Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

• Who’ll grade NAAC?: Complaints of wrongdoing have piled up too high. UGC & education ministry must step in
• India as a UNSC member: Concluding on a high note, in Manhattan
• The wide disparities in human development
• Opportunity for reforms at World Bank

GS Paper 3

• Cereal solution – Dietary shifts are slow processes, and India must let all grains grow
• Central banks step in as Credit Suisse collapses. India must monitor channels through which crisis can permeate into domestic economy
• Schemes like OPS will only exacerbate the gap between richer and poorer states

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• ‘City Finance Rankings, 2022’ portal goes live, MoHUA invites Urban Local Bodies to participate in the first of its kind initiative
• Ministry of Tourism has formulated a National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism in order to boost Medical Tourism in the country
• Why Finland’s installation of the world’s 1st sand battery may be a game-changer
• IPCC AR 6 Synthesis Report
• In the OROP case, CJI Chandrachud refuses to accept ‘sealed cover’: Why did he do so?
• Women and Men in India 2022: Sex ratio improves but female participation in workforce still low

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

Who’ll grade NAAC?: Complaints of wrongdoing have piled up too high. UGC & education ministry must step in

News:  The article discusses the problems associated with the National Assessment and Accreditation Committee (NAAC). 

What is NAAC? 

Click Here to Read 

What are the problems with NAAC? 

There have been complaints about its accreditation system, i.e., they are unreliable and corrupted. For example, a private university has received the highest achievable grade within just over a few years of establishment. 

Further, accreditation is granted to institutions for the papers they claim to have published without questioning them about the linkages between their research and industry. 

No verifications are made for the patents won by the institutions, or about the creation of new products/procedures claimed by the institutions. It assesses outcomes poorly.  

The Joreel committee has also drawn attention to the fact that NAAC depends on institutional processes for assessment rather than using scientific methods to validate the data. Hence, NAAC is adopting opacity in its system of accreditation. 

Must Read: The controversy over NAAC’s system for assessing higher education 

What can be the course of action? 

The education system is about to undergo a rapid transformation due to the advancement of AI and other technologies. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate the universities properly before granting them accreditation. 

UGC and the education ministry must step in to check the corruption involved in the accreditation system. 

India as a UNSC member: Concluding on a high note, in Manhattan

News: India has concluded its eighth stint in the United Nations Security Council at the end of December 2022. 

What were the priorities for India at UNSC?

The focus was on maritime security, terrorism, UN peacekeeping, reformed multilateralism and the Global South. 

India was elected Chair of three important UNSC Committees: the Taliban Sanctions Committee, Libyan Sanctions Committee and Counter­terrorism Committee. 

What are the important contributions of India as a UNSC member? 

Maritime issues: The Prime Minister of India chaired for the first time a UNSC meeting on maritime security. India’s statement for the first time is a direct reference to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. It called it international law setting out the legal framework in the context of maritime activities.  

It also called for freedom of navigation, anti­piracy and combating terror and transnational crime at sea. 

Major conflicts: In case of major conflicts over the world, the Council stood polarised and unable to act decisively. India tried to bring them on the same page. 

There was a military takeover in Myanmar in 2021. India ensured balanced and comprehensive Council pronouncements. It finally culminated in a resolution on Myanmar in December 2022. 

In August 2021, the Taliban forcefully seized power in Afghanistan. India was able to steer the Negotiations. It resulted in UNSC Resolution 2593. The resolution lays down benchmarks for stopping cross-border terrorism from Afghan soil; protecting the rights of women, minorities and children; ensuring an inclusive government, and providing humanitarian assistance.  

During the Ukraine conflict, India took an independent stand. It called for dialogue and peace. India spoke out against such sanctions on oil, food and fertilisers.  

Terrorism: India has enhanced its focus on terrorism. As Chair of the UNSC Counter­ terrorism Committee, its meeting was organised in India in October 2022. India’s proposal to list Abdul Rehman Makki, Deputy Chief of the Lashkar-e-Taiba under UNSC Resolution 1267 sanctions was approved by the UNSC.  

