Social Justice

Answer : Background: Direct cash transfer schemes are direct payments provided to people either based on certain criteria or otherwise. Historically, they have been used for various purposes. Such as providing income support to households, poverty alleviation, bolstering investment in human development, pension support & support to farmers etc.

These schemes have been used in several countries; notable among them being the Bolsa Familia in Brazil, Oportunidades is Mexico, Samrudli Kosh in Sri Lanka, etc.

Indian Context:

In India, the scheme of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) was rolled out from 1 January 2013 in 43 identified districts in 26 selected schemes of 8 Ministries. It was decided that individual benefits from the government would be directly transferred into the Aadhaar linked bank account of the beneficiaries.

Major Objectives:

• The DBT Scheme aims that entitlements and benefits to people can be transferred directly to them through biometric based Aadhaar linked bank accounts, thus reducing several layers of intermediaries/middle men and delays in the system.
• The system aims at ensuring that the actual disbursement takes place at the doorstep of the beneficiaries through a dense, interoperable network of business correspondents (BC) using biometric micro ATM machines
• The scheme ensures that the poor get the same level of service that the rich and middle class in India get.
• It envisages a switch from the present electronic transfer of benefits to bank accounts of the beneficiary to transfer of Aadhaar selected bank account of the beneficiaries. It proposes to ensure accurate targeting, reduction of fraud & corruption process re-engineering of schemes for simpler flow of fund, greater accountability and diminution of waster is subsidy transfer.

Present Implementation States: Showingits intention to continue the UPA government’s ambitious Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) scheme,as well as expanding its coverage, the government has holda key meeting to review the current status of the scheme. The government is now keen to work on DBT, after assessing the current statues. The government is considering expanding the scheme’s rollout from 121 to 300 districts. In July, the PMO had directed the Planning Commission to gather information about Aadhaar with respect to five key government schemes — MGNREGA, pensions, scholarships, Public Distribution System and LPG in 300 priority districts. The 300 priority districts are those where Aadhaar enrolment is currently 60-70 per cent or more. It is in these 300 districts the government plans to expand the coverage of DBT.

Answer : Community radio service offers a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popular and relevant to a local, specific audience but is often overlooked by commercial or mass-media broadcasters.

Community radio stations are operated, owned, and influenced by the communities they serve. They are generally nonprofit and provide a mechanism for enabling individuals, groups, and communities to tell their own stories, to share experiences and, in a media-rich world, to become creators and contributors of media. In many parts of the world, community radio acts as a vehicle for the community and voluntary sector, civil society, agencies, NGOs and citizens to work in partnership to further community development aims, in addition to broadcasting.

There is legally defined community radio (as a distinct broadcasting sector) in many countries, such as France, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and Ireland. Much of the legislation has included phrases such as "social benefit", "social objectives" and "social gain" as part of the definition. Community radio has developed differently in different countries, and the term has somewhat different meanings in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Taking it significance into consideration, inclusive growth to result in lower incidence of poverty, significant improvements in health care, universal access for children going to school and increased access to higher education including skilled development. To foster these objectives through participatory communication, the Community Radio Guidelines have enabled civil society organizations to set up community radio stations in urban areas and rural hinterlands. But the number of such community radio stations is just 141. India must aim at setting up at least 4000 community radio stations in the coming years.

This entails a dire need, in the current international context, to take an objective look at the threats to the sustainability of community radio in India.

First, the nature of broadcasting in developing countries is becoming quite fractured. Public service broadcasters, private operators, state and community outlets all vie for positions in the increasingly crowded media markets. This is particularly true in the ever expanding megacities such as Mumbai and Bangalore where scores of FM stations pack the spectrum. This definitely means that the most economically weak will be pushed out of the market by commercial competitors. Without doubt, television, Internet and social media have widened media choices and reduced the radio audiences making it difficult to find backers particularly for community radio. Thus, unless and until, fair regulatory policies according a special place, as a third tier of broadcasting, are introduced and enforced, the unique voluntarism, energy and voice of community radio will be lost to market forces.

Second, we need to anticipate the trend towards hybridization. Many commercial radios have recently adopted a social element in their broadcasts to expand their reach to rural hinterlands and thus attracting development funding for carrying agricultural, health and other public interest programming that has been the traditional preserve of community radios. They do this with a fresh, energetic and professional way using modern studios with strong and reliable transmitters. This is true for many primarily urban and private educational institution run community radio stations in India. As aid and donor agencies, both national and international, begin to see that they can reach larger audiences through such hybrids they may reduce their support for community radio in rural hinterlands especially in the programming for behaviour change messages.

The third major challenge for community radio is in areas experiencing terrorist and other types of threats to national unity and security. In fragile areas such as border states where local populations are constantly bombarded with cross border propaganda and areas afflicted with left wing extremism where accessibility is an issue it will be an uphill task to motivate civil society organizations to set up community radio stations. While there is more need for community radio stations in these areas, fears of ‘take over’ will perhaps suppress the latter’s grassroots extent and coverage.

Finally, community radios have to converge with digital media and Internet. New technology, ‘on demand content’ and citizen media are all developing and becoming increasingly affordable such that broadcasting on the FM band may become old fashioned. For instance, in India and other developing countries too, mobile phone operators can possibly circumvent government broadcast restrictions by creating and distributing news headlines as well as short bulletins as text messages to mobile phones for a small fee to users.

Answer : The initiative by the Ministry of Rural Development and the Government of India to collect data on the caste groups in India was a highly debated and criticised development issue in the recent years. It was widely seen as an organized effort to categorize and stratify the social universe of the country and to crystallize the imagined communities of the different castes. While the government hopes to collect reliable and timely data through this mammoth exercise, doubts remain regarding its feasibility and effectiveness.

While there is wide agreement throughout the nation that it is the duty of the state to eliminate poverty and inequalities, the critics fail to understand the need for adequate data to substantiate the government programmes aimed at the same. Lack of information, information being the most important factor of decision making, reduces the performance of any policy drastically. Due to this timely alterations of policies and interventions elude the government hands. Currently, the government uses the caste data from the 1931 Census to ascertain the coverage of the various positive discrimination programmes. This leads to a situation where the entire government approach towards the different castes is heavily based on unreliable and outdated data. This has led to increasing instances of same castes treated differently under different programmes over the years.

Sixty five years after independence has seen several efforts from the government to eliminate caste form the Indian society. Yet little progress has been made in this regard. Pretending to ignore its presence is no way to eliminate it. The new Census would bring to light the dominant caste groups that holds the reins of power and aids in eliminating this concentration of power. It would also reveal the factors that lead to the exclusion of the deserving from benefiting from the government programmes.

The process of identifying the population below poverty line using the thirteen socio economic indicators suffered from several inclusion and exclusion errors. The socio-economic caste census collects information on “who” the people below the poverty line are. This data would be more convenient to be put to use in decision making and identifying the targets of public policies. The new system offers a detailed guide to the enumerators and has included a much needed revamp of the enumeration process which would result in rich data.

