CNA 06 Sep 2022:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related B. GS 2 Related SOCIAL JUSTICE 1. The ban on conversion therapy for the LGBTQIA+ community C. GS 3 Related SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 1. Seat belts, head restraints and safety regulations D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. The difficult path to India-Pakistan peace SOCIAL JUSTICE 1. Public health need not be led by doctors alone 2. Funding public education F. Prelims Facts G. Tidbits 1. Preventive detentions rose in 2021 2. Europe heading for recession as cost-of-living crisis deepens 3. Pacts on water, power, defence likely as Hasina arrives in Delhi H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
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B. GS 2 Related
1. The ban on conversion therapy for the LGBTQIA+ community
Syllabus: Mechanisms, laws, institutions and bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of the vulnerable sections.
Mains: Conversion therapy and the risks associated with it
Context
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has directed all the State Medical Councils to ban conversion therapy and has called it “professional misconduct”.
National Medical Commission (NMC)
Read more about – National Medical Commission Bill, 2019 |
What is conversion therapy?
- Conversion or reparative therapy is an intervention aimed at changing the sexual orientation or gender identity of an individual with the use of either psychiatric treatment, drugs, exorcism or even violence, with the aim being to make the individual a heterosexual.
- Conversion therapy also includes other measures that are aimed at altering the core identity of youth whose gender identity is incongruent with their sexual anatomy.
Risks associated with conversion therapy
- Such therapy is usually undertaken by people who pretend to be professionals but do not have any expertise.
- As per the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), such conversion interventions are undertaken under the false impression that homosexuality and diverse gender identities are pathological and there is actually no need for conversion or other such interventions.
- Further, such therapy or interventions cause severe mental health issues such as anxiety, stress and drug use which can lead to suicide.
Madras High Court’s ruling
- In June 2021, the Madras High Court while hearing about the ordeal of a same-sex couple who sought protection from their parents issued interim guidelines for the police, activists, Union and State Social Welfare Ministries, and the National Medical Commission to “ensure their safety and security to lead a life chosen by them.”
- Further, the High Court prohibited any attempt to medically “cure” or change the sexual orientation of LGBTQIA+ community individuals.
- The court directed the authorities to take action against “individuals involving themselves in any form or method of conversion therapy,” which would result in the withdrawal of the licence to practice medicine.
- The court then ordered the NMC to issue an official notification to regard “Conversion Therapy” as “professional misconduct.”
Other important guidelines issued by the court
- The Madras High Court ordered the police to close the complaints of missing person cases, “without subjecting them to harassment” if it is found that the individuals were consenting adults belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community.
- The High Court also asked the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment to formulate a list of NGOs and other organisations that can help address various challenges faced by the individuals of the LGBTQIA+ community
- Further, the court directed that individuals of the community should be accorded legal assistance by the District Legal Services Authority along with various law enforcement agencies.
- The High Court highlighted the importance of undertaking sensitisation programmes to understand the needs of the individuals and also directed the agencies to follow the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020, and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 in letter and spirit.
Recommendations
- The curriculum in educational institutions must be changed and should include chapters that ensure a better understanding of the community.
- Gender-neutral washrooms and toilets must be compulsorily set up in educational institutes and other places.
- Awareness programmes must be undertaken among the parents as the individuals are often misunderstood and abused at home which forces the individuals to opt for conversion therapies.
Nut graf: The National Medical Commission’s move of banning conversion therapies and regarding them as “professional misconduct” is said to be a significant step towards ensuring the safety and security of LGBTQIA+ community individuals.
C. GS 3 Related
Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Seat belts, head restraints and safety regulations
Syllabus: Science and Technology – developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
Mains: Significance of seat belts, head restraints and other safety features in vehicles and the analysis of the existing safety regulations in India
Context
The death of Cyrus Mistry owing to an accident has brought the spotlight back on the importance of safety features such as seat belts and head restraints in cars.
Seat belts in cars and their importance
- A Swedish mechanical engineer named Nils Evar Bohlin developed the three-point seat belt. This was first adopted in a car by the Volvo company in 1959.
- The three-point seat belt design is a low-cost restraint system that prevents individuals in the car from being thrown forward in case of an accident or a crash.
- Further, seat belt helps in:
- Slowing the individual to the same rate as the vehicle
- Distributing the physical force in a crash across the stronger parts of the body like the pelvis and chest
- Preventing collisions with objects within the vehicle
- Also preventing sudden ejection which might throw away the occupant
- New developments to the traditional are now being tested which help to “pretension” the belt, sense sudden forces and apply only as much force required to safely hit the airbags.
