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Laex G1 EM India and Telangana Society Mains Q&A
Laex G1 EM India and Telangana Society Mains Q&A
Subject- Indian and Telangana • In a patriarchal society, girls are often raised
with the ultimate goal of marriage.
Society
• They are confined to the household and not
1.The proposed legislation to raise the legal educated or expected to enter the workforce.
marriage age for girls to 21 years can curb child • Thus, until they are married, they are seen as a
marriage, comment. financial burden by the families, and marrying
them off early is not only consistent with
Introduction:
tradition but also more economically feasible.
Write briefly about the bill. • This is evident from the recently released fifth
round of the National Family Health Survey,
Body:
according to which nearly one-fourth of
Mention the reason for prevalence of child women aged between 20 and 24 were
marriages. reported to have been married before 18.
Recommend some measures to reduce the child • While there was an impressive drop in child
marriages. marriages between 2005-’06 and 2015-’16,
this might be attribute to better educational
Conclusion: opportunities and other factors rather than
• Laws cannot be used as shortcuts to achieve the law.
social reform and good intentions alone don’t Concerns about legislation
guarantee favourable results. The proposed legislation to raise the legal
• A law to raise the legal age of marriage needs marriage age for girls to 21 years can have several
wide societal support and should be harmful consequences:
accompanied by measures to improve access
• Possible misuse of the law:
to healthcare.
➢ According to a survey, 65% of the cases under
Content:
the existing child marriage law were in
• The Prohibition of Child Marriage response to elopement and cases were filed
(Amendment) Bill, 2021, which seeks to raise against the couple by parents or families who
the legal age of marriage for women from 18 were disapproving.
to 21, is built on the assumption that raising ➢ These cases would be wrongfully filed to
the age of marriage will eradicate the practice harass the couple, their age or legality of the
of child marriage. marriage notwithstanding.
• However, this does not have any prior ➢ Increasing the age to 21 will bring more such
evidence to support it, because even when the cases. The new law could curtail the freedom
legal age was set at 18, child marriages of choice of adults.
continued to take place without any fear of the • Disempowerment of women:
law. ➢ A 2008 Law Commission report on reforming
Reason for prevalence of Child marriage: family law recommended a uniform age of
marriage for boys and girls at 18 years and not
• It is a consequence of deep-rooted socio-
at 21.
cultural norms and gender inequalities, which
➢ The reason for it is, if all citizens can vote, enter
end up impacting girls.
contracts, be guardians, tried as adults for
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crimes they commit at 18, then why should not governments have done little to
they be allowed to get married, regardless of implement the verdict.
age. ✓ The governments must develop a mechanism
• Possible increase in sex-selective practices: to ensure that all marriages (including civil,
➢ The current socio-economic system makes religious, and customary unions), births, and
people want to marry their daughters as soon deaths are mandatorily registered through a
as they can or choose not to have a daughter system, as a means to track marriages and the
at all. age of marriage.
➢ Increasing the legal marriage age without ✓ Moreover, action should be taken against
changing patriarchal social norms can result in those authorising and facilitating child
parents feeling even more “burdened” which marriages in rural areas.
in turn could lead to an increase in sex- ✓ We have to think beyond punitive measures
selective practices. and legislations and transform the patriarchal
Recommendations: socio-economic system that fosters child
marriages.
There are several strategies that have worked
globally in reducing the incidence of child
marriages. Some solutions that might work in the 2. “Caste system is assuming new identities and
Indian context are discussed below: associational forms. Hence, the caste system
cannot be eradicated in India.” Comment.
✓ We need more comprehensive social and
behaviour change communication initiatives Introduction:
that are supported by local leadership
Discuss the structure of the caste system in India.
including elected representatives, community
and religious leaders to transform gender Body:
stereotypes of submissiveness and
Mention few new identities and associational
institutional discrimination that denies women
forms evolved in Indian caste system
agency.
