs of High Net Worth LEFT India between 2014-2020,
as NRI/Immigrants. India ranked No 1 in Exodus in the World.”
 India has been a major exporter of healthcare workers to developed nations particularly to the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Europe and other English-speaking countries.
What is Brain Drain?
The brain drain is the migration of educated persons from one country (often a developing country) to another
(often more developed ones). India is a major supplier of skilled and unskilled human capital for the advanced
economies.
Reasons:
Push Factors:
 Lack of Financial research support: India’s Gross domestic expenditure on research (GERD) has stayed at
0.7% of the GDP for years. India has one of the lowest GERD/GDP ratios among the BRICS nations.
 Lower-income: Developed countries offer better pay to sectors like health, research, IT, etc. Income is one
of the main triggers of emigration from India.
 Lack of Higher education opportunities: It is one of the major reasons for permanent immigration.
Considering the skyrocketing cut-offs for top Indian universities, many students explore higher education
abroad. They have an advantage over students from other countries in terms of skills and knowledge.
 Non-recognition of talents: Despite the citizen’s academic or potential achievement, they don’t get the
same name and fame as film actors and cricketers in India. So, the talented individuals move to better
places that recognise and respect their talents.
 Government Policies: The government’s policies to check brain drain are restrictive in nature and do not
give a real long-term solution to the problem. Ex. In 2014, it stopped issuing No Objection to Return to India
(NORI) certificates to doctors migrating to the US.
 Plagiarism and issues with carrier growth – Time bound promotion and lack of effective implementation
of Intellectual Property rights also push for emigration
 Lack of infrastructure for research in science - Outdated laboratories, out of sync syllabus are also major
contributors for the brain drain
Pull Factors
 Better remuneration: The better pay and living standard offered by developed countries are one of
the reasons for emigration.
 Policies of developed countries: Developed countries adopted migrant-friendly policies to retain the
talented youngsters from India. For instance, France has offered citizenship to frontline immigrant
healthcare workers during the pandemic.
 Ageing demography: Due to increase in the working age population, efficiency of the work is decreased.
Hence, the developed nations are providing better facilities for the young emigrant.
 Societal pressure: Indian youth are becoming more liberal and personal with their life, and the society here
is yet to come to terms with this kind of lifestyle. Hence, the pressure to live a certain way among the Indian
society is curbing the freedom of choice of today’s youths, encouraging them to seek western countries
where the society is more liberal non-interfering.
 Better standard of living: The developed countries provide better living standards, clean environment,
good healthcare and education, salaries, tax benefits, etc, which becomes a great attraction for emigration.
 Need in Pandemic: With the onset of the pandemic, there has been a greater demand for healthcare
workers in the developed nations. Countries in dire need of retaining their healthcare workers have
adopted migrant-friendly policies.Ex. The UK has granted free one-year visa extensions to eligible overseas
healthcare workers
Measures taken by the government:

90
 Vaishvik Bharatiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Summit: Under this, Numerous overseas Indian-origin
academicians and Indians participated to form ideas on innovative solutions to several challenges.
 The Ramanujan Fellowship: It is meant for brilliant Indian scientists from outside India to take up scientific
research positions in India.
 Triad of Scheme for Transformational and Advanced Research in Sciences (STARS), Scheme for Promotion
of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) and Impactful Policy Research in Social Science (IMPRESS):
Common objective is to boost India specific research in social and pure sciences.
 Promotion for building world class institutions through schemes such as ‘Institutes of Eminence’.
 Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Programme: The programme aims to attract
talented youth to the study of science at an early stage and build the required critical human resource pool
for strengthening and expanding the Science & Technology system and R&D base.
Way forward:
 Focus on Infrastructure: We require systematic changes that could range from increased investment in
core infrastructure, ensuring decent pay to workers and building an overall environment to motivate them
to stay in the country.
 Policy Intervention: The government should focus on framing policies that promote circular migration and
return migration — policies that incentivise healthcare workers to return home after the completion of
their training or studies.
 Bilateral Agreements: It could also work towards framing bilateral agreements that could help shape a
policy of “brain-share” between the sending and receiving countries.
 Adequate investment in Cutting edge technologies and research: Government should frame a policy with
the aim of increasing total GERD (Gross domestic expenditure on R&D) to 2% of India’s GDP. The
government has to create more cutting-edge research facilities to bring talented people back to India.
 Global partnerships in innovation: Global innovation partnerships need to be strengthened by enhancing
public-private partnership mechanisms and increased public funds should be earmarked for joint industrial
R&D projects.
 Idea-to-market challenge: Government needs to create a special fund to help Indian innovations to
advance their start-ups during difficult times and become successful, instead of moving abroad for
employment opportunities.
Conclusion:
 India needs systematic changes that could range from increased investment in R&D, building world class
infrastructure in health, Education Sectors, ensuring decent pay to workers and providing an overall
environment that could motivate them to stay in the country.
LEARNING POVERTY
Context
The World Bank’s Global Director for Education made concerns over learning losses for children due to the COVID-
19 pandemic and the need for concerted efforts to bridge these gaps. As per the report, India’s learning poverty
has shot up from 54% (before the pandemic) to 70% (after the pandemic).
What is Learning Poverty
According to the World Bank, Learning Poverty means being unable to read and understand a simple text by the
age of 10. This indicator brings together schooling and learning indicators. It begins with the share of children who
haven’t achieved minimum reading proficiency (as measured in schools) and is adjusted by the proportion of
children who are out of school (and are assumed not able to read proficiently).
All foundational skills (basic literacy, numeracy, and transferable skills) are important, but reading is focussed
because:
 Reading proficiency is an easily understood measure of learning
 Reading is a student’s gateway to learning in every other area
 Reading proficiency can serve as a proxy for foundational learning in other subjects, in the same way that
the absence of child stunting is a marker of healthy early childhood development.
91
Need to Eliminate Learning Potential:
 It is key to eliminating poverty in general and boosting shared prosperity.

 To improve learning outcomes: Globally between 2000 and 2017, there has only been a 10% improvement
in learning outcomes for primary school-aged children. If this pace continues, 43% of 10-year-olds will not
be able to read in 2030.
 To achieve SDG goals: The target we have set is ambitious but achievable and should galvanise action
toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG4) ensuring quality education for all. It will require
nearly tripling the rate of progress worldwide, which can be done if every country can match the
performance of the countries that made the most progress between 2000 and 2015.
 To increase global productivity: The learning crisis not only wastes the children’s potential, it hurts entire
economies. It will negatively impact future workforces and economic competitiveness. As per the World
Bank’s Human Capital Index shows that globally, the productivity of the average child born today is
expected to be only 56% of what it would be if countries invested enough in health and education.
Reasons for increase in Learning Potential:
 Close down of Schools during Corona: Many countries including India had to close down schools and
colleges and encouraged online classes. According to a report by the World Bank in 2019, 55% of children
in the country at late primary age are not able to read correctly. The problem worsened during COVID-19
as observations suggest a 20% increase.
 School systems are not well organised: When the child cannot read, it's usually a clear indication that the
school systems are not well-organised to help children learn in other areas such as mathematics, science
and humanities.
 Dropout from the School: The study quotes that many children globally cannot read proficiently. Over 260
million children do not go to school, further deepening the crisis.
 Decline in Household Income: Surveys have shown that many students have been forced to withdraw from
private schools and enrol in government schools because of decline in household incomes. Due to the
quality gap in private and public schools, learning poverty has increased.
 Quality of Study material: Poorly designed study materials like textbooks and learning materials are reason
for poor performance and increase in learning potential
 Malnutrition among childrens: Severe deprivations among children in terms of nutrition, unhealthy
environments or lack of nurture by caregivers.
 Quality of teachers: Poor guidance and teaching methodology of teachers, lack of trained teachers are
causing a decrease in learning outcome. It leads to an increase in learning poverty.
Importance of learning skills

 For sustainable growth and poverty reduction: Poor education outcomes have major costs for future
prosperity, given that human capital is the most important component of wealth globally.
 Improving overall schooling systems: when children cannot read, it’s usually a clear indication that school
systems aren’t well organised to help children learn in other areas such as mathematics, science, and the
humanities either.
 Better quality workforce: Countries which have prioritised and invested in foundational learning have
produced a better quality of workforce, enabling their economies to take off. Both South Korea and China
did this in the 1970s, and the impact on their economies was tremendous.
 Improves individual freedom: For individuals and families, it can lead to higher productivity and earnings,
poverty reduction, higher rates of employment, better health outcomes, and greater civic engagement.
 Benefits society: For societies, it can contribute to faster innovation and growth, better-functioning
institutions, greater intergenerational social mobility, higher levels of social trust, and a lower likelihood of
conflict.
Way Forward:

92
 Ensure timely access to more and better age- and skill-appropriate texts - In Mongolia, better access to
books led to a 0.21 standard deviation improvement in student outcomes.
 Focus on ramping up catch-up learning and Brushing: It will help in brushing up on the fundamentals,
children can revise the syllabus easily
 Extra effort of Teachers in Class: The teachers will require a lot of support to group students within the
classroom not according to the grade or age, but according to where they are.
 Investment in education technology: Impact of school closures in India, the need for re-enrolment
campaigns, and reassessment of learning levels as schools reopen after a gap of two years and calls for
investment in education technology to complement classroom teaching.
 Digital literacy: The fact that education television and radio came back after being abandoned for many
years is a good development. We need such resilient systems because we don’t know what the next natural
disaster is going to be.
 Budgetary allocations: Increase in budgetary allocation will bring quality and better infrastructure in the
education; it helps to reduce Learning Poverty.
New Education Policy, 2020

 The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 is the first education policy of the 21st century and replaces the
thirty-four-year-old National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986.
 Built on the foundational pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability, and Accountability, this policy is
aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and aims to transform India into a vibrant
knowledge society and global knowledge superpower by making both school and college education more
holistic, flexible, multidisciplinary, suited to 21st century needs and aimed at bringing out the unique
capabilities of each student.
 The launch of the National Education Policy 2020 marked remarkable progress in the area of education and
learning. India has completed one year into the National Education Policy. The pandemic has slowed the
progress of NEP.
 The NEP is essentially about learning through observation, listening, exploring, experimenting, and asking
questions. All of these are hands-on experiences and these aspects are missing in the online learning.
SILENT FEATURES OF NEP 2020:
School Education:
School education - the policy focuses on overhauling the curriculum, “easier” Board exams, a reduction in the
syllabus to retain “core essentials” and thrust on “experiential learning and critical thinking”.
 Early Childhood Care & Education with new Curricular and Pedagogical Structure:
 The new NEP pitches for a “5+3+3+4” design corresponding to the age groups 3-8 years (foundational
stage), 8-11 (preparatory), 11-14 (middle), and 14-18 (secondary).
 NCERT will develop a National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and
Education (NCPFECCE) for children up to the age of 8.
 Ensuring Universal Access at all levels of school education:
 Emphasizes on ensuring universal access to school education at all levels- preschool to secondary.
 Bring back dropouts into the mainstream: Infrastructure support, innovative education centers to bring
back dropouts into the mainstream, tracking of students and their learning levels
 Attaining Foundational Literacy and Numeracy
 National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy: Recognizing Foundational Literacy and
Numeracy as an urgent and necessary prerequisite to learning, NEP 2020 calls for setting up of a National
Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy by MHRD.

