GS Analyst
Daily Current Affairs

India’s goal to achieve universal Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in all primary schools must be based on state-wise targets and should involve local community participation.

Need for the reforms:

• Several attempts, by the state governments & the Centre to promote the involvement of the local community in primary education were done using several schemes to incentivize education in schools, teacher training sessions, and many more.
• But we still are unable to find a systemic way of recruiting good teachers and establishing teacher development institutions.
• The recruitment of teachers, educators, and administrators has to become a priority if we want to make a difference.
• Foundational literacy and numeracy are necessary to prepare a generation of learners who will secure for India high rates of economic progress and human well-being.

The Efforts so far:

• The Shiksha Karmi Project: was started in 1987 for schools to tackle teacher absenteeism in remote villages in Rajasthan. Active involvement of the local communities was a crucial part of the project. By supporting and training local persons, the project succeeded in creating teachers.
• The Bihar Education Project was introduced in the early 1990s to support the universalization of primary education. It developed a 10-day residential-service training for teachers, called the Ujala module.
• The LokJumbish was launched in 1992 in Rajasthan and aims to provide a thrust to innovations and emphasize civil society partnership, this program demonstrated successes, especially in tribal districts.
• The Unni Krishnan v. State Of Andhra Pradesh states that the right to education for children up to age 14 is central and fundamental.
• The District Primary Education Programme was started in 1994, to universalize and transform the quality of primary education. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, aimed at the universalization of elementary education, was launched in 2001. While it has made a difference in school participation and has brought about improvement in school infrastructure, uniforms, toilet access, and water and textbook availability, classroom processes remain a challenge.

Challenges associated:

• Infrastructure deficit: Dilapidated structures, single-room schools, lack of drinking water facilities, separate toilets and other educational infrastructure is a grave problem.
• Corruption and leakages: The transfer of funds from the central to state to local governments to schools leads to the involvement of many intermediaries.
• High rates of corruption and leakages plague the system, undermine its legitimacy and harm the many officials.
• Quality of Teachers: Lack of well-trained, skilled, and knowledgeable teachers which provide the foundation for a high-quality education system.
• Non-Academic burden: A study by the National Institute of Education Planning and Administration (NIEPA) revealed that teachers spend only around 19 percent of their time teaching while the rest is spent mostly on non-teaching administrative work.
• Poor salary: Teachers are paid miserly salaries which affects their interest and dedication to work. They will look for other avenues like tuition or coaching centers and coax the students to attend them.
• Teacher Absenteeism: The absence of teachers during school hours is rampant. The lack of accountability and poor governance structures add to the woes.
• Lack of Accountability: School Management Committees are largely dysfunctional. Many exist solely on paper.
  • Parents are often not aware of their rights and if they are it is difficult for them to make their voices heard.
• High drop-out rates: The drop-out rates in schools, especially for girls, is very high.
  • Many factors like poverty, patriarchal mindset, lack of toilets in schools, distance to schools, and cultural elements lead to children dropping out of education.

Provisions of National Education Policy 2020: (For Schools)

• To work on community connect and parental involvement.
• Panchayats and community collectives with very high social capital, such as women self-help groups, can help ensure that local households own the initiative.
• The Central, State and local governments need to transform governance to ensure that everyone delivers their best. 

Recently, the US treasury secretary has highlighted the prospects of strengthening its economic ties with India.

Key Point:

• The U.S. wants to minimize its vulnerability to supply-chain disruptions.
• Pursue a strategy of ‘friend shoring’, with India.
• Plan to cut its reliance on countries with geopolitical and security risks.
• To counter China’s dominance in the production of products, e.g., solar panels.
• Mitigate over-concentration on select suppliers.
• Keenness to nurture local partners in developing countries.

Previous Fallouts:

• Withdrawal of duty-free access to Indian exporters:
• In 2019 The US government withdrew its GSP (Generalised System of Preferences) benefits to India.
• The Generalized System of Preferences or the GSP is a preferential tariff system that developed countries extend to developing countries.

GSP (Generalized System of Preferences): It is the largest and oldest US trade preference program, designed to promote economic development by allowing duty-free entry for thousands of products from designated beneficiary countries.

• Putting India on U.S. Treasury’s ‘Monitoring List’ in 2020:
• The list closely monitors the currency practices and policies of some of the US’ major trade partners.
• India has been on the list for about two years over its currency practices.
• But now India has been removed from the United States Currency Monitoring List.