This data would be made available for the different ministries, private and non-government organizations and private individuals. This would promote transparency. This availability of data facilitates the research and analysis in the social sphere of caste.

Advocates of Caste Census and the supporters of the government claim that the policy had been delayed due to political interferences and been long overdue. The criticisms raised in this regard are not trivial. Since the idea of caste is highly subjective and a result of an amalgamation of different socio-economic factors he entire process of enumeration is a major challenge. So are classification, analysis and interpretation of the data. Though the government is sure about the collected data having an impact on the public policy, the exact manner in which how it gets transferred to policy is still problematic. Also caste being a politically charged topic is sure to invite an unconstructive response from all walks of the civil society.

Answer : The country’s total population, as recorded in Census 2011, at 1.21 billion, is slightly more than what was forecast. But the population growth rate has decelerated from 1.97 per cent per annum between 1991 and 2001, to 1.64 per cent per annum between 2001 and 2011. Notably, it declined in almost every State including those of the populous Gangetic plains. The deceleration reflects a much-needed decline in the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) which is estimated to have fallen to 2.6 per cent and is expected to decline to 2.3 per cent in the first half of the present decade. The Southern States have reached, or are close to reaching, the replacement level of fertility. Fertility levels in the northern states are also falling, but are still much higher than the replacement level.

India has a younger population not only in comparison to advanced economies but also in relation to the large developing countries. As a result, the labour force in India is expected to increase by 32 per cent over the next 20 years, while it will decline by 4.0 per cent in industrialised countries and by nearly 5.0 per cent in China. This ‘demographic dividend’ can add to growth potential, provided two conditions are fulfilled. First, higher levels of health, education and skill development must be achieved. Second, an environment must be created in which the economy not only grows rapidly, but also enhances good quality employment/livelihood opportunities to meet the needs and aspirations of the youth.

Current status of the population policy of India

National Population Policy of India was formulated in the year 2000 with the long term objective of achieving a stable population by 2045, at a level consistent with the requirements of sustainable economic growth, social development, and environmental protection.

The immediate objective of the policy is to address the unmet needs for contraception, health care infrastructure, and health personnel, and to provide integrated service delivery for basic reproductive and child health care. National Population Policy pursues to achieve following Socio-Demographic goals:

• Address the unmet needs for basic reproductive and child health services, supplies and infrastructure.
• Make school education up to age 14 free and compulsory, and reduce dropouts at primary and secondary school levels to below 20 percent for both boys and girls.
• Reduce infant mortality rate to below 30 per 1000 live births.
• Reduce maternal mortality ratio to below 100 per 100,000 live births.
• Achieve universal immunization of children against all vaccine preventable diseases.
• Promote delayed marriage for girls, not earlier than age 18 and preferably after 20 years of age.
• Achieve 80 percent institutional deliveries and 100 percent deliveries by trained persons.
• Achieve universal access to information/counseling, and services for fertility regulation and contraception with a wide basket of choices.
• Achieve 100 per cent registration of births, deaths, marriage and pregnancy.
• Contain the spread of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and promote greater integration between the management of reproductive tract infections (RTI) and sexually transmitted infections (STI) and the National AIDS Control Organization.
• Prevent and Control communicable diseases. Integrate Indian Systems of Medicines (ISM) in the provision of reproductive and child health services, and in reaching out to households.
• Promote vigorously the small family norm to achieve replacement levels of TFR. Bring about convergence in implementation of related social sector programs so that family welfare becomes a people centered programme.

Answer : Data show that of the 16.6 lakh police personnel in India in 2011 at the constabulary level, only 93,887 are women. Progress on this count has been halting in the 80 years since India’s first policewoman donned her uniform in Travancore in 1933, but the pace has picked up of late. Nevertheless, representation is uneven across States. Mizoram had no woman in its force in 2011, while Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu had the most, almost doubling their numbers in the two years since 2009. Uttar Pradesh saw a drop, with just 2,354 women personnel in 2011 of a total of 1.87 lakh. Numbers are important.

The very presence of women could create an environment for women and those from weaker sections of society to access police stations with less diffidence and difficulty than would otherwise have been the case. A critical mass should be achieved by ensuring that women comprise at least 33 per cent of the constabulary.

Yet, numbers alone will not do. Women in the constabulary must get the training, support and confidence needed to put them on a par in every sense with their male counterparts. A common gender-neutral cadre needs to be created for all ranks so that promotional opportunities are evenly available. Women should be routinely and readily considered for front-line postings at cutting edge levels based on their competence and experience.

Resource centres for mentoring, creating awareness about opportunities and prospects, and helping with career planning and training and coping with workplace challenges are essential. Women have a role in making up for the lack of training and sensitisation of the force in general in dealing with crimes against women. At the same time, women constables and officers should not be ghettoised into dealing only with such crimes. As the experience in many countries of the world shows — New York City had its first policewoman as early as in 1845 — there is no policing function that women cannot perform. Given the prevalence of sexist attitudes within the bureaucracy and police, an organisational response from the force is needed to enable women to realise their full potential.

The Ministry of Home Affairs should set targets for individual police forces and create a mechanism to monitor female advancement. Grants should be linked to progress achieved. Integrating women in the force should become an essential component of the process of police reform in India, enabling them to become real change agents.

Having more women in the force should not be seen as just an expression of the formal fulfillment of sexual equality, important though that goal is. Rather, the contemporary needs of policing also demand it.

Answer : Inclusive education is primarily about restructuring school culture, policy and practice so that it responds to the diversity of students in the locality.

It sees individual differences not as problems to be fixed, but as opportunities to enrich learning and embrace change. Inclusive education is a dynamic and continuing process of facilitating the participation of all students, including those with disabilities.

This process involves work at various levels including that of classroom teachers to modify teaching strategies to teach children with disabilities.

Primary goals of Inclusive Education

• To bring out the best in the child, without alienating him/ her.
• To provide the child with a warm and enriched environment.
• To assist the child in developing basic skills to cope with day to day challenges.
• To develop skills that will enable the child to become self-reliant.
• To help the child develop a desirable attitude towards society.

Initiatives & Schemes for Inclusive Education: The Government of India launched a number of programmes such as Operation Blackboard but most of them focus mainly on infrastructure, education of girls, SC/ST students. Some programmes like Integrated Education for Disabled Children and the District Primary Education Programme focused on promoting education were also launched with limited success.

Education has been the joint responsibility of the Centre and the states. The former provides policy frameworks and budgetary support while the State and Union Territories organise, structure and implement their own policies.