93
 States will prepare an implementation plan for attaining universal foundational literacy and numeracy in
all primary schools for all learners by grade 3 by 2025.
 Multilingualism and the power of language: Emphasis on mother tongue as the medium of instruction:
The policy has emphasized mother tongue/local language/regional language as the medium of instruction
at least till Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond.
 Standard-setting and Accreditation for School Education: NEP 2020 envisages clear, separate systems for
policy making, regulation, operations and academic matters. States/UTs will set up independent State
School Standards Authority (SSSA).
Higher Education –
 Opening up of Indian higher education to foreign universities, dismantling of the UGC and the All-India
Council for Technical Education (AICTE), introduction of a four-year multidisciplinary undergraduate
programme with multiple exit options, and discontinuation of the M. Phil. programme.
 Online Education and Digital Education: A dedicated unit for building of digital infrastructure, digital
content and capacity building will be created in the MHRD to look after the e-education needs of both
school and higher education.
 Technology in education: National Educational Technology Forum (NETF): An autonomous body will be
created to provide a platform for the free exchange of ideas on the use of technology to enhance learning,
assessment, planning, and administration.
Other provisions
 Gender Inclusion Fund - For assisting the nation in the education of female and transgender children.
 National Educational Technology Forum - A platform to facilitate exchange of ideas on technology usage
to improve learning.
 National Research Foundation -To improve research and innovation.
 Special Education Zones - to focus on the education of underrepresented groups in disadvantaged regions.
 Financing Education: The Centre and the States will work together to increase the public investment in
Education sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest.
Significance Challenges
 Comprehensive framework: It provides an  Not mandatory: The NEP only provides a broad
overarching vision and comprehensive framework direction and is not mandatory to follow.
for both school and higher education across the  Transferable job: The NEP doesn’t say anything
country. specifically on children of parents with transferable
 It encourages critical thinking. In the Prime jobs.
Minister's words, the policy focuses on 'how to  Education is a concurrent subject, the reforms
think' rather than 'what to think'. proposed can only be implemented collaboratively
 Primacy of the formative years: In adopting a by the Centre and the states.
5+3+3+4 model for school education starting at age  Challenge of 6% GDP: The government has set a
3, it recognises the primacy of the formative years target of 6% spending on education and this is
from ages 3 to 8 in shaping the child’s future. difficult due to the current tax-to-GDP ratio,
 Mother tongue: It also recognises the importance economic slowdown and pandemic impact.
of learning in the child’s mother tongue till at least  No definition for top ranking universities: The
Class 5. document states universities from among the top
 Vocational courses: The new policy is the breaking 100 in the world will be able to set up campuses in
of the straitjackets of arts, commerce and science India. While it doesn’t elaborate the parameters to
streams in high school, and the laudable goal of define the top 100.
introducing vocational courses with internships.
Way forward

94
 The NEP seeks to address the entire gamut of education from preschool to doctoral studies, and from
professional degrees to vocational training. It acknowledges the 21st century need for mobility, flexibility,
alternate pathways to learning, and self-actualisation. Thus, political consensus shall be built up and centre
and states must work in collaborative manner to implement NEP in letter and spirit.
PYQ on this topic

 National Education Policy 2020 is in conformity with the Sustainable Development Goal-4 (2030). It
intends to restructure and reorient education system in India. Critically examine the statement. (Answer
in 250 words) (CSE Mains 2020)
DIGITAL EDUCATION/E-LEARNING
Why in news ?
 Recognizing the growing need for good quality digital content government launched Vidyadaan 2.0 for
inviting e-learning content contributions.
e-Education
 It is a method of delivering educational information through the Internet. It is the process of sharing
knowledge through various channels such as e-books, CDs, webinars and more.
 It is flexible and self-paced and suited for distance learning. It has revolutionized the conventional method
of chalk and board style of learning imparted to the students.
Benefits
 Convenience and flexibility – Teachers can teach  Environment friendly - No need for papers like
from anywhere in their preferred time and traditional learning. Thus, its Environment friendly.
students can learn Courses anytime and anywhere.  Global level education- Tutors can provide online
 Effective learning - Applying e-learning to all levels education in multiple languages and people from
of schooling helped to ensure students grasp the different time zones.
lessons adequately at a faster pace.  More Engagement - Digital learning is a more
 Disciplined learning - The audio-visual method of engaging experience as compared to traditional
teaching leads to a disciplined learning learning. Through digital learning, a course can be
environment. There are an effective tutor and designed in a way that makes it interactive and fun
student engagements. through the use of multimedia.
 Cost effective - save time, money and reduced
transportation cost.
Challenges
 Digital Illiteracy of parents, teachers and students.  Lack of content in local language.
 Affordability of e - gadgets such as tablets, laptops  Practical oriented subjects such as chemistry
etc. has limitation in e learning
 Internet connectivity in villages and remote areas.  Teachers’ unfamiliarity and resistance to
change.
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES

95
 SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds - It is an integrated platform for online
courses, using information and communication technology (ICT) which covers school (9th to 12th) to Post
Graduate Level. It also offers online courses for students, teachers and teacher educators.
 DIKSHA - The DIKSHA platform offers engaging learning material, relevant to the prescribed school
curriculum, to teachers, students and parents.
 Vidyadaan - The programme brings together academicians and organisations to develop and contribute
fun and engaging e-learning content aligned to the curriculum.
 PRAGYATA guidelines on digital education - The guidelines recommend a cap on the screen time for
students. It includes eight steps of digital learning that is, Plan- Review- Arrange- Guide- Yak (talk)- Assign-
Track- Appreciate.
 PM e- Vidya – It is a unique and innovative initiative to facilitate multi-mode access to digital/online
teaching-learning contents of various types among students and teachers.
Way Forward
Education has been one pf the biggest casualties of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In this unprecedent time the
digital education is being seen as a viable alternation for traditional schools and learning. But it is plagued by old as
well as some new challenges. To resolve those challenges government and private sector must work together and
ensure that education remain available, accessible and affordable for all and realise the SDG 4 i.e. to “ensure
inclusive and equitable quality education for all.
UDISE+ FOR 2020-21
Context:
The Ministry of Education has released a detailed report on Unified District Information System for Education Plus
(UDISE+) 2020-21 on school education of India.
About UDISE+
 It is one of the largest Management Information Systems on school education.
 It covers more than 1.5 million schools, 8.5 million teachers and 250 million children.
 Launched in 2018-2019, UDISE+ was introduced to speed up data entry, reduce errors, improve data quality
and ease its verification.
 It is an updated and improved version of UDISE, which was initiated in 2012-13 by the Ministry of Education
 In 2020-21 total students enrolled in school education from primary to higher

secondary stood at 25.38 crore. There is an increase of 28.32 lakh enrolments as
compared to the 25.10 crore enrolment in 2019-20.
 Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER): It measures the general level of participation has
improved in 2020-21 at all levels of school education compared to 2019-20.
 Level wise GER in 2020-21 as compared to 2019-20 are: 2% from 89.7% in upper
primary, 99.1 % from 97.8% in elementary, 79.8% from 77.9% in secondary and 53.8%
Report on Students from 51.4% in higher secondary respectively.
and Teachers in  Teachers in school education: 96 lakh teachers are engaged in school education
schools during 2020-21. This is higher by about 8800 in comparison with the number of
teachers in school education in 2019-20.
 Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR): In 2020-21 the Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) stood at 26 for
primary, 19 for upper primary, 18 for secondary and 26 for higher secondary showing
an improvement since 2018-19. The PTR for primary, upper primary, secondary and
higher secondary was 28, 20, 21, and 30 respectively during 2018-19.

96
 Girls in School: In 2020-21 over 12.2 crore girls are enrolled in primary to higher
secondary showing an increase of 11.8 lakh girls compared to the enrolment of girls
in 2019-20.
Report on Non- Non-teaching staff: The number of non-teaching staff has also improved over the years.
teaching staffs Total non-teaching staff during 2020-21 stood at 15.8 lakh as compared to 12.37 lakhs in
2018-19.
 Schools with functional electricity have made impressive progress during 2020-21
with a net addition of 57,799 schools providing electricity.
 Now 84% of the total schools have functional electricity facilities in comparison with
73.85% in 2018-19 showing a remarkable improvement of 10.15% during the period.
 Percentage of the schools with functional drinking water has increased to 95.2 % in
2020-21 from 93.7 % in 2019-20.
Report on School  Percentage of the school with functional girls’ toilet facilities has increased to 93.91
Infrastructure % in 2020-21 in comparison with 93.2 % in 2019-20 by adding the facility in additional
11,933 schools during the year.
 Percentage of schools with hand wash facilities has also improved during 2020-21
and now stands at 91.9 % as compared to 90.2 % in 2019-20.
 Number of schools having functional computers increased to 6 lakhs in 2020-21 from
5.5 lakh in 2019-20 showing an increase of 3 %. Now, 40% of the schools have
functional computers.
 Number of schools having internet facilities increased to 3.7 lakh in 2020-21 from
3.36 lakh in 2019-20 with an increase of 2.6%.

 Professor Amartya Sen has advocated important reforms in the realms of primary education and primary
health care. What are your suggestions to improve their status and performance? (2016)
 National Education Policy 2020 is in conformity with the Sustainable Development Goal-4 (2030). It
intends to restructure and reorient education system in India. Critically examine the statement. (Answer
in 250 words) (2020)
HUMAN RESOURCE
Introduction
India is a country today with 65% of its youth in the working age group. If ever there is a way to reap this
demographic advantage, it has to be through skill development of the youth so that they add not only to their
personal growth, but to the country’s economic growth as well.

