India social issues & Welfare Schemes

8/18/2019 India social issues & Welfare Schemes

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Is there a need to revamp social sector schemes sponsored by the central

government? Examine why with examples.

Any government scheme is a governance measure to address the prevailing socio-

economic conditions. As the scenario changes, so the need for revamping schemes

originates, to remain in syn with the scenario.

NEEDS FO E!A"#$N% S&'E"ES

(a) elevance* +o mae scheme address the changed socio-economic condition y

adding new goals and removing redundant ones eg "%NE%A needs revamping to

e more realistic.

() educe Duplication* "any schemes often have nuance variation in their

oectives. As they address the similar set of goals their mearger improves targeting

eg S/0, AA/0,$%NO#S.

(c) Administrative convenience* Similar schemes wor under the oversight ofdi1erent ministries creating confusion over monitoring and reporting activities eg

AA/0 under "oF and $%NO#S under "oD.

(d) &ost consideration* Duplicate schemes increase cost witout ringing any

e1ective change.

(e) #opulist politics* Schemes often announces in heat of election su1er from poor

allocation and stagnacy maing their woring impracticale.

(f) "onitoring* Single scheme maes monitoring e1ective thus improving outcomes.

(h) "istargeted* Sometimes schemes fail to address the right target group and

needs to e revamped.

($) Devolution of power* "ore participation needed, its more top down right now.

evamping also poses certain challenges lie redrafting and identifying relevant

goals, training sta1 who are acustomed to earlier schemes along with technical

prolems. +hus revamping though appears as solution ut its actual e2cacy

depends on the udiciousness of revamping e3ercise.


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How and why leprosy is caused. Critically comment on its continued

existence in India and on government’s initiatives to tackle this disease.

4eprosy is a bacterial disease that afects the nervous system. $t is a maor

cause of disaility among people. $ndian government has a dedicated programme

called, 5ational !eprosy Eradication "rogramme6 since 7899. $t follows a two

pronged strategy that includes*

(a) Early detection through increased awareness among masses.

() +reatment of patient using a multi#drug therapy (availale since 78:7).

A multiple stakeholder approach including government, N%O, voluntary

organisation and 4E#A is adopted to ;ght this disease. %overnment also declared

certain states as endemic for special intervention.

Despite a dedicated programme running for the last ==9

has shifted focus from it.

(c) umors aout the disease and the social stigma acts as deterrent to early

detection and treatment.

(d) Symptomatic treatment using "D+ has not achieved a foolproof level.

$E& activities should form the core of leprosy eradication programme together with

development of vaccine through gloal collaoration if this lot is to e removed.

Apart from the physiological prolem faced y the patient, he also su1ers from a lot

psychological e1ect. Due to stigma attached with the disease he faces a lot of

indignity and humiliation from the society. 4eprosy patient are discriminated and

denied access to even asic services lie education, sanitation and community

ased rehailitation which leaves them with no option other than to eg on the

streets.


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*rite a note on the important 'eatures o' recently released government o' India’s new ational +ental Health "olicy.

ecogni?ing that #ersons with mental illness constitute a vulnerale section of

society and are suect to discrimination in our society, %ovt. launched National

"ental health #olicy recently. $ndia already has National "ental 'ealth #rogram from

78:>.

+he "ental 'ealth #olicy calls for recognition of mental disorders and more

accessile and holistic treatment of mental illnesses. Other important features are-

7) $t lays guidelines for the mental health care services being ofered andprovision of 'unds for opening of departments in hospitals related to psychological

and psychiatric care.

>) $t recommends for the decriminali,ation o' attempted suicides ecause it

has een a maor cause of deaths among such people.

@) $t advocates for change in attitude towards mental illnesses. $t plans to ensure

availaility and accessiility of minimum mental health care for all, particularly to

the most vulnerable and underprivileged sections of population.

) A plan -+ental Health ction "lan /0$’ is also launched which spells out

speci;c roles for the centre, state, local odies and civil societies.

An awareness campaign needs to e launched to inform people aout the mental

health prolems and destigmati?ation of people su1ering from mental illness. As we

now, families ear disproportionate ;nancial, physical, mental, emotional and

social urden of providing treatment and care for their relatives with mental illness.

#ersons with mental illness should e treated lie other persons with health

prolems.

+he environment around them should e made conducive to facilitate recovery

rehailitation and full participation in society. +he New "ental health #olicy provides

some hope in this nole direction.


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1 2he 3uality o' healthcare system determines one’s health.1 In thecontext o' India4 critically examine what should be government’s priorities

in the healthcare sector.

+he priority areas for government in health sector are

7) $ncreasing health care centres- +here is a need to increase the outreach of pulic

health care. Opening of #'&s, &'&s and tertiary health centres should e the main

priority. /ut merely opening centres without adeBuate infrastructure or silled

manpower would mae them redundant.

>) $ncreasing the numer of silled manpower C "ost of the hospitals and #'&s

remain understa1ed. FreBuent asenteeism y doctors. 4ac of adeBuate

monitoring mechanisms.

@) $nfrastructure C #ulic health centres lac minimum reBuired technical

eBuipment. Sanitation and hygiene given low priority. No separate laour rooms.

Operation centres inadeBuate. #ulic spending has to e increased.

) &hange of priority from health insurance to health facilities C +oo much reliance

on health insurance. "ost of the spending on health sector goes to insurance, very

little left to upgrade health centres.

9) +onitor and properly private healthcare C Due to failure of pulic health,

people have relied on private centres. hich are themselves e3ploitative, charge

e3oritant rates, over diagnosis. 'ence, a need to monitor them. 'owever, private

health has een e2cient and at least in terms of "edication, is up to the mar.


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8) utrition and 6anitation C #rovision of clean drining water and sanitation

facilities to reduce gastronomical disease which weaens the immune system of

human and a1ect mental and physical growth. $ntegration of nutrition schemes lie

$&DS, "D"S etc

'ealth sector is vital and should get adeBuate priority economically and politically.Need a paradigm shift to ensure universal health care and reduce dependence on

private sector.

ccording to reports and various opinions4 the declining standards o'

medical education coupled with poor health service delivery continue to

be ma)or national concerns. 7iscuss the re'orms needed in the healthsector to improve the standards o' medical education and health delivery.