Challenges

• Attitudinal barriers
• Lack of systemic changes & trained human resource in schools & workplaces
• Poor implementation of policies & legislation
• Insensitivity & Unawareness
• Socio-cultural, economic, religious & linguistic variation preventing programme development
• Non-availability of technologically advanced resources
• Inadequate funds, mechanism to streamline identification procedures and collection of data
• Monitoring to assess the quantitative and qualitative progress in inclusive education, creating barrier-free school buildings.

Answer : The literacy rate of India according to 2011 Census is 74.04 per cent with 82.14 per cent males and 65.46 per cent females.

Whereas the unemployment rate at All India level is estimated at 38 persons out of 1000 persons under the usual principal status approach for the persons of age 15 years & above. In case of male category, the unemployment rate is estimated at 29 persons out of 1000 persons whereas for the female category the unemployment rate is estimated at 69 persons out of 1000 persons at All India level under the usual principal status approach.

GOI should focus on Skill building to improve the effectiveness and contribution of human resource to the overall production. It should impart vocational education to the weaker section of the society which may include basic computer education, electrician training, carpentry, etc. so that they can get employment easily.

• A new curriculum should be added to make education system more application based.
• Training in different streams should be provided to develop talent in students.
• Scholarships should be provided to meritorious students.
• Should promote lifelong learning attitude, maintain quality and relevance, according to changing requirements, particularly of emerging knowledge economy.
• Creating effective convergence between school education, various skill development efforts of government and between government and Private Sector initiative.
• Accreditation system for the schools should be implemented properly so that children may get quality education.

Answer : Indian planners (earlier) pursued growth as an end in itself, ignoring poverty reduction and other social objectives. Health and education were only recently thought of as objectives. Since poverty did not fall through the 1970s, the growth strategy adopted was inappropriate. By itself, growth makes the rich richer and the poor, poorer. To reduce poverty, redistribution is necessary.

More surprisingly, even today—despite the two decades of robust economic growth that have followed the reforms—no consensus view prevails. Instead, we are witness to a high-decibel discourse awash in myth, ossified ideologies, and an often-willful ignorance of the facts. Central to the anti-reform narratives runs the conceptual claim that economic growth is neither necessary nor sufficient to alleviate poverty and that what is needed instead is a redistribution of incomes from the rich to poor. In parallel runs the complaint that, in practice, the Indian reforms have lacked any “human” element: that they have not reduced the ranks of the poor, that they have bypassed and possibly worsened the condition of socially disadvantaged groups, and that they have led to a widening inequality of incomes and wealth.

Moreover, this sustained period of economic growth alongside the liberalizing reforms reduced poverty among all broadly defined social groups, including among the socially disadvantaged groups, the “scheduled castes” and “scheduled tribes” of India. Uniform progress was also recorded on a number of socioeconomic indicators, ranging from literacy rates to life expectancy and malnutrition rates.

Furthermore, if development fundamentally consists of the removal of “un-freedoms,” as Professor Amartya Sen has often reminded us, India can certainly count much developmental success since the reforms. Consider, for instance, the miracle of the cellular phone, which the largely private providers of telecommunications services in India have placed in the hands of over three-quarters of a billion subscribers within just more than a decade. From farmers in rural areas, who can check the reference prices of their outputs with their phones and thus are less likely to be defrauded by intermediaries, to bank customers, who receive instant transaction notifications via SMS, to migrant workers in urban areas who are able to make remittances to their rural families through mobile banking and payments services offered by domestic entrepreneurs, cell phone technology has created more economic freedom and redistributed economic power, often to the benefit of the poor.

For countries such as India, which achieved independence with an overwhelming proportion of their populations living in abject poverty, there were “too few from whom the government could take” and “too many in need to whom the government needed to give.” Lacking growth, redistribution itself could never have done the job. The essential wisdom in Jawaharlal Nehru’s insistence, that for poverty to be reduced, “national income had to be greatly increased.” It is also clear that without the burst in India’s growth rates during the post-reform years and the revenues it generated, large-scale redistributive programs such as the MGNREGA would have never been possible.

Answer : Tribals have been displaced in large numbers on account of various large development projects like irrigation dams, hydro-electric and thermal power plants, coal mines and mineral-based industries. Tribals are alienated from their lands not only by acquisition of land for public purpose, but also by fraudulent transfers, forcible eviction, mortgages, leases and encroachment. This type of displacement has led to far-reaching negative social and economic consequences. The dislocations and the uncertainty concerning their future have made such displaced tribal population an easy target for the extremists.

Impact of Development Project on Displaced Tribals:

Landlessness: India being a farm dominated society with agriculture as the main occupation, displacement from land, removes the main foundation on which people’s productive systems, commercial activities and livelihood are based.

Joblessness and increase in the proportion of workers: When people were displaced from their habitat, they lose their means of livelihood. Creation of new jobs or alternative sources of income for them becomes very difficult since the ousters do not possess any skill to learn new methods of earning their livelihood.

Homelessness: Loss of house and shelter may be only temporary during the transition period for most of the displaced.

Food insecurity: Forced displacement increases the risk of chronic food insecurity. In India, crops are grown to provide food to the family while vegetables are grown in the kitchen gardens that take care of the food needs of the family.

Social Disintegration: Forced displacement tears apart the social fabric of the ousters. Production systems are dismantled, kinship groups and family systems are often scattered and cultural identity of the people is under threat.

Increased Morbidity and Mortality: Loss of ancestral and homestead land, less no access to health care facilities, the psychological trauma caused thereby and the food insecurity together often leads to serious diseases.

In view of these after effects of displacement, especially on the tribals it is necessary not only to identify, avoid and mitigate risks in each development project that entails displacement, but also to focus on benefits over and above compensation and rehabilitation for damages as well as benefit sharing arrangement. A prudent approach demands long term commitments, financial and institutional guarantees and the use of professional approach in dealing with the issues of social development of indigenous people. Constant monitoring by technically competent independent observers can go a long

Answer : While the centrality of education to development is better recognized in India today than it used to be, and even though some progress has been made in extending the coverage and infrastructure of the schooling system, there is an urgent need to go beyond these elementary steps, and in particular, to give much greater attention to the quality of education.

In a country like India, where the number of the poor is greater than the population of most of the countries, public schools hold paramount importance in the education system. Despite this fact, the public education suffers from plethora of problems- from low enrollment to poor infrastructure to poor quality of education.

The task of restoring accountability in the schooling system must certainly be an important part of the larger educational agenda—not just teacher accountability, but the accountability of the entire schooling system, to ensure quality education.

One of the principal obstacles against restoring accountability is the fatalistic notion that nothing can be done about it. During the last ten years, even as so much was done to put in place schooling facilities, pupil incentives, and even a Right to Education Act, accountability issues were largely ignored.

It is not difficult to see, for instance, that a school without a head teacher is unlikely to function properly. And yet, the survey of schooling facilities found that half of the schools were bereft of a head teacher at the time of the investigators' unannounced visits—due either to absenteeism, or, in one fifth of the sample schools, because no head teacher had been appointed at all. Similarly we don't find any sort of grievance redressal mechanism in public education sector.

