27 Dec 2021: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

A. GS 1 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

B. GS 2 Related

Category: POLITY

1. Executive shows a trend to disrespect court orders: CJI

Topic: Structure, Organization and Functioning of the Judiciary

Mains: Challenges to the Indian Judiciary; Recommendations

Context:

• Chief Justice of India’s speech at the Fifth Lavu Venkateswarlu Endowment Lecture on “Indian judiciary — future challenges”.

Challenges being faced by the Indian Judiciary:

• The Chief Justice of India threw light on some of the biggest challenges that the judiciary in India faces. Some of the most prominent ones include the following.

Non-cooperative executive:

• The executive is supposed to assist, and cooperate with, the judiciary for the rule of law to prevail in the nation given that the courts do not have the power of the purse or the sword. While it is the judiciary which comes out with the judgments, it is the executive which will have to implement them. However of late this has been found lacking in India.
• The “non-cooperative executive” according to the CJI remains one of the major concerns.
  • The CJI noted that the executive showed a growing tendency to disregard and even disrespect court orders.
  • Also there have been lack of adherence to timelines with respect to appointment to judicial vacancies and prosecutors from the government’s end.
    • The judiciary had prescribed strict adherence to set timelines to appointment process of judicial vacancies in the Malik Mazhar Case
  • The repeated reminders to strengthen judicial infrastructure have not been considered seriously by the executive.

Lack of Judicial impact assessment of laws:

• The Chief Justice raised concerns over the absence of well-considered legislations.
• He noted the absence of impact assessment or basic scrutiny of constitutionality before passing of legislations. This is contributing to increasing number of cases in the judiciary.

Attacks on judges:

• The CJI raised concerns over the increasing attacks on the judges and the failure of the law enforcement agencies to deal with such attacks effectively.

Media trials:

• The CJI noted the concerning development of using concerted campaigns in media against judges if parties do not get a favourable order. These media trials would affect the functioning and independence of the judiciary.

Over burdening of the judiciary:

• The increasing number of cases coming up and the limited number of judges available has resulted in the current judges having to handle a large number of cases. This could impact the quality of the judgments and functioning of the judges.
  • The judge-to-population ratio in India stands at 21 judges per million people.

Issue with public prosecutors:

• The CJI noted with concern the fact that public prosecutors (PPs) under the government did nothing to prevent frivolous and non-deserving cases from reaching the courts and have in various cases attempted to help the accused.

Recommendations:

• The CJI also provided some recommendations to help improve the functioning of the judiciary. Some of the prominent ones include the following.
  • There should be stakeholder analysis and judicial impact assessment of any new law being introduced.
  • In order to insulate the institution of public prosecutors, an independent selection committee may be constituted for their appointment.
  • There is the need to move towards domain expertise in the judiciary as this could help contribute in speeding up the judicial process and also help improve the quality of judgments.

C. GS 3 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

D. GS 4 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

E. Editorials

Category: SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. The elderly are assets, not dependents

Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Mains: Increasing Population of Elderly in India: Challenges and Opportunities

Context: –

This article talks about the challenges and opportunities provided by the Increase in Elderly Population of India.

Elderly in India: –

• Elderly population: People aged 65 and over make up the elderly population. The total elderly and youth population, given as a percentage of the total population, is used to compute the proportion of the dependent population.
• India is now reaping the benefits of its demographic dividend. However, by 2050, the age group over 65 will be the fastest-growing age group.
• Census 2011: The average annual growth rate of the elderly population as compared to the Population Census 2011 is 3.28 per cent.
• The National Statistical Office (NSO)’s Elderly in India 2021 report:
  • In 2031, the old population as a percentage of the overall population is expected to reach 13.1%.
  • The old-age dependency ratio is expected to rise to 15.7 percent and 20.1 percent in 2021 and 2031, respectively.