✓ Policies and programmes that reach the most Conclusion:
marginalised Constitution and Government providing special
✓ Marginalised communities are more provisions and policies for the upliftment of lower
vulnerable to early marriages. caste groups in order to eradicate caste system in
✓ We need more policies and programmes that India
connect girls and young women, and their
families, especially from marginalised These policies offer solidarity and psychological
communities, to financial institutions, strength to various marginalized groups, even if
education, information, health (including the caste-based discrimination is diffused in the
sexual, reproductive, and mental health), and society.
nutrition services. Despite the new identities and government
✓ Ensuring registration of marriages initiatives, it has become very difficult to eradicate
✓ Despite a Supreme Court ruling making caste system in India.
registration of marriages mandatory, state
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investigation and speedy trial of offences ➢ Due to poor training they may not
through designated Special Courts. collect forensic samples with care.
• It also mandates that the investigation in the ➢ Further, such samples often end up
cases is to be completed in two months and getting contaminated due to improper
trial in 6 months. storage.
• For this purpose, Fast Track Special Courts • Overburdened judiciary:
(FTSCs) are established. ➢ At present, special courts set up under
• It also punishes criminals who are in positions the law deal with other kinds of
of trust of authority like public servants, staff criminal and civil cases as well.
of educational institutions, police etc. ➢ Moreover, frequent adjournments
• In 2019 the Act was amended to make it reduce the chances of the victim being
stricter by: able to recollect the facts of the
➢ increasing the minimum punishment incident accurately.
for certain assaults • Public Prosecutor:
➢ Widening the scope of aggravated Generally, defense lawyers in POCSO cases are
penetrative sexual assault specialised, but the same did not hold true for
➢ Defining child pornography the public prosecutors leading to a
Impact of POCSO: "mismatch".
• Lack of accountability in National and State
• Proportion of child victim in rape cases has
Commissions for the Protection of Child
increased.
Rights:
• Higher numbers of bails are granted for crimes
➢ They are required to monitor and
committed under POCSO vis-à-vis other
evaluate the implementation of the Act
crimes.
in addition to generating public
• Conviction rate in POCSO cases in 2016 (the
awareness.
latest year for which data is available) was only
➢ However, their functioning and
28.2%.
evaluation procedure is not open to
• 89% of the cases of child sexual abuse were public scrutiny.
awaiting justice at the end of 2019.
Challenges in implementing POCSO Act:
4.Recently, the Ministry launched a 6- month
• Proving the age of the child: community based Inclusive Development (CBID)
The POCSO Act do not mention about what Program on rehabilitation of Persons with
documents are to be considered for Disabilities (PwDs). Stressing on greater
determining the age of the child victim. awareness of rights of persons with disabilities,
• Police system: discuss various challenges faced by Persons with
➢ Police fall under the jurisdiction of the Disabilities (PwDs)? Even after several
states. Government initiatives for Persons with
➢ It suffers from various issues like Disabilities (PwDs), that has been limited impact
shortage of human resource (including on them why?
skilled human resource), politicization,
overburdened with work.
• Forensic samples:
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• While farm size has been declining in the has gone up from 1.63 in 1993-94 to 2.42
country, the average holding size in India is in 2017-18.
1.2 hectares (3 acres). • This means that today, an average urban-
• Water efficiency in agriculture is of 30% in dweller can consume almost 2.5 times
India. more than an average person in a village.
• According to Agriculture Science and • The farm sector needs reform to raise
Technology Indicators, India’s spending on productivity, enhance farmers’ income,
agricultural research is 0.30% of farm GDP build market infrastructure and address
which is very low. declining soil fertility.
• 54% of rural households are declared • If Indian policymakers do not address these
agricultural of which 40% of their income issues, the socio-economic problems in
comes from wages. rural India will reach a boiling point.
• The data from the All India Debt and • Rural India has transformed over the last
Investment Survey, 2019 shows that: few decades, bringing about new
o 35% of rural Indian households are challenges that go beyond agriculture and
in debt with about 44% accessing include non-farm economic activities.
non-institutional (informal) sources 6. Secularism is indispensable to India, comment.
of credit that charge exorbitant
interest rates as high as 25%. Introduction:
• These rural institutions and stagnancy in Write briefly secularism in India and its
agriculture have contributed to rising rural- importance
urban disparities.
Body:
• The widening of the gap between
agricultural and non-agricultural sector • Mention the reasons why secularism is
incomes, particularly since the late 1990s, indispensable to India
and the inability of the industry to absorb • Mention the recent threat to secularism in
“surplus” labour from agriculture, have India.
worsened the disparity.