97
Fact and data about HR

‘The Human Capital Index 2020
 Around 85% of the work force in the
unorganized sector does not imbibe any form Key findings
of skill development.  The pandemic puts at risk the decade’s progress
 the annual incremental requirement of trainers in building human capital, including the
is approximately 20,000, whereas at present improvements in health, survival rates, school
the current annual capacity of the trainers is enrollment, and reduced stunting.
only 2,000.  The economic impact of the pandemic has been
particularly deep for women and for the most
disadvantaged families, leaving many vulnerable
Challenges
to food insecurity and poverty.
 little or no job skills - The India Skills Report  Protecting and investing in people is vital as
2021 found that about only 45.9% countries work to lay the foundation for
of young people would be considered sustainable, inclusive recoveries and future
employable. The data of UNICEF shows that growth.
more than 50% of Indian youth are not on track  India has been ranked 116th in HCI, 2020.
to have the education and skills necessary for
employment by 2030.
 Unawareness & Apathy towards entrepreneurship - About 70% of Indian youth is not aware of schemes,
according to a recent study “Young India and Work” by the Observer Research Foundation and World
Economic Forum (WEF).
 Insufficient training capacity – Current infrastructure facilities available in the educational institutions are
inadequate considering the huge demand for skilled labour. In India, around 12 million people are expected
to join the workforce every year whereas the current total training capacity of the country is around 4.3
million.
 Skill mismatch – There is divergence between the skill needed by industries and skill imparted by
educational and training institutes. Despite of various efforts on the part of Government and its partner
agencies, the credibility of vocational courses in India is still questionable.
 Reskilling and upskilling - As per recent industry reports, 54% of the world’s workforce will need reskilling
and upskilling by 2022. Due to emergence of disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data
Analytics the challenge of reskilling and upskilling is becoming prominent.
 Absence of risk-taking behaviour – Most of youth do not prefer to entrepreneurship, rather they opt for
working in the companies.
 Job creation for skilled youth - India needs to create 100 million more jobs by 2030. Creating more jobs is
the biggest development challenge. No country can achieve its full potential and meet 21st century
challenges without the full participation of the working population.
 Uneducated rural youth - Private sector provides skill training as required by service sector mainly to
educated youth (especially 12th pass) and largely in urban regions. Ultimately, hundreds of workers in
unorganized sector do not get any kind of skill training.
 Skill India - Launched to empower the youth of the country with skill sets which make them more
employable and more productive in their work environment.
 National Policy on Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, 2015 - Aimed to provide an umbrella
framework to all skilling activities being carried out within the country, to align them to common standards
and link the skilling with demand centres.
 PM-YUVA Yojana - Aims at creating an enabling ecosystem for Entrepreneurship development through
Entrepreneurship education and training; Advocacy and easy access to entrepreneurship support network
and promoting social enterprises for inclusive growth.

98
 India Institute of Skills (IIS) - To bring a certain standard and stature in terms of quality and quantity to
skills.
 Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana - To encourage aptitude towards employable skills and to increase
working efficiency of probable and existing daily wage earners, by giving monetary awards and rewards
and by providing quality training to them.
 Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana - To transform rural poor youth into an economically
independent and globally relevant workforce.
 Skills Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) project - To improve the relevance and
efficiency of skills training provided through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and apprenticeships.
 Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (“SANKALP”) - To improve short
term skill training qualitatively and quantitatively through strengthening institutions, bringing in better
market connectivity and inclusion of marginalised sections of the society.
PM DAKSH
Context:
Recently, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched ‘PM-DAKSH’ (Pradhan Mantri Dakshta Aur
Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi) Portal and ‘PM-DAKSH’ Mobile App to make the skill development schemes accessible
to the target groups - Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Safai Karamcharis.
About
 PM-DAKSH Yojana is being implemented from the year 2020-21.
 Under this, eligible target groups are provided with the skill development training programmes on Short
Term
 Training Program; Up-Skilling/Reskilling; Entrepreneurship Development Programme, and Long Term
Training Programme.
 These training programmes are being implemented through the government training institutes, sector skill
councils that have been constituted by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and other
credible institutions.
Eligibility:
Marginalised persons of SC (Scheduled Caste), OBC (Other Backward Classes), Economically Backward Classes,
Denotified tribes, Sanitation workers including waste pickers, manual scavengers, transgenders and other
similar categories.
Implementation: It is implemented by the three Corporations under the Ministry:
 National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC)
 National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation (NBCFDC)
 National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC).
Suggestions
 Capacity building and empowerment of state skill development missions in many States in order to upscale
quality skill development.
 Create economic incentive for skilling, and for industry to realize the productivity gains linked with skilled
manpower
 Create an enabling eco-system for entrepreneurship to thrive and instil a mind-set and culture of
opportunity & innovation
 Integration of skill training with formal education.
 Training : Increase the capacity and quality of training infrastructure and trainers
 Human resource needs: Address human resource needs by aligning supply of skilled workers with sectoral
requirements of industry and the country's strategic priorities.
 Skilling needs: Ensure that the skilling needs of the socially and geographically disadvantaged and
marginalized groups are appropriately taken care of.

99
 Increased participation: Promote increased participation of women in the workforce through appropriate
skilling and gender mainstreaming of training.
Recommendations From UNICEF
 Combining education with workforce readiness, soft skills, technical skills and entrepreneurship so that the
youth can easily adapt to the work environment.
 To increase women participation, providing subsidised childcare facilities and paid leaves. Gender
sensitization workshops will also help to increase awareness for the requirement of female workforce.
 Spending on secondary education with a focus on quality and relevance and the availability of teachers.
 Upgrading technology and supporting labour-intensive industries can also help in generating jobs.
Way Forward
 The success of a nation always depends on the success of its youth and Skill India is certain to bring a lot of
advantages and opportunities for these young Indians. The time is not far when India will evolve into a
skilled society where there is prosperity and dignity for all.

 “Demographic Dividend in India will remain only theoretical unless our manpower becomes more
educated, aware, skilled and creative.” What measures have been taken by the government to enhance
the capacity of our population to be more productive and employable? - 2016
FINANCIAL INCLUSION
 Financial inclusion is the process of ensuring access to financial products and services needed by vulnerable
groups at an affordable cost in a transparent manner by institutional players.
 Marginal farmers, landless labourers, unorganised sector workers, urban slum dwellers, migrants,
minorities and socially excluded groups, senior citizens, transgenders and women are excluded from the
preview of financial inclusion.
 Barriers for Financial Inclusion - Lack of Documents, High cost, Apathy of private sector banks, Financial
illiteracy, Low income, Poverty etc.
Significance
 The World Bank Group considers financial inclusion a key enabler to reduce extreme poverty and boost
shared prosperity. It has been identified as an enabler for 7 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
 It strengthens the availability of economic resources and builds the concept of savings among the poor.
 Financial inclusion is a major step towards inclusive growth. It helps in the overall economic development
of the underprivileged population.
 In India, effective financial inclusion is needed for the uplift of the poor and disadvantaged people by
providing them with the modified financial products and services.
Schemes for Financial Inclusion

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
o The scheme envisages universal access to banking facilities with at least one basic banking account for
every household, financial literacy, access to credit, insurance and pension.
o As of February 24, 2021, 23.21 crore accounts were opened under it and 55 % of them are women.
Other schemes - Jeevan Suraksha Bandhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana, Pradhan Mantri
Mudra Yojana, Stand Up India scheme, Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes, Pradhan Mantri
Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Atal Pension Yojana (APY) etc.
https://onlyias.com info@onlyias.com /+91-7007931912 10

Join our telegram: Click /OnlyIAS Nothing Else. Join IDMP: dpp.onlyias.in 0
Financial Literacy
 Financial literacy supports the pursuit of financial inclusion by empowering the customers to make
informed choices leading to their financial well-being.
 National Strategy for Financial Education 2020-2025
o It has suggested a ‘5-Core Actions’ approach for promoting financial education.
o The five Cs, outlined by the strategy paper, are: Content, Capacity, Community, Communication and
Collaboration.
Way forward:
 Financial inclusion is essential not only for the empowerment of vulnerable sections of the society but also
for the sustainable and inclusive development of the country. It has been also identified as an enabler for
7 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Moving from access to account to account usage is the next
step for India.
Conclusion:
 A good quality education is the foundation of health and well-being. For people to lead healthy and
productive lives, they need knowledge to prevent sickness and disease, thus Education is a catalyst for
development and a health intervention in its own right. The 2015 Incheon Declaration confirms that
education develops the skills, values and attitudes that enable citizens to lead healthy and fulfilled lives,
make informed decisions, and respond to local and global challenges.

ISSUES RELATED TO HUNGER AND POVERTY.
HUNGER
Definition
 Hunger is defined as a condition in which a person cannot eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs
for a sustained period.
 While India produces enough food to feed its population, the country is home to 25 percent of the world’s
hungry population.
Key Facts
 Micronutrient deficiencies cause an estimated 1.1 million of the 3.1 million child deaths that occur each
year as a result of undernutrition (IFPRI).
 Severe anaemia contributes to the death of 50,000 women in childbirth each year. Nearly 18 million
babies are born with brain damage due to iodine deficiency each year (IFPRI).
 Vitamin A deficiency Causes night blindness, inadequate iodine intake causes goitre. Vitamin A and zinc
deficiencies weaken the immune system.
 Lack of zinc impairs growth and can lead to stunting in children.
Status of India in nutrition and hunger

The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World Global Hunger Index, 2020
report, 2020  India ranked 94 among 107 countries and is in the
 The number of people suffering from chronic ‘serious’ hunger category.
hunger has increased over the prior six years.  14 % of India’s population is undernourished. The
 In 2019, nearly 750 million – or close to one in ten child stunting rate is 37.4 per cent.
people in the world – suffered severe levels of food
insecurity.
GLOBAL HUNGER INDEX 2021 Global Nutrition Targets 2025

 Stunting – 40% reduction in the
number of children under 5 who are
Context:
stunted.
India was ranked 101 among 116 countries in the Global Hunger Index
(GHI) for 2021, trailing behind its South Asian neighbours Pakistan,  Anaemia – 50% reduction of anaemia
Bangladesh, and Nepal. in women of reproductive age.
 Low Birth weight – 30% reduction
About GHI:  Childhood overweight – no increase
in childhood overweight.
Indian Scenario:  Breastfeeding – Increase the rate of
 Serious Level: With a score of 27.5, India has a level of hunger exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6
that is serious. Lagging Behind Neighbours: India was also months up to at least 50 %.
behind most of the neighbouring countries. Pakistan was  Wasting – reduce and maintain
placed at 92, Nepal and Bangladesh at 76 and Sri Lanka at 65. childhood wasting to less than 5%.
 Declining Score: In fact, India’s score on the GHI in the recent
two decades has declined by 10 points. It slipped to 28.8 in 2021, from 38.8 in 2000.
 Poor Indicators: Globally, India ranked among the worst in ‘child wasting’ or ‘weight for height’. Its
performance was worse than Djibouti and Somalia. Some 17.3 per cent of children under five years of age
in India were stunted during 2016-2020. This was an increase of 15.1 percent from 2010-2014. However,
India had progressed on other indicators including under nutrition, child stunting and child mortality. India
has shown promise over the past decade in reducing maternal and child mortality. But, much more needed
to be done.