- Seat belts are now a standard in cars sold in India and other countries across the globe.
- As per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the U.S., unrestrained drivers and passengers account for over 48% of all deaths due to crashes in 2016.
- During a crash or an accident, especially if the vehicle is travelling at moderate to high speeds, the occupants of the car with no seat belt will continue to move forward at the same speed, until being stopped by an object, thus causing severe injuries.
- According to the Centre for Road Safety at the Transport Department of New South Wales, Australia which has implemented a mandatory seat belt rule since 1971 “even if the vehicle is fitted with an airbag, the force at which an unrestrained occupant strikes the airbag can cause serious injuries.”
- “Without an airbag, and no seat belt restraint, a severe crash causes the occupants in the rear seat to strike the seat in front with a force that is enough for the seat mountings and seat structures to fail”.
- Studies also found those rear seat passengers who did not wear a seat belt were eight times more likely to suffer serious injuries compared to those who did.
Significance of head restraints features
Image Source: carsafetyfeature.weebly.com
- Head restraint features are those adjustable or moulded models on the seats that prevent a whiplash injury (a neck injury caused because of a forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck).
- Whiplash injuries are usually caused when the vehicle is struck from behind. Such types of injuries involve the muscles, vertebral discs, nerves and tendons of the neck, and cause severe neck stiffness, pain, numbness, ringing in the ears, blurred vision and sleeplessness.
- Further, the head restraint systems must be designed and placed properly aligning with the neck, in order to prevent injuries.
- According to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the U.S., the claims for neck injuries were 11% less if the vehicle consisted of seats and restraints which were rated good by it compared to those rated poor.
Safety regulations in India
Image Source: The Quint
- The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued a draft notification in February 2022, which mandated that the three-point seat belts must be adopted in all the vehicles under the M1 category i.e. for carriage of passengers comprising not more than eight seats including the driver’s seat.
- The draft notification also directed that the relevant Indian Standards are to be followed by the manufacturers for both seat belts and reminder systems that alert the individuals to wear them.
- The amendment introduced to the Motor Vehicles Act also mandates compulsory usage of seat belts by individuals travelling in a passenger vehicle to wear seat belts.
- According to Section 194(B) of the Motor Vehicles Act, whoever drives a motor vehicle without wearing a safety belt or carries passengers not wearing seat belts shall be punishable with a fine of one thousand rupees.
- However, despite many regulations, the enforcement of seat belt rules for individuals in the rear seat is virtually absent in the country.
- Various studies in the U.S. indicate that seat belt use was low in states with weak legislation and the passengers of taxi services are high-risk groups.
- As per the Road Transport Ministry, over 26,896 deaths were reported in 2017 due to the non-usage of seat belts and about 16,876 of them were passengers.
Recommendations
- Along with the existing safety features in the vehicles, advanced emergency braking technology which is triggered automatically when there is a high chance of collision and intelligent speed assistance to reduce speed suitably need to be adopted in the vehicles.
- Further, equipping cars with accident event recorders and high-quality dash cameras will help record accidents, establish the cause and undertake rectification efforts if required.
Nut graf: Thorough implementation and enforcement of policies that mandate compulsory usage of seat belts in cars including by occupants in the rear seat along with adopting new technologies that make it impossible to start the vehicle without wearing seat belts can help save thousands of lives which are lost every year due to such accidents in the country.
D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. The difficult path to India-Pakistan peace
Syllabus: India and Neighbourhood relations.
Mains: India-Pakistan relations.
Context: The economic crisis in Pakistan.
Current status of Pakistan’s Economy:
- Pakistan is facing high inflation and a widening Current Account Deficit. The domestic economy has become cash-strapped. The factors responsible for it are:
- The COVID-19 pandemic.
- Unprecedented floods in the monsoon season.
- The poor planning of the economy for a long time.
For more information on Pakistan Floods, read here: CNA dated Aug 31, 2022: Floods and Foes
Measures taken to improve the economy:
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) provided an extension of one year to the Six billion Dollar Extended Fund Facility. It was a 39-month-long programme that began in 2019. Moreover, an additional fund of approximately $1.17 billion was also provided to Pakistan.
- To further ease the devastating impact of the floods on food security, the Finance Minister of Pakistan indicated the opening of trade with India, particularly in vegetables and edible items.