Conclusion:
• Outside agriculture, the post-1990 growth
has mainly of service-led. • In a pluralistic society, the best approach to
• Today, the link between the farm sector nurture secularism is to expand religious
and industry is very weak. freedom rather than strictly practicing state
• The decline in profitability and productivity neutrality.
within agriculture has contributed to such • Ensure the value-based education that makes
raising disparities, the opportunities in the the younger generation understands and
non-farm services sector have made appreciates not only its own religious
farming even less attractive. traditions but also those of the other religions
• Since the 1990s, India’s economic growth in the country.
has been marked by an urban bias.
• The rural-urban disparity, as measured by
the ratio of urban-to-rural expenditure,
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conceptions of the secular and democratic • The National Family Health Survey 4 has
state. shown, TFR has reduced even among illiterate
• In recent years there have been stray women from all religions in the southern
incidences of Muslim youth being inspired and states even in Kerala and Telangana which
radicalized by groups like ISIS which is very have a high proportion of Muslims.
unfortunate for both India and world. • The Southern states achieved population
7. India needs the policy for population stabilisation so early, while Uttar Pradesh and
stabilization. Discuss. Bihar was not.
• Fertility reduction measures in five southern
Introduction: states succeeded, irrespective of literacy and
Mention some current statics related to India’s education levels
demography. • It changes the conventional thought of
literacy, education and development are
Body:
prerequisites for populations to stabilise.
Discuss why India needs a policy for population • The fertility decline was achieved in southern
stabilization. states because of governments proactively
urged families to have only two children,
Conclusion:
followed by female sterilisation immediately
• The population stabilization difference thereafter.
between the southern and northern states is • There is disproportion progressive in South
becoming disproportionately skewed. It will and the Central- North.
change uniform distribution of economic • UP and Bihar are 23% of India’s population and
growth across the regions and destroy the are projected to grow by over 12% and 20% in
gains from a young populace. the next 15 years respectively.
• Thus, the long-term policy requires a stable • The action is to prevent unwanted pregnancies
population consistent with the requirements particularly in these two states is urgently
of sustainable economic growth, social required.
development, and environmental protection. • Women in rural UP are still giving birth to four
Content: or more children.
• In some districts, the contraceptive prevalence
• The National Population Policy 2000 affirmed rate is less than 10%.
a commitment to achieve replacement levels • In many districts nobody using modern family
of fertility (total fertility rate of 2.1) by 2010. planning methods.
• Ten states have achieved this goal, although • UP’s over-reliance on traditional methods of
with much delayed. contraception needs to be replaced with
• Kerala and Tamil Nadu had accomplished it reliable and easy alternatives.
decades earlier. • Bihar has the highest fertility rate in the
• This fertility decline over half of India has cut country and also the highest out-migration.
different sections of society such as the • Almost half the women in some districts have
privileged and the poor, those educated or a migrant husband and women’s unwillingness
not, and the high and low caste. to use contraception in the absence of the
husband, resulting in unprotected sex.
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• No other country in the world uses female trafficking and slavery risks due to climate
sterilisation as excessively as India instead shocks.
male vasectomy (male sterilisation). • Several ongoing initiatives including the
• Even Kerala with all its progress still relies on Warsaw International Mechanism Task Force
female sterilisation (above 88%) as the on Displacement, the Sendai Framework, etc
predominant modern method of should be coordinated to increase
contraception. understanding, and response, growing risks of
• Three things are needed: climate-induced migration or displacement
➢ Incentivise later marriages and child and exposure to modern slavery.
births Content:
➢ Make contraception easy for women
and • Modern slavery including debt bondage,
➢ Promote women’s labour force bonded labour, early or forced marriage
participation. and human trafficking converge with
• The population momentum managed climate change, particularly climate shocks
properly, it will remain India’s biggest asset and climate-related forced displacement
until 2055. and migration.
• By 2040, India will be the king of human • Climate change is devastating the planet,
capital. leading to intensifying global inequality as
well as disputes over land, water and
8. Analyse the trend of Climate-Induced
scarce resources.
Migration and Modern Slavery.
