28 Sep 2023: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

E. Editorials

Category: INDIAN ECONOMY

1. The G­20’s screen over ‘mazdoors’, their rights

Syllabus: Inclusive Growth and issues arising from it

Mains: Labour Rights, Inclusive Growth, Sustainable Development Goals

Prelims: G-20 Summit,  ILO’s Forced Labor Convention 

Introduction

• India achieved significant diplomatic success at the G-20 Summit.
• The African Union was granted G-20 membership, with a show of solidarity among the Global South.
• Despite concerns that a joint declaration wouldn’t be possible due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and differing interests among G-20 members, India ensured its release.
• India also passed the baton to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who will preside over the next G-20 meeting.
• Unfortunately, India failed to utilise this opportunity to promote workers’ rights and well-being during the G-20 summit despite the Labor 20 (L20) meetings held in India.
• The L20, a group of G20 leaders focused on workers’ issues, held two meetings in India and was led by the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) while the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) boycotted the meetings.

Exploitative labour conditions: In India and West Asia

• Saudi Arabia, which hosts over 2.5 million Indian workers, is a permanent member of the G-20, while Oman and the UAE, which were invited to the summit, have nearly 800,000 and 3.5 million Indian workers, respectively.
• India is the world’s largest migrant-sending country, with an estimated 13 million workers abroad, of which an estimated nine million are working in exploitative conditions in the Arab Gulf.
• The Indian government missed an opportunity to address serious issues faced by workers in India, such as forced labour, modern-day slavery, and the Kafala system in the Arab Gulf.
• The kafala system ties migrant workers to their employers, making it difficult for them to leave their jobs or change employers, increasing the risk of forced labour and modern-day slavery.
• Workers’ issues such as job creation, decent working conditions, equal pay, gender equality, the elimination of forced labour and child labour, an end to modern-day slavery, and the protection of their rights and the welfare of their families were not prioritised in the G-20 summit. 
•  In 2021, G-20 countries imported goods worth ₹41 lakh crore that were produced using modern-day slavery, highlighting the need for greater awareness and action against such practices.
• Issues in India:
  • The exploitation of Indian workers is not limited to the Arab Gulf; workers in various industries in India, including textiles, brick kilns, shrimp farming, copper manufacturing, stone cutting, and plantations, face forced labour and modern-day slavery.
  • According to the Walk Free Foundation, there are an estimated 27 million people trapped in modern-day slavery in G-20 countries, of whom 11 million are in India.

Modern forms of forced labour

• There are 530 million workers in India, of which 430 million are in the informal sector and vulnerable to different forms of exploitation, including forced labour.
• Forced labour and modern-day slavery are different from substandard or exploitative working conditions.
• Various indicators can be used to ascertain when a situation amounts to forced labour, such as restrictions on workers’ freedom of movement, withholding of wages or identity documents, physical or sexual violence, threats and intimidation, or fraudulent debt from which workers cannot escape.
• Examples of forced labour: 
  • Workers in the shrimp industry in Andhra Pradesh who are paid less or not paid for overtime, and are threatened with firing if they ask for it. 
  • Workers who are forced to work until they have paid off a loan taken from the company. 
  • Withholding workers’ identity documents, such as Aadhaar cards or ration cards, and denying them access to these documents until the work is completed.
  • Threatening workers with sexual, physical, or mental abuse to get the work done.
• Addressing forced labour and modern-day slavery is crucial for India to reduce inequality, promote stable social justice, and protect democracy.
• The consolidation of labour laws into four labour codes by the Union government has led to protests by workers who fear it will negatively impact decent working conditions.
• India has signed and ratified the ILO‘s Forced Labour Convention known as C29 but conditions of forced labor continue to exist. 

Way Forward: 

• The issue of worker exploitation is not unique to India but is a common problem among all G-20 countries.
• Decent working conditions are essential for workers to earn a living wage and lift themselves and their families out of poverty.
• The G-20 should work towards investments in job creation, compliance with fundamental rights at work, ensuring minimum living wages and equal pay, social protection for all and coordinating action on inclusion to realize the Sustainable Development Goals target of eradicating poverty by 2030.

