Indian Society & Social Justice - 1 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Right Based Approach For Development

Context

In every democratic society, the protection of the rights of underprivileged individuals is crucial. India has adopted a rights-based approach to social welfare policies to ensure the fulfillment of social rights for its citizens. This framework is built on four fundamental pillars, namely the Right to Information, Right to Education, Right to Work, and Right to Food.

About

While guaranteeing rights through legislation is a crucial step in social welfare policies, the effective implementation of such laws is equally vital.
However, several concerns arise in this regard:

• Right to Education (RTE): Although RTE became a fundamental right in 2002, the enabling act was only passed in 2009, and it has faced criticism for its loopholes.
• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA): Despite being a demand-based legislation ensuring 100 days of work in a year for at least one person in a family, its performance has been subpar. On average, the government has provided work for only 44 days per person annually.
• Right to Information (RTI): While RTI is lauded for enhancing transparency, there is a significant backlog of cases before information commissions, and these commissions lack the power to enforce their decisions.
• Food Security Act: Although passed in 2013, the implementation of the Food Security Act has been postponed multiple times by the central government.

As Dr. B.R. Ambedkar emphasized, "Rights are protected not by law but by the social and moral conscience of society." Therefore, while legislation is an integral part of social welfare, it must not be the sole component, and societal values and moral consciousness play a crucial role in ensuring the protection of rights.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Context

The recently published report by UNICEF and WHO, titled "Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) 2000-2022: Special focus on gender," provides the latest figures on access to water, sanitation, and hygiene in households at national, regional, and global levels for the period from 2000 to 2022. The report places a special emphasis on gender-related aspects within the WASH framework.

Key Findings from the report

• Lack of water supply: Globally, 1.8 billion people live in households without water supplies on the premises. 
• Disproportionate burden on women: Women and girls aged 15 and older are primarily responsible for water collection in 7 out of 10 households, compared with 3 in 10 households for their male peers. Girls under 15 (7 %) are also more likely than boys under 15 (4 %) to fetch water.
• Lack of Private Space: Among 51 countries with available data, women and adolescent girls in the poorest households and those with disabilities are the most likely to lack a private place to wash and change.
• Loss of lives: 1.4 million lives are lost each year due to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene.
• Disproportionate Impact on Women:
  • Loss of education: Additional time spent on domestic chores can also limit girls’ chances of completing secondary school and gaining employment.
  • Poor quality of life: In most cases, women and girls make longer journeys to collect it, losing time in education, work, and leisure, and putting themselves at risk of physical injury and dangers on the way.
  • Compromised Privacy: More than half a billion people still share sanitation facilities with other households, compromising women’s and girls’ privacy, dignity, and safety. 
  • Vicious cycles of poverty: Unsafe water, toilets, and handwashing at home robs girls of their potential, compromises their well-being, and perpetuates cycles of poverty. 
  • Health risks: Inadequate WASH services increase health risks for women and girls and limit their ability to safely and privately manage their periods. 
  • Increased vulnerabilities: They face additional health risks because they are vulnerable to harassment, violence, and injury when they have to go outside the home to haul water or just to use the toilet.

Roadmap suggested by the report

• Accelerating Progress:  Achieving the Sustainable Development Goal target for universal access to safely managed drinking water, sanitation, and basic hygiene services by 2030 will require a six-fold increase in current rates of progress for safely managed drinking water, a five-fold increase for safely managed sanitation, and a three-fold increase for basic hygiene services.
• Gender specific interventions: Responding to girls’ needs in the design and implementation of WASH programmes is critical to reaching universal access to water and sanitation and achieving gender equality and empowerment.
• Targeting gender equality: Efforts are needed to ensure that progress on WASH contributes towards gender equality, including integrated gender considerations in WASH programmes and policies and disaggregated data collection and analysis.

Status of Health and Hygiene in India

• Lack of clean water access: As of 2020 over 165 million Indians did not have access to constant clean water, close to 600 million live in water-stressed regions, and 63 per cent households do not have access to water within their homes. 
• Water scarce regions: Water scarce areas in India, dependent on government and municipal water tankers, receive a maximum of 25L of water per person per day, amounting to 125L for an average family of five. This is in stark contrast to median and high-income households that use anywhere from 200L-600 L per person per day.
• Water Contamination: While many regions in India face significant water scarcity issues, nearly 70% of all of the country’s fresh water in the ground or on the surface is contaminated. 
• Stunting and wasting: In spite of the initiatives being taken to eradicate the risks of unsanitary livelihood, India still has higher rates of stunting and wasting among children under five years of age, due to poor sanitation.