• People are being driven to migrate within
Introduction: and across borders in search of resources
and income.
Define Modern slavery
• As many as 55 million people were
Body: internally displaced within their countries
due to extreme weather events in 2020.
Mention some statics how extreme weather
• The World Bank estimates that, by 2050,
events in India made women and children more
the impact of the climate crisis, such as
vulnerable to modern slavery
poor crop yields, a lack of water and rising
Conclusion: sea levels, will force more than 216 million
people across six regions, including sub-
• Climate and development policy-makers
Saharan Africa, south Asia and Latin
urgently need to recognise that millions of
America, from their homes.
people displaced by climate change are being,
and will be, exposed to slavery in the coming • Climate change-induced extreme weather
decades. events put women, children and minorities at
risk of modern slavery and human trafficking.
• Policymakers should therefore develop
targeted actions, at national and international • The phenomenon is on the rise in India.
levels, to address the issue. • In Sundarbans, the delta region is
• The global and regional discourse on characterised by intense, recurrent and
development and climate policy must consider sudden onset disasters, as well as slow onset
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ecological degradation making large areas • This would be in addition to the existing 40.3
uninhabitable. million people living under slavery in the
• Rising sea levels, erratic rainfall, increased world.
frequency of cyclones, tidal surges and floods, • NICEF has repeatedly warned that climate
mean that millions of people across the change increases the risk of girls being pushed
Sundarbans are unable to work for most of the into unsafe migration and displacement, which
year. can expose them to the risk of modern slavery.
• In 2020, during Cyclone Amphan, 9. Describe in brief about the following social
embankment was breached and seawater evils present in Telangana and also mention their
entered the flood plains resulting in current status.
widespread displacement from homes and loss
of livelihoods for more than two million Introduction:
people. Write about social evil and list some social evils
• Such events made locals vulnerable to prevalent in Telangana.
traffickers and drove them into forced labour.
Body:
• Severe cyclone and flooding in Sundarbans
delta had also reduced the land for agriculture, Describe the four social evils Jogini system, vetti,
which is the major source of livelihood. Devadasi system and Child marriages and also
• While restrictions were imposed by bordering mention the current status of each social evil in
countries, smugglers and traffickers operating Telangana.
in the affected region targeted widows and
Conclusion:
men desperate to cross the border to India to
find employment.
• Though government has provided rules to
• Women were trafficked and often forced into
reduce social evils, instead of coming to dead-
hard labour and prostitution, with some
end , social evils in India seem to rise.
working in daily labour along the border.
• Therefore, due action must be taken for the
• People displaced and migrating from rural to
betterment of the people of the country and
urban areas with no resources, skills or social
definitely for changing the mindset of the
networks at their destination, are targeted by
existing society.
agents and traffickers in Dhaka or Kolkata.
• Strict laws should be made and strict
• At the same time, climate change has made
punishment should be given to the people who
children more vulnerable.
indulge in these social evils.
• By established the close relationship between
lack of resources, alternative livelihoods, Content:
safety nets and the protection against loss and Jogini System – ‘temple slaves’:
damage as well as debt and exploitation. Scale
of displacement has been increased. • Jogini is a cultural tradition imposed on
• As many as 55 million people were internally 90% of dalit Madiga caste girls.
displaced within their countries due to • Young girls are pushed into sex trade in the
extreme weather events in 2020. name of joginis. These girls are dedicated
• This is the highest in the last one decade. to goddess yellamma a local rural goddess.
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• The parents of the girls generally believe It can be household work, carrying report
that when the young girl is dedicated to or mails, firewood collection from forest.
Goddess Yellamma temple she becomes • It is obligatory that schedule caste families
jogini and serves Village men which need to send one person from the family to
eventually lead to disappearance of all the perform vetti.
evil spirits in the village. • The worst form of vetti was exploitation of
• Mathas publicly dance during festival time girls and women, they were sent to
and that day she is meant to be sexually landlords houses to keep with them.
available to people.
Current Status:
• Joginis have different names in different
parts of the state. • Article 23 (1) of the constitution prohibits
o In Mahabubnagar, Adilabad, begar and other similar forms of forced
Medak, Warangal and Nizamabad - labour and it provides that any
Joginis; contravention of the said prohibition shall
o In Rangareddy district - be an offence.
