GS Analyst: Daily Current Affairs

Context

This comprehensive discussion delves into the multifaceted challenges faced by women in political leadership, the recent passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in 2023, and the historical privileges and disparities that influence women's representation in India's political landscape.

Challenges in Women's Political Leadership

• Long Wait for Gender Parity: The Global Gender Gap Report indicates a 149-year wait for gender parity in populous South Asian countries, highlighting the slow progress in closing the gender gap.
• Perceptions of Women's Competence: Gender biases have led to the misconception that women's leadership may bring down competence, ignoring statistics showing women's achievements in academics and employment.
• Historical Privileges in Leadership: Privileged backgrounds and advantages have often paved the way for women in leadership positions, despite privileges not accessible to all women.

Women's Reservation Bill and Opposition

• Passage of Women's Reservation Bill: The Women's Reservation Bill 2023 assumes significance as it aims to create a more equitable political space for women.
• Opposition and Misconceptions: Opposition to the bill often arises from regressive views on gender equality, with some leaders fearing it may reduce space for men in patriarchal societies.
• Concerns Over Elite Representation: Critics argue that the bill may primarily champion educated, urban, and elite women, rather than ensuring representation for underprivileged women.

Call for Prompt Action

• Historical Wrongs and the Need for Change:There is urgent need to correct historical disparities promptly. Women and society demand change, and there's no reason for delay.
• Census-Based Implementation:There is need to implement the bill based on the 1991 Census data, similar to how Scheduled Caste seats are allocated, rather than waiting for the next Census, to ensure quicker progress.
• Gender Parity and Political Representation:Achieving gender parity and equitable political representation is of utmost importance and it calls for change without further delay.

Context

In a remarkable development, women MPs' contribution has increased in Parliament.

Women's Empowerment through Government Policies

• Positive Impact of Policies: The government is focusing on policies that actually empowers women, like LPG accessibility and sanitation. They have improved women's health and economic status.
• Understated Transformations: Some remarkable changes, like women's political leadership, have received less attention but hold immense potential for women's empowerment.
• Crucial Role of Female MPs: Female MPs have a significant role in questioning the government, irrespective of political affiliations, contributing to government accountability.

Assessing Women MPs' Empowerment

• Empowerment in Questioning: During the 15th Lok Sabha, women MPs asked significantly fewer questions than their male counterparts (135 versus 250). However, in a remarkable contrast, their level of engagement in the 16th Lok Sabha was on par with male MPs (218 versus 219).
• Key Focus Areas: Female MPs focus on healthcare, education, roads, and MSMEs, benefiting vulnerable segments, while male MPs prioritize other areas.
• Unnoticed "Silent Revolutions": While well-documented policies like Ujjwala and Swachh Bharat have garnered attention, there are "silent revolutions" with significant women's empowerment implications. One such understated area is the role of women leaders in India's Parliament.

Implications for Women-Led Democracy

• Parliamentary Empowerment: Women in Parliament play a crucial role in representing their constituents and ensuring government accountability.
• Unique Focus Areas: Female MPs address critical issues that impact vulnerable sections of society (healthcare, education, roads, and MSMEs), laying the foundation for women's empowerment.
• Unique Focus Areas: Women MPs prioritize healthcare, education, roads, and MSMEs, while male MPs focus more on finance, defence, and foreign affairs.

Context

The coexistence of traditional and modern medicine systems in the contemporary world presents a dynamic landscape in healthcare. With harmonious coexistence of these systems, there is need for scientific evaluation, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based policy for a unified healthcare approach.

Coexistence of Traditional and Modern Medicine

• Coexistence of Medicine Systems: Traditional and modern medicine systems coexist in the contemporary world. This coexistence is characterized by a diverse range of healing practices, including Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and allopathy.
• Evolution of Modern Medicine: Modern medicine's evolution was marked by scientific advancements. It transitioned from symptom-based allopathy to evidence-based practices in the late 19th century. Advancements in technology, including anaesthesia and surgery, improved healthcare.
• Global Scientific Exchange: In the 20th century, scientific progress accelerated, with ideas flowing more rapidly worldwide. The scientific method, emphasizing falsifiability and empirical evidence, led to the continuous evaluation and refinement of medical therapies. This underscores that modern medicine isn't bound by geography but by its scientific foundation.

Integrating Ayurveda with Scientific Evaluation

• Ayurveda's Historical Foundation: Ayurveda has a historical basis but faces challenges rooted in outdated physiological understanding. Ayurveda's strength lies in its emphasis on evidence-based diagnosis and therapies.
• Need for Scientific Evaluation: To enhance the acceptability of Ayurvedic medicines within the scientific community, they should undergo evaluation using modern scientific methods. It's crucial to strike a balance between respecting the holistic nature of Ayurvedic formulations and assessing their efficacy.
• Role of the Ministry of AYUSH: The Ministry of AYUSH must facilitate the development of new investigative methods and trial designs that evaluate Ayurvedic therapies without compromising their traditional integrity.

Evidence-Based Policy for Health Integration

• Balancing Wisdom and Progress: Government health policy should prioritize the well-being of the population. It's essential to balance traditional wisdom and scientific progress to create a unified system of medicine accessible to all.
• Open-Minded Scientific Approach: Science thrives on open-mindedness disciplined by scepticism. Rather than denouncing traditional medical systems wholesale, there should be an evidence-based appraisal, retaining and developing what is proven to be useful.
• Preserving Cultural and Historical Knowledge: Ignoring valuable time-honored knowledge from traditional systems in the name of science is detrimental. Cultural achievements in medicine, like the Nobel-winning anti-malarial artemisinin, demonstrate the importance of integrating diverse knowledge bases.