A ad doctor is worse than having no doctor. eforms which are needed to improve

the poor Bualities of doctor in $ndia or asically the medical education are

- &ommon &ompetitive Entrance E3am C National Eligiility and Entrance +est

(NEE+ ) is the good option and it should e revived. $t will help ring in

meritorious students- &ompensate for lac of Faculty C Adunct professors should e appointed.

Online courses and tele-education can e used

- pdate &urriculum C $mpart practical sills too- $ncrease in the numer of #% seats and ringing all the #% courses under

common regulatory system instead of few eing managed y "&$ and few y

National /oards of E3amination- +o improve Buality of doctors in rural areas, compulsory posting of doctors

after completion of course in #'& for a stipulated time

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- $ndia have only > virology testing centres. +his prolem was reali?ed in theface of '7N7 outrea in >==8. 'ence ministry has decided to open 7>= new

virology testing centres in $ndia to deal with Eola lie cases.


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Critically evaluate the state o' primary healthcare sector in India.

Highlight its importance vs tertiary health care

#rolems

- 4ow doctor to patient ratio.- 4ac of medicines- Opening of New tertiary services will divert the scare resources from primary

health care- Opening up of new A$$"S, will lead to ypass of the #'&s, as oserved in the

case of Delhi A$$"S, overloading the A$$"S with minor health prolem cases

reducing its e2cacy. hereas investment in #'& can help to tae care of

these things as well as prevention of diseases lie immuni?ation, regular

health checup and nutrition awareness drives through #'&s, as they will

have wider and deeper reach- Also, as it is promoted, that A$$"S will help more doctors created which can

then help in rural sector, ut as many as 9=G go aroad. 'ence on a cost-

e1ective asis itHs etter to invest in health professionals lie nurse, A" etc

which can help in improving rural health infrastructure.


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*rite a note on the ob)ectives and importance o' the ational 896H+ission :+;

+he Department of $ndian Systems of "edicine and 'omoeopathy was created in

"arch 7889 and renamed A0S' (Ayurveda, 0oga and Naturopathy, nani, Siddha

and 'omeopathy) in Novemer >==@ to provide focused attention to the

development of education and research in these systems of medicine. 'owever, no

remarale achievements too place in researchIeducation of A0S'.

So, ational 896H +ission was approved to e launched in order to ridge the

gap in health services. $t supports State governments and +s to provide A0S'

health services and education in the country. $ts oectives are*

a) $mprovement of A0S' education through enhancement in the numer of

upgraded educational institutionsJ

) /etter access to A0S' services through increase in numer of A0S' hospitals

and dispensaries, availaility of drugs and manpowerJ

c) #roviding sustained availaility of Buality raw material for A0S' systems of

medicineJ and

d) $mproving availaility of Buality Ayurvedic, Siddha, nani and 'omeopathy drugs

through increase in numer of pharmacies, drug laoratories

$mportance*

- $t can e used e1ectively in remote and far-Kung areas.

- $t promotes preventive health care.

- $t is diverse, Ke3ile, accessile and a1ordale, acceptance y a large pulic and

has a growing economic value.


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$t is even more important in the wae of many patents ;led y foreign companies

on Ayurvedic medicines (most of which are developed in $ndia). $t is our duty to

preserve and protect our rich heritage and culture which should not e stolen y

unscrupulous usiness interests aroad. +he nowledge we received from our

ancestors must e passed onto generations without discrimination from foreign

nations. 'ence, NA" has ecome a signi;cant step in that direction.

2he >> days o' li'e4 between a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s

second birthday4 are critical 'or inuencing li'elong health and intellectual

development o' the child. Elaborate and also explain what measures has

Indian government taken to address this issue.

'D >=7 has de;ned the period of 7=== days from womenHs pregnancy to the > nd

irthday of child as one of the vulnerale period in the life cycle. omenHs health

condition, hygiene and care during the pregnancy very much determine the health

of the orn child. After the irth of the child proper nourishment, immuni?ation and

psychosocial stimulation not only helps in the physical growth of the child ut alsodevelopment of its cognitive sills. &hildren su1er from stunted growth with lac of

intellectual power due to poor health conditions. #hysical strength can e gained

later in the life cycle ut ma3imum rain development taes place in ;rst @ years

and hence a loss in this period ecome Buite permanent and child faces prolem in

his life due to sudued intellectual capacity.

%overnment is aware of the criticality of this cohert and have taen a numer of

steps that can e roen down into three groups. +hese are

AN+ENA+A4

$nvolves various nutrition and immunisation programmes done through AS'A.

!ariuos incentives lie $%"S0 provides conditional cash transfer. #regnancy leaves

are given to woring ladies.

$N+A NA+A4


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$ncludes multiple schemes lie LS0, LSSM, $%"S0, Navat shishu surasha aryaram

etc. +hese schemes target to ma3imises institutional deliveries and post delivery

care.

NEONA+A4

$ncludes facility ased new orn care and 'ome ased new orn care. #romotional

activities lie mothers mil till < months and various immunisation programmes are

undertaen. $&DS , $# etc are integrated under NE&&E policy for a holistic

approach.

Despite these high $", "" and ourgeoning malnutrition and stunted growth

case highlights the discrete approach and lac of $E& activities for etter awareness.

+hus, a policy aimed at speci;c cohert ie =-@y is pressing need if we wish to attain a

healthy and wealthy $ndia.

Comment on the recommendations o' the (amesh Chandra committee4

constituted by the 9nion health ministry to review the Cigarettes and@ther 2obacco "roducts ct :C@2";4 A>>/.

amesh &handra committee was constituted to suggest amendments in &O+#A. $t

has made following recommendations*

(a) /an selling of loose cigarette.

() $ncrease penalty for failing to specify nicotine content and smoing in pulic

place.

(c) /an point of sale advertisements and sale to persons elow >9 years.

(d) Do away with smoe ?ones in hotels and restaurants.

+hese recommendations aims to achieve following measures*

(a) Discourage smoing among youngsters y increasing the cost of purchase. +hus

the smoing hait may e delayed and proaly restricted from developing.


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() educing the visiility of toacco products y discouraging advertisements and

anning smoe ?one. educed visiility will further contain the lure of toacco

product.

(c) 'uge penalties to deter smoers may push many to adicate smoing hait.

+hough the recommendations aim to achieve a etter health status and reduce the

unnecessary health e3penditures, it falls short of suggesting ways to reduce the

potency of toacco products. Suggestions to reduce tar and nicotine content to

reduce the deleterious impact on health status of already e3istant users should also

e proposed if outright an is still not possile.

Critically comment on the situation o' 'ood production and hunger across

the world with special re'erence to India’s contribution.

$t has een widely elieved that the reason ehind hunger is scarcity of food

production but that’s not true. +he world is producing enough food even today to

feed the 7.9 times the current population. $n fact, over the last two decades the rate

of food production has increased faster than population growth rate.

(eal problem* "overty and Ine3uality. #overty leads to low access to food

resources inspite of having surplus lying in %odowns and ineBuality leads to adresource allocation and hence misuse. +he produced food is eing hoarded

legitimately.

'umanitarian considerations should dominate international food maret, not

economics. +o feed the hungry is a solemn duty of the well fed, and the latter are

shiring.


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4arge scale farming, free trade and lifting tari1 on trade will not solve this prolem.

"ulti-pronged approach lie Organic Farming (does well in drought years), shift

from iofuel and fodders to food crops, local farming according to local needs, is

needed.

$ndia is home to the largest numer of the hungryJ however, it has a roust trade

surplus in agriculture and has recorded year on year record food grain production.

Steps taen y $ndia*

- programs lie Food Security and its e1ective implementation will help people

coming out of hunger.

- $ndia has focused on local level, cooperative and family ased farming, it helps

the small farmers to meet their nutritional demands.

- un food and malnutrition* government has increased ta3 on everages and alsofocusing on massive campaign and ground level implementation to move people

towards nutrition ased food intae.

+o e3port food, while the people starve to death is scandalous for a democracy.

$ndia should use the surplus to feed its poor, and the resulting appreciation in

human capital will compensate for the revenue loss.

+he Food should e staggered released to open maret, hoarding prevented and

the poor empowered to uy at the now reduced maret prices.

6anitation

*rite a note on 6wachh Bharat osh and 6wachh Didyalaya schemes.

Sanitation is one of the issue which has een highlighted as responsile for the

malnutrition, decreased immunity and stunted growth of the children.

%ovt of $ndia has launched a 6wachh Didyalaya 6cheme, under which their

goal is to provide functional toilet to every school y Aug 79 >=79. +his is a scheme

under the Beti "adhao Beti Bachao and is run under the 'D.

6wachh Bharat osh is a non-lapsale fund created for the purpose of

;nancing the uilding of toilets under the Swach !idyalaya Scheme. +he corpus of


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+he scheme aims to stop open defecation through construction of IHH!

:individual household latrines;, cluster toilets and community toilets (especially

through ### mode). 6olid and li3uid waste management also forms an

important component of the programme. "aor thrust is eing given to information,

education and communication of importance of cleanliness.

Also, in a &S (corporate social responsiility) initiative, !2 has announced that it

shall construct 9,=== toilets across $ndia. Signi;cantly, the 6B identi


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Mala a?ar is a neglected tropical disease which is the second largest parasite

iller in the world. $t is caused y the bite o' 'emale sandy which is a parasite

carrier. +he parasite attacs liver, spline and immune system. $f left uncheced it

may e fatal.

Four states ie. /ihar, Lharhand, Eastern .#. , and est /engal are endemic to MalaA?ar. $n the asence of any vaccine and drugs for its treatment government taes a

numer of measures which are*

#E!EN+$!E "EASES

(a) Spray of insecticide "yrethroid to ill the larve of sand Ky.

() IEC activities to create awareness aout the causes of Mala A?ar.

(c) Declared states endemic for enhancing focus.

(d) Distriution of insect repellent in endemic areas.

&A+$!E "EASES

(a) Availaility of 'ree medicines for symptomatic treatment.

() Estalishment of special 3uarantined wards 'or patients.

(c) &ommunity drives for early detection.

(d) $ssuing guidelines aout treatment to "edical professionals.

/esides these activities government also collaorate in global research and

development activities aimed at development of vaccines and drugs for this

disease. +hough it hasnHt tasted success so far it is not long efore which a rea

through can e achieved.

%ovt is targeting the disease y 7 pronged strategy

- Indoor residual spraying. $S is more e1ective in pucca houses than the

utcha ones.- &are +reatment protocol- E3tensively reaching out to the patients and searching for them in

endemic district rather than waiting for them- Changing the treatment regime C from talets to inectale medicine.

%ovt has recently issued a ala ,ar rapid diagnosis kit.


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7engue

6ome 5acts

- lah cases of dengue in >=7@ SE Asia egion, this region roughly amounts

to half the dengue occurrence in world

- #oor sewage management, solid waste management, slum development,loced drainage in uran cities provide good reeding ground for the vectors

- +o decrease the spread of disease needs a comprehensive approach involving

not ust the medical facilities ut also awareness campaigns, community

participation, sanitation drives, water supply, uran system improvement etc.

+his disease has roots in socio-economic issues lie poverty, lac of housing

facilities etc.- +he accumulation of modern non-iodegradale products such as automoile

tyres, plastic containers and tin products provides a conducive environment

for proli;c reeding- 7haka 7eclaration on Dector#borne 7iseases - +he Declaration

encourages a Gwhole o' government1 approach against diseases such as

dengue. +his was in recognition of the importance of a multi#sectoral

approach to addressing dengue outreas and in order to advocate utmost

need for 'ealth in All #olicies.


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9niversal Health Insurance 6cheme vs 6ingle "ayer 6ystem

$ndia has een following QSingle #ayer SystemH for delivery of health care facilities

since independence. +he system asically aims to provide free health care facilities

to all through government facilities. +he system is sustained with the ta3 revenues.

Despite its good intention it has not een ale to deliver on the promises due to

poor management and lac of resources. eason of poor performance of the

healthcare facilities till now*

7. $nvestment C %ovt investment in the health care system has een minimal

and health care e3penditure to %D# is one of the lowest in world. e lac

asic facilities in health centres as well as the medicines reBuired.>. 4ac of trained profession in %ovt 'ospitals C Due to meager salary and

unattractive o o1ering, medical students prefer to oin private hospitals

rather than the govt ones. +hey donHt want to serve in rural area when they

can mae multiple amount of salary with the comfort of city life@. #oor or Ethics C Asenteeism, carelessness and poor performance of the

health care sta1 . Focus on speci;c health program C Due to this general health care capacity of

the system gets reduced and neglected sometimes

$n the recent policy declaration %ovt has announced a niversal 'ealth Assurance

under which niversal 'ealth $nsurance will e o1ered. #remium will e susidi?ed

for the poor people. Although a nole concept to o1er '$ this comes with his own

set of drawacs C

7. egulation - E1ective implementation of this reBuires a strict regulation of thehealth insurance providers and health service providers which will increase

the cost of delivery of health care tremendously given the sheer si?e and

population of $ndia. E3ample could e taen from Swit?erland where despite

eing small country its health care e3penditure per capita is very high due to

this ind of system.>. Accreditation of Doctors C &ertifying the doctors would e a enormous tas.

Also, in $ndia we have large numer of non-registered medical practitioner

who are outside the scope of medical system@. "onopoly of $nsurer C $n the case of poor regulation, poor people are at the

mercy of insurance providers, lie in SA, where they charge high premium

for all ut healthy person and deny covering the e3penses of medication on

certain prete3ts. 4itigation cost and its slow nature add to the woes in case

people want to complain. nethical practices y doctor C Due to ;nancial incentives doctors sometimes

increase the cost of medication y doing unnecessary procedures and test.


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9. "isaligned $nterest C #rivate hospitals are not concerned with the

containment of the disease as this does not have ;nancial gain for them.

#revention care is est suited to e handled y government.

7espite eforts 'rom the government4 malnutrition among children persists

in India. Critically examine the reasons.

"alnutrition is an emerging challenge to $ndiaHs gloal leadership pegged on its

demographic dividend. +he main reasons for it are*

Health and 6anitation

(a) "overty* $t is the iggest curse that restricts the availaility and access of good

food causing malnutrition.

() utrition wareness* 4ac of nutrition nowledge creates unalanced nutrient

intae resulting in poor health of otherwise fat children.

(c) Fender biasness* Discrimination of girl child in feeding creates an acute

malnutrition of girl. +he wea mother gives irth to a wea child and the cycle

perpetuates.

(d) 5ood habit* $ndian sweet tooth and their inclination towards fried food create

de;ciency of protein and micronutrients causing malnutrition.

(e) %overnment food security policies have high degree o' exclusion errorsleaving poor out of food security net.

(g) uality o' "76 supply* +hough claimed as fair and average the Buality of food

grains is often unacceptale and hence its outcomes are poor.

(h) Ruality of food* nder inorganic agriculture the ioavailaility of nutrients has

degraded to a great e3tent.

(i) +#Culture* +he fast food culture has increased the intake o' calorie dense

and nutrient de'ucient 'ood.

() Dideo games* Are the iggest threat to uran children which not only maes

their lifestyle sedentary ut also develop ad eating haits.

+hese multitudes of prolems have restricted the health outcomes of nation y

causing malnutrition. +hus, it demands a plethora of activities spreading from food

to food education to mae a dent on malnutrition.


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According to a recent N$&EF report proportion of underweight children in $ndia has

dropped from 9G in >==9-=< to @=.G in >=7@-7. Even so, $ndia still has the

highest numer of underweight children under ;ve in the world and =G of childrenare anaemic.

$F#$ credits the governmentHs push to e3tend nutrition schemes lie

the $&DS along with etter monitoring y a S&-appointed committee, improve

access to health under the N'", provide access to wor under the NE%A and

strengthen the implementation of the #DS for susidised grain to e the reason of

improvement.


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Critically comment on India’s pension policy.

$ndiaHs pension policy, lie any other, aims to provide post retirement income to its

aging population. +he policy covers largely organi,ed sector though inroads are

eing made in unorgani,ed sectors also through co-contriutory schemes lie

N#S-4ite. 0et, the unpredictaility plagued by high market ination has resulted

in diminishing returns.

#ension sector is handled ointly y government through E"5@ and "6, and

private sector y o1ering multiple assets. +hough a transition has een made 'rom

de&. ith the passage o' "5(7 and opening J& 57I in

pension sector, $ndian pension policy has shown symptoms of treading towards

etter gloal practices to attract professional management. +here is a need to

dump the urden of antiBuated law of past to unleash new energy in pension policy.

Simultaneously the interest of the aging population should e protected who

constitute the most vulnerale section in present social milieu.

N#S is slightly etter compared to the E#FO, given it allows investment in various

asset classes for e3ample eBuity, det, credit and commodities and provide the

option to subscriber to switch from one fund manager to another resulting in

more competition for the fund managers. /ut it also share similar woes as the E#FO,lie only 9 year tenor for the fund managers and selection ased on the lowest id

and not the trac-record.

#ension and $nsurance funds have long term liaility and they should e managed

according to this so that there is no asset-liaility mismatch. Allowing a fund

manager to manage only for 9 years is antithetical to asset-liaility concept and

should e done away. 4onger tenor awarded to fund managers with consistent trac


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record will ring stability to 'und which is the most essential reBuirement for a

pension scheme.

"rimary Education

Issues (elated to teachers

#rimary education in $ndia is a tragedy despite SSA and +E. +eacher related issues

are among multiple factors responsile for this dismal state.

!A$OS +EA&'E E4A+ED $SSES

(a) +eacher Buali;cation* !arious studies have shown that even asic graduation

degree is asent in most of the teacher. 'ence their potential is elow standard.

() Salaries* +hough starting salaries are remunerative ut the practice of contract

teachers and fraudulent pay slips maes them vulnerale.

(c) Asenteeism* +eachers often indulge in secondary os to improve their incomeloosing focus on teaching.

(d) Selection* Selection process is highly politici?ed and mired with scams and

litigations.

(e) +raining* Despite training institutes in every district teachers training modules

and the motivation shown y teacher restricts any gains.

(f) Secondary os* sing teachers in secondary os lie census, polio programme,

"D" monitoring utili?es their precious teaching time.

"EASES +O $"#O!E

(a) +eachers selection should e handled y a professional autonomous ody.

() New training modules should e developed.

(c) #ractice of contract teaching should e done away till a foolproof system is

estalished.

(d) +eachers appraisal should e lined with students learning outcomes.


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(e) #ractice of compulsary promotion to ne3t class mandated in +E should e done

away with.

(f) #resident teachers award should e merit ased rather than political, to motivate

teachers.

#rimary education is the foundation on which the future of nation is uilt. ith its

reins in the hands of teachers, it should e ensured that the drivers are ale enough

to guide towards prosperity.

"rimary Education

#rimary education in $ndia is a fundamental right. $t is the fundamental duty of

every individual to provide for primary education for their children. +he right to

education act is the main legislation governing our primary education. +he Sarva

Shisha Ahiyan was launched to ful;ll the constitutional guarantee.

Features and challenges of our primary education

7) +he numer of schools has increased mainly due to the aid given y government

as per the SSA. /ut their location is concentrated. 'ence, some areas completelyneglected.

>) uality o' teaching is dismal. Even though our teachers are paid among the

highest in the world, still signi;cant asenteeism and su standard teaching.

&orruption in teacher allocation and e3amination. +eacher training not given enough

emphasis. +he alanda teacher training pro)ect is in this direction.

@) "id "ay meal scheme has increased student enrolment. /ut still India’s

retention rate very low. &hildren still seen as another source of income and

education given second priority.

) "oor in'rastructure. !ack of toilets is a1ecting girl child attendance.

9) Not much emphasis given to sports. (ote learning encouraged. #oor

e3amination surveillance.


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) $t still lacs the development o' regional and vernacular education model

which are widely accepted as est means to develop intellectual faculty of children.

#rimary education is the foundation of our demography and of we have to reap its

ene;ts then we have to completely revamp our primary education system.

(96 K (ashtriya 9chattar 6hiksha bhiyaan

SA is a &SS aimed at improving the Buality, eBuity and access of the higher

education in $ndia. /asic oectives of the scheme are

Ruality

- Improving the 3uality of e3isting higher educational institutions y

ensuring conformity with the norms and adoption of accreditation process- Ensuring availability o' 'aculty at the institution and focusing on the

capacity building of the faculty and sta1 # &reating an enaling atmosphere for research and innovation

EBuity and Access

- Opening up new universities and colleges in rural and semi#urban areas

to correct the regional imalance- &reating opportunities for the socially deprived sections4 6CL624 women

and economically backward classes to attain higher education

SA is a norm ased and outcome ased scheme. 5unding to the states will e

lined to the per'ormance o' the state and conditional to acceptance of certain

norms and reforms related to education, administrative and governance y state

"roblems 'aced in the higher education system in India


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# #oor infrastructure and technology# #oor and lac of reBuired faculty# @verregulation of the universities and political interference# !ack o' knowledge creation and poor investment in innovation and

research# &losed system and lack o' collaboration with the foreign universities and

industries# !ack o' 'unding from the government

$n the current gloal raning of niversities y +imes none of the universities

;gured in top >==. ange of steps need to e taen to revive higher education

system in $ndia.

- 5unding and uality* $nvestment from the %ovt to improve the

infrastructure, ensuring Buality faculty and opening up new universities.

SA has envisaged all of this and we need to come up with more initiatives

of the ind of Nalanda university

- 2echnology* $mproving pedagogy techniBues and using $+ as much aspossile. !irtual classrooms or open online courses can e the solution

- (esearch* Decreasing the teaching assignment of professors and

encouraging scienti;c research. niversities should have collaoration with

research set up lie $SO, $$S& etc and at the same time with the industries to

eep themselves involved with the latest reBuirements and research going on- Collaboration* "Os with the foreign universities- utonomy* $ndian universities should e given academic as well as ;nancial

and administrative autonomy on the line of world famous universities lie

'arvard, O3ford. %ovt should only set the road framewor of the higher

education.

$ndia with its e3pertise in low cost innovation and tradition of emracing outside

culture should try to launch an educational tourism in $ndia same on the lines of

"edical +ourism. +his will oost the Buality of our higher education with the

e3pertise and nowledge of foreign professors, students and industries Kowing in to

our universities in this gloali?ed world.


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9FC and Issues

%& is an autonomous ody that has the mandate 5of coordination4

determination and maintenance o' standards in institutions of higher

education6 as per the %& Act of 789@ policy does not allow a university to o1er a four-

year undergraduate programme, which allows students the option to e3it after three

years with a achelorHs degree, is a clear e3ample of over-regulation. +his tramples

upon the universityHs autonomy to decide the length of its academic programmes. $t

also smacs of aritrariness. $f a four-year undergraduate programme violates the

7=>@ format, then how is $ndian $nstitute of Sciences, /angalore running a four-

year undergraduate programme in suects lie #hysics and &hemistryT Similarly,

how is Amedar niversity, Delhi running a four-year undergraduate programme,

Q/A 'onours with a Dual "aorHT 'as the %& issued similar directives to other

universities o1ering four-year undergraduate programme as it did with DT


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Second, the %&, surpassing the vice-chancellor and DHs other statutory

authorities, issued a directive to all D-a2liated colleges to replace the F0# with

the old three-year programme. +his ridicules the concept of institutional autonomyJ

D colleges are not accountale to the %&, ut to the statutory authorities of the

university of which they are a part. Also, warning the colleges that their grants

will be cut i' they do not comply with the 9FC’s directive reKects the odyHspatronising attitude toward institutions of higher learning.

+hird, to as a university to scrap its e3isting undergraduate programme and

introduce a new programme in the middle of the admission process is ine3plicale.

Eminent academicians manning the %& should now aout the academic

processes that a university must follow to scrap or start a new academic

programme, and the enormous administrative and academic di2culties the

university will face if it has to do this in the middle of the admission process.

G2he 9FC is not able to do )ustice to its mandate in light o' -massi


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wrong scaling and not visiting the university but deciding based on

presentation given by the universities.

$t is not possile for limited manpower committee to visit more than @:=== colleges

efore giving the status, the solution lies in restructuring the %& to address the

need of the time.