India’s Relations with the US:

Economic Relations:

• In 2021, overall U.S.-India bilateral trade in goods and services reached a record USD 157 billion.
• The United States is India’s largest trading partner and most important export market.
• America is one of the few countries with which India has a trade surplus. In 2021-22, India had a trade surplus of USD 32.8 billion with the US.

Bilateral Trade with the US:

• Bilateral trade between the US and India stood at USD 119.42 billion (2021-2022) as against USD 80.51 billion in 2020-21.
• Exports to the US increased to USD 76.11 billion in 2021-22 from USD 51.62 billion in the previous fiscal year, while imports rose to USD 43.31 billion as compared to about USD 29 billion in 2020-21.

Associated Challenges of India-US Ties?

• Tariff Imposition: In 2018, the US imposed a 25% tariff on certain steel products and a 10% tariff on certain aluminum products from India.
• India retaliated in June 2019, by increasing tariffs on 28 products worth about USD 1.2 billion on US imports.
• However, after the imposition of the Section 232 tariffs, steel exports to the US declined by 46% year-on-year.
• Misunderstanding Self-Reliance as Protectionism: The Atmanirbhar Bharat Campaign has exacerbated the view that India is increasingly becoming a protectionist closed market economy.
• Strict enforcement and potential expansion of data localization measures.
• Exemption from the US Generalised System of Preferences: Effective in June 2019, the USA decided to withdraw duty-free benefits to Indian exporters under the GSP program.
• US’ Hostility towards Other Countries: Some of the differences between India and the US are not direct consequences of the India-US relationship but due to US’ hostility towards third countries like Iran and Russia – the traditional allies of India.
• US policy in Afghanistan: India is also concerned over the US policy in Afghanistan as it is jeopardizing India’s security and interest in the region.

International Cooperations:

• India and the United States cooperate closely with multilateral organizations, including the United Nations, G-20, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.

• With India set to take up the reins of the G-20 presidency, New Delhi has a chance to steer the global economic and trade agenda towards greater equity, including on climate change.
• Both sides stand much to gain by enhancing mutual trust and cooperation, particularly on trade.

Recently, a report by World Bank has estimated that India will need to invest about $840 billion over the next 15 years into urban infrastructure to meet the needs of its fast-growing urban population.

Key Points of the Report:

• The report was titled “Financing India’s Urban Infrastructure Needs: Constraints to Commercial Financing and Prospects for Policy Action“.
• Aim: It underlines the urgent need to leverage more private and commercial investments to meet emerging financial gaps.
• Points discussed:
  • About 600 million people will be living in urban cities in India, representing 40 percent of the population by
  • This is likely to put additional pressure on the already stretched urban infrastructure and services of Indian cities.
  • There will be a burden of more demand for clean drinking water, reliable power supply, and efficient and safe road transport amongst others.
  • Currently, the central and state governments finance over 75 percent of city infrastructure, while urban local bodies (ULB) finance 15 percent through their surplus revenues.
  • Only 5 percent of the infrastructure needs of Indian cities are currently being financed through private sources.
  • With the government’s current (2018) annual urban infrastructure investments topping $16 billion will require private financing to fill the gaps.

What are the concerns associated with the Urban Infrastructure in India?

Planning:

• Many urban governments lack a modern planning framework.
• The multiplicity of local bodies obstructs efficient planning and land use.
• Rigid master plans and restrictive zoning regulations limit the land available for building, constricting cities’ abilities to grow by changing needs.

Housing:

• Building regulations that limit urban density – such as floor space indexes – reduce the number of houses available, thereby pushing up property prices
• Policy, planning, and regulation deficiencies lead to a proliferation of slums
• Weak finances of urban local bodies and service providers leave them unable to expand the trunk infrastructure that housing developers need to develop new sites.

Service delivery:

• Most services are delivered by city governments with unclear lines of accountability
• There are a strong bias towards adding physical infrastructure rather than providing financially and environmentally sustainable services

Infrastructure:

• Most urban bodies do not generate the revenues needed to renew infrastructure, nor do they have the creditworthiness to access capital markets for funds
• Urban transport planning needs to be more holistic – there is a focus on moving vehicles rather than meeting the needs of the large numbers of people who walk or ride bicycles in India’s towns and cities.

Migration:

• There is a large population influx to urban centers is causing new cities to emerge and existing ones to expand. This is causing rapid urbanization. Therefore, India needs to develop satellite cities for which the need is for mass-transport systems.