Challenges associated with Health and Hygiene

• Data discrepancies: Although India was declared open-defecation-free (ODF) in 2019, several reports indicate the persistence of open-defecation in regions labelled ODF, defunct toilets, and discrepancies between the SBM administrative data and National Sample Survey data. 
• Timely wage payments: There have also been reports of non-payment of wages to swachhagrahis. If such policy implementation gaps are not bridged, regions with poor sanitation and lack of adequate toilets will continue to fail their women.
• Lack of knowledge: Ground reports show that knowledge of proper menstrual hygiene practices is still lacking.Even though ASHA workers continue to raise awareness, there are cases where 80 percent of women and girls in villages continue to practice unhygienic MHM.
• Paucity of hygiene management at the workplace:  The paucity of clean and separate toilets for women in the urban working landscape discourages and restricts women from joining the workforce, in addition to several factors that already hinder their labour force participation. 
• Lack of gender tracking system: Even while WASH policies are gender-sensitive or gender-transformative in their design and planning, they fail to measure the gendered impact of the policy.

Current Measures by India to improve sanitation and hygiene

• Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM):
  • Objective: Ensure safe and adequate drinking water and promote sanitation for every household in India.
  • Impact: Creation of a market for water-related products and services, innovative solutions in sanitation, and behavior change communication campaigns.
• Atal Bhujal Yojana:
  • Gender Strategy: Requires 33 percent women members in Water Use Associations (WUA) for holistic participation of women in water-related activities.
  • Focus: Enhancing women's involvement in water budgeting, water security planning, and monitoring implementation progress.
• SPM-NIWAS:
  • Role: Autonomous institution under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
  • Objective: Develop as an apex institution for drinking water and sanitation of international repute, focusing on academic activities, research, training, and capacity development.
• Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM):
  • Guidelines: Issued by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
  • Framework: Includes IEC initiatives, improved WASH infrastructure, proper disposal of menstrual absorbents, and community and school participation to end the taboo around menstruation.
• Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya (SBSV) program:
  • Objective: Provide gender-segregated toilet facilities for girls and boys in government elementary and secondary schools, promoting sanitation in educational institutions.
• Innovative Solutions under JJM:
  • Market Creation: Introduction of products and services like water quality testing kits, leak detection devices, and water treatment technologies.
• Innovative Solutions under SBM:
  • Impact: Development of innovative solutions in sanitation, including low-cost toilets, wastewater and faecal sludge management solutions, and behavior change communication campaigns.
• Sustainable Solutions by Social Enterprises:
  • Acceptance: Underserved communities show acceptance and support for sustainable solutions provided by social enterprises.
  • These initiatives collectively aim to address water, sanitation, and hygiene challenges in India through innovative, gender-sensitive, and sustainable approaches.

Way Forward for India

• Basic WASH facilities: The need of the hour in terms of hygiene and healthcare for women in India is to improve access to basic sanitation facilities and clean water, and to provide adequate hygiene facilities in the workplace. 
• Infrastructure: This includes investing in infrastructure such as toilets and water wells, as well as education campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of hygiene. 
• Hygiene management facilities at workplace: Providing menstrual hygiene management facilities in workplaces and schools is also crucial.
• Healthcare Providers: Increasing the number of trained healthcare providers, especially in rural and underprivileged areas, to ensure that women have access to the healthcare they need. 
• Accessibility and affordability of medicines: Improving the availability and affordability of essential medicines and supplies can also help to ensure that women receive the care they need.
• Women led transformation: Role of It is important to involve communities, especially women and girls, in the design and implementation of sanitation and hygiene programs. This can help to ensure that the facilities and services provided meet the specific needs of women and girls and are used and maintained.
• Training women: Training women and empowering them to train others has turned out to be an excellent way to ensure safe sanitation for all in a community
• Enabling Environment: To ensure that everyone has access to the new solutions and that they are affordable, governments and stakeholders must work towards creating an enabling environment for innovations to thrive.
• Awareness and sensitization drives: Regularity of sanitation-related awareness and sensitization drives in communities needs to be increased so that there is an attitudinal change even at the household level. 
• School Curriculum: Bringing the importance of Wash into the curriculum of schools is one way of ensuring that the importance of the issue remains top and center in the minds of teachers, students and administrators.