Child !abor

ational Child !abor "ro)ect 6cheme :C!";

%ovt launched a scheme in 78:: to identify and rehailitate child employed in the

ha?ardous industries in speci;c endemic districts. &urrently >9= districts are

covered under this program

Oective of the Scheme*

- +his is the maor &entral Sector Scheme for the rehabilitation o' child

labour.- +he identi;ed children are to e withdrawn from these occupations P

processes and then put into special schools in order to enable them tobe mainstreamed into 'ormal schooling system.

- #roect Societies at the district level are 'ully 'unded for opening up of

special schoolsIehailitation &entres for the rehailitation of child laour.

+he special schoolsIehailitation &entres provide*

- Non-formalIridge education


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- SilledIvocational training- "id Day "eal- Stipend U s.79=I- per child per month.- 'ealth care facilities through a doctor appointed for a group of >= schools.

------------------ ------------------ ------------------ ------------------ ------------------

------------------ ----------------

Examine how does Indian constitution and the 9 Convention on the

(ights o' the Child ensure and sa'eguard rights o' the children in India.

+he $ndian &onstitution came in force in 789= encompasses most of the provisions

of N convention on ights of the &hild which has een enforced in late 78:=s.

+here provisions are as follows*

N &onvention

7) $t sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health, cultural rights of the

&hildren

>) Almost all the countries have adopted and rati;ed it so far

@) atifying countries are ound y $nternational law and are suect to compliance

monitoring y N committee on ights of the &hild

) two optional protocol adopted in >=== protects child during military conicts

and against industries like "rostitution and "ornography

Indian Constitution

7) rticle A= provisions for +E for &hildren etween age < to 7. ight toEducation Act passed in >==9

>) rticle A ight to e protected from ha?ardous employment. &hild 4aour

#rohiition Act

@) rticle /Je, right to e protected from eing aused and forced into occupations

unsuited for their age or strength. "rotection o' Children 'rom 6exual @fences

ct provides security to children from #ornography and Immoral 2raMcking ct

from tra2cing of children

) rticle /J' , guaranteed protection of childhood and youth against e3ploitation

and against moral and material aandonment.

9) rticle $, right to early childhood care and education to all children until they

complete the age of < years


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Few Other Steps +aen y #arliament to safeguards childHs rights*

- #rotection of &hildren from Se3ual O1ences Act- Luvenile Lustice Act- &hild "arriage estraint Act

'owever, in spite of all the aove international and national provisions and e1orts,the child rights have een violated vehemently. $n $ndia child domestic laor is very

common, even in uran well educated households.

+(EF

5odder "oints

Few amendments to the Schedule 7 of the Act, which de;ne which os can e

taen under the scheme

Earlier

- or related to natural resource management- or that create individual asset for the vulnerale communities- &ommon Assets for the S'% as per the norm estalished y N4"- or that create rural infrastructure

> more points have een added into this


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-


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etter o1 farmer can provide employment to landless laor with the growth

of agriculture- Convergence with the Irrigation schemes of $ndia to increase the

intensity and storage capacity of the small irrigation units lie tans, ponds,

small scale stop dams etc.

# Convergence with the +ission on 6oil Health K Accepting soilreuvenation as asset creation will go a long way in reviving agriculture as

well as improving capaility of a scare resource. Soil health card will mae it

easy to evaluate the improvement after "NE%s wor# Simpler methods of evaluation and validation of wor. +his will help in taing

more os at individual levels as they donHt have the enough means to

scienti;cally Buantify the improvement# Allowing innovation in the "NE%A wor. 4ie allowing S$ proects to e

taen y marginal farmers will not only improve production ut will also

improve water use e2ciency and generation of more employment. +hese

ind of proects should e allowed to e taen up and their power of approval

can e delegated to the State or local level.

------ - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - -- - - - -- - - -- - - -- - - -- - - - - -- - - - -- - - - - -- - - -- - - - - -- - - -

-- - - - -- - -

%ovt recently decreased the man to material ratio from G of the material udget has e used on an average. No

points of increasing it.

"ositive

- ith the use of machinery more productive assets can e created which will

e ene;cial for rural development.

2he +ahatma Fandhi ational (ural Employment Fuarantee 6cheme or

+F(EF6 is now proposed to be implemented only in tribal and backward

districts. Critically analy,e the implications o' this proposal.

estructuring of "%NE%A for implementing only in trial and acward districts

has its own set of positive and negative implications.


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#OS$+$!E $"#4$&A+$ONS

(a) ill allign with the vision o' +F(EF ie to provide livelihood security to

poors and vulnerales.

() *ill reduce the subsidy burden as numer of districts are scaled down to

>== from


33/46

2he plight o' the widows o' Drindavan reects a larger malaise aNicting

Indian society. Critically comment.

#light of widows of !rindavan reKects one of iggest malaise of $ndian society,

which is discrimination against women.

hy such things happenT +hey happen ecause C

(i) $n $ndian society, omen widows are looed with hate and urden. +hey are not

allowed to remarry socially, although legally its allowed. Also, they donHt inherit

property which is given to son. "ale widow donHt face any such prolems.

(ii) >nd point is apathy from the family memers towards widowed women. +hey are

treated so adly that they prefer to stay in !rindavan rather than their homes.

Some of them are forcefully evicted.

(iii) #sychological mentality of $ndians, where ma3. #eople prefer not to marry

widows. Even widowed men, donHt prefer widowed women.

(iv) 4oss of morals C Eviction of mothers y sons, family shows how degraded

atmosphere has developed in some sections of society. Still, these mothers care and

love their children.

(v) #overty and age C Some widows who are very poor and entirely dependent on

their spouse have no choice ut to tae shelter in !rindavan.

(vi) 4ac of social security C %overnment is unale to tae care of all old age, poor

and widows. Even, schemes currently running have leaages and corruptions.

(vii) 4ac of commitment of govt and lac of awareness aout the "aintenance and

elfare of #arents and Senior &iti?ens Act

+hus, only solution could e strict implementation of legal laws, such as inheritance

of property y widow in case of death y spouse.

Also, social security net needs to e tightened. Senior &iti?ens "aintenance 4aw,

>== is a step in right direction, in which it was ounding upon children to tae care

of old parents.

Financial security and change in social attitude can only ring relief from this

menace in $ndian society.


34/46

For Aadhaar to live up to its promise, it is also vital to totally segregate it from the

wor relating to the National #opulation egister. E3amine why and also e3plain

advantages of Aadhaar.