Source: Indian Express

Challenges faced by Elderly in India: –

1. Large Aging Population:

• India’s life expectancy has increased from 50 years (1970-75) to 70 years (2014-18), resulting in a population of 137 million elders (those aged 60 and above).
• It is anticipated to climb by 40% to 195 million in 2031 and 300 million by 2050.

2. Changing health-care needs

• In general, the aged population need additional medical treatment from a variety of sources.
• The country’s main difficulty would be providing a wide range of high-quality, affordable, and accessible health and care services to the aged.

3. Lack of physical infrastructure:

• Physical infrastructure is a key constraint to delivering comfort to the elderly.
• Even in big cities, there are few facilities and professionals that can properly manage elderly health.

4. Population Explosion reaping “demographic dividend” benefits: –

• The anxieties about “population explosion” have given way to delight about a “demographic dividend”.
• The “Asian Tigers,” which include South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, as well as China, have demonstrated the advantages.

5. Financial insecurity:

• Many elderly individuals are capable and eager to work beyond the traditional retirement age, but there are few options.
• Furthermore, because so much is now done online or remotely, managing day-to-day money and planning for later life can be difficult for older generations.

6. Finding the right care provision

• Many older persons require additional care when total independence is no longer possible.
• Family members can sometimes offer this care, but combining this with job and other family duties can put a lot of strain on the caregiver.

7. Socio Economic Challenges: –

• Family neglect, poor education, socio-cultural attitudes and stigma, low faith in institutionalized health-care facilities, and cost aggravate the situation for the elderly.
• Inequity in health-care access exacerbates the challenges for the elderly As a result, the majority of them spend their lives neglected.

8. Unaffordable Healthcare: –

• The vast majority of the seniors come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
• They are unable to afford health treatment, and their health continues to deteriorate.
• Their inability to make a living accelerates the vicious cycle of bad health and exorbitant health bills.

9. Mental Issues: –

• The elderly are not just economically unproductive, but also reliant on family or others for help. This exacerbates their mental and emotional difficulties.
• The government does offer programmes to help the elderly and address these challenges, but they are woefully inadequate.

10. Inadequate schemes

• Despite the Ayushman Bharat plan, according to an NITI Aayog assessment, 400 million Indians are uninsured for medical expenditures. There is little doubt that a significant percentage of elderly are among the undiscovered.
• According to a status report filed by the government before the Supreme Court of India in 2019, 16 states and union territories (‘of 35’) lacked a single ward/bed dedicated to senior citizens.

Indian Government Schemes for Elderly: –

Scheme	Description
Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Scheme	This Prime Minister Senior Citizen Scheme has a ten-year policy duration and is designed for senior persons over the age of 60.
Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS)	For those aged 60 to 79 years and above 80 years, the IGNOAPS provides financial assistance of up to $200 per month and $500 per month, respectively.
National Programme for the Health Care of Elderly (NPHCE)	This programme was created to address the health problems that elders experience. Through the State Health Society, district-level aims include providing specialised health facilities in district hospitals, community health centres (CHC), primary health centres (PHC), and sub-centres (SC).
Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana	This programme gives physical assistance and assisted-living gadgets to older persons over the age of 60 who are BPL (below the poverty line).

Recommendations: –

1. Converting them to productive assets: We should look at elderly as a potential asset with a massive resource of experienced, knowledgeable people. Converting them from dependents to productive members of society depends on two primary factors: their health and their capabilities.
2. Elderly prioritized approach: As senior citizens require the most diverse array of health-care services, the creation of adequate services for them will benefit all other age-groups. Considering the demographic trends, India should reimagine its entire health-care policy for the next few decades, with an elderly prioritized approach.
3. Focus on Digital literacy: The National Digital Health Mission has tremendous potential to expand medical consultations into the interiors of the country. However, this requires a digital literacy campaign for senior citizens.
4. Increase in Elderly Spending: India needs to rapidly increase its public health-care spending, and invest heavily in the creation of well-equipped and staffed medical care facilities and home health-care and rehabilitation services.
5. Accelerate and restructure the Schemes: We need to accelerate implementation of programmes such as the National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE). The Ayushman Bharat and PM-JAY ecosystems need to be further expanded and similar, special health-care coverage schemes and services need to be created for senior citizens from the lower economic strata.