Mathamma; • Bonded labour system has been abolished
o In Karimnagar district - Amababai from 25th October 1975 and every bonded
Jogini. labour has been set free and has been
Current Status: discharged from any obligation to render
any bonded labour from this date.
• Several NGOs are working effectively • Though the bonded labour is legally
lobbying with government, joining them banned, the system continues in remote
into schools, giving them training, exposing villages with different names specially in
them to normal lives. some tribal pockets and in scheduled caste
• Though the practice has not yet stopped, areas.
the organisations manage to spread the
Devadasi system / Female servant of God /
awareness to the maximum levels.
Dancing girls in temples:
• But, there is a need to sensitise all the
sections of the society only then the • Devadasi means any unmarried woman
problem may be solved. dedicated to Goddess or deity, idol, object
Vetti System: or worship in temple or other religious
institution.
• Vetti Chakiri is a system which is exclusive • It supplies young girls and keep them as
slavery kind of feature of Telangana during concubines to the village elders, rich
Nizam rule and it continued till 1980s. landlords.
• It was believed that the vetti was existed • They were basically trained in classical
only in some backward tribal regions and music and dance. They live in the house is
poor marginalized untouchable provided by patron, rich man in the village.
communities. • Their situation changed as the tradition
• Vetti is an unpaid work assigned to the was made illegal across India in 1988, and
lower castes mostly untouchable families. the temple has distanced from public.
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• Even after stringent laws it didn't vanish • More than six per cent of the child
from the society as it is the complex system marriages reported across the country
interwined with poverty, social conditions, from 2018 to 2020 were from Telangana,
gender and sexual exploitation of women according to the Ministry of Women and
of untouchable communities. Child Development (MoWCD).
• One-man commission headed by Justice • Of the 1,809 child marriages reported in
Raghunath Rao, a former judge, has found the country during the three-year period,
that the age-old social menace is prevalent Arunachal Pradesh topped the list with 341
in all districts in both the states. child marriage cases, followed by West
• It submitted the report on Devadasis Bengal (236), Karnataka (217) and Tami
recently stating that about 80,000 women Nadu (190), while Telangana was fifth on
still follow the system. the list with 119.
• Devadasi system continues to flourish in • The Covid pandemic that broke out over a
rural areas of Telangana and Andhra year ago, has indirectly led to a drastic
Pradesh. increase in crimes against women and
children in the State, especially cases of
Child marriages:
domestic violence and child marriages.
• Child marriage is a marriage or similar 10. Describe in brief about the Fluorosis in
union, formal or informal, between a child Telangana.
under a certain age – typically age 18 – and
Introduction:
an adult or another child.
• The vast majority of child marriages are Write briefly about Fluorosis in Telangana.
between a girl and a man, and are rooted
Body:
in gender inequality.
• Child marriage violates the rights of Mention the impact, preventive measures,
children and has widespread with long- government and non-government initiatives taken
term consequences for child brides and regarding the Fluorosis in Telangana.
child grooms.
Conclusion:
• For girls, in addition to mental health issues
and a lack of access to education and Though Telangana government has declared itself
career opportunities, this includes adverse as Fluorosis-free state, certain measures should be
health effects as a result of early pregnancy taken by the people to prevent Fluorosis. They are:
(including teenage pregnancy) and
childbirth. • Sensitizing the community with information on
• Many young women, who are pushed into fluorosis, importance of drinking safe water
the perils of early marriage, are sometimes and about healthy diet are important for
just a few months away from turning, or prevention and control of fluorosis.
just turned 18 years — the legal age of • Water contaminated with fluoride more than
marriage for women in India. 1ppm should not be consumed.
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• High fluoride containing products viz., Supari, • As per the findings of the study published in
tobacco, black rock salt, red rock salt (Sindhi), the journal of Human and Ecological Risk
Drugs and cosmetics like toothpaste, mouth Assessment, the people from Telangana state
rinses and any other products proven to have are vulnerable to dental and skeletal fluorosis,
high fluoride should be avoided. due to the intake of high fluoride content in
• Intake of foods (rich in calcium, iron, vitamin c, drinking water.
other antioxidants), such as milk, curd, green • The elevated level of fluoride in groundwater
leafy vegetables, fruits should be advocated. after the monsoon season was because of the
increase of mineral dissolution in the rainy
Content:
season.