35/46


36/46

Fodder #oint for caste system, reservation and politics


37/46


38/46

7o you think it’s time to abolish political reservation 'or the 6cheduled

Castes :6Cs;? Critically examine.

#olitical reservation was a contested issue since its inception. !arious views, oth in

support and against are laid. +hese are

Arguments in support of political reservation are

(a) #olitical presence of S& is still roughly eBual to the reservation in central and

state legislature. +hey have not grown.

() 6haring o' power structure is vital for e3istence of democracy in the asence

of which prolems lie na3alite rose head creating internal security issues.

(c) #olitical reservation is a means to compensate the historical deprivations

and asence from power structure.

(d) $t paves way for accessing more opportunities.

(e) #olitical voice of S& helps in designing etter policies for them.

Arguments against

(a) ith >nd revolution that gave political voice to dalits in 78:=Hs they together

with minorities have emerged as electoral maority have een represented y their

governments lie /S# of #.

() $t restricts rights o' electors to choose.

(c) +he reserved seat gave them a secondary status in politics as their electionwas not open.

(d) $t prevents their assimilation in society as they always carry the dalit tag.

+hough oth arguments have their own merit yet, the wide spread ineBuality

demands that politcal reservation should continue. /ut, it never prevents us to

adopt etter methods lie reservation in political partiesH distriution of ticets for

contesting elections.


39/46

2here are many women workers at entry level in corporate and technology

sectors4 but they are nonexistent at the board level. Critically comment on

the reasons behind this gender gap.

+issing women is a common phenomenon witnessed not only in se3 ratio ut also

in access to opportunities. +he great shortage of women worers at oard level is aglaring e3ample of this preudice. +he main reason for unfavorale representation of

women is*

(a) #aternalistic attitude* "ale dominant society ;nds women ;t for laor ut un;t

for decision maing positions. +his restricts her career prospects.

() Dual role* oring women share a dual responsiility of a employee as well as of

a homemaer. +his reduces her professional output as compared to a male coworer

who totally devotes his time to o2ce.

(c) /iological ole* #regnancy and child irth is essential part of womanhood. +his

often leads to the loss of opportunities which is not the case for male worers.

(d) #revailing environment* /oth o2ce and outside environment maes it di2cult

for women to wor at odd hours.

(e) Se3ual politics* #olitics against women often checs her career graph and

escalation in o2ce hierarchy.

(f) 4ac of Security and egulation* Are still not ale to completely isolate her

against the se3ual preudices and inustice causes more often due to natural

reasons lie pregnancy.

(g) Discrimination y ;nancial intermediaries* omen face an uneBual challenge for

availing credit for startups. +hus, their enterprise is suugated. 'ence options for

independent positions at oard is restricted to Mochars and "a?umdars only.

+hough the ideal environment is a wishful thining ut competitive environment

with fair rules is achievale. 4aor laws reforms are the ;rst step to this ongoing

process of reform and should not e delayed.


40/46

Critically evaluate the ob)ectives and design o' Oawaharlal ehru ational

9rban (enewal +ission :O9(+; scheme.

LNN" launched with much fanfare and e3pectations to develop the uran

infrastructure and facilities

has > road su-missions

- ran $nfrastructure and %overnance C ith "inistry of ran development

as the nodal ministry this su-mission looed at the development of the

infrastructure in the uran area as well as the decentrali?ation of power oth

;nancial and decision maing to the 4/s in the domain of uran

development. $t concentrated on the capacity uilding of the 4/- /asic Services for ran #oor C nder the "inistry of 'ousing and ran

#overty alleviation, this su-mission has agenda to provide asic services liesanitation, housing, drining water, sewage disposal etc to the uran poor. $t

aimed to mae cities Slum Free and in the 7> th Five 0ear #lan A0 was

envisaged as one of the component of the LNN"

'owever even with the nolest of the ideas and targets it faced many prolems lie

- 'owever, the scheme su1ered with lack o' coordination etween the

authorities at central and state level which made the approval o' the task

delayed and with lots o' hiccups.- 7elay in ac3uiring land spaces reBuired for the development is also one of

the reason for non-performance- +he central govt. with twin ob)ectives o' allocating the 'und and its

auditing thereafter could not the ustice with these conKicting functions.- An extraordinary amount o' scrutiny and control on part o' union

government efore releasing the fund also contriuted to its failure in

achieving its oectives on time. +he issue of federalism was also raised y

many states on account of the tight control given uran development is in

State 4ist# 6hortage o' 5unds# o (eal increase in the power of 4/s. +hey are still played y the State

%ovt

LN" started with a novel oective has rought the development of the cities to

the forefront and if suitale policy and implementation measures are taen,

schemes lie this can transform our cities.


41/46

"overty !ine 7etermination and Issues

(angara)an 2endulkar"onthly E3penditure per household for a

family of 9 person

#er &apita monthly E3penditure

ran* s =@9 per month for household

ural* s : crores /#4

$t taes normative levels for adeBuate

nourishment including protein and fats,

non fooed e3penses lie clothing, house

rent, conveyance and education, ut

also considers ehaviourally-determined

levels of other non-food e3penses

Only food, education, clothing and

housing, no nutritional funda

Salient point -

- #overty line should e de;ned a household level not at individual level as

e3penditure unit is a household.- +his poverty line should not be used to compare poverty level at

diferent period ut should e used ust to identify the no of poor people for

the purpose of policy formulation- "roposed a oated poverty line idea ased on which ottom @9G in rural

area and ottom >9G in uran area should e considered poor ased on the

monthly e3penditure. 'ence this line accounts 'or ination and rise in

national income and there is always a relatively poor section of poor in a

country with respect to the growth of the other- "overty line should be disengaged 'rom the bene


42/46

7. As pointed out y committee itself, it does not tae into account services

provided y %ovt. schemes such as SSA, "D", $A0, A0. +hus, if pulic service

delivery is taen into account, it may further reduce the numer of poor.

>. &riteria such as fats, proteins, standard of living are intangile and di2cult to

measure. Further, it varies from place to place.

@. ran poverty is multidimensional. !ulneraility is at various levels such as

social, occupational and residential. +he given methodology does not tae this in

account.

In a recent report4 9#E6C" has revealed that there has been an increase

in income ine3uality in many ma)or economies including India4 China and

Indonesia. naly,e the causes and remedies.

+he income ineBuality is the uneBual distriution of household or individual incomeacross the various participants in an economy. $t can either e vertical or hori?ontal,

it is measured using the %ini &oe2cient (ratio of highest to lowest income).

$ncome ineBuality is inherent character of capitalist system and as a country

proceeds towards more and freer maret economy, the nation ecomes more prone

to face this. Some of the causes which have surfaced in the report are

- weaer laour maret institutions,- inadeBuate social protection,- poor Buality education,- inadeBuate access to credit and land and- e3cessive asset concentration.- Sewed egional Development* &oastal and uran areas etter developed

than continental and rural areas

+he %overnment should play a vital role in reducing the impact of this growing

monster y enhancing the ta3 collection mechanism and providing the e2cient

social protection schemes and food security. SSA needs to e implemented while

Buality of education eeping in mind rather than ust targeting enrolment and

retention rate. 4and AcBuisition and ehailitation Act, Forest ights Act and #ESA

need to e implemented in letter and spirit to ensure social and economically

acward people have access to resources. Financial inclusion scheme launched is a

welcome step. N'". 4aor reforms.


43/46

Critically examine India’s achievements in meeting the targets o' the

+illennium 7evelopment Foals.

$ndiaHs achievement in meeting the targets of "illennium Development %oals is

parado3ical. +here are certain goals where our achievements have surpassed the

desired targets while in others we are still plodding.

#overty* +he percentage of population elow poverty is >7.8G, well elow "D%

target of >@.8G. 0et, the aysmal low ase line of poverty estimation is a matter of

concern. ith =G malnurished and an eBual undernurished population the picture

of hunger target is gloomy.

Education* Sarvshisha Ahiyan and +$ have given a great thrust and we are close

to achieving universal education target. +here is a need to lin sill development

along with improvement in education Buality.

%ender EBuality* +he performance in gender eBuality and women empowerment is

dismal with ever rising cases of rapes, domestic violence, low political participation

and wage ineBuality. #atriarcal societal setup is a maor cause of this trend.

$"* /oth &hild mortality and infant mortality is still lagging. Despite universal

immunisation, deaths from preventale diseases lie pneumonia, diarrohea areinhiiting our achievement on this front.

""* 'igh maternal death on account of lac of institutional delivery, poor

antenatal, intra natal and post natal care have restricted "" to 7@8 way elow

"D% target of 7=8.


44/46

A$DS and "alaria* National Aids control program which is in its third phase has

sustantially contain the A$DSI'$! epidemics. 0et, the spread of disease among

infants is an area of concern.

Environment Sustainaility* Environmental sustainaility is gloal arena that needs

oint e1orts on gloal commons. ith rising vagaries of climate, e3treme events lieKoods, land slides, cyclones are ecoming common. $ndiaHs NA#&& is a dedicated

plan to address these issues ut achievements are still meagre and threat Buite

potent.

"D% :* $ndia approach in gloal development is enthusiastic. +he pivotal role it

plays in persuing the concens of %-@@ and 4D& has raised its status to new level.

----------------- ------------------- ------------------- --------------------------------------------------------

$ndia has had mi3ed achievements so far in meeting "illennium Development %oals("D%) targets. /y >=79, most developing countries need to ful;ll these goals, yet

$ndia remains ehind in some targets while it has surpassed some targets.

Successes*

a) #overty eduction- $ndia has already halved its population elow povertyline(/#4) of V7.>9 in ### terms etween 788= and >=7>. 'owever, still a whopping

@== "illion people remain /#4 and more e1orts are needed to pull them out of

poverty.

) eaching safe water to people- Statistics show that more than == per 7==,=== irths which needs to e drastically reduced. hile A$DS


45/46

incidences are slowly stailising, new diseases lie Encephalitis have emerged and

must e tacled properly.

) Environment- $ndia has een unale to provide sustainale livelihoods to its

people. Forest cover has remained stagnant at >@G for over a decade, while @@G

forest cover is needed.

c) Eradicating 'unger- Still millions of people remain hungry and malnourished.

National Food Security Act is for tacling this prolem, yet #DS is plagued with

corruption.

d) Sanitation- $ndiaHs 9=G population practice open defecation, which has to e

removed y providing more toilets to more households speedily.

+herefore, $ndia will fall short of meeting "D%s in several ;elds y >=79. $ndia must

wor at accelerated pace to ful;ll these, for newer set of SD%s (Sustianale Devt

%oals) are already eing proposed. ithout ful;lling "D%s, $ndia cannot mae a

transition towards etter 'D$ or developed country status.

GHuman rights commissions are powerless to render any Greal service1 to

human rights.1 Critically comment.

+he several issues human rights commissions are facing which have to an e3tent

rendered them ine1ective in protecting human rights are as follows

Although '& has all the power of civil and its proceedings has udicial character,still '& cannot impose any ;ne on the perpetrator or award any compensation to

the victim directly. $t has to mae its recommendation to the concerned %ovt and

this is not inding on the %ovt. 'ence it gets neglected Buite a time. +he only

saving grace is that %ovt has to give in writing why the recommendation was not

accepted.


46/46

Also the scope of '& is restricted. +hey cannot tae up cases related to armed

forces.

Few Other #rolems*

7) $nadeBuate infrastructure and manpower. "ost of the '& are situated inside

government o2ces with very limited facilities. "ost of the positions in S'& are

vacant.

>) +here is overlap of urisdiction etween the di1erent commission as in S&,S+

commission, womenHs commission, minorities etc. +his has several issues. Firstly, it

leads yo confusion among people as to whom to approach. Secondly, maes it

di2cult for the government to monitor and evaluate its programmes in protecting

human rights, and also evaluating the performance of these commissions.

9) "ost importantly, their focus is on providing relief to a1ected people rather than

on ;nding the real cause of occurrence of such crimes and preventing them.

'owever, '& have imied a sense of security among the people that their rights

would e protected. "ore importantly it has made people aware of their human

rights. Also, with the rise of media, a case of human rights violation against a

government o2cial or private igshot is a sort of emarrassment to

them,preventing them from indulging in such activities.

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