Other Challenges:

• Land Acquisition
• Clearances from numerous agencies
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
• Poor pre-construction planning

Government Interventions:

• The Smart Cities Mission: The Smart Cities Mission is a major urban renewal program launched by the Government to develop and upgrade living conditions and infrastructure in selected 100 cities all over the country.
  • The objective of the program is to modernize cities by providing core infrastructure and giving a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment, and the application of ‘Smart’ Solutions.
  • The Ministry of Urban Development is the anchoring agency for the implementation of the project.
• Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) Project: Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) along with smart cities were jointly planned and launched by the government to transform urban living conditions through infrastructure gradation.
  • AMRUT is aimed at transforming 500 cities and towns into efficient urban living spaces over five years.
  • Ministry of Urban Development has selected the five hundred cities with the help of state governments.

India has announced its new set of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) at UNFCCC COP27 event to make the transition towards green energy using Nuclear Power and Non-fossil fuels.

• While 195 member countries were the signatories to the UN climate agreements and are obliged to submit the long-term document by 2022. However, only 57 countries have submitted so far and India is one among them.
• At the ongoing United Nations Conference of Parties (COP), India has premised on expanding its nuclear power capacity by at least three-fold in the next decade, apart from becoming an international hub for producing green hydrogen and increasing the proportion of ethanol in petrol.

India’s Updated list of Commitments:

• Increasing Electric Vehicles and Infrastructure: India aspires to maximize the use of electric vehicles, with ethanol blending to reach 20% by 2025 (it is currently 10%) and a strong shift to public transport for passenger and freight traffic.
• Strategies for the transition: India will also focus on improving energy efficiency through the Perform, Achieve, and Trade (PAT) scheme, the National Hydrogen Mission, increasing electrification, enhancing material efficiency, and recycling and ways to reduce emissions.
• Reducing Greenhouse gas emissions: India’s forest and tree cover is a net carbon sink absorbing 15% of CO2 emissions in 2016, and the country is on track to fulfilling its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) commitment of 5 to 3 billion tonnes of additional carbon sequestration in forest and tree cover by 2030.
• Using Non-fossil fuel-based energy: India updated its NDC commitments to ensure half its electricity is derived from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 and reduce the emissions intensity by 45% below 2005 levels by 2030.
• Domestic emissions trading scheme: is a key element of India’s strategy, given that the government has already announced the creation of the same in India.

Significance:

• India’s long-term strategy (LTS) can guide the growth of the Indian industry, urban planning, and infrastructure creation.
• Connecting India’s net-zero target with near-term climate actions is critical to avoid investments that might be incompatible with a low-emissions and climate-resilient future.

The Strategy for Nuclear Energy Development in India:

• Nuclear currently produces 25 percent of the global clean energy.
• India has a largely indigenous nuclear power program.
• The Indian government is committed to growing its nuclear power capacity as part of its massive infrastructure development program.
• The government has set ambitious targets to grow nuclear capacity.
• Because India is outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty due to its weapons program, it was for 34 years largely excluded from trade in nuclear plants and materials, which hampered its development of civil nuclear energy until 2009.
• Due to earlier trade bans and a lack of indigenous uranium, India has uniquely been developing a nuclear fuel cycle to exploit its reserves of thorium.
• Since 2010, a fundamental incompatibility between India’s civil liability law and international conventions limits foreign technology provision.

Government Initiatives:

Reforms in Transport Sector:

• India is accelerating its e-mobility transition with the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles Scheme (FAME).
• A voluntary vehicle scrapping policy to phase out old and unfit vehicles complements the existing schemes.

India's Support of EVs:

• India is among a handful of countries that support the global EV30@30 campaign, which aims for at least 30% of new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030.
• India’s advocacy of five elements for climate change “Panchamrit”, at the UNFCCC COP26 in Glasgow is a commitment to the same.

Role of Government Schemes:

• The PradhanMantri Ujjwala Yojana has helped 88 million households to shift from coal-based cooking fuels to LPG connections.

Role of Industries in Low-Carbon Transition:

• The public and private sectors in India are already playing a key role in meeting the climate challenge, helped by growing customer and investor awareness, as well as increasing regulatory and disclosure requirements.

Hydrogen Energy Mission:

• Focus on the generation of hydrogen from green power resources.

The Supreme court(SC) has said that religious conversions by means of force may “ultimately affect the security of the nation and freedom of religion and conscience of citizens”.

Supreme court observation:

• The top court expressed grave concern over alleged religious conversions by use of force, allurement, and deception.
• The court has asked the govt. to file an affidavit on steps being taken to curb this "dangerous trend.
• The court has also made remarks:
  • No fundamental right to convert another person to one’s own religion.
  • Freedom of religion is not guaranteed in respect of one religion only but covers all religions alike.