• Fluorosis is a cosmetic condition that affects Prevention of Fluorosis:
the teeth. It’s caused by overexposure to
Fluorosis can be prevented by avoiding excessive
fluoride during the first eight years of life. This
intake of fluoride by individuals / community.
is the time when most permanent teeth are
Excessive fluoride intake and its adverse effects
being formed. After the teeth come in, the
can be minimized or prevented by adapting
teeth of those affected by fluorosis may
following measures:
appear mildly discolored.
• Nalgonda in Telangana was the worst-affected
• By using alternative water sources,
district due to the disease that affects bones
• By removing excessive fluoride from
and teeth.
drinking water,
Impact of Fluorosis in Telangana: • By improving the nutritional status of
population/individuals at risk.
A study has revealed that about 31% in the pre-
monsoon and 80% of the post-monsoon Government and non-Government initiatives
groundwater sampling showed 1.5 to 4 mg per regarding Fluorosis:
litre of fluoride content in the state.
1. Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir:
• A considerable amount of fluoride enters the • The reservoir provides Krishna water to
human body through drinking water and the Nalgonda district which has
excess fluoride can be toxic for health. permissible limits of fluoride.
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set • This helped deal with the vital public
the minimum and maximum limits of fluoride health problem to a large extent.
content for drinking water purposes at 0.5 and 2. District Fluoride Monitoring Centre (DFMC):
1.5 mg/l, respectively.
A multi-department coordinated District
• The intake of elevated fluoride has a significant
Fluoride Monitoring Centre (DFMC) was set up
impact on the health of human beings.
in 2012. The UNICEF came forward to support
Immediate problems are seen in children’s
this and formed a multi-partite partnership
teeth.
with the district administration, the National
• Excess fluoride leads to mottling of teeth,
Institute of Nutrition (NIN) and the Fluoride
calcification of ligaments, and crippling of
Knowledge and Action Network (FKAN).
bones, says a WHO report.
3. Mission Bhageeratha:
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• It aims to provide pide safe potable Mention the historically background of OBCs
drinking water to every household. reservation.
• Special focus was laid down to provide Conclusion:
safe drinking water to villages where
the flouride content in water is high. • Implementation of Mandal commission
recommendations empowered communities.
4. Community defluoridation plant / Nalgonda
• But the current architecture of reservations
Technique:
needs a review, with the aim of creating a just,
• The first community defluoridation
inclusive and equal society, without inclination
plant for removal of fluoride from
towards populist movements.
drinking water was constructed in the
district of Nalgonda. Content:
• The technology was developed by • The National Commission for the Backward
National Environmental Engineering Classes of India is a Constitutional Body (as
Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur in per 102nd Constitution Amendment Act of
1961. 2018) under Article 338B of the Indian
5. Condition of surface water supply has Constitution.
improved • It was formerly managed by the Ministry of
6. Provisions regarding food and nutrition: Social Justice and Empowerment as a statutory
• The Indian Natural Resource body under the National Commission for
Economics and Management (INREM) Backward Classes Act, 1993.
Foundation which conducted a survey Historical Background of OBC Reservation:
in the fluoride affected villages of
• Establishing First Backward Class
Nalgonda declared that there had been
Commission:
no new cases of fluorosis reported in
➢ In January 1953, the Nehru government had
the district in the last six years.
set up the First Backward Class
• INREM too suggested that the intensity Commission under the chairmanship of social
of the disease came down due to the reformer Kaka Kalelkar.
supply of safe drinking water under the ➢ The commission submitted its report in March
Mission Bhagiratha. 1955, listing 2,399 backward castes or
communities, with 837 of them classified as
11. Mention the historical background of OBCs
‘most backwards’.
reservation with emphasis on Mandal
➢ However, the report was never implemented.
Commission recommendations.