That's why one overarching priority is the need for more active pursuit of accountability in India's schooling system which can be brought about with public pressure and public involvement. This implies a great deal of people's participation in reshaping the education system of India which is today's requirement.

A better system of pupil evaluation and school evaluation would also be of great help in enabling parents and others to hold the system accountable. Many other levers can be activated to create accountability – teacher selection, promotion rules, parent-teacher associations, grievance redressal facilities, among others.

The distinct issues of increasing funding, restoring accountability, seeking the cooperation of teachers and parents in improving the quality of education, and many other remedial measures all demand attention, since there is no magic solution that is going to resolve all the problems from which Indian education in general – and school education in particular – suffer.

Answer : Composition of National Commission for Women (NCW)

1. A Chairperson, committed to the cause of Women, to be nominated by the Central government.
2. Five Members to be nominated by the Central government from amongst persons of ability, integrity and standing. At least one member will be from SC and ST respectively.
3. A Member Secretary to be nominated by central government.

The Commission processes the complaints received verbally or in writing. It also takes into account suo motu notices to cases related to women.

The complaints received relate to various categories of crimes against women such as domestic violence, dowry, torture, murder, rape, gender discrimination, etc.

The Commission has succeeded in ensuring economic empowerment of Women to some extent. It has also done considerable work in ensuring political empowerment. However, still a large number of cases are reported where women have been made victims of crime. This is high time when Commission should be vested with more powers to make it effective.

Answer : Government provides subsidies in fertilizers, irrigation and electricity thus over consumption of resources occur. Few experts observe that uncontrolled utilisation of fertilizers; water, etc. lead to deterioration of soil quality, soil erosion, salinization of land etc.

Rural population mainly depends on agricultural activity. Many economists & social scientists argue that public spending on agriculture will reduce poverty.

So, sustainable agriculture should be practiced which uses principles of ecology. Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals- Environmental (environmental health), Social (social and economic equity) and Economic (economic profitability).

The shortcomings of rural development programmes specially related to agricultural development are:

• Larger subsidies benefit bigger farmers, but the poor do not gain much directly from government programmes.
• Many programmes failed to provide better infrastructure facilities like water, electricity, transport, educational institutions, communication, health, storage facility etc. on sustainable basis.
• Poor identification of beneficiaries.
• Centralized system of implementation of programmes thus neglects local conditions.
• Leakage of fund occurs.
• Political influence in the allocation of land and/or credit negates the actual purpose of the scheme.

Steps need to be taken:

• Strengthening the agricultural development. Agricultural Development Programmes/Schemes should be more inclusive.
• Reward for righteous persons and punishment for corrupt officials should be strictly followed.
• Implement schemes for infrastructure development and provision of basic services for the well -being of the rural people, specially marginalised farmers.
• An effective and responsive district level field machinery with a high degree of commitment, motivation, professional competence, and, above all, integrity has been recognized as one of the prerequisites for successful implementation of these programmes.
• IT infrastructure should be used to make the implementation process more transparent and accountable.

Answer : Historically the Indian commitment to health development has been guided by two principles-with three consequences. The first principle was State responsibility for healthcare and the second was free medical care for all (and not merely to those who are unable to pay).

The first set of consequences was inadequate priority to public health, poor investment in safe water to the neglect of the key role of personal hygiene in good health, culminating in the persistence of diseases like Cholera.

The second set of consequences pertains to substantially unrealized goals of National Health Policy (NHP) 1983 due to funding difficulties from compression of public expenditures and from organizational inadequacies. The ambitious and far reaching National Population Policy (NPP) - 2000 goals and strategies have however been formulated on that edifice in the hope that the gaps and the inadequate would be removed by purposeful action.

The third set of consequences appears to be the inability to develop and integrate plural systems of medicine and the failure to assign practical roles to the private sector and to assign public duties for private professionals.

Four criteria for a just health care system is suggested:

1. First, universal access, and access to an adequate level, and access without excessive burden.
2. Second, fair distribution of financial costs for access and fair distribution of burden in rationing care and capacity and a constant search for improvement to a more just system.
3. Third, training providers for competence empathy and accountability, pursuit of quality care and cost effective use of the results of relevant research.
4. Finally, special attention to vulnerable groups such as children, women, disabled and the aged.

National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) is an Indian health programme for improving health care delivery across rural India. The mission, initially mooted for 7 years (2005-2012), is run by the Ministry of Health. The scheme proposes a number of new mechanisms for healthcare delivery, including training local residents as Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and the Janani Suraksha Yojana (motherhood protection programme). It also aims at improving hygiene and sanitation infrastructure.

The National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) as a sub-mission of National Health Mission (NHM) will meet health needs of the urban population with the focus on urban poor, by making available to them essential primary health care services and reducing out of pocket expenses for treatment. This will be done by investing in health professionals, appropriate technology, creating new and upgradation of existing infrastructure and strengthening the existing health care service delivery system.

Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY, literally "National Health Insurance Programme", is a government-run health insurance scheme for the Indian poor. It provides for cashless insurance for hospitalisation in public as well private hospitals. The scheme started enrolling on April 1, 2008 and has been implemented in 25 states of India. A total of 23 million families have been enrolled as of February 2011. The RSBY is a project under the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Every "below poverty line" (BPL) family holding a yellow ration card pays INR 30 (less than US$0.7) registration fee to get a biometric enabled smart card containing their fingerprints and photographs. This enables them to receive inpatient medical care of up to INR 30,000 (approx US$670 as of March 2011) per family per year in any of the empanelled hospitals. Pre-existing illnesses are covered from day one, for head of household, spouse and up to three dependent children or parents.

The recommendations of the High Level Expert Group (HLEG) on Universal Health Coverage encompass the area of health financing, health services norms, human resources for health, community participation and citizen engagement, access to medicines, vaccines and technology and management and institutional reforms. The recommendations of the HLEG should be implemented.

Answer : PDS means distribution of essential commodities to a large number of people through a network of FPS on a recurring basis. The commodities are as follows: - Wheat, Rice, Sugar and Kerosene. It acts as a major instrument of the Government’s economic policy for ensuring availability of food grains to the public at affordable prices as well as for enhancing the food security for the poor.

PDS is operated under the joint responsibility of the Central and the State Governments. The Central Government has taken the responsibility for procurement, storage, transportation and bulk allocation of food grains, etc. The responsibility for distributing the same to the consumers through the network of Fair Price Shops (FPSs) rests with the State Governments.