Conclusion: –

These crucial actions will assist in transforming seniors into a vast resource for socio-cultural and economic growth, giving the term “demographic dividend” a whole new meaning. After all, the way a fully developed and caring nation not only feeds its young but also cares for its old population is indicative of its true evolution and compassion.

F. Prelims Facts

1. Anti-dumping duty on five Chinese goods

Anti-dumping duty:

• An anti-dumping duty is a tariff that a domestic government imposes on foreign imports that it believes are priced below fair market value. This is done with the rationale that these products have the potential to undercut local businesses and the local economy.
  • Dumping is a process wherein a company exports a product at a price that is significantly lower than the price it normally charges in its home (or its domestic) market.

 Context:

• According to notifications issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), India has imposed anti-dumping duty on five Chinese products, for five years.
• These duties were imposed following recommendations of the Commerce Ministry’s investigation arm, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR).

G. Tidbits

1. India hands over food aid, defence equipment to Mozambique

• India handed over critical defence equipment to Mozambique to support the capacity building efforts of the armed forces of Mozambique as it battles growing terror threats.
  • The terrorist group Islamic State, also known as Da’esh, and its affiliates have rapidly spread in Central Africa.
• India also delivered 500 tonnes of food aid to support the efforts of the Government of Mozambique to cope with ongoing drought and concurrent challenges of pandemic
• These efforts are being undertaken under the Mission Sagar by the Indian Navy to assist friendly foreign countries in the region. These are in solidarity with India’s extended Maritime Neighbourhood and highlights the importance accorded by India to these countries.
• India has undertaken similar missions in May-June 2020 to provide humanitarian and medical assistance to the Maldives, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros.

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q.1 Which of the following statements are correct?

1. Toda people are a Dravidian ethnic group who live in the Nilgiri mountains of Tamil Nadu.
2. They traditionally live in settlements called ‘mund’.
3. Their economy was primarily pastoral.

Options:

1. 1 only
2. 1 and 2 only
3. 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Q.2 Changu glacial lake is located in -

1. Jammu & Kashmir
2. Sikkim
3. Arunachal Pradesh
4. Uttarakhand

Q.3 Which of the following statements are correct with regard to ‘Mission Sagar’ of the Indian
 Navy?

1. It is an extension of the SAGAR doctrine of India’s foreign policy.
2. Under the mission, India has been providing humanitarian, medical and defence assistance to countries in the Indian Ocean and Eastern Africa.
3. It involves extensive military exercises in the Indian Ocean with the navies of US and France.

Options:

1. 1 only
2. 1 and 2 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Q.4 It is a protectionist tariff that a domestic government imposes on foreign imports that it
 believes are priced below fair market value. This tariff is known as -

1. Counter Vailing Duty
2. Anti-Dumping Duty
3. Import Duty
4. Customs Duty

Q.5 Which project is India looking to develop at Trincomalee along with Sri Lanka?

1. Nuclear power plant
2. Solar and wind power projects
3. Housing for displaced Tamils
4. Oil tank farms

Q6. Consider the following statements: (UPSC-2019)

1. The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) has a ‘Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air’.
2. The UNCAC is the ever-first legally binding global anti-corruption instrument.
3. A highlight of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) is the inclusion of a specific chapter aimed at returning assets to their rightful owners from whom they had been taken illicitly.
4. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is mandated by its member States to assist in the implementation of both UNCAC and UNTOC.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2, 3 and 4 only
3. 2 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

1. Proof of a truly developed country lies in the way it not only nurtures its young but also cares for its elders, equally. Comment. (250 words; 15 marks)[GS-1, Social issues]
2. Myanmar is a key strategic neighbour for India. In the light of this statement, examine the current state of bilateral relations and the challenges that lie ahead. (250 words; 15 marks)[GS-2, International Relations]