• Establishing Second Backward Class
Introduction: Commission:
➢ On January 1979, the Morarji Desai
Mention the current status of OBCs in India and
government chose Mandal, a former chief
current related issues such as creamy layer and
giving the constitutional status to National minister of Bihar, to head the Second
Commission for the Backward Classes under Backward Class Commission.
Article 338B ➢ Mandal submitted his report two years later,
on December 1980.
Body: ➢ However, by then, the Morarji Desai
government had fallen and Indira Gandhi came
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to power and the issue remained in the deep tool to address historic injustice, and
freeze for about a decade. made it an exercise in power
• Implementation of Mandal Commission: distribution and employment
➢ In 1990, the then Prime Minister V P Singh generation.
announced in the Parliament that the • Unequal Benefits and Creation of Political
recommendations of the Mandal Commission Divide:
would be implemented. ➢ According to the Rohini Commission,
➢ The announcement witnessed violent protests out of almost 6,000 castes and
all over India, especially in northern and communities in the OBCs, only 40 such
western India, and many students immolated communities had gotten 50% of
themselves in protest and a few of them died reservation benefits for admission in
as well. central educational institutions and
• Indira Sawhney Case: recruitment to the civil services.
➢ Following the severe opposition, the issue of ➢ This has led to a political divide and
OBC reservation reached the Supreme Court in demands for sub-categorisation, a
1992. This case is known as ‘Indira Sawhney process currently underway.
Judgment’ or Mandal Case. • Cause of Social Disharmony:
➢ The Supreme Court upheld the 27% The policy of reservation has caused the
reservation for OBCs but also stated that the resentment of those communities which did
only caste was not an indicator of social and not have a share in the reservation.
educational backwardness.
Mandal commission recommendations:
➢ Also, to ensure that benefits of the
recommendations of the Mandal Commission • In exercise of the powers conferred
percolated down to the most backward by Article 340, the President appointed a
communities, the creamy layer criteria was backward class commission in December
invoked. 1978 under the chairmanship of B. P.
Mandal.
Aftermath of Mandal Commission:
• The commission was formed to determine
• Opposition to Mandal Commission: the criteria for defining India’s “socially
➢ It faced mainly opposition on two and educationally backward classes” and
grounds, that reservation would to recommend steps to be taken for the
compromise the merit and can the advancement of those classes.
reservation be given on economic lines. • The Mandal Commission submitted its
➢ However, it revolves around vote-bank report in 1980 and generated an all-India
politics which defeats the original other backward classes (OBC) list of 3,743
purpose of reservation policy. castes and a more underprivileged
• Defeating the Intended Goal of Reservation “depressed backward classes” list of 2,108
Policy: castes.
➢ In order to fulfil populist’s demands, • The Commission concluded that India’s
political parties continued to expand population consisted of approximately
reservation to the extent that 52% OBCs, therefore 27% government
communities who are well-off, avail jobs should be reserved for them.
reservation quotas. • In pursuit of social justice, the Mandal
➢ This has undermined the entire Commission recommendations were
purpose of reservation, envisaged as a implemented. However, only half of the
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recommendations of the commission were • Mention the current status of poverty in India
implemented. and Telangana
• The commission held that reservations
Body:
along all financial assistance will remain
mere unless the problem of backwardness Mention the Telangana Government initiatives in
is tackled at its root. eradicating the poverty in state.
as envisioned in the Sustainable Development • Telangana ranked 3rd on below both aspects,
Goals it was the only state to have:
• It would work towards eradicating diseases ➢ demonstrated a strong overall
and strengthening the health system in the performance and
state, with a special focus on personnel ➢ a marked incremental performance on
development and addressing new emerging NITI Aayog’s Annual Health Index 2019-
health challenges. 20
• Its efforts towards strengthening the health
Content:
systems in the state, it was declared as the only
larger state where all Primary Health Centers
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines
(PHCs) and Urban PHCs(UPHCs) are now
‘health’ as a state of complete physical,
functioning as Health and Wellness Centres
mental, and social well-being, and not merely
(HWCs).
the absence of disease or infirmity.
• As per the IPHS (2012) norms for staffing in
• In line with the WHO’s definition, the
2019-20, Telangana had:
Telangana government focuses on the
➢ No shortfall in the number of Auxiliary
preventive as well as curative aspects of
Nurse Midwives (ANMs) at Health Sub
health, with the aim of:
Centers (HSCs)
➢ prolonging the life and
➢ No shortfall in the number of Medical
➢ promoting the well-being of its citizens.