Peacekeeping: India has been the largest contributor to UN peacekeepers. Its launching of the UNITE Aware technology platform to strengthen the real­time protection of peacekeepers is to be noted. In 2021, India piloted the first UNSC resolution, calling for accountability for crimes against peacekeepers. India gifted two lakh vaccines to all UN peacekeepers. 

Climate change: In 2021, India thwarted a move by the West. It wanted to take out climate change from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change process and brought it under the ambit of the UNSC. The draft resolution was defeated in the Council when India and Russia voted against.

A change in religious extremism: India also raised the issue of a contemporary form of religiophobia in the Council. It condemned phobia against Abrahamic religions and called for the need to combat rising hate crimes and phobias against non-­Abrahamic religions. 

The wide disparities in human development

News: India is now one of the fastest­ growing economies globally. However, this growth has not resulted in a corresponding increase in its Human Development Index.  

What are some facts related to HDI?

According to the Human Development Report of 2021­-22, India ranks 132 out of 191 countries. It is behind Bangladesh (129) and Sri Lanka (73).  

What method is used in the current article to measure HDI?

The HDI is calculated using four indicators: life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling,expected years of schooling, and Gross National Income (GNI) per capita.  

Life expectancy estimates are taken from the Sample Registration System. Mean and expected years of schooling are extracted from NFHS-­5.  

For GNI per capita, gross state domestic product (GSDP) per capita is used as a proxy indicator to measure the standard of living. 

The methodology involves calculating the geometric mean of the normalised indices for the three dimensions of human development. HDI scores range from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher levels of human development. 

What is the performance of various states on Human Development as per the methodology used in this article? 

While some States have made considerable progress, others continue to struggle. Delhi occupies the top spot and Bihar occupies the bottom spot. Bihar, unlike the previous HDI reports, is no longer considered a low human development State. 

The five States with the highest HDI scores are Delhi, Goa, Kerala, Sikkim, and Chandigarh. Delhi and Goa have HDI scores above 0.799, which makes them equivalent to countries in Eastern Europe with a very high level of human development.  

Nineteen States, including Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab, Telangana, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh, have scores ranging between 0.7 and 0.799. These can be classified as high human development States. 

The bottom five States are Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Assam, with medium levels of human development. This category also includes States such as Odisha, Rajasthan, and West Bengal, which have HDI scores below the national average.  

The scores of these low performing States resemble those of African countries such as Congo, Kenya, Ghana, and Namibia. 

Despite having the highest GSDP per capita among larger States, Gujarat and Haryana have failed to translate this advantage into human development. They rank 21 and 10, respectively. 

Kerala stands out with consistently high HDI values over the years. It can be attributed to its high literacy rates, robust healthcare infrastructure, and relatively high income levels. 

The impact of COVID­-19 on subnational HDI is not captured here. It will be known when post-pandemic estimates are available. 

What are the reasons for the poor performance of some states on HDI?

One of the main reasons is that economic growth has been unevenly distributed. The top 10% of the Indian population holds over 77% of the wealth. This has resulted in significant disparities in access to basic amenities, like healthcare and education. 

Another reason is the quality of services provided by the government such as health and education. For example, while the country has achieved near universal enrolment in primary education, the quality of education remains low. 

What is the way forward to improve HDI? 

Governments must prioritise human development alongside economic growth to ensure that the benefits of growth are more evenly distributed.  

This requires a multi-faceted approach. It should a) address income inequality and gender inequality, b) Improves access to quality social services; and c) addresses environmental challenges.  

There is a need to provide for greater investment in social infrastructure such as healthcare, education, and basic household amenities including access to clean water, improved sanitation facility, clean fuel, electricity and Internet in underdeveloped States. 

India must prioritise investments in human development and job creation, particularly for its youth. 

Opportunity for reforms at World Bank

News: With Ajay Banga nominated to be the next World Bank president, there is great hope in his abilities to revamp this vital global institution. 

What are the issues with the functioning of the World Bank? 

Today, the world needs a global institution for global transformation towards a sustainable planet and promoting shared prosperity. The WB is largely missing in action in the climate fight.  

Instead, the WB is now seen as a multi-purpose development bank that tries to provide support to countries for their perceived needs. It does not have a broad strategic vision.  

It used to be a leader in thinking on economic development but has not been able to address these issues. 

WB is overly conservative and too risk-averse in the use of its capital base. It has not been able to leverage private capital flows for infrastructure and climate change. 

It has underutilised its guarantees and focused largely on loans. It has not financed insurance facilities as much as it could have.  

It’s also been criticised for being too slow. Bureaucratic procedures of the WB cause costly delays to its borrowers.  

Its country focus has improved performance but neglects its ability to meet global and regional financing needs.  

The WB and other regional banks now provide a small share of net flows to emerging markets. They have been overly conservative in their equity-to-loan ratios. 

What is the way forward to improve the functioning of the World Bank? 

It needs a substantial overhaul of its objectives and much more innovative use of its capital base and financial instruments. 

There is a need for actions on a much larger scale internationally for energy and ecological transformation for a more sustainable planet.  

Its new role should be as the global institution for climate change and sustainability. It must also be able to provide monitoring and advice on climate action in the entire world. These include a range of issues such as climate adaptation, mitigation, carbon pricing, environmental, social, and corporate governance and net-zero transformation.  

It is not sufficient to create a climate change department in the WB to continue with a business-as-usual approach. The entire organisation must be transformed to make it the premier global institution for dealing with climate change and shared prosperity. 

The WB must also shift the focus from lending to catalysing resource flows. It must help build the institutions and regulatory systems. These will help to draw in more capital from the private sector and from sovereign wealth funds.  

Its success must be judged how much resources it can catalyse to address social and physical infrastructure and climate finance needs.  

More innovative use of its financing instruments is needed especially in the way it books and uses guarantees and insurance backstops.  

The International Finance Corporation, is also a big player in private finance. It should spend much more effort on helping develop systems for SME finance, which can attract international capital.  

The WB must continue its country-based assistance and also focus more on global problems. The WB has huge power to address these issues by working in partnership with specialised agencies at the UN. It may need new and more innovative sources of financing for this purpose, including green bonds. 

The WB’s capital base must also be increased, and there must also be changes to the way it uses its capital.  

The emerging economies could also be allowed more leeway in the use of capital by changing their capital adequacy ratios without hurting their credit ratings.

GS Paper 3

Cereal solution – Dietary shifts are slow processes, and India must let all grains grow

News: The PM recently inaugurated a global conference on millets. The United Nations has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets and the Budget 2023-24 has called millets as ‘Shree Anna’.  

What are millets and their benefits? 

Click Here to Read  

Despite their benefits, they were not promoted during the green revolution. 

Why were millets not promoted during the Green Revolution? 

They were not promoted because of the food security provided by high-yielding varieties of rice and wheat. 

High-yielding varieties of rice and wheat along with guaranteed procurement by the government enabled India to be food secure even in droughts and climate uncertainties. 

However, this food security came at the cost of exploitation of groundwater, excessive use of pesticides and decreasing remunerations for the average farmer over the years. 

As a result, the government is attempting to promote millet to support sustainable agriculture, however, there are challenges to overcome. 

What are the challenges associated with promoting millets? 

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, rice-wheat-maize constitutes 89% of global cereal production. So, millet production needs to be much higher in order to compete with it. 

Further, despite the existence of hybrid varieties of jowar and bajra, the yields have not risen. Hence, it is unrealistic to expect that growth will increase through simple technological advancements. 

Moreover, dietary shifts are slow processes and promoting millets as superior to other grains might have economic consequences and may create hype about them similar to what was observed with cash crops. This can have consequences for marginal farmers.  

