07 Nov 2022: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

E. Editorials

Category: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Architecture, the profession, needs strengthening

Syllabus: Government policies and interventions.

Mains: Architects act 1972 and associated concerns.

Prelims: Architect Act 1972.

Context: 50 years have passed since the formulation of the Architects Act (1972).

Background Details:

• The Architects Act was passed in the year 1972 to give statutory status to the modern profession of architecture. The professional base of architects expanded since then and steady progress was also registered. Presently there are approximately 1,26,000 registered architects in India with nearly 10,000 new registrations per year.
• Architecture emerged as a separate profession in the 19th century in the United Kingdom. However, this was not very popular in India. The first national-level association of architects was established in the country in 1929 with around 158 members. 
• After attaining independence professionalization picked up momentum in India and professional legislation like the Dentists Act 1948 and Indian Medical Council Act 1956 were passed. Architects also demanded similar legislation and so the Act was passed in 1972.
• The issues that persist in the profession even after 50 years are:
  • The profession has not yet got its due right.
  • There exists a bitter rivalry against the engineering field.
  • There are low professional fee structures for architects.
  • Inadequate protection from market forces.
  • There is also confusion regarding the solutions and proposed path.
• There are demands from the architectural community that the Act should be amended and the state should protect the profession more.

Consequences of Legal route:

• The Act was considered essential by the Architects to differentiate the profession from engineers and related vocational services. 
• On the other hand, the government refused to render architectural services exclusive to architects because the services related to building overlapped with the engineering services. The government protected the title ‘architect’ only for qualified and registered professionals.
• It is often argued that Acts do not guarantee excellence and regulations are counterproductive as market forces play the most important role in the economy. 
• The expert is of the view that architects should abandon the archaic notions of ‘profession’, which is built on narrow jurisdictional boundaries. They should instead focus on expanding the practice, increasing internal cohesion, and improving professional ethics and the quality of services.
• Eliot Freidson’s definitive work on professionalism justifies that Professionalization is a principle of division of labour. He further argued that such a monopoly is required because professionals acquire, govern, and develop the specialized knowledge needed by society. 
• Architects who subscribe to Eliot Freidson’s view overlook three major facts: 
  • A profession has no intrinsic privileges and is guarded only by state-supported laws. 
  • The profession in the Indian context was not formed without any contestations and the debates surrounding them still exist. 
  • The ground conditions have changed drastically over the last three decades and the market has become a lead patron.

State’s view about the Profession:

• The State’s view regarding the definition of public good has transformed and is more related to the market economy. 
• Large corporates and the infrastructure industry as powerful clients and patrons can disregard the provisions of the Architects Act. 
• Moreover, allocating projects to consultancy firms that offer full services including design and construction is preferable.
• Architects have split into unequal groups owing to dependency on the state and market.
• According to Michael Reed ( a scholar of organizational analysis), they are categorized as:
  • A minority group of influential elites and their larger firms.
  • A predominant group of independent architects with medium and small firms.
• The minority group of influential elites view the market economy as an advantage and favour competitive demands. They flourish when there are big entry barriers like high turnover requirements as small and medium firms can be kept out of competition.

Way Ahead:

• The 19th and 20th-century definitions of the profession that relies on carving out exclusive jurisdictions should be abandoned. Architects should consider their profession as a service that draws strength from other associated building services like project management and building science. Forming an alliance of building professionals can enhance their collective relevance and increase bargaining power. 
• Larger firms and elite groups should help smaller and medium firms and lobby together to remove severe entry barriers that can be counter-productive for the profession as a whole. 
• The soul of the profession which is the ‘practice and institutional ethics’ should be strengthened. This would enhance the quality of the service.

Nut Graf: Various concerns are associated with the Architect Act 1972 and the profession of Architect. Any new amendment to the Act should consider the changed scenario and ensure alliance and synergy between the professions.

Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. The continuing stalemate in Myanmar

Syllabus: Effect of policies and politics of developing countries on India’s interest.

Mains: Military coup in Myanmar and efforts to restore Democracy.

Prelims: Military Coup in Myanmar.

Context: Twenty-One months have passed since a military coup in Myanmar.

Details:

• A military coup in 2021 in Myanmar derailed a decade-old experiment with limited democracy. As a consequence of it, the citizens of Myanmar are suffering, authorities and opposition forces are locked in a cycle of violent clashes, and the economy has worsened. 
• The ASEAN’s mission to generate a solution in Myanmar has also failed.

Background Details:

• The Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) was unhappy with the victory of the Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy in the elections of November 2020. As a result, it launched a coup, violating the constitution.
• The Military was of the view that the people of Myanmar would accept its diktat much like the previous decades. It underestimated the public’s commitment to freedom and democracy. 
• Even after killing more than 2,300 people and imprisoning thousands(including Ms. Suu Kyi) the military still faces public angst and rebellion. 

