Indian Society & Social Issue: August 2022 Current Affairs | Current Affairs & General Knowledge - CLAT PDF Download

World Tribal Day

• On 9^th August 2018, the first National Report on the State of India’s Tribal People’s Health was submitted to the Government of India by the Expert Committee on Tribal Health.

What is World Tribal Day?

• About:
  • The day recognizes the first meeting of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations in Geneva in 1982.
    • It has been celebrated every year since 1994, in accordance with the declaration by the United Nations.
  • To date, numerous indigenous peoples experience extreme poverty, marginalization, and other human rights violations.
• Theme:
  • The theme for 2022 is “The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge”.

What do we need to know about the Report?

• About:
  • The 13-member committee was jointly appointed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
  • It took five years of research for the committee to bring out the evidence and provide a true picture of the state of tribal people of the country.
• Findings:
  • Geographical Location:
  • Tribal people are concentrated in 809 blocks in India.
    • Such areas are designated as the Scheduled Areas.
  • Unexpected finding was that 50% of India’s tribal population (around 5.5 crore) live outside the Scheduled Areas, as a scattered and marginalised minority.
  • Health:
    • The health status of tribal people has certainly improved during the last 25 years.
  • Mortality Rate:
    • Under-five child mortality rate has declined from 135 (Deaths per 1000) in 1988 (National Family Health Survey NFHS-1) to 57(Deaths per 1000) in 2014 (NFHS-4).
    • The % of excess of under-five mortality among STs compared to others has widened.
  • Malnutrition:
    • Child malnutrition is 50% higher in tribal children (42% compared to 28% in others).
    • Malaria and Tuberculosis:
    • Malaria and tuberculosis are three to eleven times more common among the tribal people.
    • Though the tribal people constitute only 8.6% of the national population, 50% malaria deaths in India occur among them.
  • Public Health Care:
    • Tribal people heavily depend on government-run public health care institutions, such as primary health centres and hospitals.
    • There is a 27% to 40% deficit in the number of such facilities, and 33% to 84% deficit in medical doctors in tribal areas.
    • Government health care for the tribal people is starved of funds as well as of human resources.
  • Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) Audit:
    • It is an official policy of allocating and spending an additional financial outlay equal to the percentage of the ST population in the State.
    • As estimated for 2015-16, annually Rs 15,000 crore should be additionally spent on tribal health.
    • However, it has been completely flouted by all States.
    • No accounts or accountability exist on policy.
    • No one knows how much was spent or not spent.

What were the Major Recommendations of the Committee?

• Firstly, the committee suggested launching a National Tribal Health Action Plan with a goal to bring the status of health and healthcare at par with the respective State averages in the next 10 years.
• Second, the committee suggested nearly 80 measures to address the 10 priority health problems, the health care gap, the human resource gap and the governance problems.
• Third, the committee suggested allocation of additional money so that the per capita government health expenditure on tribal people becomes equal to the stated goal of the National Health Policy (2017), i.e., 2.5% of the per capita GDP.

What Steps has the Government of India taken for Tribal Welfare?

• Anamaya
• 1000 Springs Initiative
• Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojna (PMAAGY)
• TRIFED
• Digital Transformation of Tribal Schools
• Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups
• Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana
• Eklavya Model Residential Schools

Digital Gap in Education

What are the ICT Tools?

• ICT tools for teaching and learning cover everything from digital infrastructures such as printers, computers, laptops, tablets, etc., to software tools such as Google Meet, Google Spreadsheets, etc.
• It refers to all communication technologies that are the tools to access, retrieve, store, transmit and modify information digitally.
• ICTs are also used to refer to the convergence of media technology such as audio-visual and telephone networks with computer networks, by means of a unified system of cabling (including signal distribution and management) or link system.
• However, there is no universally accepted definition of ICTs considering that the concepts, methods, and tools involved in ICTs are steadily evolving on an almost daily basis.

What is a Digital Gap?

• About:
  • It is a gap between demographics and regions having access to modern information and communications technology (ICT) and those not having access.
  • It exists between developed and developing countries, urban and rural populations, young and educated versus older and less-educated individuals, and men and women.
  • In India the urban-rural divide is the single biggest factor in the Digital Gap.
• Status:
  • A study in 2021 by the Azim Premji Foundation showed that almost 60 % of school children in India cannot access online learning opportunities.
  • A study by Oxfam India found that even among students of urban private schools, half of the parents reported issues with Internet signal and speed. A third struggled with the cost of mobile data.
• Impact:
  • Causes Dropouts and Child Labour:
    • Children belonging to the Disadvantaged Groups may suffer the consequence of not having to fully pursue their education or worse still drop out because of the lack of access to ICT.
    • They even run the danger of being drawn into child labour or worse, child trafficking.
  • Deprivation of Quality Education:
    • It will deprive people of higher/quality education and skill training that could help them contribute to the economy and become leaders on a global level.
  • Unfair Competitive Edge:
    • The poor will remain void of crucial information presented online concerning academia, and thus they will always lag, and this may be summed up by poor performance.
    • Hence superior students who can access the internet have an unfair competitive edge over their less privileged counterparts.
  • Learning Disparity:
    • The people in lower socio-economic classes are disadvantaged and have to undergo long hours of cumbersome studies in meeting the objectives of the course.
    • While the rich can easily access schooling materials online and work on their programs in a flash.

What are the Constitutional Provisions for Right to Education?

• Originally Part IV of Indian Constitution, Article 45 and Article 39 (f) of DPSP (Directive Principles of State Policy), had a provision for state funded as well as equitable and accessible education.
• The 86^th Constitutional Amendment in 2002, provided Right to Education as a fundamental right in Part-III of the Constitution.
  • It inserted Article 21A which made Right to Education a fundamental right for children between 6-14 years.
  • It provided for a follow-up legislation Right to Education Act 2009.

What are the Related Initiatives?

• National Education Policy, 2020.
• Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA).
• PM eVidya.
• Swayam Prabha TV Channel
• SWAYAM portal
• National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT 3.0)

Way Forward

• Governments can become powerful instruments in bridging the digital divide by ensuring affordable, easy-to-use technologies. The high cost of internet connectivity, the price of technological devices, electricity tariffs, and taxes are major contributors to the digital Gap for both teachers and students.
• Teachers and students need to be fully trained on how to effectively use what the internet and modern technologies have to offer. The less students can use these tools, the more the digital divide widens.
• Educational online content creators should aim to make information available in as many languages as possible. When the users are confident that they can see content in their native or local languages, they are more inclined to use similar tools that provide personalised benefits.
• There is a special need to reduce the gender digital divide. Barriers and constraints in accessing the internet impede women's and girls' full involvement in the social and economic progress of their communities and countries.

Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0

• It will also promote Aadhaar seeding of beneficiaries to ensure last-mile tracking of take-home rations and tracking of migration of pregnant women and lactating mothers.

What is Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0?

• About:
  • In Financial Year (FY) 2021-22, the Government of India (GoI) restructured the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and POSHAN (Prime Minister's Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment) Abhiyaan into Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0
  • The restructured scheme consists of the following sub-schemes:
    • ICDS
    • POSHAN Abhiyaan
    • Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG)
    • National Creche Scheme
• Fund:
  • Poshan 2.0 is an ongoing Centrally-sponsored programme being implemented through the State Governments/ UT administrations based on a cost sharing ratio between the Central Government and the State Government.
• Vision:
  • It seeks to address the challenging situation of malnutrition among children up to the age of 6 years, adolescent girls (14-18 years) and pregnant and lactating women.
  • It is crucial for India’s development as women and children comprise over two thirds of India’s population.
  • The achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals lies at the fore-front of this programme design.
  • It shall contribute to the SDGs, specifically, SDG 2 on Zero Hunger and SDG 4 on Quality Education.
  • The Mission will focus on the fundamental importance of nutrition and early childhood care and education for the well-being, growth and development of children into healthy and productive adults.
• Objectives:
  • To prepare a comprehensive strategy to address the challenge of malnutrition, the Supplementary Nutrition Programme under Anganwadi Services.
  • Scheme for Adolescent Girls and Poshan Abhiyaan have been aligned under Poshan 2.0 as an Integrated Nutrition Support Programme.
  • The objectives of Poshan 2.0 are as follows:
    • To contribute to human capital development of the country.
    • Address challenges of malnutrition.
    • Promote nutrition awareness and good eating habits for sustainable health and wellbeing.
    • Address nutrition related deficiencies through key strategies.
    • AYUSH systems shall be integrated under Poshan 2.0 for wellness and nourishment.
• Components:
  • Nutrition Support for POSHAN through Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) for children of the age group of 06 months to 6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers (PWLM).
    • For Adolescent Girls in the age group of 14 to 18 years in Aspirational Districts and North Eastern Region (NER).
  • Early Childhood Care and Education (3-6 years) and early stimulation for (0-3 years).
  • Anganwadi Infrastructure including modern, upgraded Saksham Anganwadi, and
  • Poshan Abhiyaan.

What are the Guidelines?

• The scheme is open to all eligible beneficiaries and the only pre-condition is that the beneficiary has to be registered at the nearest Anganwadi centre with Aadhaar identification.
• The beneficiaries for the scheme will be adolescent girls in the age group of 14-18 years who will be identified by the states concerned.
• AYUSH shall propagate the campaigns of 'Yoga at Home, Yoga with Family' and AWCs and households to encourage beneficiaries to practice yoga and stay healthy.
• The Ministry of AYUSH shall extend technical support for scheme implementation.
• Efforts shall be made for 100% measurement of the children.
• It promotes the Use of jaggery, Fortification with indigenous plants like moreng (sahjan/drumstick) and ingredients that provide higher energy intake in smaller volume of food.

Way Forward

• About 68% of the deaths of children under the age of five in India can be attributed to child and maternal malnutrition.
  • This basically means that tackling malnutrition as a whole, instead of addressing one disease at a time, will keep our children much safer and make their futures brighter.
• The Poshan 2.0 scheme is in the right direction and further the implement should reach the downtrodden with minimum or no leakages.

Puttaswamy’ and the Fading Promise of a Right

• Marking five years since a nine-judge Bench of the Supreme Court of India delivered a crucial judgment in the case of Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (retd.) vs Union of India.

 Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (retd.) vs Union of India case(2017):

• It formally recognised the right to privacy as being a fundamental right stemming from the right to life and personal liberty, guaranteed under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
• While the right to privacy is intrinsic to an individual’s ability to exercise bodily autonomy, it is still not an “absolute right”.

 Issues still persist

• Data security breaches which result in the loss and theft of personal, sensitive data have not reduced in terms of measurable frequency or their impact.
• Procurement of personal information: Any person or business within and outside India can procure personal information.
• Usage of data by companies: Data is used most often by some legitimate advertising agencies, unscrupulous telemarketing firms, and cybercriminals.
• Use of Pegasus spyware on Indian nationals: Alleged use of the Pegasus spyware in India.
• Access to VPN services: The recent interventions by the Government which aim to restrict Indian nationals from subscribing to and accessing VPN services.
• The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2021: despite how flawed it may have been, was withdrawn earlier this month after an unnecessarily long period of stagnation.

 Conclusion

• Puttaswamy’s judgment has missed the mark quite spectacularly for the objective that was sought.
• It represents a foregone opportunity to protect the rights of Indian citizens while ensuring all of the checks and balances necessary to prevent Government overreach and abuse of power.

Food Security and Gender Equality: CARE

• The Report was released by CARE, which is an international humanitarian organisation fighting global poverty and world hunger by working alongside women and girls.

What are the Findings of the Report?

• Growing Gender Gap in Food Security:
  • The gap between men and women’s food security is growing worldwide.
  • As many as 828 million people were affected by hunger in 2021. Among them, 150 million more women were food insecure than men.
  • Across 109 countries, as gender inequality goes up, food security goes down.
  • Between 2018 and 2021, the number of hungry women versus hungry men grew 8.4 times, with a staggering 150 million more women than men hungry in 2021.
• Gender Inequality and Malnourishment:
  • Gender equality is highly connected to food and nutrition security at a local, national, and global level.
  • The more gender inequality in a country, the hungrier and more malnourished people are.
  • Nations with high gender inequality, such as Yemen, Sierra Leone and Chad, experienced the lowest food security and nutrition.
• Women Bear Bigger Burdens:
  • Even when both men and women are technically food insecure, women often bear bigger burdens, in this situation men are found eating smaller meals and women are found skipping meals.
  • In Lebanon, at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, 85% of people reduced the number of meals they ate. At the time, 85% of women were eating smaller portions, compared to only 57 % of men.
• Women Employed Experienced less Food Insecurity:
  • When women are employed and earning money or when they are directly involved in farming, they are less likely to experience food insecurity.
  • Women more Likely to Live in Poverty:
  • Women are more likely than men to live in extreme poverty, because their work is underpaid or not paid at all.
  • Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, women took on three times as much unpaid work as men.

What are the Recommendations?

• As women keep feeding the world, they must be given the right space in the data collection methods and analysis to make the gaps they encounter visible and work with women themselves to find solutions to those gaps.
• It is time to update global understanding of food security and gender inequality, and local actors, including women’s organisations in crisis-affected communities, need to get the flexible funding and support desperately needed to protect women and girls from hunger-associated gender-based-violence and protection risks.
• All the SDGs depend on the achievement of Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Gender equality by 2030 requires urgent action to eliminate the many root causes of discrimination that still curtail women’s rights in private and public spheres.

What are the Initiatives Related to Food Security and Gender Equality?

• Global:
  • International Women’s Day (8th march)
  • UN Women
  • UN Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025)
  • Sustainable Development Goal (2) of ‘Zero Hunger’.
  • World Food Programme (WFP)
  • Global Hunger Index
• Indian:
  • POSHAN Abhiyaan
  • Antoydaya Anna Yojana (AAY)
  • Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS)
  • Mid-day Meal (MDM)
  • Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
  • Mahila Sabhas in Gram Panchayat
  • Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)
  • Vigyan Jyoti Scheme
  • KIRAN Scheme
  • Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme
  • Mahila e-haat
  • National Creche Scheme
  • One Stop Centre Scheme

SMILE-75 Initiative 

The Government of India has formulated a comprehensive scheme of SMILE (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) to address the persisting problem of destitution and beggary.

• Under the “SMILE-75” Initiative, 75 Municipal Corporations will undertake comprehensive rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of begging in the spirit of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

What do we need to know about the SMILE 75-Initiative?

• Aim:
  • Municipal Corporations, in collaboration with NGOs and other stakeholders will cover several comprehensive welfare measures for persons who are engaged in the act of begging, with focus extensively on rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counselling, awareness, education, skill development, economic linkages and convergence with other Government welfare programmes etc.
    • The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has also allocated a total budget of Rs.100 crore for the SMILE project for coming years till 2025-26.
  • It seeks to develop a support mechanism for holistic rehabilitation of those engaged in the act of begging.
• Implementing Ministry:
  • The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
  • Components:
  • It includes the sub-scheme of:
    • Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging
• Objectives:
  • To make cities/town and municipal areas begging-free.
  • To make a strategy for comprehensive rehabilitation of the persons engaged in the act of begging through the coordinated action of various stakeholders.

What is the status of Beggars in India?

• According to the Census 2011, the total number of beggars in India is 4,13,670 (including 2,21,673 males and 1,91,997 females) and the number has increased from the last census.
• West Bengal tops the chart followed by Uttar Pradesh and Bihar at number two and three respectively. Lakshadweep merely has two vagrants according to the 2011 census.
• Among the union territories, New Delhi had the largest number of beggars 2,187 followed by 121 in Chandigarh.
• Among the northeastern states, Assam topped the chart with 22,116 beggars, while Mizoram ranked low with 53 beggars.