Hence, it is preferable to market all grains equally, with an emphasis on expanding the customer base and giving them access to the cereals they want. 

Central banks step in as Credit Suisse collapses. India must monitor channels through which crisis can permeate into domestic economy

News: Credit Suisse, a 167-year-old most influential bank in global history, especially in the areas of wealth management and investment banking, has collapsed recently. It was sold to Union Bank of Switzerland(UBS), which is Switzerland’s largest bank and a long-time rival.

About Credit Suisse collapse and recent bank crisis around the world

Credit Suisse’s fall comes only days after the collapse of three banks in the US. Further, the SVB Crisis has led Moody’s to downgrade New York-based Signature Bank to junk and place the ratings of six other US banks under review for a downgrade.

Any bank which has a smaller loan book and a larger portfolio of treasury bonds now faces similar risk. US banks are currently sitting on an estimated $600 billion in potential losses owing to the erosion of their bond portfolios.

The US Fed is in dilemma, as the increasing interest rates will curtail inflation but hamper banks, on the other hand, reducing rates will worsen the inflation problem.

In response, central banks across the world have announced a coordinated response.

Note: As part of US Fed’s recent programme, banks can borrow from the Fed by placing their securities as collateral. The collateral will be valued at the face value of the security instead of the common practice of its market value. Also, the borrowing can be for maturity of one year instead of the usual three months. As the interest rates next year may be higher than now, the hit taken by the most vulnerable banks may be even greater next year.

What will be the impact of US policy on India?

If the fed pursues an interest rate hike: Trigger a system-wide panic and push depositors away from smaller banks to bigger, more diversified banks thereby precipitating more bank-runs. The potential problems for India’s Economy include a) surge in demand for “safe” assets such as gold, b) currencies of emerging economies like the Indian rupee will come under pressure as foreign investors flee. (This will depreciate rupee).

If the fed reduced interest rates: a) the US economy could fall into a recession, hampering India’s growth prospects through the exports channel, b) Increase domestic inflation as India’s imports will be costly.

How India can act as a role model to prevent a bank crisis? 

How do India’s and US policies differ?

What should be done to avert a bank crisis?

Schemes like OPS will only exacerbate the gap between richer and poorer states

News: Recently, there are demands in some states to implement OPS. Some states like Himachal and Rajasthan have implemented it. 

What are the differences between centre and states over fiscal autonomy?

States want to make their own decisions such as the type of pension scheme, the freedom to decide welfare programmes and so on.  

But, states neither have the financial resources to implement their decisions nor the freedom to mobilise finances on their own. They are dependent on the Centre for resources.  

This is responsible for the current standoff between the Union government and states over various issues such as “freebies” versus welfare, reversion to the old pension scheme, and imposition of conditions for financial grants on states. 

What are fiscal issues related to the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme by some states? 

The poor financial condition of states: States such as Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bengal want to implement the old pension scheme (OPS). 

But large states such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujarat are resisting pressure from their government employees to revert to OPS 

Paradoxically, states that want to implement OPS have much higher debt levels (40% of GDP) than the states that are reluctant to switch to OPS (22%).  

Punjab has a debt of 48% of GDP. It spends nearly one-fifth of its income on just pensions for government employees.  

When these states spend so much of their income on pensions, they will not have enough resources to cater to the basic needs of the remaining population. It forces them to borrow more money. 

States that are implementing OPS do not have the financial strength for it. They are dependent on the Centre to provide funds either through devolution of taxes collected from other states or by borrowing and lending.  

The financial gap between states: Just four large states; Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujarat are net contributors to the Union government’s tax pool. Most other states are net takers.  

When the Punjab or Himachal government claims it has the right to decide on OPS, it is actually paid for indirectly by the future generations of people in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka through the Union government. 

The purpose of such redistribution is to close the gap between these states over time. But, the gap between the “net giving” and the “net taking” states has only increased.  

For example, the gap between the debt levels of states that have implemented OPS vis-à-vis the states that have resisted OPS has increased from 13% in 2003 to 20% of GDP in 2023.  