The inefficiencies in PDS system are:

• Poor identification of beneficiaries.
• The lack of effective contribution towards household food security;
• PDS is not cost-effective and its operations are too costly due to ‘wasteful’ movements of grain and high storage losses.
• A lot of food is stored in the FCI warehouses and they aren’t being distributed fast enough, due to which grains get spoiled.
• Fair Price Shops (FPS) is open only for a few days in a month and beneficiaries who do not visit the FPS in these days are denied their right.
• Lack of transparency and accountability both at the level of conceptualization as well as implementation.
• Leakage of grains occurs to black market thus poor quality of grains are distributed to the beneficiaries.

Answer : Poverty is a social phenomenon wherein a section of society is unable to fulfil even its basic necessities of life.

Methodology of Lakdawala Committee

The Lakdawala Committee defined the poverty line based on per capita consumption expenditure as the criterion to determine the persons living below poverty line.

The per capita consumption norm was fixed at Rs.49.09 per month in the rural areas and Rs.56.64 per month in the urban areas at 1973-74 prices at national level, corresponding to a basket of goods and services anchored in a norm of per capita daily calorie intake of 2400 kcal in the rural areas and 2100 kcal in the urban areas.

Methodology of Tendulkar Committee

It acknowledges the multidimensional nature of poverty.

Recommended moving away from anchoring poverty lines to the calorie-intake norm to adopting MRP based estimates of consumption expenditure as the basis for future poverty lines and MRP equivalent of the urban poverty line basket (PLB) corresponding to 25.7per cent urban headcount ratio as the new reference PLB for rural areas.

On the basis of the above methodology, the all-India rural poverty headcount ratio for 2004-05 was estimated at 41.8 per cent urban at 25.7 per cent, and all-India at 37.2 per cent.

Answer : India's record of rapid economic growth in recent decades, particularly in the last ten years or so, has tended to cause some understandable excitement. The living standards of the 'middle classes' (which tends to mean the top 20 per cent or so of the population by income) have improved well beyond what was expected-or could be anticipated-in the previous decades. But the story is more complex for many others such as the rickshaw puller, domestic worker or brick-kiln labourer. For them, and other underprivileged groups, the reform period has not been so exciting. It is not that their lives have not improved at all, but the pace of change has been excruciatingly slow and has barely altered their abysmal living conditions.

To illustrate, according to National Sample Survey data average per capita expenditure in rural areas rose at the exceedingly low rate of about 1 per cent per year between 1993-94 and 2009-10, and even in urban areas, average per capita expenditure grew at only 2 per cent per year in this period.

The corresponding growth rates of per capita expenditure for poor households in both areas would have been even lower, since there was growing inequality of per capita expenditures in that period. Similarly, there has been a major slowdown in the growth of real agricultural wages in the post-reform period: from about 5 per cent per year in the 1980s to 2 per cent or so in the 1990s and virtually zero in the early 2000s. It was only after 2006, when the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) came into force that the growth of real agricultural wages picked up again, especially for women.

The growth of real wages in other parts of the economy has also been relatively slow, especially for casual or (so-called) 'unskilled' workers.

Answer : There is need of strong commitment for empowerment and emancipation of the vulnerable groups which is part of sustainable development. Sustainable development is not only a condition of survival of mankind, but it is also a condition of survival or participation of the vulnerable sections of society. SCs, STs, OBCs, women, old, children, state children, vagors, drug dependents, or drug misusers, families affected by rehabilitation, death of bed winner and so on.

Now, with national population policy and millennium development goals, there is greater emphasis on emancipation and empowerment, human rights, entitlements and so on. Globalization and the resulting marginalization of classes, caste, tribes and communities are producing uncertainties in demographic transition. If these people become more vulnerable, we do not know how will demographics behave? Thus sustainability and survival are the key issues to understanding demographic and social action.

National population policy rightly gives importance to education, immunization, lowering IMR, raising marriages, increasing institutional deliveries, information, counseling containing a spread of HIV aids, promotion of Indian systems of medicines and related social sector program, all directly or indirectly linked with empowerment and emancipation. Some of these issues were included in the earlier policy statements also, but the shift of emphasis from national level to community level. And shift of emphasis from targets to facilities is something to be celebrated and something which is new in new population policy.

There is a shift from estimation to explanation, estimation of birth rate, estimation of death rate, estimation of birth intervals, open and closed birth intervals, parameters of chi squares, and mixtures of chi squares. Essentially from quantitative methods to qualitative methods, major shift from quantitative to qualitative, there is also a shift from study of demographic processes to health and emancipation. This paradigm shift is caused by both improved data partly, because there is more improved data, more reliable, more valid on demographic trans and partly in the intellectual climate, there is a change.

Answer : The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) is a Multi-State Cooperative Society set up in 1987. It was created with the prime objective of providing marketing assistance and remunerative prices to Scheduled Tribe communities for their Minor Forest Produce (MFP) and Surplus Agricultural Produce (SAP) and to wean them away for exploitative private traders and middlemen and also to help its Member Societies in disposing of the stocks procured from tribals as per their mandate.

TRIFED undertakes the following four main activities under the scheme “Market Development of Tribal Products/Produce”-

1. Retail Marketing Development Activity
2. MFP Marketing Development Activity
3. Vocational Training, Skill upgradation and Capacity Buildingof ST Artisans and MFP Gatherers.
4. R&D/Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Activity.

TRIFED has taken a number of initiatives to promote tribal products. From a single sale outlet of TRIFED India in 1999 at Delhi now TRIFED has established 35 outlets of its own across India out of which 22 are its own and 13 outlets have been started on consignment basis in association with the State Level Organizations. TRIFED has been marketing tribal products through its own shops called ‘TRIBES India’ and through the outlets of State Emporia on consignment basis.

TRIFED undertook the following major projects/activities for the capacity-building of tribes.

• It trained the tribes with best practices of collection, drying, grading, storage and marketing of Mahuwa Flower for Mahuwa Flower Collectors in the State of Gujarat and Odisha.
• Tribal beneficiaries were provided Brood Lac for undertaking Lac Cultivation Activity in the State of Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
• Tribes in Malkangiri district of Odisha were trained with Dona Pattal making activity by using moulding machines.
• Tribes of Odisha and Sikkim were trained to develop and upgrade the skills to produce value added brooms based on market driven products for increasing their livelihood.
• TRIFED has sponsored a one year study for preparation of commodity profiles of 11 NTFPs and drawing up of their training modules to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore.
• TRIFED has undertaken training programmes in 22 crafts for tribals in 17 states & 1 UT viz. Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

From the above initiatives undertaken by TRIFED a conclusion can be derived that role of TRIFED is extremely useful in the context of economic development of STs. Hence, the financial position of TRIFED is, therefore, required to be strengthened significantly. The Govt. of India may consider stepping up its investment in the share capital of the Federation.

Answer : Retention of youth as a human capital forms on important part in the growth of any sector of our economy and so does it in agriculture.

There has been induction of modern techniques and mechanization in agriculture, but as a whole still the major component of productivity enhancement remains in the human endeavour, where the youth can majorly contribute.