For more information on the military coup in Myanmar, read here: Myanmar Coup d’état 2021: Background and Events [UPSC Notes]

Opposition Parties’ role in restraining Military:

The opposition has controlled the military from having its way for controlling Myanmar through two dimensions:

•  The National Unity Government (NUG) has effectively channeled popular indignation against military rule.
  • NUG is a parallel government not recognized by any state. However, it receives political and financial support from abroad. 
• Nearly 20 ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) that are located in the east, west, and north of Myanmar’s periphery, adopted different approaches towards the post-coup conflict. For instance, groups like the Kachins and Karens supported the NUG, whereas groups operating in the Chin and Rakhine states got engaged in a fierce armed conflict with the military. 
• But it was observed that owing to the paucity of resources and lack of leadership in NUG and divergences and relative weaknesses in the EAOs, the efforts are unlikely to defeat the military.

International Dimension:

• Approximately 1.1 million Rohingya that migrated to Bangladesh due to military oppression in 2017 continue to languish there. The efforts of Bangladesh to arrange their safe return have failed multiple times. Moreover, armed clashes between the military and their ethnic opponents in the border region of Myanmar have a  spillover effect on Bangladesh.
• The United Nations has criticized the coup and has expressed concern over the violence. It has raised the voice for the release of all political prisoners, encouraged dialogue among the stakeholders, and supported a democratic transition. However, the UN Secretary General’s special envoy could not achieve much in promoting peace in the region. 
• There exist sharp divisions within the international community on dealing with the issue that has resulted in the failure of UN efforts. For instance:
  • Western countries are critical of the military’s action and have put severe restrictions and sanctions. They have also supported NUG.
  • Russia provided considerable support to the military regime, seeing it as an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations in defence and energy supplies.
  • China, on the other hand, has kept the door open for democracy while continuing to trade and exploit the opportunity of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor.
  • The ASEAN nations are further divided:
    • Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore favour democracy.
    • Thailand and Laos favour the military regime.
    • the Philippines and Vietnam are ambivalent.
• The disunity among the ASEAN members has resulted in the non-implementation of the Five-Point Consensus. 
• The post-coup conditions have adversely impacted bilateral cooperation between India and Myanmar. Various mega projects are halted and around 50,000 refugees have camped up in Mizoram. India has proactively advocated the release of prisoners, early restoration of democracy,  and internal dialogue.

Way Ahead:

• India can also explore the option of playing a mediatory role along with ASEAN and like-minded neighbouring countries.
• Other countries can provide support to Myanmar in creating a suitable environment for a political settlement. Countries like Japan and Norway can play an important role in brokering peace.
•  It should be noted that the major role lies in the leadership and elites of both groups in Myanmar. They should find a route similar to 2011-12.

Related Link: India-Myanmar Relations: Importance, Background for UPSC International Relations

Nut Graf: The prolonged military coup in Myanmar has derailed both its economy and most importantly its democratic polity. The international community should put a united front to broker peace in the region.

Category: GOVERNANCE

1. Helicopter accidents in October point to broader concerns

Syllabus: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors- Civil Aviation Sector.

Mains: Helicopter accidents in India.

Context: Recent helicopter crash in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh.

Details:

• Thirteen people died in the month of October 2022 in three helicopter accidents in India. Two accidents occurred in the military helicopter in the Tawang and Upper Siang districts of Arunachal Pradesh, whereas one accident was in Kedarnath killing seven pilgrims onboard.
• Over the years, several accidents have caused hundreds of fatalities. Uttarakhand is the state where maximum chopper accidents occur. According to  Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reports, nearly nine helicopters that were ferrying pilgrims in Uttarakhand met with accidents between 1990 and 2019. 
• A high number of accidents are also observed in Northeast India.

Accidents in commercial helicopters:

• Around 150 people (pilots, crew, and passengers) died in accidents between 1990 and 2019.
• Pilot error is the reason for nearly  40% of accidents. Whereas harsh weather caused 19% of the accidents. 
• Around 9% of the accidents were attributed to ‘cable hit’, where a helicopter gets entangled in wires/cables used by local residents to transport goods in mountainous regions.
• Moreover, approximately 85% of the fatalities occurred in the broad daylight.
• It was observed that 54% were cruising, and 37%  were landing during the accidents. Take-offs were the safest as they caused the least number of deaths during 1990-2019.

Other Details:

• According to an analysis of commercial airplanes accident, 999 fatalities were registered across India during 1990-2019.
• It was observed that the number of accidents including both helicopters and airplanes declined in the previous decade in comparison to earlier periods.
• Around 124 military personnel succumbed to death in accidents involving defence helicopters during the span from 1998 to 2021. 

Related Link: National Civil Aviation Policy, NCAP 2016, more on the policy for IAS exam polity

For more information on ICAO, read here: UN’s Specialized Agency: ICAO – International Civil Aviation Organization. UPSC Notes

Concerns with Indian Aviation standards:

According to an analysis by the International Civil Aviation Organization’s(ICAO) Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (from 2016 to 2018), it was highlighted that:

• India has performed poorly in two of the eight parameters analyzed. These are:
  • personnel licensing and training
  • civil aviation organization
• These two areas majorly deal with the establishment of appropriate aviation agencies in the state. They also entail the implementation of documented processes and procedures and ensures that personnel and organizations meet the desired requirements of flying.
• A poor score in the licensing regime and organizational processes, combined with the fact that around 40% of helicopter accidents occurred due to pilot errors, points to a grave situation.