This pattern of the richer states giving and the needier states taking more and more over time without closing the gap is unsustainable and dangerous. Profligate schemes like OPS will only exacerbate the gap between the richer and poorer states. 

At some point, the richer states will start to question the efficacy of such redistribution and the need for them to continue to fund regressive schemes in poorer states.  

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

‘City Finance Rankings, 2022’ portal goes live, MoHUA invites Urban Local Bodies to participate in the first of its kind initiative

Source: The post is based on the article “‘City Finance Rankings, 2022’ portal goes live, MoHUA invites Urban Local Bodies to participate in the first of its kind initiative” published in PIB on 20th March 2023.

What is the News?

The ‘City Finance Rankings 2022’ portal has been made live by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs(MoHUA).

What is City Finance Rankings?

Aim: To evaluate, recognize and reward municipal bodies across the country on the basis of the quality of their current financial health and improvement over time in financial performance.

Parameters: The participating Urban Local Bodies(ULBs) will be evaluated on 15 indicators across three key municipal finance assessment parameters, namely: (i) Resource Mobilization, (ii) Expenditure Performance and (iii) Fiscal Governance. 

Categories: The cities will be ranked on the basis of their scores under any one of the following four population categories: (i) Above 4 million, (ii) Between 1-4 million, (iii) 100K to 1 million, (iv) Less than 100,000. 

– The top 3 cities in each population category will be recognized and rewarded at the national level as well as within each state/state cluster.

Note: ​​ The entire ranking processes will be managed end-to-end in a 100% paperless manner on the Ministry’s cityfinance.in platform.

What is the significance of City Finance Rankings?

The City Finance Rankings will provide critical insights to policymakers into the state of finances of urban local bodies. 

ULBs will also stand to benefit by participating in the fiscal rankings as they will be able to evaluate their own performance vis-à-vis other cities, which will motivate them for improvement in future.

Ministry of Tourism has formulated a National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism in order to boost Medical Tourism in the country

Source: The post is based on the article “Ministry of Tourism has formulated a National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism in order to boost Medical Tourism in the country” published in PIB on 20th March 2023.

What is the News?

The Ministry of Tourism has formulated a National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism in order to boost Medical Tourism in the country. 

What is the National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism?

Aim: To provide an institutional framework, strengthen the ecosystem for medical and wellness tourism, develop a brand and ensure quality assurance.

Key Pillars of the strategy: The strategy has identified the following key pillars:

– Develop a brand for India as a wellness destination

– Strengthen the ecosystem for medical and wellness tourism

– Enable digitalization by setting up an Online Medical Value Travel (MVT) Portal

– Enhancement of accessibility for Medical Value Travel

– Promoting Wellness Tourism

– Governance and Institutional Framework

What are the Steps taken for the Promotion of Medical and Wellness Tourism?

The Ministry of Tourism, releases global print, electronic and online media campaigns in important and potential markets overseas, under the ‘Incredible India’ brand line.

‘Medical Visa’ has been introduced, which can be given for specific purposes to foreign travellers coming to India for medical treatment.

‘E- Medical Visa’ and ‘E-Medical Attendant Visa’ have also been introduced for 156 countries. In this, triple entry is permitted and extension may be granted up to 6 months on case to case basis.

The Ministry of Tourism provides financial Assistance under Market Development Assistance Scheme to Medical Tourism Service Providers accredited by National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) for participation in Medical/ Tourism activities.

Why Finland’s installation of the world’s 1st sand battery may be a game-changer

Source: The post is based on the article “Why Finland’s installation of the world’s 1st sand battery may be a game-changer” published in Down To Earth on 21st March 2023

What is the News?

Finland has installed the world’s first sand battery that can store heat from renewable energy sources for months.

What is a Sand Battery?

A “sand battery” is a high-temperature thermal energy storage that uses sand or sand-like materials as its storage medium. It stores energy in the sand as heat.

Its main purpose is to work as a high-power and high-capacity reservoir for excess wind and solar energy. The energy is stored as heat, which can be used to heat homes, or to provide hot steam and high-temperature process heat to industries that are often fossil-fuel dependent.

What are the benefits of using a Sand Battery?

Sand is a very effective medium for retaining heat over a long period, storing power for months at a time.

Sand can be heated up to 600 degrees Celsius (°C) whereas water starts to boil at 100°C. It also has low heat conductivity, which reduces energy loss.

How Sand batteries address Europe’s energy crisis?

The production of wind and solar energy depends on the weather and seasons and is therefore variable. This means energy production doesn’t always match energy demand. 

This makes the lack of cheap, viable and sustainable storage technologies one of the biggest barriers to switching the world from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy.

In such times, finding alternative energy supplies to fill in the gap can be crucial, these Sand Batteries can prove to be the right step in the right direction.

The sand battery is also useful to a country like Finland, one of the countries closest to the North Pole, where the sun sets at around 3 pm in winter months with temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius.

IPCC AR 6 Synthesis Report

Source: The post is based on the following articles

– “IPCC AR 6 Synthesis Report” published in PIB on 20th March 2023.

– “U.N. panel calls for rapid action against climate change to secure a liveable future”  published in The Hindu on 21st March 2023.

– “India faces highest risk of climate change: IPCC”  published in the Business Standard on 21st March 2023.

What is the News?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) has released AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023.

What is a Synthesis Report?

The Synthesis Report (SYR) is the culmination of a cycle of reports (the Sixth Assessment) that have been published over the past five years.

Click Here to read more

What are the key findings of the Synthesis Report?

Temperature breaching the 1.5C threshold: Average temperatures have already touched 1.1°C (about 1.07°C was contributed by human activities) above pre-industrial times.

By 2030 there is a 50% chance that global surface temperature in any single year could exceed 1.5°C.

The world is still not doing enough to limit global temperatures from breaching the 1.5C threshold despite there being multiple, feasible and effective options to do so.

Overshooting 1.5°C will result in irreversible adverse impacts on certain ecosystems with low resilience, such as polar, mountain, coastal ecosystems, etc.

To keep within the 1.5°C limit, emissions need to be reduced by at least 43% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels, and at least 60% by 2035. This is the decisive decade to make that happen.

Impact of Climate Change: Adverse climate impacts are already more far-reaching and extreme than anticipated. 

About half of the global population currently contends with severe water scarcity for at least one month per year, while higher temperatures are enabling the spread of vector-borne diseases, such as malaria, West Nile virus and Lyme disease. 

Climate change has also slowed improvements in agricultural productivity in middle and low latitudes, with crop productivity growth shrinking by a third in Africa since 1961. 

Carbon dioxide(CO2) emissions: CO2 is the primary GHG and needs to be drastically reduced. The report mentions that for every 1000 GtCO2 emitted by human activity, global surface temperature rises by 0.45°C (best estimate, with a likely range from 0.27 to 0.63°C). 

Finance: Finance flows from developed to developing countries fall short of the levels needed to meet climate goals across all sectors and regions. 

– It also acknowledges that in 2018, public and publicly mobilized private climate finance flows from developed to developing countries were below the collective goal under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement to mobilize USD 100 billion per year by 2020.

What does the Synthesis report say about India?

Despite minimal contribution to global warming over the past century, India is among the countries that face the highest risk from climate change’s impact, ranging from heat waves to cyclones and urban and rural displacement.

India is the hotbed of global climate investment but it needs to distribute equally to adaptation, along with mitigation efforts in the clean energy space.

The report also echoes the Prime Minister’s vision for “LiFE”, or Lifestyle for Environment, which is a global mass movement for promoting environmentally friendly lifestyles to protect and preserve the environment.

What are the recommendations given by the Synthesis Report?

Need for better quantification of losses and damages, which will enable policymakers to negotiate better.

Climate justice is crucial because those who have contributed least to climate change are being disproportionately affected.

The world must not emit more than 500 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent after 2020.

The strategies to counter climate change needed to be rooted in diverse values, including scientific knowledge, indigenous knowledge and local knowledge.

Apart from public finance (includes the promised but never received $100 billion), other avenues including private finance, local finance, national and international, bilateral, and multilateral finance need to be explored.

In the OROP case, CJI Chandrachud refuses to accept ‘sealed cover’: Why did he do so?

Source: The post is based on the article “In the OROP case, CJI Chandrachud refuses to accept ‘sealed cover’: Why did he do so?” published in Indian Express on 21st March 2023

What is the News?

The Supreme Court has refused to accept the Centre’s “sealed cover” report on the delay in clearing the one-rank-one-pension (OROP) arrears of former defence personnel saying “we need to put an end to this sealed-cover business”.

What is “sealed cover jurisprudence”?

It is the practice of seeking and accepting information from government agencies in sealed envelopes that can only be perused by judges.It has been followed by the Supreme Court in the past, and sometimes lower courts as well.

Under what circumstances does the court seek information in a sealed cover?

This can happen in broadly two kinds of cases: (1) when the information is connected to an ongoing investigation and (2) when the information is personal or confidential in nature.

It is understood that in the first situation, an ongoing investigation could be impeded by the disclosure and in the second situation, an individual’s privacy could be affected or there may be a breach of trust.

How did the use of sealed covers become common?

The Supreme Court has itself encouraged the practice of seeking public interest-related information in sealed envelopes. For example:

– In the Rafale aircraft case, the court accepted the government’s argument that the matter pertained to the Official Secrets Act.

– While refusing to stay the arrest of activists held in the Bhima-Koregaon case, it relied on “evidence” submitted by the Maharashtra police in a sealed envelope.

What is the problem with sealed cover jurisprudence?

In ‘Cdr Amit Kumar Sharma v Union of India’, the Supreme Court said that the non-disclosure of relevant material to the affected party and its disclosure in a sealed cover to the adjudicating authority sets a dangerous precedent. It perpetuates two problems:

Firstly, it denies the aggrieved party their legal right to effectively challenge an order since the adjudication of issues has proceeded on the basis of unshared material provided in a sealed cover.

Secondly, it perpetuates a culture of opaqueness and secrecy. It bestows absolute power in the hands of the adjudicating authority. 

Women and Men in India 2022: Sex ratio improves but female participation in workforce still low

Source: The post is based on the article “Women and Men in India 2022: Sex ratio improves but female participation in workforce still low” published in Down To Earth on 21st March 2023

What is the News?

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has released the Women and Men in India 2022 report.

What is Women and Men in India 2022 Report?

Sex Ratio at birth: The sex ratio at birth went up by three points to 907 in 2018-20 from 904 in 2017-19.

– India’s sex ratio (females per 1,000 males) is expected to improve to 952 by 2036, up significantly from 943 in 2011.

India’s Labour Force Participation Rate(LFPR): It is defined as the percentage of people in the labour force of India in the total population.

– LFPR for those above 15 years of age has been on the rise since 2017-2018. However, women are severely lagging behind men.

– The rate was 77.2 for males and 32.8 for females in 2021-22, with no improvement in this disparity over the years.

Population Growth: Population growth, already on a downward trend from 2.2% in 1971 to 1.1% in 2021, is projected to fall further to 0.58% in 2036.

– In absolute figures, this translates into 1.2 billion people with 48.5% female population as per Census 2011 to an expected 1.5 billion in 2036 with a marginal improvement in the female population share (48.8%).

Age Structure: India’s age and sex structure, as per which the population under 15 years of age is expected to decline and the population above 60 years is expected to increase by 2036.

Fertility rate: The fertility rates for the age groups 20-24 years and 25-29 years declined from 135.4 and 166.0 to 113.6 and 139.6, respectively, between 2016 and 2020.

– This is likely due to economic independence from getting a proper education and securing a job.