Youth can be engaged in agriculture but majority of them have different choices to other sectors and areas due to the following major reasons:-

1. Low productivity and returns from the agricultural land that they own.
2. The poor youth who hardly own any land and work as informal workers elsewhere.
3. Urban lifestyle as well as better returns assured from industrial and services sector.
4. Decreasing size of land holding per person which further decreases productivity and diminishes returns.

Now, the government should constructively engage itself in young capital formation by taking major steps in agricultural sector:

1. Providing modern agricultural techniques to increase productivity so that more returns could be promised to migrating youth.
2. Agricultural reforms and land reforms, so that the youth can be engaged positively.
3. Opening up agri-centres, agri-universities, using IT to dispense information.
4. Building strong forward and backward linkages so that the youth have resources at their disposal and find a market for their produce.
5. Creation of robust infrastructure so that the base for agricultural activities is solid.
6. Skill development with respect to agricultural activities.
7. Inducing cooperative culture amongst youth.

Answer : Though the Constitution of India guarantees equality of all citizens but the persons with disabilities have been in reality facing stigma, discrimination and neglect due to socio-psychological and cultural reasons.

Though government runs many programmes for the disabled such as Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS), ADIP scheme, SIDPA (Scheme for Implementation of Persons with Disabilities), National scholarship schemes for students with disabilities, etc. much more needs to be done on both at legislative front as well as policy implementation to provide an environment of social acceptance to these people.

To counter discrimination, the government must adopt a two pronged strategy incorp-orating—(i) service delivery and (ii) generation of public awareness about disability rights.

Some substantial goals set for disability are delineating clear cut responsibility between ministries/ departments ensure that each department shall reserve not less than 3% of their annual outlay for benefit of disabled, setup motion of mechanisms at various levels.

Government has introduced the Right of Persons with Disability Bill which provides for better education, skill development, vocational training and self-employment, such decisions seems to be positive initiative.

Measures need to be taken are:

1. Strengthening the institutional framework such as national and State-commissions for persons with disabilities as well as constituting central and state advisory boards for disability.
2. Health policies need to be realigned to suit their needs, insurance cover should reach them.
3. Motivating various employers within and outside government sector to employ the PwDs who can perform no of jobs like other employees.
4. Providing them with appropriate assistive device and appliances at low cost to increase their accessibility.
5. Including PwDs in the decision making process at various levels for better policy formulation.
6. Making all out efforts of comply with all the general principles contained in the UNCRPD.
7. Treaties like Marrakesh for the visually challenged need to be ratified and more such initiatives should provide relief to the disabled.

Answer : India, a multi-lingual and a multi-religious country, is facing a fresh storm over the government and the majority's treatment of its minorities. According to the figures available, some 82 percent of the total population is Hindu, around 11 pc Muslims, Christians (2.32pc), Sikhs (2pc), Buddhists (0.77pc), Jains (0.41pc) and others (0.43pc).

A major problem for minorities in India is the issue of separate identity as a result of differences in history and backgrounds besides prevalent socio-cultural practices. They are unable to adjust with the majority community.

Then there is an acute problem of feeling of insecurity, which has heightened over the years. In fact, since independence, the minorities are at the mercy of the majority community as exposed by thousands of deaths in bouts of communal violence. Members of the minorities lost their lives and livelihood in these clashes and the ugly practice continues with the Indian government turning a blind eye to the issue. There have been numerous examples of state sponsored campaigns of communal violence that has plagued the Indian society as seen in anti-Sikh riots following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984 and anti-Muslims riots in Gujarat in 2002. While these are some major examples, violence against the minorities on a smaller scale continues every day.

The growing discrimination in the Indian society has denied the minorities opportunities for development. While there have been some members of minorities who have risen to the top posts, such people are very few in proportion to the numbers and strength of their community.

While India claims itself as a secular country and declares that the very spirit of its Constitution is secular, the practice by subsequent governments and political parties has been otherwise. Repeated incidents of religious violence and against minorities have shown that no political party is sincere towards the goal of secularism. The sinister efforts by the extended arms of government - RSS, HVP to politicise communal issues will create further polarisation in the Indian society. The claims of being a geographically sprawling and diverse democracy are under severe strain. It is something the today's world cannot ignore or overlook.

Answer : 68 years post-Independence, India is yet to provide its citizens the basic amenities like food security, health care, housing and good environment. Concentrating on one aspect here, health refers to the extent of a person's physical, mental, and social well-being. It is the most precious prerequisite for personal happiness as well as national development.

Right to health is implied under right to life and personal liberty as guaranteed by the Constitution of India under Article 21 of Part III enumerating the fundamental rights of a citizen. Directive Principles lay an obligation on the State to ensure the creation and the sustaining of conditions congenial to good health contained in Articles 39(e) (f), 42 and 47 in Part IV of the Constitution of India for securing the health and strength of workers including men, women and children and maintaining the freedom and dignity and individual.

Good health and effective medical care are essential for a society's ability to function. Ill health impairs our ability to perform our roles in society, and if too many people are unhealthy, society's functioning and stability suffer. It prevents individuals from fully carrying out all their social roles and thus represents a "poor return" to society for the various costs of pregnancy, birth, child care, and socialization of the individual who ends up dying early. Poor medical care is likewise dysfunctional for society as people who are ill, face greater difficulty in becoming healthy and people who are healthy are more likely to become ill. This turns into a contagion effect trapping people into a quagmire of poverty as they struggle to provide for the medical bills and waste energy on recuperating health instead of working towards country's productivity.

We keep talking about demographic dividend, but how successful will we be in reaping the fruits of it if we are burdened with physically and mentally unhealthy working age population. Rather we'd be handicapped in providing for these unhealthy population which will weigh down on our already limited resources and limit our economic growth rather than augmenting it and we'd be providing for the losses of an past 'asset' that will turn into 'liability'. Then we'd realized what happens when fruits turn sour.

Answer : The National Commission for Women Act, 1990 constituted the NCW as a statutory body. The first NCW was constituted in 1992. The main functions include – safeguarding the rights of women, shedding the problems faced by woman and evaluating the status of Indian women.

While addressing women - centric grievances, many a times a lot of overlap is seen between similar agencies like National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), National Commission for SCs, STs, etc. This further leads to confusion and shifting of responsibility. There should be clear demarcation. The departmentalized linkages of NCW are seen limited on manpower (specialists) and infrastructure which further limits the grievance redressal.

An important recommendation of Administrative Reform Commission calls for combining the decentralized nodes of these human rights watchdogs and similar agencies so that, a strong decentralized arrangement could be provided with sufficient expertise. Another area of concern is shortage of specialists and less representation of civil society and stake-holders; this is an instructional challenge and should be dealt with effectively.