Officers (MOs) at PHCs and UPHCs, and
• Since the state’s formation, the Government
➢ One of the lowest shortfalls in the
has invested significantly in strengthening its
number of specialist doctors at District
public health system.
Hospitals.
• It has further sharpened its focus towards
• In 2021, the Telangana Government
quality healthcare provisioning in light of
announced plans to establish four Telangana
pandemic.
Institute of Medical Sciences & Research
• The state has constituted a committee to
(TIMS) hospitals with infrastructure at par with
review the conditions of government hospitals
corporate hospitals.
as well as to study the best practices in other
• To strengthen the medical education in the
well-performing states and countries.
state, the Government sanctioned 8 new
• In order to improve health outcomes in the
Government Medical Colleges with a
state, specifically for persons belonging to
cumulative intake of MBBS students.
marginalized communities, the Government
• To bring healthcare services close to the urban
has launched several schemes that focus on
poor, the Government has established Basti
improving the availability, accessibility, and
Dawakhanas in urban slums that offer 53
affordability of quality healthcare.
different health services free of cost including:
• Further, in alignment with the Government’s
➢ outpatient consultation
objective of “Aarogya Telangana”, and to instill
➢ medicines
new confidence in the government healthcare
➢ basic lab diagnosis
system, the Government made a budgetary
➢ antenatal/postnatal care and
allocation towards the National Health Mission
➢ screening for non-communicable
for improving healthcare service delivery.
diseases.
• The past year has seen a substantive increase
• Basti Dawakhanas also provide specialist
in the investments towards the expansion and
consultation through Telemedicine.
improvement of health infrastructure in the
state.
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Mana La Excellence Group 1 Mains Practice Questions
• Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar were built in • Any move to scrap the government order
1920 and 1927 respectively under the last would be a violation of Supreme Court
Nizam-era ruler Mir Osman Ali Khan, after the judgement.
devastating 1908 floods in Hyderabad. • By scrapping this government order, a move
• M. Visvesvaraya wanted to make the city that could largely benefit the real estate
flood-proof. sector.
• Under his recommendation to control excess • Both Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar were
water during floods, these two massive mainly built for flood control after 1908
storage reservoirs were built. massive floods.
• The reservoirs eventually became a crucial • Hyderabad got flooded twice in the last three
source of drinking water as water from river years and that resulted in loss of life and
Musi and Esa. inundation of several areas.
• GO 111 is applicable to 1.32 lakh acres of land • If reservoirs like Osman Sagar and Himayat
in 84 villages. Sagar are not kept intact, the water impact
• The 84 villages fall under the 10-km catchment flowing into the city will be much higher and
area of Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar. that will create havoc for the city.
• Development of residential zones are • The reservoir gates were opened during 2020
permitted but with following restrictions on and 2021 floods and they are still a source of
land use: drinking water.
➢ About 90% area for recreation and • These are gravity reservoirs and the water
conservation. from here naturally flows into the filter beds in
➢ About 60% of the total area shall be the city.
kept as open space and roads in the
Environmental factors:
catchment area.
Consequences of ending the GO111 of Telangana • The reservoirs located in the southwest
Government: direction of the city, also provide quality wind
during the southwest monsoon.
• According to Telangana Government, the city • Any kind of pollution in those areas would
no longer depended on these reservoirs for its affect the wind quality.
water needs as the government is now able to • The Mrugavani National Park between the
draw water from massive Krishna and twin reservoirs and the entire area acts as a
Godavari rivers. heat absorption unit for the city and if that is
• However, the local body had tapped water allowed, the city would become a furnace.
resources of Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar • The state’s most fertile land is in these areas
as recently as 2019, after other reservoirs and mostly locals depend on agriculture for
dried up. their source of income.
• It would not be easy to revoke the government
order, due to a “precautionary principle”
issued by the Supreme Court in 2000 when an
industrial unit approached the top court for
operate within 10 km of the catchment area.
• The court had upheld GO 111, restricting any
construction activities which could pollute the
lake.
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