Read more on India – Pakistan Relations in the linked article.
Associated Concerns:
- Domestic Pressure: In spite of the tremendous economic benefits of trade to both nations, there is always domestic pressure in Pakistan while dealing with India. A similar situation was also observed in 1953 when Pakistan was facing economic distress. Even after efforts from the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr. Bogra, the peace process between the two countries was de-railed.
- There is pressure to introduce austere measures and roll back the public subsidies in order to meet the demands of the IMF. These measures have placed the current political leadership in a tough spot.
- The deep entrenchment of the Kashmir dispute in politics can have huge electoral implications for Pakistan’s leadership looking for peace between the two countries.
- There is also concern related to the alignment of views of the Army General with the government.
Measures Ahead:
- Pakistan and India should come together in a time of crisis. India being an agricultural surplus nation can provide it essential aid to deal with the food security situation.
- It should also be observed that there is the precedence of cooperation between the two neighbours in times of emergency. In fact, India supplied essential vaccines for COVID-19 to Pakistan.
- The political leadership of Pakistan should muster support in their country for maintaining good trade relations with India to serve their own economic interest and maintain peace and harmony in the region.
- It is also observed that the personal reputations of political leaders can help in building trust between rivals. This was particularly the case during the regimes of former Prime Ministers of both countries – Mr. A.B. Vajpayee and Mr. Nawaz Sharif. The situation even today is very much conducive because of their successors holding the topmost leadership positions in their respective countries.
Also read: 30 Aug 2022: UPSC Exam CNA: Pakistan’s flip-flop on trade with India
Nut Graf: There is an interplay of many factors when it comes to building peaceful relations between the two countries. To normalize the ties, political will is not enough as it may have serious electoral repercussions for the government in Pakistan. But still both the countries should look for some backchannel talks in times of crisis.
1. Public health need not be led by doctors alone
Syllabus: Issues relating to the development and management of the Health sector.
Mains: Public Health Sector
Context: The Ministry of Health proposes to create cadres for public health professionals.
Understanding of public health:
- Public health has been medicalized in the historical past of India because it was a medical college-driven discipline.
- Public health is a multi-disciplinary field and is differently understood by different people. Even those who are part of the public health system have a poor understanding of it. For instance, as per the recent guidelines of the Central Govt., an MBBS degree is a must for becoming a public health specialist.
- Moreover many are of the view that grassroots public health workers like auxiliary nurse midwives and ASHA workers should be excluded from the cadre.
- It is also observed that heads of health services at various levels in India are orthopaedic/cardiac surgeons/ophthalmologists who might not have any training in the public health domain.
- There is also an inadequate representation of public health professionals in Central and State health advisory bodies.
- It was very common during the global pandemic to see many doctors without any formal training in public health providing expert suggestions on public health issues.
- It is the resistance by the medicalized public health fraternity that justifies having a medical degree to become a public health professional. The consequences are that nursing, dental, and other health professionals are denied contributions to the field of public health.
- It must be understood that public health is a different profession that requires a different set of competencies.
- Public health as a discipline is different from the public health sector.
- All those working for either the Central or State government are public sector health workers, but it should not be equated with public health.
- Similarly, providing medical services in a primary health centre (PHC) does not make the individual a public health professional.
Also read: Pandemic & Public Health System: RSTV – Big Picture
Four A’s of Public Health Work:
- Academics: It means an appropriate understanding of evidence generation and synthesizing it with biostatistics and epidemiology. These competencies are very crucial for evaluations and monitoring of existing programmes/schemes, routine reporting, data-based decision making, and overall surveillance. It is the brain of public health work.
- Activism: This is at the heart of public health work. Public health requires social mobilization at the grassroots level as it is inherently associated with social change. It is important to understand the community needs, community organization, etc. Moreover, it should be grounded in behavioural and social sciences. The study should also be done on non-health determinants, covering commercial and social factors, that have an influence on health.
- Administration: It is described as managing the system at different levels ranging from primary health centres to the national level. This incorporates implementation and management of health policies, addressing issues related to supply and logistics, human resources, etc. It also comprises aspects like team building, service delivery, and financial management.
- Advocacy: It is very critical to have robust communication with all the stakeholders associated with public health to change the status quo at various hierarchical levels of government. A clear articulation of the need apart from the analysis of an alternative set of actions and the cost of implementation is required. To achieve all this, a good network of communication and negotiation is essential.