Nut Graf: India failed to utilize the G-20 summit to promote workers’ rights and well-being despite the Labour 20 (L20) meetings held in India. The government missed an opportunity to address serious issues faced by workers in India, such as forced labour, modern-day slavery, and the kafala system in the Arab Gulf. We should work towards addressing forced labour and modern-day slavery by investing in job creation, ensuring compliance with fundamental rights at work, and ensuring social protection for all.

Category: INDIAN POLITY

1. From women’s reservation to gender equality

Syllabus: Indian Constitution—Historical Underpinnings, Evolution, Features, Amendments, Significant Provisions

Mains: Impact of women’s reservation bill on gender equality

Prelims: Article 334A,  Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Amendment) Act, 2023,  Time Use Survey (2019), Delimitation Commission, Census

Context

• The Indian Parliament passed the Women’s Reservation Bill, which provides for a third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures to be reserved for women.

Impact of reservations for women in local bodies

• According to data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the proportion of women in parliament in India is currently around 15%, ranking it 141st out of 193 countries.
• Research has shown that reserving seats for women in local elections has led to an increase in their participation in governance.
• Elected women representatives have become more assertive over time, despite initial resistance from male family members showing that women representatives also have agency to work independently.

Uncertainty around Delimitation and Census

• Article 334A of the Women’s Reservation Bill states that the provisions related to the reservation of seats for women will come into effect after an exercise of delimitation is undertaken for this purpose and the relevant figures of the first census taken after the commencement of the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Amendment) Act, 2023.
• The effectiveness of the Women’s Reservation Bill is contingent upon two processes – the delimitation exercise and the Census.
• There has been a freeze on delimitation since 1976 to provide a level-playing field for states to contain population growth.
• Southern states have been successful in reducing population growth through measures focused on women’s empowerment.
• Higher education among girls, increased female labour force participation, and greater financial autonomy among women in the South have seen a correlation with lower fertility rates.
• States that have improved indicators around women empowerment could lose a share of seats in the Parliament if a delimitation exercise is held.
• It is also unclear whether a law or constitutional amendment can be contingent upon an uncertain future event like the delimitation exercise. 
• Determination of the constitutionality of these provisions by courts is required in this regard.

Towards Gender Equality

• The law aiming to reserve seats for women is a step towards gender equality, but it’s not enough to achieve real change.
• To truly make a difference, society needs to change its views on gender roles and how women are represented in elected positions.
• Currently, women have low participation rates in the workforce, and they spend much more time than men on unpaid household tasks.
• According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s Time Use Survey (2019), women spend almost three times as many minutes per day on housework and caregiving as men do.
• Programs like Tamil Nadu’s Magalir Urimai Thogai, which provides monthly cash transfers to women, can help recognize and address the disparity in household labour.
• These initiatives could lead to increased female participation in the workforce over time.
• Free bus passes for women in Tamil Nadu are also expected to contribute to higher numbers of women in the workforce in the coming years.

Way Forward: 

• Despite increased representation of women in elected bodies, questions remain about building capacity for first-time representatives.
• EMILY’s List in the US provides campaign guidance, mentorship, and capacity-building for women entering politics.
• It is now the government’s responsibility to build capacity and ensure successful outcomes from the reservation model. This will ensure sustained participation of women in elected bodies. 
• The role of the National Commission for Women and the Parliamentary Committee on Empowerment of Women needs to be revised to make sure the women’s reservation law is not just symbolic.
• Recognizing unpaid labour and promoting equitable sharing of household duties are crucial to achieving genuine gender equality.

Nut Graf: The Women’s Reservation Bill in India is a step towards gender equality, but it’s not enough to achieve real change. Society needs to change its views on gender roles and how women are represented in elected positions. The government needs to build capacity and ensure successful outcomes for women to achieve gender equality.