Accountability of NCW is another area of concern, and at the same time they default on public disclosures like annual reports which need to be fixed. Accountability needs to shift form mere government to include citizens. Use of information technology can effectively lead to positive results in grievance redressal.

Answer : Union Cabinet has approved Digital India Programme to transform India into digital empowered society and knowledge economy. Digital India will be implemented in phases from 2014 till 2018. It is aimed at ensuring the government services are available to citizens electronically. It also brings in public accountability through mandated delivery of government services electronically.

The programme aims at providing digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizens as well as high speed internet as a care utility in all the gram panchayats.

The programme aims to seamlessly integrate departments to provide easy and a single window access to all persons. It also aims at making available government services in real time from online and mobile platforms. The governments will set-up a programme management structure for monitoring implementation of this programme.

The key components of the management structure would consist of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) for according approval to the projects, a monitoring committee headed by the Prime Minister, a Digital India Advisory group chaired by the Minister of Communications and IT and an Apex committee cleared by cabinet secretary.

Digital India programme will lead to the improvement in the deliverance of government services and ensure that these government services are available to citizens electronically by reducing paperwork. It also ensures that government services should be available instantly throughout the country saving peoples time and money.

There are some criticisms that government is focusing more on digital spread of education and knowledge rather than focusing on the improvement of basic Indian primary education. This criticism should not be justifiable as Digital India programme focuses more on improving the government services, its deliverance system and making it speedier. This should not be seen in contradiction to the improvement of primary education infrastructure. Rather, Digital India will be helpful for the spread of education in these areas where there are poor infrastructure facilities. For example village schools where there are less number of teachers those schools can be directly connected through teleconferencing with the district headquarter providing them quality education.

Answer : To deal with issues like cleanliness and social evil of female feticide, government had passed many laws from time to time. For example, India passed its first abortion related law i.e., the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971 specifying legally acceptable reason for abortion only if there is medical risk to mother due to rape. This law was unable to anticipate female feticide due it technology advances and its misuse, hence, Govt. of India passed another law (prenatal Diagnostic techniques Act (PNDT) in 1994. This law further amended to PCPNDT [(Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation & Prevention of Misuse)] 2004 to deter and punish prenatal sex screening and female feticide.

Many studies and reports had published claiming the ineffectiveness of the laws to stop the problems of female feticide due to lack of awareness about the act in parts of India, inactive role of the appropriate authorities, ambiguity among some clinics that offers prenatal care services and the role of few medical practitioners in disregarding the laws.

Along with strict laws, the govt. must take some proactive measures to deal with issues of cleanliness of female feticide. Some of these measures are:

• Spread of Awareness: Awareness about men and women all are equal. Girls should be educated, earn for their families. Government should use media effectively along with the help of NGO’s to spread the awareness of Cleanliness & female feticide. Active involvement of medical practitioner to spread awareness about the evil of female feticide.
• Special Schemes & Programmes: The Government should launch various schemes and programmes for girls by offering support to them and their parents. These policies include conditional cash transfer, scholarships only for girls, payments to a girl and her parents linked each stage of her life. Different states are experimenting with various girls oriented welfare policies e.g., ‘Laadli’ scheme of Delhi Government.
• Dedicated Campaign should initiate by the government (e.g. Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, Swachh Bharat Campaign) for the active participation of people from every section of society. Awareness should also be spread from early ages of schooling and colleges.
• Use of T.V. Shows: Satyamev Jayate and widespread Ad campaign by government and NGO’s helps to spread awareness among masses, setting up the fast-track courts to punish those who practice sex based abortion.

Thus along with the strict law, there should be spread of awareness, active involvement of people from different section of society and government’s initiative to reward those who are showing active result will help address the issues like cleanliness and female feticide.

Answer : The movement of professionally trained people - knowledge workers as they have come to be known - from one country to another is not a new phenomenon. During the colonial period the flow was primarily from the metropolis to the colonies. In the new international order that has been emerging since the end of the Second World War - when many colonies became independent but described as "developing countries" - there has been a reversal of the flow. Now, knowledge workers migrate from the developing countries to the developed ones, from the poor countries to the rich ones, to be more honest. It is this flow that has widely come to be known as "brain drain".

Although linked to (neoclassic) economic theory, the use of the brain drain metaphor transcended from its early days onwards the realm of strict science and got mixed up with political and ethical considerations

The movement of skilled workers internationally represents brain gain for the countries that reap their skills on the brain gain side of the divide countries increasingly are looking to position their immigration policies to attract the types of international workers and students whose skills they desire.

Prime Minister Modi said that no one ever thought that brain drain can become brain gain. This is actually brain deposit," he asserted, adding that it would serve its motherland at an appropriate time. "Now it is the time that every Indian can show people their strength,

Reproached for years as a self-serving people who deserted the motherland for their own ends, the community is now increasingly feted as proud sons and daughters of India.

Censured for having first taken the benefit of subsidised Indian education and then participated in a massive Brain Drain from the country, they are now heralded as the creators of a 'Brain Gain' that will power India into a glorious technology-studded future.

It's interesting to observe how our attitudes towards our expatriate brethren have transformed over the past decade or two. Remember Bollywood's portrayal of the NRI of the 60s in films like Purab aur Paschim, where westernised Indian girls chain smoked, and moms who should have been slaving away on sewing machines to pay for their son's education wasted away their hours in swimming pool parties? Clearly, as these ingrates abandoned our shores, they exchanged the virtuous Indian way of life for the materialistic, decadent values of the West.

Indian people are getting trapped into the debates of brain gain or brain drain while they should discuss over socio-economic issues prevailing in the nation. People have to think about what are the causes leading to brain drain and how social and educational condition can made suitable for citizens growth and development. Though, some famous Indian getting recognisation over world is good news for India to make its stature higher in globalised world. But more of India requires major reform in its educational and social sector.

Issues

• Lack of quality of education
• Integration of foreign university in education arena
• Low skill population -Skill development to harness the demographic dividend
• Social discrimination - Require affirmative action
• Research oriented education requirement
• Better facilities and opportunities to talent
• Job employment - Make in India

Answer : Providing access to financial services to low-income households and small businesses is not a new goal for India. Policy makers are also well aware of its importance and have been very willing to learn from the successful experiences of other countries and to experiment with new ideas. However, the record of progress on this front has left a great deal to be desired. On both Financial Inclusion (defined as the spread of financial institutions and financial services across the country) and Financial Depth (defined as the percentage of credit to GDP at various levels of the economy) the overall situation remains very poor and, on a regional and sectoral basis, very uneven.

An estimate suggests that close to 90 per cent of small businesses have no links with formal financial institutions and 60 per cent of the rural and urban population do not even have a functional bank account. And, while the bank credit to GDP ratio in the country as a whole is a modest 70 per cent. Given this important background, this Report overall makes a conscious effort to redress this imbalance and issues of risks and costs have been kept at the very centre of the discussions of each of the strategies for providing better access to financial services to small businesses and low-income households.