Also read: Health Care Sector in India
Training in Public Health Work:
- Training in the above four fields is provided through a three-year MD course in the field of Community Medicine and a two-year post-graduation programme in Public Health.
- The three-year course is exclusively for doctors whereas the post-graduation course is open to non-medical professionals also.
- Apart from classroom teaching, the trainees of public health are often posted in different communities and at varied levels of the health system so as to help them evolve into competent health professionals. This is unlike the clinical discipline.
- It is important to understand that the four core public health functions do not require a professional medical qualification.
Nut Graf: The pandemic has highlighted the importance of a robust Public Health facility. It is important for the nation’s health that the best and the brightest talent is attracted to the public health domain. It is also important to refactor our understanding of this field and open it up to qualified non-MBBS professionals.
Syllabus: Issues relating to the development and management of Education.
Mains: Higher Education
Context: Education Minister’s reply to a debate in Lok Sabha.
The vision of National Education Policy 2020:
- According to the NEP 2020, there should be increased accessibility, equity, and inclusion in the field of education through various measures like greater opportunities for public education.
- It also assured that the autonomy of public institutions would be adequately backed by the government.
- It was also highlighted in NEP that government expenditure on the education sector was that envisaged by the 1968 policy which was 6% of the GDP. This figure has been reiterated multiple times in the past including in the 1986 policy, and the 1992 review policy on education.
- NEP quoted that increasing public spending is very essential for achieving a high-quality and equitable public education system in India. It is an immense necessity for the economic, socio-cultural, and intellectual growth and progress of the country.
- The NEP 2020 anticipates that the enrolment ratio in higher education should double by 2035.
Statistics associated with education:
- The Kothari Commission recommended that higher education should get at least 2% of GDP.
- The overall expenditure on higher education including of both the Centre and the States went down from 0.86% of GDP in 2010-11 to the meagre share of just 0.52% in 2019-20.
- The expenditure by the Union government in the higher education sector was just 0.16% in 2019-20 in comparison to 0.33% of GDP in 2010-11.
- In contrast to the threefold increase in the revenue receipt of the government, the expenditure on higher education declined from 2.60% in 2011-12 to 1.85% in 2022-23 (According to the Budget estimate).
Privatization of Education:
- The majority of higher education institutions are run on a self-financed basis and are private.
- The profit-making tendencies of private institutions have deeply penetrated the public higher education system as well. These tendencies are further exacerbated by trends like:
- Resource mobilization and resource use efficiency
- Generation of internal revenue
- Cross-subsidization
- Cost reduction
- Accelerated cost recovery tendency
- Enhancing user charges
- The consequence of the privatization of higher education is a multifold increase in fees and other charges from students.
- The popular belief that higher education should be entirely funded by the students (or their parents in particular) is grossly misplaced in the Indian context.
- The future growth in higher education is dependent on the enrolment of the socio-economically disadvantaged groups as the economically elite section has already reached near full capacity.
For more on Higher Education in India, read here: Higher & Technical Education in India
Nut Graf: Higher education in India has played a significant role in sustaining the $2.8 trillion economy of India. But to become a $5 trillion economy and a developed country the investment in the higher education sector should rise as a robust public education system is also the basis of a vibrant democracy.
F. Prelims Facts
Nothing here for today!!!
G. Tidbits
1. Preventive detentions rose in 2021
Image Source: The Hindu
- According to the statistics released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), cases of preventive detentions increased by about 23.7% in 2021 as compared to 2020, with more than 1.1 lakh individuals being placed under preventive detention.
- Out of these, over 24,500 people were either in custody or still detained as of 2021-end which is the highest since 2017. The number of individuals placed under preventive detention has been increasing since 2017.
- Laws under which the NCRB has recorded data on preventive detentions are the National Security Act, the Goonda Act (State and Central), Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988, and a category classified as “Other Detention Acts”.
- As per the provisions of Section 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the police are empowered to make preventive arrests if they feel the need to do so to prevent the commission of “any cognisable offence”.
Read more on preventive detention in the link.
2. Europe heading for recession as cost-of-living crisis deepens
- The Euro zone is said to be entering a phase of recession, as reports indicate a deepening cost-of-living crisis and a gloomy outlook that is keeping consumers wary of spending.
- It is said that the rising inflation has put severe pressure on the European Central Bank.
- The euro dropped below 99 U.S. cents for the first time in 20 years as Russia said that it would shut down its gas supply through the main pipeline to Europe.
- The prices of gas have increased by over 30% with increasing fear of shortages.
3. Pacts on water, power, defence likely as Hasina arrives in Delhi
- The Prime Minister of Bangladesh has arrived in the country and India and Bangladesh are expected to sign various agreements covering diverse aspects such as water sharing, connectivity, defence and trade.
- The Bangladesh PM reiterated that she would raise two issues – the river water agreements and Rohingya refugees during her visit.
- Kushiyara river (near Assam) agreement is said to be one of the most important issues being discussed.
- Further, India and Bangladesh have started discussions on defence-related agreements, which include portable and prefabricated bridges that increase mobility for the armed forces.
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. Consider the following statements, with regard to the historic Ramappa Temple in Telangana - (Level – Easy)
- It is a Buddhist temple dedicated to Lord Buddha.
- It is an example of Kakatiya architecture.
- In 2021, the temple was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is not correct, Ramappa Temple, also known as the Rudreshwara temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to God Shiva.
- The temple is named after its architect – Ramappa.
- Statement 2 is correct, It is an example of Kakatiya architecture built around 1213 AD by a Kakatiya general Recharla Rudra under Ganapati Deva.
- Statement 3 is correct, The temple was accorded the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.
Q2. The ‘Hilsa fish’ plays a role in diplomacy between which two countries? (Level – Easy)
- India and Sri Lanka
- India and Thailand
- India and Bangladesh
- India and Pakistan
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
- Hilsa fish is a very popular fish in the Indian Subcontinent and is the national fish of Bangladesh and the state fish of West Bengal.
- Bangladesh is the largest producer of Hilsa and makes a good profit through exports to India. Bangladesh has used Hilsa diplomacy to bridge ties between the two nations.
Q3. What purpose does a ‘Dark Sky Reserve’ serve? (Level – Medium)
- Facilitate astronomical observations
- Protect nocturnal bird species
- Promote astronomy tourism
Options:
- 1 only
- 1 and 2 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- A Dark Sky Reserve is public or private land with a distinguished nocturnal environment and starry nights that has been developed responsibly to prevent light pollution.
- India will establish the country’s first Dark Sky Reserve in the cold desert regions of Ladakh.
- The key objectives of the Dark Sky Reserves are to:
- Promote astronomy tourism in a sustainable and environment-friendly manner
- Facilitate astronomical observations
- Protect nocturnal species which rely on darkness to hunt and forage
- Use of various scientific methods to preserve the night sky from ever-increasing light pollution
Q4. Which of the following statements are correct? (Level – Difficult)
- PM Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) is a new centrally sponsored scheme.
- Under the scheme, model schools are identified and nurtured to showcase all components of the National Education Policy-2020.
- These will act as exemplary schools and also offer mentorship to other schools in their vicinity.
Options:
- 1 only
- 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is correct, PM Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) is a new centrally sponsored scheme.
- Statement 2 is correct, Under the scheme, over 14,500 schools across states and Union Territories will be redeveloped to reflect the key features of the NEP, 2020.
- These schools will be equipped with modern infrastructure such as labs, smart classrooms, libraries, sports equipment, art room, etc.
- These schools will also be developed as green schools with water conservation, waste recycling, energy-efficient infrastructure and integration of an organic lifestyle in the curriculum.
- Statement 3 is correct, PM SHRI schools will also “offer mentorship” to other schools in their vicinity.
Q5. With reference to the history of India, ‘ulgulan’ or the great tumult is the description of which of the following? (Level – Difficult) PYQ (2021)
- The Revolt of 1857
- The Mappila rebellion of 1921
- The Indigo revolt of 1859-1860
- Birsa Munda’s revolt of 1899-1900
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- The Munda rebellion is also known as ‘Ulgulan’ or ‘the Great Tumult’ which was led by Birsa Munda.
- The main rebellion took place in the region south of Ranchi in 1899-1900.
- The word Ulgulan means ‘Great Tumult’ and the rebellion sought to establish the rights of the indigenous people over their resources which were being snatched away from them by landlords and money lenders.
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
- Soft diplomacy has the potential to open the doors between India and Pakistan. Elucidate. (250 words; 15 marks) (GS II – International Relations)
- Even as compared to similar sized economies, India’s expenditure on education seems dismally low. Elaborate. (250 words; 15 marks) (GS II – Education)
Read the previous CNA here.
CNA 06 Sep 2022:- Download PDF Here
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