World Food Programme (WPF) and Global Food Crisis

Context

According to a recent report from the World Food Programme (WFP), the coverage of school meals in low-income countries is still four percent lower than pre-pandemic levels, despite an overall recovery.

About World Food Programme

• World Food Programme is a branch of the United Nations that deals with hunger eradication and promotes food security in the world.
• It is a member of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• It is operating in more than 120 countries, which provides food assistance during emergencies and works with communities to enhance nutrition and generate resilience.
• It has been functioning in India since 1963.
• Funding: WFP is funded by voluntary donations from governments, corporates and private donors.
• Report released by the WFP is Global Report on Food Crisis
  • The Global Report on Food Crises describes the scale of acute hunger in the world.
  • It provides an analysis of the drivers that are contributing to food crises across the globe.
• The report is produced by the Global Network against Food Crises, an international alliance working to address the root causes of extreme hunger.

Urbanisation and Agri-Food System

Context

Urban and peri-urban agriculture, as emphasized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, plays a crucial role in global food and nutritional security. The organization is actively working to promote these activities through the Urban Food Agenda. The vision is for India's cities to serve as hubs for sustainable living, providing opportunities for everyone to engage in urban agriculture. This fundamental concept underlies the promotion of urban agriculture in India.

Urban  Agriculture

• Urban agriculture is the practice of growing plants and raising animals primarily for human consumption and other household needs within a city or town and its surroundings. Agriculture in urban and peri-urban regions is referred to as urban agriculture.
• Peri-urban areas are those that are situated between the periphery of metropolitan and regional centres and the rural environment, shifting from rural land uses (such as agricultural or animal production) to urban ones (such as the built environment, manufacturing, services, and utilities).
• Urban agricultural methods aim to cultivate or develop a variety of food and non-food items and include tasks like livestock rearing, aquaculture, beekeeping, and large-scale floriculture. It also covers tasks including producing, processing, marketing, and delivering agricultural products. Urban agriculture is a collection of several producing techniques.
• They span from small-scale domestic production and processing to industrial-scale agribusiness. This is usually done on the outskirts of the city. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) acknowledges urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) as a significant factor in food security, the creation of livelihoods, particularly for women, the reduction of poverty, and the resilience and sustainability of cities.

Need for Urban Agriculture

• Global Population Distribution: Cities are home to over 55% of the world's population, and these urban areas consume a significant 80% of the globally produced food.
• Addressing Climate Change: To support such a large and concentrated population in urban centers and effectively address climate change, it is imperative to transform these areas into sustainable and livable spaces.
• Role of Urban Agriculture: Urban agriculture plays a crucial role in achieving sustainability in cities. It involves practices like urban gardening, which provides not only food security but also contributes to financial stability for city dwellers.
• Sustainable Living: The idea behind urban agriculture in India is to make cities the centers of sustainable living, offering opportunities for everyone to participate in and benefit from these practices.
• Global Initiatives: The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is actively promoting urban and peri-urban agriculture through initiatives like the Urban Food Agenda.
• Supporting Sustainable Practices: Embracing urban agriculture is essential for supporting a large urban population's food needs while simultaneously adopting practices that align with broader environmental sustainability goals.
• Empowering City Dwellers: Urban gardening not only enhances food security in cities but also empowers residents by providing a means of financial stability through local, sustainable practices.

Common Methods used

Some common methods are used in urban farming. They include:

• Raised bed farming: Building freestanding crop beds above the current soil level is a farming practice known as raised bed farming. In order to create a closed planting bed, raised beds are occasionally covered with plastic mulch. The technique makes it possible to better manage the soil and lessen soil compaction. Additionally, the planted area is shielded from excessive rain. The productivity of this strategy is significantly higher than conventional farming.
• Container gardening: Growing plants in containers as opposed to putting them in the ground is known as container gardening. Polyethene plastic bags, clay pots, plastic pots, metallic pots, milk jugs, ice cream tubs, bushel baskets, barrels, and planter box bottles are a few examples of containers. It is possible to cultivate the majority of vegetables in containers in backyard gardens.
• Aquaponics: A closed-loop aquaponics system makes use of the advantages of the nitrogen and carbon cycles, two fundamental ecological building blocks. Plants are fertilised and watered with fish water that is rich in nutrients. Only a few inputs are needed by this system, principally energy and certain essential plant nutrients.
• Vertical farming: By stacking numerous crop racks vertically and creating multiple layers on a single plot of ground, the vertical farming approach fundamentally tries to increase the amount of agricultural area.
• Hydroponics: Growing plants in a nutrient solution with or without a soilless base is known as hydroponics.Growing plants in a nutrient solution with or without a soilless substrate to give physical support is known as hydroponics.
• Shipping Container Farms: Growing plants in shipping containers rather than putting them in the ground is known as container farming. Plants that are not edible can also be cultivated in containers. Weeds are eliminated and soil-borne diseases are less of an issue with container farming. Moisture, temperature, and sunlight may all be more easily monitored when growing in this way.
• Rooftop Plant Production: Rooftop farming is the technique of growing food on the roofs of structures. The cultivation area is maximised using RPP systems using artificial lighting. RPP can be used to grow crops that need greater vertical space and stronger lighting
• Backyard gardens: Using any available space in the backyard to cultivate and produce your own food is a common habit.

Advantages of Urban farming

• By providing jobs, and revenue, and expanding small companies, urban farming supports the local economy. It developed business. Even if it’s seasonal work, urban farms may give many unemployed people a reliable source of money as well as vital education and skills.
• Urban farms may help many unemployed individuals gain essential knowledge and training, as well as a reliable source of money, even if it is only temporary work.
• Green space is created As part of urban rehabilitation, unused fields and wastelands might be developed. It minimises pollutants while expanding the amount of green area available.
• Urban gardening brings recently harvested veggies closer to the point of consumption. Fruit grown in urban farms is much more likely to be in season, perfectly ripe, and nutritious.
•  Since people only produce what they need, food waste is reduced. Food waste is drastically reduced as a result.
• Urban agriculture is a key component of urban environmental management because it can lower urban heat islands, serve as an urban lung, and add aesthetic value.
• Urban agriculture may be able to assist with the problem of managing and removing waste in cities.
• Urban gardening that uses adequately treated sewage water can help with wastewater disposal while also lowering the requirement for fresh water.
• Additionally, organic waste from cities can be composted and used to make food and flowers.
• Wastelands and unused land can be used for farming. It increases green space while lowering pollutants. Communities with urban farms and community gardens see an increase in property value.
•  Creates health and wellness. Fresh produce is produced closer to the final destination through urban farming. Food grown in metropolitan areas is much more likely to be in-season, perfectly ripe, and nutritious.
• Low investment since urban farming requires less space and has lower setup and infrastructure costs. When compared to conventional farming, the installation costs are quite little.
• They can use less water by using techniques like hydroponics and aquaponics.

Challenges of Urban Agriculture

Urban farming also possesses some challenges:

• In peri-urban villages or other peri-urban locations, the current trajectory of urbanisation and industrialization is rather alarming. This pattern will soon result in the pollution and unhealthiness of these areas.
• The issues with endogenous or “subaltern” urbanisation are manifold. Expanding cities and “census towns” are crucial to India’s current process of “urbanisation” and urban expansion.
• Urban land-use planning (ULP) does not give agriculture a high priority in Indian cities. Most people consider agriculture to be a rural activity and a means of livelihood.
• Little area India has a sizable population; its total urban area makes up roughly 6.77 per cent of its entire land area. Around 500 million Indians, or 35% of the country’s total population, reside in this little region.
• Less space is available to create green places. Lack of space makes urban agriculture difficult.