Case in India:
With a score of 27.5, India has a level of hunger that is serious. Performance under various indicators:
1. Wasting in children under five years (%):17.3
2. Proportion of undernourished in the population (%): 15.3
3. Prevalence of stunting in children under five years (%): 34.7
4. Under-five mortality rate (%): 3.4
Government of India’s Stand:
 The Ministry of Women and Child Development has criticised the report claiming that the methodology
used by FAO is unscientific.
 According to the Government, the Global Hunger Index Report 2021 and FAO report on ‘The State of Food
Security and Nutrition in the World 2021’ have completely ignored the following facts:
 They have based their assessment on the results of a ‘four question’ opinion poll, which was
conducted telephonically by Gallup.
 The scientific measurement of undernourishment would require measurement of weight and
Height, whereas the methodology involved here is based on a Gallup poll, based on a pure
telephonic estimate of the population.
 The report completely disregards Government’s massive effort to ensure food security of the entire
population during the Covid period such as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna (PMGKAY)
and Atmanirbhar Bharat Scheme (ANBS).
India’s Efforts in ensuring Food Security

 Eat Right India Movement: An outreach activity organised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of
India (FSSAI) for citizens to nudge them towards eating right.
 POSHAN Abhiyan: Launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2018, it targets to reduce
stunting, undernutrition, anaemia (among young children, women and adolescent girls).
 Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana: A centrally sponsored scheme executed by the Ministry of
Women and Child Development, is a maternity benefit programme being implemented in all districts of the
country with effect from 1st January, 2017.
 Food Fortification: Food Fortification or Food Enrichment is the addition of key vitamins and minerals such
as iron, iodine, zinc, Vitamin A & D to staple foods such as rice, milk and salt to improve their nutritional
content.
 National Food Security Act, 2013: It legally entitled up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban
population to receive subsidised food grains under the Targeted Public Distribution System.
 Mission Indradhanush: It targets children under 2 years of age and pregnant women for immunisation
against 12 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPD).
 Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme: Launched on 2nd October, 1975, the ICDS Scheme
offers a package of six services (Supplementary Nutrition, Pre-school non-formal education, Nutrition &
health education, Immunisation, Health check-up and Referral services) to children in the age group of 0-6
years, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
NITI Aayog convenes the National convention on prevention of Maternal, Adolescent and Childhood obesity
 The aim of the consultation is to develop policy options for prevention of overweight and obesity in
children, adolescents and women in India.
 NITI Aayog described obesity as a ‘silent epidemic’.
o Obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. A body
mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is obese.
o The vast majority of overweight or obese children live in developing countries, where the rate of
increase has been more than 30% higher than that of developed countries.
 Risk factors for obesity:
o Unhealthy food environment (accessibility, desirability, affordability of unhealthy foods)
o Inadequate physical Activity and sedentary lifestyle

o Inadequate breastfeeding practices; Parental obesity, maternal under-nutrition
GLOBAL NUTRITION REPORT 2021
Context:
As per the recently released report, India has made no progress on anaemia and childhood wasting. Global Nutrition
Report released by WHO.
Date Specific to India:
Anaemia affects more than 1/2of Indian women between the ages of 15 and 49. Since 2016,
Anaemic the percentage of anaemic Indian women has increased from 52.6 percent to 53 percent in
2020.
Over 17 percent of total Indian children under the age of five are impacted. India is also one of
Childhood 23 countries that have made little progress or are deteriorating in its efforts to reduce
Wasting "childhood wasting." Wasting is a term used to describe children who have low weight for their
height.
Child Stunting Over 34 percent of children under the age of five are still impacted. India is one of 53 countries
on course to fulfil the stunting target. Low height-for-age is referred to as stunting.
Childhood The country is one of 105 that are 'on course' to fulfil the 'childhood overweight' target
Overweight
Key Findings:
 Global Nutrition Targets: At the current rate of progress, the global nutrition targets will not be achieved
by 2025 globally and in most countries worldwide.
 Variation in Data Availability: There is substantial variation in data availability and progress towards the
global nutrition targets across 194 countries. Only seven countries are on track to meet four of the six
maternal, infant and young child nutrition targets by 2025, while no country is ‘on track’ to halt the rise in
adult obesity or achieve a 30% relative reduction in salt/sodium intake.
 Impact of Covid-19: The Covid-19 pandemic is impeding progress towards achieving the global nutrition
targets. An estimated additional 155 million people have been pushed into extreme poverty globally, while
people with diet-related chronic diseases experience worse Covid-19 outcomes.
 Little Progress in Improving Diets: The previous decade has seen little progress in improving diets, and a
quarter of all deaths among adults are attributable to poor diets.
 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Globally: Food production currently generates more than a third of all
greenhouse gas emissions globally, and uses substantial and rising amounts of environmental resources.
 Sustainable Development Goals: No region is on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals aimed
at limiting health and environmental burdens related to diets and the food system.
Causes of Hunger in India –

 Poverty– More than 20% of India’s population lives on less than $1.25 per day. This lack of money makes it
so that many cannot get enough of the nutritious food they need.
 lack of availability, accessibility and affordability - In the more rural parts of India, markets are not easily
accessible and often have limited availability. Further, affordability of the nutritious food such as meat and
dals is major reason of it.

 Food wastage - Around 67 million tonnes of food is wasted in India every year which has been valued at
around Rs 92,000 crores. For context, this amount is enough to feed all of Bihar for a year. Annually, nearly
21 million metric tonnes of wheat rots in India. This figure is equal to Australia's total annual production.
 Gender Inequality - Access to food and water is really tilted first towards the men, then the children, and
then the mother who is always the last to eat
 Illiteracy - Food secure children achieve higher levels of literacy, and children with higher levels of literacy
lead more food secure lives. Thousands of people in India who are undernourished are also illiterate
 Low productivity of agriculture – Low productivity of agriculture due to its rainfed nature, lack finance,
technology limits the availability of food in India.
 Climate change - Climate change has added to the enormity of India’s food security challenges.
the frequent occurrence disasters, floods and draughts has affected food availability and quality
of the food.
Poverty and Hunger
 Poverty, food prices and hunger are inextricably linked. Poverty is the main cause of hunger in the world.
 Millions live with hunger and malnourishment because they simply cannot afford to buy enough food,
cannot afford nutritious foods or cannot afford the farming supplies they need to grow enough good food
of their own.
Zero Hunger Challenge

Zero Hunger Challenge aims for a future where every individual has adequate nutrition. This requires
comprehensive efforts to ensure that every individual enjoys the right to Adequate Food; women are
empowered; priority is given to family farming; and food systems everywhere are sustainable and resilient.
Hidden Hunger
 Hidden hunger occurs when the quality of food people eat does not meet their nutrient requirements, so
the food is deficient in micronutrients such as the vitamins and minerals that they need for their growth
and development.
 Causes of Hidden Hunger - Micronutrient deficiency, Poor diet, Lack of availability, accessibility &
affordability of nutritious food ex - Meat, fruits, vegetables etc. Lack of awareness, lack of safe drinking
water and sanitation facilities, increased micronutrient needs during certain life stages for ex - pregnancy
and lactation, absence of crop diversity in agriculture etc.
Hidden Hunger Crisis in world
 More than 2 billion people worldwide suffer from hidden hunger, more than double the 805 million people
who do not have enough calories to eat (FAO, 2014).
 Much of Africa south of the Sahara and the South Asian subcontinent are hotspots where the prevalence
of hidden hunger is high.
 Many developing countries face a phenomenon known as the “triple burden” of malnutrition—
undernourishment, micronutrient deficiencies, and obesity.
Impact
 Children & adolescents - Stunting & wasting, mental impairment, frequent infections, adverse effects on
child health and survival, high mortality rate etc.
 Pregnant Women - Increased mortality, Increased perinatal complications etc
 Adult - Poor health, low productivity, and even death, Malnutrition, increased risk of chronic diseases, Even
mild to moderate deficiencies can affect a person’s well-being and development.
 Impacts development of nations - In addition to affecting human health, hidden hunger can curtail
socioeconomic development, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

The ‘hidden hunger’ due to micronutrient deficiency does not produce hunger as we know it. You might not feel
it in the belly, but it strikes at the core of your health and vitality. - UNICEF
Solutions to address hidden hunger

Strategies to address hidden hunger - Supplementation, Food Fortification and Dietary diversification.
 Supplementation - It is a technical approach in which nutrients are delivered directly to the desired
population by means of syrup or pills.
o Supplementation programs are used only as
a short-term measure and are then replaced
with long-term, sustainable food-based
measures such as fortification and dietary
modification,
 Food Fortification - Food fortification refers to
the addition of micronutrients to processed
foods.
o It includes restoring nutrients lost during
food processing, a process known as
enrichment and adding nutrients that may not POSHAN Abhiyan
be present naturally in food, a process known  Aims to reduce stunting and wasting by 2% per
as fortification. year (total 6% until 2022) among children and
o Biofortification - Enhancing the nutritional anaemia by 3% per year (total 9% until 2022)
properties of crop varieties by using better among children, adolescent girls and pregnant
techniques of plant breeding or genetically women and lactating mothers.
modifying the plants to incorporate the desired  The state governments and UTs utilised mere
qualities in the crop produced. 30 % of the funds released under it since it was
launched.
 Food diversification
 As per the experts, due to pandemic and
o It means increasing both the quantity and the deepening poverty & hunger goals defined
range of micronutrient-rich foods consumed. under the Poshan Abhiyan may be delayed.
o It is the preferred way of improving the
nutrition of a population because it has the potential to improve the intake of many food constituents
like antioxidants and probiotics, not just micronutrients simultaneously.
NITI AAYOG: NATIONAL CONVENTION ON PREVENTION OF OBESITY
NITI Aayog described obesity as “silent epidemic”. Obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation
that presents a risk to health. A body mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is obese. The
vast majority of overweight or obese children live in developing countries, where the rate of increase has been
more than 30% higher than that of developed countries.
Risk factors for obesity:

 Unhealthy food environment (accessibility, desirability, affordability of unhealthy foods)
 Inadequate physical Activity and sedentary lifestyle o Inadequate breastfeeding practices
 Parental obesity, maternal under-nutrition
India’s action towards reducing obesity:

 FSSAI’s Eat right India initiative: Integrates safe and nutritious food intake, promotes healthy eating around
school premises.

 Fit India initiative: Spread awareness on fitness and physical activities and make fitness reach every school,
college and village.
 Mother’s Absolute Affection (MAA) Programme for Infant and Young Child Feeding
Way Forward
Eliminating hunger involves investments in agriculture, rural development, decent work, social protection and
equality of opportunity. It will make a major contribution to peace and stability and to the reduction of poverty. It
will contribute to better nutrition for all.
Sustainable Development Goals

 SDG 1 - End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
 SDG 2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition.
 SDG 7 - Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
 SDG 8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment
and decent work for all.
 SDG 10 - Reduce income inequality within and among countries.
POVERTY
Definition
 Poverty refers to lack of enough resources to fulfill the necessities of life—food, clean water, shelter and
clothing. The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than US$1.90 per day.
 Absolute poverty refers to those whose incomes fall below a line set by a given country. Below this line
people are unable to meet their basic needs for food, water and shelter.
 Relative poverty refers to a state of living where people can afford necessities but are unable to meet their
society’s average standard of living.
Key Facts (World Bank)
 More than 700 million people (10%) of the world population live in extreme poverty.
 Four out of five people below the international poverty line lived in rural areas.
 Half of the poor are children. Women represent a majority of the poor in most regions.
 More than 40 percent of the global poor live in economies affected by fragility, conflict and violence.
Poverty in India
 The Tendulkar committee (2011) - 21.9% of the
Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)
population under BPL.
 Rangarajan committee (2014) - 29.5% of the  The MP is an international measure of acute
population under BPL. multidimensional poverty covering over
 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, 2020- 107 countries.
India is 62nd among 107 countries with an MPI score  It is computed by scoring each surveyed
of 0.123. India lifted 271 million citizens out of household on 10 parameters based on -
poverty between 2006 and 2016. nutrition, child mortality, years of schooling,
 UN MDG programme - 6.7% of India's population, school attendance, cooking fuel, sanitation,
lived below the poverty line of $1.25 in 2018–19. drinking water, electricity, housing and
 Oxfam(2018) - India's top 1% of the population household assets.
holds 73% of the wealth.