Need for Anti-Conversion Laws:

• No Right to Proselytize: The Constitution confers on each individual the fundamental right to profess, practice, and propagate his religion.
  • The individual right to freedom of conscience and religion cannot be extended to construe a collective right to proselytize.
  • The right to religious freedom belongs equally to the person converting and the individual seeking to be converted.
• Fraudulent Marriages: In the recent past, several instances have come to notice whereby people marry persons of other religions by either misrepresentation or concealment of their own religion and after getting married they force such other person to convert to their own religion.
• To address the issues like;
  • Threats of forceful conversion.
  • The problem of Inducement or allurement.
  • Religious conversion is not a Fundamental Right.

Status of Anti-Conversion Laws in India:

• Constitutional Provision: The Indian Constitution under Article 25 guarantees the freedom to profess, propagate, and practice religion, and allows all religious sections to manage their own affairs in matters of religion; subject to public order, morality, and health.
  • However, no person shall force their religious beliefs and consequently, no person should be forced to practice any religion against their wishes.
• Existing Laws: There has been no central legislation restricting or regulating religious conversions.
  • The Indian Conversion (Regulation and Registration) Bill was introduced in 1954 in Parliament but it was never passed.
  • The states that have enacted anti-conversion laws make religious conversion by force or allurement a punishable offense.
• Recently Haryana and Karnatakahavebrought Anti-Conversion Bill to their respective legislative assemblies.

Causes of Religious Conversions in India:

• Conversion based on Marriage
• Conservtion to uplife social status
• Conversion for monetary benefits
• Conversion to promote Ilegal activities like Terrorism
• Conversion for Jobs

Vulnerable Groups:

• Tribals
• Adolescents
• Women
• Unaware people especially in Rural areas

Supreme Court Judgements on Marriage and Conversion:

• HadiyaJudgement 2017:
  • Matters of dress and of food, of ideas and ideologies, of love and partnership, are within the central aspects of identity.
  • Neither the State nor the law can dictate a choice of partners or limit the free ability every person to decide on these matters.
  • The principle that the right to marry a person of one’s choice is integral to Article 21.
• The Supreme Court of India, in both the Lily Thomas and SarlaMudgal cases, has confirmed that religious conversions carried out without a bona fide belief and for the sole purpose of deriving some legal benefits do not hold water.
• Salamat Ansari-PriyankaKharwar case of Allahabad High Court 2020: The right to choose a partner or live with a person of choice was part of a citizen’s fundamental right to life and liberty (Article 21).
• S. Puttaswamy or ‘privacy’ Judgment 2017:Autonomy of the individual was the ability to make decisions in vital matters of concern to life.

The Indian Defence forces for border security, LOCs, and other central security forces have several challenges in guarding the common people of the country.

• Our forces including the BSF, ITBP, SSB, and Assam Rifles lose more jawans every year than the Indian army does during peacetime.

The Central Armed Police Forces:

• The Ministry of Home Affairs maintains seven CAPFs:
• The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), assists in internal security and counterinsurgency.
• The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), protects vital installations (like airports) and public sector undertakings.
• The National Security Guards (NSG), is a special counterterrorism force.
• Four border guarding forces, which are the Border Security Force(BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), SashastraSeemaBal (SSB), and Assam Rifles (AR).

Major Functions of CAPFs:

• Border Security: Safeguard the security of the borders of India and promote a sense of security among the people living in border areas.
  • Prevent trans-border crimes, smuggling, and unauthorized entry into or exit from the territory of India and prevent any other illegal activity.
• Industrial Security: Provide security to sensitive installations, and persons at a security risk.
• Other Functions: Counter Insurgency Operations, Anti Naxal Operations, Internal Security Duties, VIP Protection, Lead Intelligence Agency, Security To Diplomatic Missions Abroad, United Nations(UN) Peacekeeping Operations, Disaster Management, Civic Action Nodal Agency for UN Police Missions, etc.

Major problems:

• Unplanned expansion of the forces has made human resource management a stupendous problem.
• The deployment statement of the CAPFs is very distressing: About 95 percent of the force remains deployed throughout the year.
• Growing hiatus between the officers and the men: The kind of fellow feeling, the camaraderie is gradually fading.
• Politicization: It has eroded the chain of command.
• Code of conduct chain
• Wastage of manpower: When a State Government is given a CAPF, they like to retain it as long as they can do so due to which other states requiring them are starved of it.
• Promotions: In CAPF as well as in police, there are four levels of entry whereas in the army there are two levels of entry.

About Security forces: