Indian Society & Social Justice - 2 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Rising Concerns over Freshwater Shortages

Context

Recently, a global study released by Circle of Blue and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) analysed attitudes towards freshwater shortages by surveying almost 30,000 people from 31 countries.

• People in Argentina, South Korea, Vietnam, Colombia, Germany and Peru reported the largest increases in concerns about water shortages over the past few years.

What are the Major Highlights of the Report?

• 30% of people claim to be greatly impacted by freshwater shortages.
• Strong concerns about freshwater shortages have increased from 49% in 2014 to 61% in 2022, among 17 countries consistently tracked.
• People in urban areas (32%) are more likely to be greatly affected by a lack of freshwater than those in rural (28%) or towns and suburban areas (26%).
• 38% of people said they have been “greatly” personally affected by climate change.
  • People who claimed to be personally affected by climate change viewed drought as the most concerning impact of it.

What is the Status of Freshwater Shortage in India?

• About:
  • India’s freshwater crisis is constant. Although India has 16% of the world’s population, the country possesses only 4% of the world’s freshwater resources.
  • According to NITI Aayog, a large number of Indians face high to extreme water stress.
  • North India, the most populated belt of the nation is going to face grievous irreversible fresh water scarcity by 2060 since the availability of the vital resource will decline on account of climate change.
• Issues:
  • Rising Water Pollution: There is a large amount of domestic, industrial, and mining waste that is discharged into water bodies, which can lead to waterborne illnesses.
    • Moreover, water pollution can lead to eutrophication, which can significantly impact aquatic ecosystems.
  • Overexploitation of Groundwater: 256 of 700 districts in India have reported critical or overexploited groundwater levels, according to the Central Ground Water Board (2017).
    • Wells, ponds and tanks are drying up as groundwater resources come under increasing pressure due to over-reliance and unsustainable consumption. This has escalated the water crisis.
  • Potential Rural-Urban Conflict: Cities are rapidly expanding as a result of rapid urbanisation, and a large influx of migrants from rural areas has increased the per capita use of water in cities, which is causing water to be transferred from rural reservoirs to urban areas to meet the deficit.
    • Considering the downward trend of water level in urban areas, it is likely that cities will rely heavily on rural areas for raw water supply in the future, which may spark the rural-urban conflict.

Way Forward

• Sustainable Groundwater Management: There is a need to devise a proper mechanism and rural-urban integrated projects for artificial recharge to groundwater and rainwater harvesting at household level, conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater, and regulation of water reservoirs.
• Water Conservation Zone: There is a need to shift focus towards efficient water governance and increased data discipline regarding the status of water bodies at regional, state and national level, and setting up water conservation zones.
• Leveraging Modern Water Management Techniques: Information Technology can be linked with water-related data systems. Also, in recent years, breakthroughs in research and technology have made it possible to make water that was considered unfit for consumption, clean and safe for consumption.
  • Some of the most frequently used techniques include Electrodialysis Reversal (EDR), Desalinization, Nanofiltration, and Solar and UV Filtration.

Reservation for Women in Politics

Context

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader began a day-long hunger strike in New Delhi, demanding passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill (WRB).

What is the Women’s Reservation Bill (WRB)?

• The Constitution 108^th Amendment Bill, 2008 seeks to reserve one-third (33%) of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies. 
• Reserved seats may be allotted by rotation to different constituencies in the state or union territory.
• Reservation of seats for women shall cease to exist 15 years after the commencement of this Amendment Act.

What is the timeline of the bill?

• 1996 – The WRB was 1^st introduced in 1996, and was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee, however, the Bill lapsed with the dissolution of the Lok Sabha and had to be reintroduced.
• 1998 – The Bill was reintroduced and yet again, it failed to get support and lapsed.
• 1999 – The Bill was reintroduced by the NDA government in the 13^th Lok Sabha and was subsequently introduced twice in the year 2003.
• 2004 – The UPA government included it in its Common Minimum Programme and finally tabled it, this time in Rajya Sabha to prevent it from lapsing again, in 2008.
• Few recommendations made by the 1996 Geeta Mukherjee Committee were included in this version of the Bill.
• 2010 – The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha and lapsed in the Lok Sabha, since then the demand for reservation for women in legislative bodies is not new.

Why did the parliament fail to pass the WRB?

• Heated debates & sexist taunts – The WRB has seen some of the heated debates and a fair share of sexism.
• Quota within quota – The 1996 committee recommended reservation for OBC women within the 1/3^rd reservation for women of the Bill, however, this demand has never been incorporated.
• This has led to opponents saying that the WRB will not benefit their women.
• Lack of political ability – Only Odisha’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and West Bengal’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) have reserved seats for women for election candidatures.
• Diverts attention – Opponents contend WRB diverts attention from the larger issues of electoral reform such as criminalisation of politics and inner party democracy.

What is the status of Women Reservation in India?

• Gujarat – It elected just 8% of women legislators in its 182-member assembly.
• Himachal Pradesh – Where every second voter is a female, has elected 67 men and only 1 woman.
• National average – The national average of women in all state assemblies remains around 8%.
• Rankings – India ranks 144 out of 193 countries in the representation of women in parliament according to Inter-Parliamentary Union’s report.
• Among our immediate neighbours, India falls behind Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal.

Why is WRB important?

• Women have historically suffered due to systemic inequality and barriers.
• Caste groups – Any scheme of women’s reservation must be within the constitutional tenets and must also account for its representation across caste groups.
• Gender quota – Without a gender quota, women’s representation will continue to remain marginal causing a massive deficit in our democracy.
• Panchayats – Some recent studies on panchayats have shown the positive effect of reservation on empowerment of women and on allocation of resources.
• Vote share – Though women’s vote share has increased the number of women in positions of power has not increased.

What is the way forward?

• With its massive women population, India has a huge reservoir of potential which, if unleashed, will take the country much ahead.
• Women’s reservation will jump-start the democratic process, allowing significant majority to have a say in how their lives must be governed.

Exclusion of ST Womenfrom Hindu Succession Act

Context

A Member of Parliament has urged the government to issue a notification that would include women from the Scheduled Tribe community in the inheritance rights provisions of the Hindu Succession Amendment Act, 2005.

• Section 2(2) of the Act excludes these women, which results in the denial of their equal rights to inherit their father's or Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) properties.

What are the Issues Highlighted Around Inheritance Rights?

• The Hindu Succession Act, 1956, was amended in 2005 to grant daughters equal rights to inherit their father's or HUF properties.
• The Member of Parliament (MoP) stated that exclusion of women from the Scheduled Tribe in this act is discriminatory based on gender and is against Article 14 of the Constitution of India, which advocates for equality before the law.
  • Additionally, MoP argue that women from Scheduled Tribes are a more disadvantaged group due to historic oppression and lack of access to education, employment, and property.
• The MoP has urged the Government to issue a notification that would include Scheduled Tribe women in the ambit of the Hindu Succession Act, except in cases where the customs of a particular Scheduled Tribe give women an advantageous position.

What is Hindu Succession Act, 1956?

• About:
  • The Mitakshara school of Hindu law codified as the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 governed succession and inheritance of property but only recognised males as legal heirs.
• Applicability:
  • It applies to everyone who is not a Muslim, Christian, Parsi or Jew by religion.
    • Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and followers of Arya Samaj, Brahmo Samaj, are also considered Hindus for this law.
  • Traditionally, only male descendants of a common ancestor along with their mothers, wives and unmarried daughters are considered a joint Hindu family. The legal heirs hold the family property jointly.
• Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005:
  • The 1956 Act was amended in September 2005 and women were recognised as coparceners for property partitions arising from 2005.
    • Section 6 of the Act was amended to make a daughter of a coparcener also a coparcener by birth “in her own right in the same manner as the son”.
  • It also gave the daughter the same rights and liabilities “in the coparcenary property as she would have had if she had been a son”.
  • The law applies to ancestral property and to intestate succession in personal property, where succession happens as per law and not through a will.

World Tuberculosis Day 2023

Context

• Each year, the World TB Day is celebrated on March 24. This year’s theme is ‘Yes! We can end TB!’.
• This year, on World TB Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the One World TB Summit.

What’s in today’s article:

• One World TB Summit
• Tuberculosis (TB)

What is One World TB Summit?

• One World TB Summit is being organised on World Tuberculosis Day at Rudrakash Convention Centre in Varanasi.
• It is being organised by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Stop TB Partnership.
  • Founded in 2001, the Stop TB Partnership is a United Nations-hosted organisation that amplifies the voices of the people, communities, and countries affected by TB.

What is Tuberculosis?

• TB is a bacterial infection spread through inhaling tiny droplets from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person.
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria is responsible for TB.
• It mainly affects the lungs, but it can affect any part of the body, including the tummy (abdomen), glands, bones and nervous system.
• TB is a potentially serious condition, but it can be cured if it's treated with the right antibiotics.

How many TB cases are detected each year in India?

• India accounts for 28% of all TB cases in the world, according to the Global TB Report 2022.
• There were 21.3 lakh cases detected in 2021 as compared to 18.05 lakh cases in 2020.
• India continues to be the largest contributor to global TB cases. However, there has been a decline in the number of cases in 2021.

What is India’s TB elimination target?

• Although elimination of Tuberculosis is one of the sustainable development targets to be achieved by 2030 by the world, India has set the target of 2025.
• The national strategic plan 2017-2025 sets the target of India reporting no more than 44 new TB cases or 65 total cases per lakh population by 2025.
  • The programme aims to reduce the mortality to 3 deaths per lakh population by 2025.
    • The estimated TB mortality for the year 2020 stood at 37 per lakh population.
  • The plan also aims to reduce catastrophic costs for the affected family to zero.
• The goals are in line with the World Health Organisation’s End TB strategy that calls for 80% reduction in the number of new cases, 90% reduction in mortality, and zero catastrophic cost by 2030.

What steps are being taken to achieve this target?

• To achieve the TB elimination target of 2025, the government has taken several steps including:
  • looking for cases actively among vulnerable and co-morbid populations,
  • screening for it at the health and wellness centres, and
  • calling on the private sector to notify all TB cases.
• An online Ni-kshay portal has been set up to track the notified TB cases.
• The pandemic has led to improved access to the more accurate molecular diagnostic tests like CB-NAAT and TureNat.
  • At present, there are 4,760 molecular diagnostic machines available, covering all districts of the country.
• The government has also implemented a universal drug susceptibility test.
  • It means that antibiotic susceptibility of the mycobacterium is determined for all newly diagnosed cases.
  • Earlier, the patients were started on first line treatment and were tested for drug resistance only if the therapy did not work.
• The government also launched the community engagement programme where Ni-kshay mitras can adopt TB patients and provide them monthly nutritional support.
  • So far, 71,460 Ni-kshay Mitras have adopted about 10 lakh TB patients under the programme.

What are the improvements in treatment protocols?

• Newer drugs such as Bedaquiline and Delamanid for the treatment of drug-resistant TB have been included in the government’s basket of drugs provided free to TB patients.
• These new drugs have also been included in the new National List of Essential Medicines that gives the government power to regulate their market price as well.
• Researchers have also been studying shorter three- and four-month courses of anti-tubercular drugs, instead of the existing six-month therapy.
  • Anti-tubercular drugs have to be taken for six months to over two years depending on the susceptibility of the mycobacterium.
  • Long duration of treatment results in people dropping out in between, increasing their likelihood of developing drug-resistant infections later.

The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems: FAO

Context

According to a new report – The Status Of Women In Agrifood Systems – by the FAO, tackling gender inequality in agri-food systems can reduce hunger, boost the economy and reinforce resilience to shocks like climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.

About the report:

• It is the first of its kind since 2010 (State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2010–11: Women in Agriculture – Closing the gender gap for development).
• It goes beyond agriculture to provide a comprehensive picture of the status of women working across agri-food systems.

Highlights of the report:

• Almost four billion people rely on agri-food systems for their livelihoods and around half of them (are women) are prevented from realising their potential.
• They are often held back by
  • Inequality and discrimination – Rigid gender norms and roles, unequal power dynamics and discriminatory social structures
  • Marginalised and denied agency
  • Work in poorer conditions with lower wages and
  • Carry a greater burden of care and unpaid work.
• These impediments are compounded by additional challenges – climate, economic and price shocks, conflicts and the increasing risks of gender-based violence.
• Even though women have gained more access to some resources (digital technology, financial services), gaps are either unchanged or growing especially for rural women.
• Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the gap between women’s and men’s food security has grown to 4.3%.

India-specific findings:

• Female participation in the labour force is low (1 in 5 women are working or looking for a job) but labour-force participation is relatively high among the poorest women, who depend on agriculture.
• The female share of agrifood-system workers decreased by one percentage point between 2005 and 2019.
• A 10% increase in mechanized tilling between 1999 and 2011 led to a 5% reduction in women’s farm labour with no increase in off-farm work because of limited off-farm opportunities for women.

Closing the gender gap and empowering women would: Increase global GDP by 1%/nearly $1 trillion → address the goals of ending poverty and reducing food-nutritional insecurity.

Suggestions:

• Women need more access to and control over the livestock, water, seeds, land, technology, and finance.
• Eliminating discrimination by engaging with men and boys.

Some best practices from India:

• In Tamil Nadu, women involved in fishing-related work had wider social networks, and a greater adaptive capacity to seasonal stresses.
• The MGNREG Scheme stipulates the provision of crèche facilities for young children for women involved in the schemes.
• In northern India, participatory village committees addressing water access, health and nutrition issues have facilitated shifts in discriminatory norms, enabling women to speak in front of men and take on public roles.

Civil Union and Marriage

Context

• CJI clarified that the hearing’s scope would be limited to developing a notion of a “civil union” that finds legal recognition under the Special Marriage Act.

What is Civil Union?

• A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples.
• Civil unions would be accompanied by rights such as inheritance rights, property rights, parental rights, employment benefits to spouses, joint parenting right to abstain from testifying against one’s partner — similar to the spousal privilege given under Section 122 of the Indian Evidence Act.

Differences between the Civil Union and Marriage

• Civil partners cannot call themselves ‘married’ for legal purposes and Married couples cannot call themselves ‘civil partners’ for legal purposes.
• Civil partnerships are ended by a dissolution order. Marriage is ended by divorce, by obtaining a final order.
• Civil union is considered a step towards formal recognition of legal right to marry.
• In the wake of the legalization of same sex marriages, several civil unions were converted into marriages. For instance, In Austria, same-sex couples could form civil partnerships between the years 2010-2017. However, this changed with a court ruling that deemed civil unions discriminatory in January 2019, when such marriages were legalized.

Which other countries allow civil unions?

• In the year 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) legalized same-sex marriages across the nation with its landmark ruling in “Obergefell v. Hodges”
• From 1993, couples in Norway enjoyed the right to enter into civil unions, which gave way to a new law 15 years later, allowing such couples to marry, adopt and undergo state-sponsored artificial insemination.
• Similarly, countries like Brazil, Uruguay, Andorra, and Chile had also recognized the right of same sex couples to enter into civil unions, even before they formally recognized their legal right to marriage.

Special Marriage Act of 1954

• About:
  • All marriages in India can be registered under the respective personal law Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, Muslim Marriage Act, 1954, or under the Special Marriage Act, 1954.
  • The Special Marriage Act, 1954 is an Act of the Parliament of India with provision for civil marriage for people of India and all Indian nationals in foreign countries, irrespective of religion or faith followed by either party.
  • The couples have to serve a notice with the relevant documents to the Marriage Officer 30 days before the intended date of the marriage.
• Applicability: 
  • Any person, irrespective of religion. 
  • Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians, Parsis, or Jews can also perform marriage under the Special Marriage Act, 1954.
  • Inter-religion marriages are performed under this Act.
  • This Act is applicable to the entire territory of India and extends to intending spouses who are both Indian nationals living abroad.