Best practices

• Pune's City Farming Project (2008): Pune's local authority initiated a city farming project in 2008, aiming to educate and encourage citizens to start farming on designated lands.
• Kerala's Vegetable Development Initiative (2012): Faced with food dependency until 2012, the Kerala state government launched a vegetable development initiative. This program promoted gardening in various settings, including homes, schools, government buildings, and public/private organizations. Financial support and assistance for biogas plants, irrigation, composting, and eco-friendly inputs were provided. Vegetable production increased from 825,000 tonnes in 2011–12 to 1.3 million tonnes in 2014–15.
• Tamil Nadu's Urban Horticulture Development Scheme (2014): The Tamil Nadu government introduced a "do-it-yourself" kit in 2014 as part of its Urban Horticulture Development Scheme. This initiative aimed to empower city inhabitants to grow vegetables on rooftops, homes, and apartment complexes.
• Bihar's Subsidized Terrace Gardening (2021): Starting in 2021, Bihar implemented a subsidy program in five smart cities to support terrace gardening. The government subsidizes input costs to encourage residents to engage in terrace gardening activities.

Way Forward

• Urban gardening may one day offer a practical solution for ensuring global and Indian food security.
• Indian city dwellers will be persuaded to embrace the idea of urban agriculture if proper urban land-use planning (ULP), institutional support, public awareness of the benefits of urban agriculture, and government financial and technological support are all in place.
• Urban regions can gain from social interaction, employment opportunities, and environmental advantages as a result of urban agriculture’s continuous rise as a strategy for urban regeneration.

Conclusion
Urban agriculture encounters a number of obstacles, but each of these can be overcome by implementing a variety of technological solutions, establishing urban agriculture initiatives in peri-urban areas, launching community initiatives in open areas, and changing planning guidelines and local ordinances to recognise urban agriculture as a ULB activity.

Mother Tongue in Foundational Education

Context

The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for the foundational stage, catering to children aged 3 to 8 years, has been unveiled by the Minister for Education.

What has the NCF recommended?

• NCF has recommended that the mother tongue should be the primary medium of instruction in schools, both public and private, for children up to eight years of age.
• NCF observed that English can be one of the second languages taught at that level.

Why mother tongue?

• Since children learn concepts most rapidly and deeply in their home language, the primary medium of instruction would optimally be the child’s home language/ mother tongue/ familiar language in the Foundational Stage.

What is the impact of this recommendation?

• Medium of Instruction in CBSE and ICSE Schools:
  • English is the primary medium of instruction in the primary classes of schools affiliated with CBSE and ICSE at the national level.
  • Efforts have been made to encourage these boards to adopt mother tongues or regional languages for primary grades, but English remains prevalent.
• State Boards' Practices:
  • Most state boards predominantly use regional languages as the main mode of instruction in their schools.
  • Some state governments operate schools where English is the medium of instruction alongside regional language-based schools.
• Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Policy:
  • State governments, such as Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, have made policy decisions to gradually shift all schools to impart education exclusively in English.
• Diversity in Language Policies:
  • There is a diversity of language policies across states, reflecting the linguistic and cultural diversity of India.
  • Efforts to promote regional languages in education coexist with the recognition of English as a crucial medium of instruction.
• National Curriculum Framework (NCF):
  • The release of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for foundational stage education may influence language policies by emphasizing a holistic approach to language development.
  • The NCF provides guidelines for educational practices, including the medium of instruction, for children aged 3 to 8 years.

What did previous education policies recommend?

• First education policy: It was based on the recommendations of a commission headed by D S Kothari. It observed that regional languages were already in use as the medium of education at the primary and secondary stages and steps should be taken to adopt the same at the university stage as well.
• National Education Policy(NEP),2020: It marked a departure from the past, as it made a clear case for the mother tongue. It recommended that wherever possible, the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the mother tongue/ local language.

What did the previous NCFs recommend?

• First NCF: It was published in 1975. It said clearly that as far as possible, primary education should be in the mother tongue”, which was the child’s most natural medium of communication.
• NCF 2005: It said the language of interaction and communication in Early Childhood Care and Education(ECCE) would normally be the child’s ‘first’ language. However, in light of socio-political realities, English has to be introduced early as a second language either in Class I or at the preschool level.

What is the Constitutional position on this issue?

• Under Article 350A of the Constitution, the government must try to ensure that children from linguistic minority groups are educated in their mother tongue.
• Article 351 says: It shall be the duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language, to develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India and to secure its enrichment by assimilating without interfering with its genius, the forms, style and expressions used in Hindustani and in the other language specified in the Eighth Schedule.