Prof. Amartya Sen - Capabilities approach

 Poverty is not just economic measures but measures of human rights and access. It is no longer confined
to the income level but it is deprivation of choices available for an individual to live the life and the
deprivation of the individual’s abilities to exercise that choice.
 He proposed that there are five general freedoms which underpins capabilities, the derogation of which
will give rise to poverty –
o Political freedom including civil rights.
o Economic facilities including access to credit.
o Social opportunities include access to health care, education and other social services.
o Transparency in relations between people and between people and governments.
o Protective security includes social and economic safety nets such as unemployment benefits and
famine and emergency relief.
Thus, the capabilities approach concerns an individual's ability to enjoy the full range of choices and actual ability
to realise that choice.
Reasons for poverty
 Social factors –
o Inequality - Inequality is a problem in itself but also a challenge to the eradication of extreme poverty.
Inequality on the basis of income, gender, race, caste, ethnicity, religion, region, and disability status limits
education, health, employment, housing facilities etc and hinders the progress of an individual, resulting
into poverty.
o Caste system – Caste system imposed several disabilities on lower caste people. Majority of them are
landless and face discrimination and exclusion in social-economical-political sphere which results into less
avenues for social, economical and political mobility and poverty persist and perpetuates.
o Patriarchy – Patriarchy is a system of society in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded
from it. Women tends to be poorer than men due to illiteracy, unpaid household work, “pink-collar” jobs,
children’s responsibilities, domestic and sexual violence, lack of property rights etc which manifests from
the patriarchy.
o Discrimination & Exclusion – Discrimination and exclusion from the political, social and economic sphere
often leads to human rights violation, lack of education, absence of livelihood opportunities leads to
poverty and also makes poor poorer. For ex – it is among the main cause of poverty among the transgender
communities and lower caste groups.
o Overpopulation – Where rapid population growth outpaces economic development, countries struggle to
invest in the human capital needed to secure the well-being of its people and to stimulate further economic
growth. Overpopulated countries are characterised by food shortage, water and scarcity, lack of education,
inadequate health facilities, poor resources and stunted economic growth.
 Economic factors –
o Inflation - If a person’s income level does not increase at as high a rate as the inflation increases, they will
become poorer. A country with high inflation is likely to have high poverty rates as well.
o Unemployment - Unemployment leads to financial crisis and reduces the overall purchasing capacity of a
nation. This in turn results in poverty followed by increasing burden of debt.
o Underutilization of resources – Natural resources as well as human resources are key for the economic
growth and development of any nation. Its underutilization affects the economic growth and thus
employment opportunities and income levels.
o Low agriculture productivity – In India more than 50% of the population is dependent on agriculture but
its low productivity due monsoon dependency, lack of input etc pushes thousands of people into poverty.
 Other –

o Corruption – Corruption delays, distorts and diverts economic growth. corruption and poverty are
interlinked and affect each other. Poverty invites corruption while corruption deepens poverty.
o Climate change - It disrupts livelihoods, forces families from their homes and pushes people into poverty.
for ex - Droughts alone impact around 55 million people every year.
o Conflict and war – It directly affect poverty through changes in household composition due to killings,
injuries, and recruitment of fighters; through changes in household economic status due to the destruction
of assets and livelihoods; and through forced displacement and migration.
o Covid Pandemic and lockdown – According to the pandemic and global recession may cause over 1.4% of
the world’s population to fall into extreme poverty.
Impact of poverty
 Vicious cycle - Poverty exists in a cycle where the consequences and causes are intertwined.
 Anti-social behaviour - Low income of the household has shown correlation with adopting anti-social
behaviour, participating in bullying, being cruel, breaking things, cheating or telling lies.
 Impact on Children - Poor children stand the risk of being malnourished and compromising their confidence
and learning ability. They are more likely to be poor as adults, more likely to drop out of high school.
 Domestic Violence - The poor are at greater risk for family problems, including divorce and domestic
violence. For ex- National Commission for Women (NCW), domestic violence complaints have increased by
2.5 times since the nationwide lockdown and resulting poverty.
 Health - Poverty is its effect on physical and mental health. Poor people face physical health challenges,
including malnutrition, hunger and high infant mortality rates.
 Housing and Homelessness - The poor are more likely to be homeless than the nonpoor but also more
likely to live in dilapidated housing and unable to buy their own homes.
 Affects wellbeing - Poor people well-being is hampered by discrimination, social exclusion, crime, and
violence, insecurity of tenure, hazardous environmental conditions and lack of voice in governance.
 Lack of opportunities - Poor people are deprived of basic amenities such as education, health services,
access to banking and capital and thus they are deprived of opportunities.
COVID PANDEMIC IMPAC T ON POVERTY
 Global extreme poverty rose in 2020 for the first time in the last 2 decades due to the disruption of the
COVID-19 pandemic, which compounded the forces of conflict and climate change, which were already
slowing poverty reduction progress.
 About 120 million additional people are living in poverty as a result of the pandemic, with the total
expected to rise to about 150 million by the end of 2021.
 According to UNDP income losses are expected to exceed $ 220 billion in developing countries, impacting
education, human rights, food security and nutrition.

Global response to mitigate pandemic effects

 UN Framework for the immediate socio-economic response to COVID- 19 - Calls for an extraordinary
scale up of international support and political commitment to ensure that people everywhere have
access to essential services and social protection.
 UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund - To support low- and middle-income countries as well as
vulnerable groups who are disproportionately bearing the socio- economic impacts of the pandemic.
Covid Pandemic impact on India

 Pew Research Centre - Estimated that the number of poor in India has more than doubled from 60 million
to 134 million in just a year due to the pandemic-induced recession.
 Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy
o Over 10 million or 1 crore people lost their jobs because of the second wave of coronavirus.
o 97 per cent of households' incomes have declined since the beginning of the pandemic last year.
 A livelihood survey by the Azim Premji University
o 90% respondents had cut down on food intake. As incomes fell, borrowings rose.
o Nearly half of formal salaried workers moved into informal work.
o As many as 230 million people fell below the national minimum wage poverty line because of Covid-
induced economic distress.
Suggestions to reduce poverty

 Improve opportunities, Invest in education from  Ensure equal distribution of wealth
early childhood  Address the regional imbalance of the growth
 Increase in employment and avenues for  Enhance agricultural productivity and increase its
supplementary income resilience to climate change
 Provide the necessary supports for the mothers  Provide skill training to poor people and enhance
and families their employability
 Efforts shall be taken for population control  Ensure financial inclusion and access to capital
Poverty alleviation programmes in India

 Integrated Rural Development Program - Launched on 2 October 1980, aims to provide a self-employment
program to poor rural families to help them increase their income and cross the poverty line.

 Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana -

To provide housing for the rural poor in Impact of MGNREGA
India. A similar scheme for urban poor  Women Empowerment - Representation in the
was launched in 2015 as Housing for All MGNREGA workforce is 52% on average for 2010-12.
by 2022. So far, 1.26 crore houses have  Poverty Alleviation – MGNREGA reduced up to a 32 %
already been built across the country and prevented 14 million people from falling into
under the scheme (June 2021). poverty.
 National Rural Livelihood Mission - It is  Financial Inclusion increased and reliance of
a poverty alleviation project to organize moneylenders declined.
the poor into SHG (Self Help Groups)  Asset creation: benefit agri. And rural development and
groups and make them capable of self- environment protection.
employment.  SC & ST empowerment - Share of SC (22.6%) and ST
 National Urban Livelihood Mission - To (17.6) together in NREGA participation was 40% of total.
reduce poverty and vulnerability of the  Increased expenditure - MGNREGA has led to a
urban poor households by enabling them significant increase in monthly per capita consumption
to access gainful self-employment and expenditure of rural households.
skilled wage employment opportunities.  Gender Equality - It has reduced the traditional gender
wage discrimination and has had a positive impact on
 MGNREGA - The MGNREGA provides a the socio-economic status of women.
legal guarantee for one hundred days of
employment in every financial year to MGNREGA during pandemic
adult members of any rural household  Played a critical role in providing wage employment
willing to do public work-related during the pandemic with significant participation of
unskilled manual work at the statutory women getting work under it.
minimum wage.  The number of households that worked under the
 National Food Security Act, 2013 - The scheme crossed 6 crores between April and August
Act legally entitles upto 75% of the rural 2020, which is the highest ever.
population and 50% of the urban  Gujrat has hailed the MGNREGA as a lifesaver for the
population to receive subsidized food migrant workers, who returned to their native villages
grains under Targeted Public Distribution dur to lockdowns.
System.
 National Social Assistance Programme - To provide support to aged persons, widows, disabled persons
and bereaved families on death of primary breadwinner, belonging to below poverty line households.
Why poverty still persists in India ?

 Rural Distress - Rural distress is mainly driven by the agriculture failure due to rising input costs,
decreasing land holding, climate change etc. Further lack of industrialisation and employment
opportunities in other sectors than agriculture are the main impediment to alleviating poverty.
 Pandemic Impact - COVID Pandemic and consequent lockdown resulted in shut businesses, lost jobs and
falling incomes. It is estimated that the number of poor in India has more than doubled.
 Stagnant Manufacturing sector - The share of manufacturing sector which leads to the creation of large
employment, has stagnant around 15- 16% of the GDP.
 Failure of anti-poverty schemes - Insufficient funds, bureaucratic apathy, inclusion & exclusion errors,
corruption, poor implementation, Top-to Down approach led to failure of poverty alleviation programmes
and limited their success.
 Left Wing Extremism - Poverty has a geographical dimension in India. In central India and NE region
naxalites and insurgents obstruct the developmental work and thus these are major poverty pockets in
India.
 Other - Illiteracy, Skill deficit, Lack of employment opportunities, Population explosion , Disasters creates
hurdles in poverty alleviation programmes and thus poverty persists in India.
RECENT IMPROVEMENTS

 Greater opportunities - The growth-oriented approach has been reinforced by focusing on specific sectors
which provide greater opportunities to the people to participate in the growth process.
 Capacity Building - Governments have considerably enhanced allocations for the provision of education,
health, sanitation and other facilities which promote capacity-building and well-being of the poor.
 Empowerment of vulnerable sections - Special programmes have been taken up for the welfare of
scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs), the disabled and other vulnerable groups.
 Bottom up approach - Rural poverty alleviation programmes were revamped and re-focused to increase
their effectiveness. Decentralization of power, bottom up approach has been integrated in the scheme. Ex
- MGNREGA.
 Curb Corruption - Initiatives such as Digitalization, Direct Benefit Transfer, Financial inclusion and
provisions of social audits have been taken to plug the leakages in implementation of schemes.
 Sustainable and Inclusive development - To address regional and sector based growth imbalance in
growth, govt has initiated programmes such as Green Revolution 2.0, Blue Economy, North Eastern Region
Vision 2020 for the development of the NER etc.
Way Forward
Poverty is not only an economic or political problem. It is also an ethical issue and a matter of social justice. Poverty
also jeopardizes the development of the nation as it becomes a hindrance in economic growth. Thus government,
civil society etc must work together for poverty alleviation through a variety of interventions.
Urban Poverty /poor

 The pace of urbanisation in India is set to increase, and with it, urban poverty and urban slums. As per the
census 2011 - 17.7% of urban population comprising 65 million people lives in slums.
 The nature of urban poverty poses distinct challenges for housing, water, sanitation, health, education,
social security, livelihoods and the special needs of vulnerable groups such as women, children and the
aging.
 Causes – Uncontrolled migration, population pressure on existing physical and social infrastructure,
Inadequate investment and opportunities, Lack of livelihood opportunities in Rural areas, agricultural
recession, regional imbalance in growth and development.
 Government Initiatives –Self Employment Programme of urban poor, Jal Jeevan Mission Urban ,
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission, Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana(Urban),
Atal Pension Yojana, etc.
 COVID Impact on Urban Poor
Report compiled by Hunger Watch
o The pandemic has left the urban poor in India poorer, hungrier and with less nutrition than their
rural counterparts.
o Incomes reduced by half or a quarter for more than half the urban respondents.
o Decline in nutritional quality and quantity was more among the urban respondents
 Other impact – Loss of livelihood, affected emotional well-being, forced to live in poor housing conditions,
Violence increased against women and children, migrant workers forced to walk hundreds of miles back to
their villages, aggravated the deprivation and denial of health facilities and inadequate nutrition to women
and children.
STEPS TAKEN BY GOI
o Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan – GOI announced Special economic and comprehensive package of
INR 20 lakh crores - equivalent to 10% of India’s GDP – to fight COVID-19 pandemic in India.

o PM Svanidhi – It is a micro-credit facility that provides street vendors a collateral-free loan of Rs

10,000 with low rates of interest for a period of one year.
o Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana - The government provided 5 kg of rice or wheat along with
one kg of preferred pulse around 80 crore people, every month till the end of November, 2020.
o Free LPG cylinders: Provided to 8.3 crore BPL families that hold LPG connections under the Ujjwala
scheme during the lockdown.
Way Forward
 It is easily within the capacity of the global society to eradicate poverty and hunger but there must be political
will to achieve this. Economic growth, especially broad-based growth in agriculture and the rural economy, is a
necessary condition for sustainable poverty and hunger reduction. At the same time, priority action needs to
be taken to reduce hunger directly. The need to achieve substantial and sustainable poverty reduction, requires
that concrete steps be taken to promote agriculture and rural development.
Universal Social Welfare:
According to the International Labour Organisation, Social security is the protection that society provides to
individuals and households: To ensure access to health care and to guarantee income security; particularly in cases
of old age, unemployment, sickness, invalidity, etc. Giving such protection to every individual in the country is
called Universal Social Welfare.
Need for Universal Social Welfare:
 Vulnerability of masses: The pandemic has enhanced the vulnerability of masses as It has pushed an
estimated 75 million people into poverty. The second wave has shown even money is not enough to access
health care services. It has brought even the middle and upper-class citizens to their knees.
 Poor performance of Social Welfare schemes: The country has over 500 direct benefit transfer schemes
but still many weren’t able to get desired benefits during the pandemic. The schemes are fractionalized
across various departments and sub-schemes. This causes problems on every stage of the scheme from
data collection to last-mile delivery.
 Better results: India’s Pulse Polio Universal Immunisation Programme helped it to become polio-free in
2014. This shows the country has the potential to run universal programs and achieve better results.
 Avoiding Inclusion/Exclusion errors: Universal system will encompass every individual and household in
the country thereby tackling the problem of inclusion/exclusion. For instance, PDS can be linked to a
universal identification card such as the Aadhaar or voter card, in the absence of a ration card. This would
allow anyone who is in need of foodgrains to access these schemes especially the migrant populations.
 Improved Living Standard: Access to education, maternity benefits, disability benefits, etc. social benefits
would ensure a better standard of living for the people.
Legal and Constitutional Mandate:
 Concurrent List: Entry 22-Trade Unions, Industrial and labour disputes which includes better wages,
benefits and working conditions. Entry 23- It includes Social Security and Social Insurance, employment and
unemployment. Entry 24-It includes the welfare of labour which further includes conditions of work,
provident funds, employers’ liability, workmen’s compensation, old-age pension and maternity benefits.
 Directive Principle of States Policy: The state is under obligation via the Directive Principles of the State
Policy such as Article 41, 42 and 47.
 Fundamental Rights: Right to life (Article 21)-It includes all the rights that are essential to human life in a
civilised society, such as food, clothes, house, medicine and education. Thus, advocates social security for
Indians.
Issues with the Existing Social schemes:

 Existing schemes are fractionalised across various departments and sub-schemes

 Issues with data collection to last-mile delivery
 Lack of awareness among people regarding schemes and entitlements
 Lack of delivery infrastructure in far flung areas like Internet connectivity, Digital equipment, Electricity,
Mobile phones, banks etc.
 Corruption in delivery of services because lack of check and balances
 Issues in the implementation of Programme like delay in delivery, Emission and omission error,
discretionary power etc.
Types of Social Security in India:
Centrally Funded Social Social Insurance Social Assistances through Public Initiatives
Assistance Programmes Schemes welfare funds
These are initiatives taken
It covers National Social It includes Government Welfare Funds from Centre by individuals or groups for
Assistance Programme with Sponsored Socially and State such as - social security such as –
initiative such as - Oriented Insurance  Welfare funds for Beedi  Self Employed
 National Old Age Schemes such as: Workers, Limestone Women’s Association
Pension Scheme  PM Jeevan Jyoti and Dolomite Mine (SEWA)
 National Family Benefit Bima Yojana  Social security Fund for  Mathadi Workers
Scheme  PM Suraksha Bima unorganised workers, Boards in Maharashtra
 National Maternity Yojana gig workers and
Benefit Scheme  Life Cover Under PM platform workers
Jan Dhan Yojana
Types of social security in India:

 Gratuity Old-age pension
 Health and medical insurance
 Maternity benefits
 Disability benefits
 Minimum Wages Act
Social Security Schemes in India:
Elders Unorganised Sector Workers Women
2017: Pradhan Mantri Atal Pension Yojana – (2015), the scheme Janani Suraksha Yojana by Health Ministry - BPL
Vaya Vandana Yojana: targets unorganised workers like domestic mothers are given conditional money for
LIC guaranteed return helpers, drivers, gardeners etc. It allows delivering a child in a public hospital. No limit on
scheme such workers to save for their old age. It is age or number of children
2017: Rashtriya administered by the Pension Fund
Vayoshri Yojana: Regulatory and Development Authority Stree Swabhiman — MEiTY’; will provide
Social Justice Ministry (PFRDA). affordable sanitary napkins to adolescent girls
→ The scheme Unorganised Workers Social Security Act and women in rural areas
provides physical aids 2008 The Act was launched to provide
and assisted-living social security benefits to workers of Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: Bank savings account
devices to a senior unorganised sectors and for their in the name of girl child that offers more interest
citizen living below the wellbeing. The Act is implemented by the rate than ordinary bank accounts. Interest rates
poverty line. It is a Ministry of Labour and Employment. decided by the Dept of Economic Affairs.

centrally sponsored Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana– To

scheme. meet the health urgencies of unorganised PRAGATI: AICTE’s scholarship to girls who qualify
2012: National Council workers, this scheme was launched. It is in entrance exams of IIT/ technical courses
of Senior Citizens for the workers living below the poverty
(NCSrC) headed by line. It is a type of health insurance scheme UDAAN: CBSE’s scheme to give free coaching for
Minister of Social for unorganised sector workers. Aam girls appearing in entrance exams of IIT/ technical
Justice & Aadmi Bima Yojana– This government- courses
Empowerment. sponsored social security scheme has
Neither statutory nor been to protect the interests of hundreds She - Box (2017): Online portal where Women
constitutional but set of individuals working in occupational employees (both in public and private sector
up via gazette groups within the unorganised sector. The jobs) can register sexual harassment complaints.
notification scheme provides benefits to the insurer in → Govt initiates action under the POSH Act 2013
2007: Maintenance case of natural or accidental death, in case
and Welfare of of disability, etc. Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana: Petroleum
Parents and Senior The Contract Labour (Regulation and Ministry gives free LPG connection for BPL
Citizens Act. Children / Abolition) Act, 1970– The Act provides for women
heirs can’t abandon the introduction of better working
elderly, else penalty conditions for labourers and to protect Ujjawala Scheme (2007): WCD Ministry scheme
through special them from any kind of exploitation at the for women-children trafficking / prostitution
tribunals. workplace.
Senior Citizen’s Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan Swadhar Greh Scheme: To setup Swadhar Greh
Welfare Fund- It was (PM-SYM), a voluntary and contributory Shelter home in each district to provide shelter,
established under the pension scheme to ensure old age food, clothing and skill training for women in
Finance Act, 2015, to protection for Unorganised Workers. distress
be utilised for such National Pension Scheme for Traders,
schemes for the Shopkeepers and Self-Employed Persons, Sakhi One Stop Centres (2015): Setup using
promotion of the a voluntary and contributory pension money from Nirbhaya Fund. These centres
welfare of senior scheme for traders, shopkeepers. provide assistance to women victims of domestic
citizens, in line with e-SHRAM Portal to create a national abuse / rape / prostitution / trafficking etc.
the National Policy on database of Unorganised Workers, Entrepreneurship: Social Justice Ministry:
Older Persons. including migrant workers, to facilitate National Backward Classes Finance &
delivery of social security schemes to the Development Corporation (NBCFDC) → Mahila
workers. Samridhi Yojana → Concessional Loans for
female entrepreneurs
Significance of Universal Social Security:
 A universal system would improve the ease of application by consolidating the data of all eligible
beneficiaries under one database.
 It can also reduce exclusion - Inclusion errors.
 Useful for migrant populations Ex. PDS can be linked to a universal identification card such as the Aadhaar
or voter card, in the absence of a ration card
 Making schemes like education, maternity benefits, disability benefits etc. universal would ensure a better
standard of living for the people.
 Learning From Best Practice such as - The Poor Law System of Ireland to provide relief that was financed
by local property taxes. These laws were notable for not only providing timely assistance but maintaining
the dignity and respectability of the poor while doing so. They were not designed as hand-outs but as
necessary responses to a time of economic crisis. Today, the social welfare system in Ireland has evolved
into a four-fold apparatus that promises social insurance, social assistance, universal schemes, and extra
benefits/supplements.

Challenges in Universal Social Security

Traditionally, social security was an important responsibility of the family/community. The weakening of joint
families and family bondage has increased the importance of institutionalised social security arrangement. To
ensure Universal Social Security, it needs to overcome challenges of:
 Large size of Unorganised Sectors: High Magnitude of Unorganised Workers (UWs), including a large
section of distressed categories of workers with low earning and irregular (seasonal) employment patterns.
 Lack of Awareness: Ignorance, illiteracy, and lack of unionisation of workers leading to poor awareness.
 Capacity of State: Resource constraints of the State with competitive demand of defence, infrastructure
etc. and crippled state finances due to Covid-19.
 Issues in law and administrative structure: Gaps in laws with relatively weak administrative structure,
particularly in rural areas. E.g. The Code on Social Security, 2020 suffers from issues such as: Lack of a
minimum national benefit policy, Lack of accountability of district administration with responsibility to
register UWs,Overlapping definitions. E.g. a driver working for an app-based taxi aggregator is a gig worker,
platform worker and unorganised worker at the same time.
 Poor Performance of Organised Sector: Almost Stagnation of formal employment in the organised sector
with increasing workforce in the informal economy.
 Fragmented administration systems due to involvement of multiple ministries and departments at Union
and State level with different initiatives.
 Technical Error in implementation: Other issues such as exclusion errors, lack of transferability/portability
of benefits, gender inequality, technological disabilities etc. E.gThe Kattupaniya tribe (nomadic) of Kerala
got an Aadhar card and free ration only post Covid 19.
Way Forward:
According to ILO, recognition of universal social protection as human right is the cornerstone of a human-centric
approach to achieve social justice. Our efforts for universal social security should also start with it to strengthen
our social protection systems at-
 Legal-level: Recognition of Social Security as fundamental right to frame rights-based and inclusive laws on
universality of protection, coverage, and effective access.
 Digital level: There must be a focus on data digitization, data-driven decision-making, and collaboration
across government departments. This would improve the implementation potential.
 Policy-level: Decisive Policy Actions to reinforce and extend social protection mechanisms with adequate
benefits. The government should map the State and Central schemes in a consolidated manner. This would
avoid duplication, inclusion, and exclusion errors in delivering welfare services. For instance, Pradhan
Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) can be strengthened into universal social security. It already
consolidates the public distribution system (PDS), the provision of gas cylinders, and wages for the
MGNREGA.
 Governance-level: Enhance transparency and accountability for efficient supervision and effectiveness of
the enforcement machinery and of the schemes.
 Economic-level: Ensure higher and sustainable investments in social security measures to offer a
comprehensive range of benefits for all sections. New Form of Jobs Gig workers Persons with a work
arrangement/ activity which are outside of traditional employer-employee relationship.
 Solution of poverty through full and productive employment with unemployment protection. E.g.
Recognition of unpaid work and launch of unemployment benefit schemes.
 Information, Education and Awareness (IEC) campaigns to improve awareness on entitlements, create
unions and support people in life and work transitions. Voluntary organisations and committed individuals
can be engaged for it.
 Universalisation of Schemes: Transferability/portability of benefits to support labour market mobility
(within and across borders).
Multidimensional Poverty Index

 India’s first-ever national MPI measure is based on the reference period of 2015-16 of the National Family
Health Survey (NFHS)- 4.
 It uses the globally accepted and robust methodology developed by the Oxford Poverty and Human
Development Initiative (OPHI) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
 It captures multiple and simultaneous deprivations faced by households.
Objective:
 To measure poverty across its multiple dimensions and in effect complements existing poverty statistics
based on per capita consumption expenditure.
Purpose of National MPI as a measure:

 Enhanced high-level view of poverty at the national level
 Complements monetary poverty measures
 Gives Information to shape policy
 The MPI is based on each person’s or household’s profile of the overlapping or “joint” deprivations they
experience.
 Provides incentives for leaving no one behind and reaching the furthest behind first
 Adaptable to national context and transparent
Significance:
 Important Public Policy Tool: The development of the National MPI of India will be instituting a public
policy tool which monitors multidimensional poverty, informs evidence-based and focused interventions,
thereby ensuring that no one is left behind.
 Adjugdes Success of Multi-sectoral Interventions: It provides important insights into the degree of success
of multi-sectoral interventions to address various aspects of poverty.
 Includes Multiple Deprivations: Importantly, as a measure of multidimensional poverty, it captures
multiple and simultaneous deprivation faced by households.
 Rigorous Analysis Through All Levels: This report presents an in-depth analysis of the headcount ratio and
intensity of multidimensional poverty at the national, State/UT, and district levels.
Conclusion:
 India’s national MPI has been envisaged as a comprehensive tool to expedite goal-oriented action to
measure multidimensional poverty and steer its systematic eradication.
 The dimensions of the index have proven to help identify and achieve targeted policy interventions.

1. Hunger and Poverty are the biggest challenges for good governance in India still today. Evaluate how far
successive governments have progressed in dealing with these humongous problems. Suggest measures
for improvement. (150 words) (2017)
2. ‘Poverty Alleviation Programmes in India remain mere show pieces until and unless they are backed by
political will’. Discuss with reference to the performance of the major poverty alleviation programmes in
India. (250 words) (2018 )
3. How far do you agree with the view that the focus on lack of availability of food as the main cause of
hunger takes the attention away from ineffective human development policies in India? (15) (2018 )
4. There is a growing divergence in the relationship between poverty and hunger in India. The shrinking of
social expenditure by the government is forcing the poor to spend more on Non- Food essential items
squeezing their food – budget.- Elucidate.(10) (2019)
5. Performance of welfare schemes that are implemented for vulnerable sections is not so effective due to
absence of their awareness and active involvement at all stages of policy process – Discuss.(15) (2019)
6. “The incidence and intensity of poverty are more important in determining poverty based on income
alone”. In this context analyze the latest United Nations Multidimensional Poverty Index Report. (Answer
in 250 words) (2020)
Other related issues in news
DOMESTIC WORKERS
Context
Recently, the first-ever All-India Survey on Domestic Workers was flagged off by the Ministry of Labour &
Employment.
About
Any person engaged by a household shall be classified as a domestic worker if the frequency of visits by the worker
to the household is at least four days during the last 30 days and the goods and/or services produced by the worker
are consumed by the members of the household against payment either through cash or kind.
Draft National Policy on domestic workers

It is under consideration by the Central Government. The salient features are as under:-
 Inclusion of Domestic Workers in the existing legislation.
 Domestic workers will have the right to register as workers.
 Such registration will facilitate their access to rights & benefits accruing to them as workers.
 Right to form their own associations, trade unions
 Right to have minimum wages, access to social security, protection from abuse, harassment, violence
 Right to enhance their professional skills Protection of Domestic Workers from abuse and exploitation
Domestic Workers have access to courts, tribunals, etc.
 Establishment of a mechanism for regulation of concerned placement agencies
Challenges
 Lack of Social security benefits: Formal workers work in the public and private organised sectors and have
adequate social security benefits. But informal sector workers lack these benefits, making them very
vulnerable to economic and political shocks.
 Susceptibility to economic shocks: The casual workers among the informal workers are most susceptible
to economic shocks as most of them do unskilled, low-paid occupational jobs. A significantly high
proportion of these workers belongs to the marginalised groups and is migrant labourers. The problems in
the informal sector can be costly as it can lead to job and wage losses, higher inflation and even risk the
livelihood of migrant workers.
 Structural disadvantage: The structural disadvantage in terms of literacy and skills make them more prone
to exploitation. The discrimination in the urban informal labour market against these people leaves them
with no choice but to accept the offered wage.
 Government failure: There is a government failure to reduce wage inequality and ensure a bare minimum
wage to a large chunk of the urban informal workers during normal times. Therefore, the majority of urban
informal workers remain highly vulnerable and live in precarious conditions even during normal times. The
existing government programmes cannot provide gainful employment opportunities to the migrants at
their native places.
 Implications of Lockdown: Informal sector workers suffered far more from the national lockdown in 2020
than their formal sector counterparts. With an inadequate safety net.

Measured Already being Taken for Domestic Workers
 Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008 was enacted for providing social security to all unorganised
workers including domestic workers.
 Social security schemes like National Old Age Pension Scheme (Ministry of Rural Development); National
Family Benefit Scheme (Ministry of Rural Development); Janani Suraksha Yojana (Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare); Ayushman Bharat (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare).
 Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana (AABY) with Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan
Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) provide life and disability coverage to the unorganised workers for
the age group of 18 to 50 years depending upon their eligibility.
 Domestic Workers Sector Skills Council has been established under the Ministry of Skills and
Entrepreneurship to enable professionalization of domestic workers and enable their career progression.
Way Forward
 There is a need to give protection to informal sector workers via social welfare schemes so that the
disruption they are facing does not lead to a permanent fall in demand.
 Agriculture cannot absorb more people. It is already overcrowded. Engaging returning migrants in building
new agri-value chains has some potential to create productive employment and protect livelihoods.
 In the meantime, if the government can scale up its “one nation, one ration card” scheme, and make
subsidised grains available at places of work in cities and industrial towns, migrants can hopefully hold on
for some time before taking a call on moving back to their native places.
 Government godowns are overflowing with excess grain stocks, and it may be useful to distribute at least
a part of this to benefit migrant workers rather than incur high costs of maintaining these stocks.
 Along with this, some financial assistance under the Garib Kalyan Yojana can also be extended to migrants
to help them remain in the cities of their work
CIVIL REGISTRATION SYSTEM
Context:
The Union government plans to revamp the Civil Registration System (CRS) to enable real-time recording of birth
and deaths.
About CRS:
 In India, the Civil Registration System (CRS) is a single mechanism for documenting vital incidents (births,
deaths, stillbirths) as well as their parameters in a continual, permanent, mandatory, and universal manner.
For socio economic modelling, data provided by a thorough and up-to-date CRS is critical.
 History of CRS in India dates back to the middle of the 19th century. In 1886 a Central Births, Deaths and
Marriages Registration Act was promulgated to provide for voluntary registration throughout British India.
 Post-independence, the Registration of Births and Death Act (RBD Act) was enacted in 1969 to promote
uniformity and comparability in the registration of Births and Deaths across the country and compilation of
vital statistics based thereon.
 With the enactment of the Act, registration of births, deaths and stillbirths became mandatory in India.
 The RGI at the Central Government level coordinates and unifies the activities of registration throughout
the country. However, implementation of the statute is vested with the State Governments.
 The Act mandates the use of uniform birth and death reporting forms and certificates throughout the
country. The scheme of Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCD)
Significance of CRS:

 Improves better functioning of Government: Civil registration provides the basis for the legal identity of a
citizen and helps the government to provide them access to their rights as a citizen, including entitlement
to social security benefits if any.
 Easy tracking of citizens: The only way to track every citizen is through civil registration. It will help in
making better and efficient inclusion and exclusion lists for Schemes.
 Correct and up to date Data: For the government, the requirement of a complete CRS system is a must as
the data generated through a complete and up-to-date CRS is essential for socio-economic planning and
evaluating the effectiveness of various social sector programs.
 Helpful in medical research: At the national level, the vital statistics data generated through Civil
Registration is also quite useful for medical research and in the study of sex ratio, mortality and morbidity
rates and also in the study of causes of deaths.
Challenges with CRS:
 Timeline and Under coverage of Registration: The CRS system faces challenges in terms of: timeliness,
efficiency and uniformity, leading to delayed under-coverage of birth and death.
 System being compromised: Several states had reported instances of the online registration system being
compromised because the login IDs of the registrars and their passwords were available in the public
domain.
 Security concerns: A few State governments have reported issuance of fake birth and death certificates,
online registration of birth and death by unauthorised persons.
Government Initiatives:
 Uniform Software Application for Registration of Births and Deaths: A software application for online and
offline registration of birth and death has been developed. This application covers the entire gamut of the
Civil Registration System such as Registration of events, Generation of certificates and Generation of
Statistical Tables and Reports. The application that is presently available in English is being customised in
13 Indian languages.
 Data digitization: Project to keep old records in easy to retrieve digital form has been started. This will help
in storage of registers in electronic format and allow easy access to the records.
 Database of Institutions: A nationwide database of medical Institutions has been prepared. This
comprehensive database has the address, telephone numbers and other contact details of the institutions
where events occur. The plan is to electronically monitor the registration of events occurring in these
institutions through an ICT enabled platform.
 Application to Monitor Institutional Events: An SMS based application called "Event Monitoring System
for Registration" has been developed and is currently under pilot testing. This application attempts to track
the events at the level of institutions and ensure their registration.
 Capacity Building of Registrars: A standard training manual has been developed for training the registration
functionaries in 13 languages. Regular training of registration functionaries has been introduced by
providing financial assistance to the State Governments. Data digitization: Project to keep old records in
easy to retrieve digital form has been started. This will help in storage of registers in electronic format and
allow easy access to the records.
 Advocacy and Publicity: An intensive multi-modal publicity and awareness campaigns on birth and death
registration is already underway. Plans are being formulated to expand this campaign in all regional
languages in order to increase the coverage of the CRVS system.
 Demand Generation: Creating a policy environment for demand generation for birth and death registration
is one of the basic needs identified by a National task force set up for strengthening the CRVS.
 National Population Register: India is in the process of setting up a National Population Register (NPR-
2010). The Civil Registration System has been linked to the NPR.
Way Forward:

 Through Legislations: The Personal Data Protection Bill (PDPB), 2019 that intends to protect the privacy
rights of individuals, could enable the vision of a secure, updated and highly functional repository of
citizen’s data.
 IT- enabled backbone: To address the challenges faced by the system in providing prompt service delivery
to the public, the government of India has decided to introduce transformational changes in CRS through
an IT-enabled backbone leading to registration of birth and death on a real-time basis with minimum human
intervention.
 Automating the process: The changes would be in terms of automating the process of delivery points so
that the service delivery is time-bound, uniform and free from discretion.
 Implementation: It remains to be seen how the automation procedure would be implemented in tier-2,
tier-3 cities and rural areas, where the technology penetration is way lower than the urban and
metropolitan cities.
CARE ECONOMY
Context:
Recently, the World has celebrated March 8 as International Women’s Day. This year, to commemorate
International Women’s Day, the ILO brought out its new report titled, ‘Care at work: investing in care leave and
services for a more gender-equal world of work”.
About Care Economy:

Caregiving work is broadly defined as looking after the physical, psychological, emotional and developmental needs
of one or more other people. The care economy is growing as the demand for childcare and care for the elderly is
increasing in all regions. It will thus create a great number of jobs in the coming years.
Background:
 The ‘care givers and economy’ was first highlighted by the National sample survey of India by the report of
Family and health survey. After which, during COVID times this need got pace in our country.
 The number of caregiving and people who need care is very significant and the economy should take benefit
from providing adequate financial assistance to them.
 Universal basic income- To deal with the economic inequality, unemployment and poverty created by the
Covid-19 pandemic, many advocated Universal Basic Income (UBI) programme to be a solution.
Reasons for Care Economy
 Demographic transition- Demographic transition in low- and middle-income countries will lead to a higher
proportion of the elderly at the expense of the working-age population.
 Urbanisation- It is changing the traditional joint-family structure to nuclear, single-parent, and
transnational households, alienating them from community care bonds.
 Climate change- It has caused water scarcity and rural food distress which increases care burden on women
and children.
Significance of Care Economy:
The importance of care work is covered in various international commitments such as the SDGs and the
International Labour Organization (ILO)’s Centenary Declaration.
 Work balance- ILO’s report highlights the importance of maternity, paternity, and special care leave, which
help balance women’s and men’s work and family responsibilities throughout their lives.
 Employment- According to the International Trade Union Confederation (2019), an investment of 2 % GDP
in care in India would create 11 million jobs, of which 32.5 % would be garnered by women.

 Health outcomes- Workplaces that provide time, income security and space for undertaking care services
such as breastfeeding, enable positive nutrition and health outcomes.
 Aging in dignity- Nurturing elderly care services will deliver the benefits of aging in dignity and independent
living as the population grows older.
Challenges faced by the Care Economy:
 Unpaid care work: It is linked to labour market inequalities. It has not received adequate attention in policy
formulation.
 Paid care workers: These also struggle to access rights and entitlements as workers.
 Lack of Investment in the Care Economy: At present, the care economy has grown a lot. But the investment
in the sector has not taken the same pace. India spends less than one per cent of GDP on care work
infrastructure and services, including pre-primary education, maternity, disability and sickness benefits,
and long-term care, as per the ILO.
 Maternity leave: It is a universal human and labour right. It remains unfulfilled across countries. India offers
26 weeks of maternity leave, against the ILO’s standard mandate of 14 weeks that exists in 120 countries.
However, this coverage extends to only a tiny proportion of women workers in formal employment in India,
where 89% of employed women are in the informal sector.
 Access to quality and affordable care services such as childcare, elderly care and care for people with
disabilities is a challenge workers with family responsibilities face globally.
 Limited implementation: While India has a long history of mandating the provision of crèches in factories
and establishments, there is limited information on its actual implementation.
 Ambient of Decent work for domestic workers: While important developments have extended formal
coverage to domestic workers in India, such as the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention,
Prohibition and Redressal) Act and the minimum wage schedule in many States, more efforts are required
to ensure decent work for them. Domestic workers, on whom Indian households are heavily reliant, also
face challenges in accessing decent work. According to the Government’s 2019 estimates, 26 lakh of the 39
lakh domestic workers in India are female.
 Lack of a comprehensive policy- The lack of comprehensive policy or law for care givers is the major
challenge for implementation of such a scheme in India.
 Poor infrastructure- care giving infrastructure in India has not focused much, as it is considered a personal
expense for an individual.
 Out-of-the-pocket expenditure is increasing, which was also been highlighted in the budget 2021-22 for
family and health in India.
 Introduction of incentives for private firms- Un-inclusion of private sector under the care giving services
and policy can reduce its benefits for people under government jobs or formal sectors.
 Lack of funds- finance and data is the first priority for any scheme to be started. Care related data is not
collected in India in any formal sense.
Benefit to Indian Economy:
 Providing decent work for all - care economy is not only for growth in economy, it includes providing decent
work status to every individual in the society. Half of the population in our country is occupied by Females
and the rest for children and elders. Such a policy which gives adequate working for their services in the
society will benefit the Indian economy to generate revenue and increase labour force participation.
 Extending social security for women and elderly - social security benefits such as pension schemes will be
extended to the women and elderly via such a policy for caregivers. It will also enable them to access paid
family leave.
 Gender role balancing- gender biassed formal sector can be targeted by such policy and more female
participation with equal wages can be seen.
 Reduce burden for Informal work- care services if they are formalised, then informal works with high risks
associated such as work in factories, industries and far locations for women and children will be reduced.

 Health benefits- Women and child health policies fail to provide proper financial assistance to them and
this care giving policy can be an umbrella scheme for health benefits to the vulnerable section of the
society.
 Marginalisation: Historically, not a lot of focus has been given to care work despite its importance. This is
evident from two factors – there is no mechanism for proper identification of care economy workers in
India; as compared to other countries, public expenditure on care economy is extremely low (less than 1%
of the GDP) in India.
 Disproportionate burden of unpaid care on women: Women perform a significantly larger portion of
domestic duties than men. To address this imbalance, proposals of salaries for housewives are being
mooted but this measure can potentially backfire by entrenching gender roles in care work even further.
Conclusion:
Care economy is a major step for India as a developing country to achieve post COVID recovery. But it needs proper
data collection and research for beneficiaries so that the benefit of the proposed term ‘care economy’ will not
reduce to just ‘ Basic financial assistance’.


Social Justice

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Social Justice

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

PRAHAAR

The final hit to UPSC Exam

EXCLUSiVE FOR MAiNS 2022

Join 60 Day Daily Mains Answer Writing program

Online & Offline Online & Offline

 +91-7007-931-912 

WELFARE SCHEMES FOR VULNERABLE SECTIONS OF THE SOCIETY 4

Reservation for sc/st as a tool for social and educational empowerment 18

Other Backward Class 20

https://onlyias.com info@onlyias.com /+91-7007931912

Assisted Reproductive Technology 38

Persons with Disabilities / Divyang 56

ISSUES RELATING TO DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF SOCIAL SECTOR/SERVICES RELATING TO

Recent Issues concerning health 71

India’s fight against COVID-19 76

https://onlyias.com info@onlyias.com /+91-7007931912

Challenges before India 76

Financial Inclusion 100

ISSUES RELATED TO HUNGER AND POVERTY. 102

https://onlyias.com info@onlyias.com /+91-7007931912

What is meant by social Justice?

Provisions in the Constitution for Social justice

WELFARE SCHEMES FOR VULNERABLE SECTIONS OF THE SOCIETY

Key Facts about SCs

Issues concerning SCs & STs:

Welfare Programmes for SCs

https://onlyias.com info@onlyias.com /+91-7007931912

o Pre-Matric Scholarship to SC Students & Post matric Scholarship to SC Students - It covers

https://onlyias.com info@onlyias.com /+91-7007931912

Supreme Court on SC/ST Act:

Social Sector Spending

Need for the Social Sector Spending:

https://onlyias.com info@onlyias.com /+91-7007931912

https://onlyias.com info@onlyias.com /+91-7007931912

Manual scavenging In India

About Manual scavenging

Responsibility for identifying manual scavengers:

https://onlyias.com info@onlyias.com /+91-7007931912

Punishment for violation of the Act:

Basic data and facts about ST’s

https://onlyias.com info@onlyias.com /+91-7007931912

General Issues concerning STs

Welfare programmes for STs

https://onlyias.com info@onlyias.com /+91-7007931912

https://onlyias.com info@onlyias.com /+91-7007931912

o Development of Forest Village - It was

Recommendations of Dhebar commission (1960) regarding education

Xaxa Committee recommendations for welfare of STs

 Regarding legal & administrative framework  Regarding Land Alienation

https://onlyias.com info@onlyias.com /+91-7007931912

MSP for Minor Forest Produce

https://onlyias.com info@onlyias.com /+91-7007931912

MSP for MFP

Institutions for Tribal Development

https://onlyias.com info@onlyias.com /+91-7007931912

Challenges for implementation

Role played by NCST and NCSC in progress of SC/ST

National Commission for STs

https://onlyias.com info@onlyias.com /+91-7007931912

Role played by NCST in welfare of SC/ST

National Commission for SCs

Role played by NCST in welfare of ST

Challenges/ Limitations of NCSC/NCSTs

+91-7007-931-912