With this perspective in view and in accordance with the Terms of Reference given to it, in its deliberations, the Committee focused its attention on:

1. Framing a clear and detailed vision for financial inclusion and financial deepening in India.
2. Articulating a set of design principles that will guide the development of institutional frameworks and regulation for achieving financial inclusion and financial deepening, including approaches to prudential regulation, consumer protection, and systemic risk management for institutions involved in financial inclusion and deepening, so that the eventual design: (a) provides a complete suite of suitable financial services to each and every small business and low-income household in a flexible, convenient, reliable, and continuous manner; (b) is highly cost effective; (c) ensures a high degree of customer protection, and enhancement of financial wellbeing; and (d) enhances systemic stability.
3. In the light of the detailed vision and the design principles, carefully reviewing each existing channel and suggesting how its performance may be improved based on both domestic and global experiences.
4. Where necessary, recommending new ideas for consideration by the RBI and other policy makers, in order to address specific barriers to progress and to encourage participants to work swiftly towards the full achievement of the vision in a manner that is consistent with the design principles.
5. Developing a comprehensive monitoring framework to track the progress of the financial inclusion and deepening efforts on a nationwide basis.

Answer : Economic liberalization which began in the early 1990s has accelerated India’s growth rate to an average of 7% per year since 1997, up from 3.5% in the 1970s. During this period India transformed itself from an agricultural economy to a service economy. Services now form 55% of the Indian economy. The growth and development of the Information Technology and Information Technology enabled Services have had a significant role in changing the face of the economy. The good news does not end here. The growth rate for India is expected to overtake China’s double digit growth rate in the next few years.

This news however, hides some alarming trends. Growth continues to bypass a large section of people. A large majority of Indians live in the villages and they have been excluded from India’s growth story. Rural India is facing endemic problems – land holdings are shrinking, slow growth in agricultural production and limited social and economic infrastructure. Women, Children, backward castes & classes and other minorities often are excluded from the growth story. The rise of grass root militant movements which plague nearly one-tenth of India is a direct result of this economic exclusion and the unfulfilled aspirations of the bottom billion.

The following problems are the major concerns for developing countries like India to achieve the inclusive growth. They are:

1. Poverty
2. Employment
3. Agriculture
4. Problems in Social Development
5. Regional Disparities

India has been endowed with some of the world’s most essential minerals, beautiful places, diverse cultures and capable and talented people. It is time we stop squandering this advantage and make the most of what most countries can never even dream to have. There is much to be done, but if done and done correctly then nothing can stop us from reaching the pinnacle of the world.

Suggestions

1. Equity is important for economic development so it should be preferred.
2. Agricultural Development is necessary for economic development.
3. Economic reforms are important. But macro-poor policies (fiscal, trade, financial, monetary etc.) should have pro-poor focus.
4. Structural change should have followed agriculture-industry-services sequence.
5. Development of manufacturing sector is important for creation of productive employment.
6. Equality of opportunities (education) should be given.
7. South East Asian and East Asian experience can be used.
8. Shift focus of reforms to delivery systems
9. Importance of women’s economic and social empowerment
10. Decentralization
11. Economic reforms in relation to socio-political environment

Answer : One should not jump to the conclusion that a treatment for inequality—redistribution—may be worse for growth than the disease itself. First, we need to ask if equality-enhancing interventions would invariably lead to a loss of economic efficiency. On reflection, that is too broad-brush a conclusion: we are all familiar with win-win policies that have potential both to promote efficiency and equality. Examples could include taxes on activities with negative externalities paid mostly by the better-off but harmful to the poor (such as, perhaps, excessive risk-taking in the financial sector), cash transfers aimed at encouraging better attendance at primary schools in developing countries, or spending on public capital or education that benefits the poor.

A number of factors point out that some categories of government spending, for example, public investments in infrastructure, spending on health and education, and social insurance provision may lead to socio-economic development. The macroeconomic effects of redistributive policies are likely to reflect a balance between different components of the fiscal package, and more broadly, redistribution can also occur when progressive taxes finance public investment, when social insurance spending enhances the welfare of the poor and risk taking, or when higher health and education spending benefits the poor, helping to offset labor and capital market imperfections. In such cases, redistributive policies could increase both equality and growth.

Answer : The vision of the Ministry of women and child development is an empowered women living with dignity and contributing as equal partners in development in an environment free from violence and discrimination. And, well nurtured children with full opportunities for growth and development in a safe and protective environment.

As a nodal Ministry for the advancement of women and children, the Ministry formulates plans, policies and programmes; enacts/ amends legislation, guides and coordinates the efforts of both governmental and non-governmental organisations working in the field of Women and Child Development. Besides, playing its nodal role, the Ministry implements certain innovative programmes for women and children, covering welfare and support services, training for employment and income generation, awareness generation and gender sensitization. These programmes play a supplementary and complementary role to the other general developmental programmes in the sectors of health, education, rural development etc. All these efforts are directed to ensure that women are empowered both economically and socially and thus become equal partners in national development along with men.

With the central government slashing the social sector allocation in January and revising a few in the middle of the fiscal year some of the schemes that were the worst hit included Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) relating to child education and health. This worsens the financial crunch adding to the perennial issue of skilled and talented manpower crunch in this ministry. The incumbent dominating and charismatic head of government is instituting a system of controls, where no office is sure of its authority, even that of the cabinet minister. While that has firmly established the Prime Minister and his office atop the power hierarchy, it has also left ministers cautious, reticent and feeling constantly insecure.

Answer : The term social security is all encompassing and has wide connotations. It includes alleviation of poverty including elimination of hunger and deprivation, economic and income security, food and nutritional security, social equity including gender dimensions, reaching the unreached, empowerment of people at various levels including the individual and community, and elimination of voicelessness.

Social Security and Indian Constitution: The Constitution of India, through the various articles of Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy, has provided for 'social security' both directly and through implied provisions.

India's social security system is composed of a number of schemes and programs spread throughout a variety of laws and regulations. Generally India's social security schemes cover the following types of social insurances.

Today most safety net and social security programs in most Indian states are characterized by a range of implementation challenges that reduce their potential for poverty reduction. There are programs which have wide coverage but are plagued by leakage of subsidies that limit the impact on the poor (e.g. PDS), others which are well-targeted and well-designed but face a range of implementation challenges (e.g., public works - MGNREG), and still others which appear to be well-designed and with systems for better implementation (e.g., RSBY). However, experience across programs in states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Karnataka suggests that problems in service delivery can be overcome.

Recommendations: India should aim for a "3 +block" strategy. This would involve three core Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) or "pillars", combined with a block grant from which states could finance other safety net or social security programs. How this is programmed can vary according to state-level priorities, and include interventions such as livelihood support of different forms, targeted housing, interventions to incentivize use of basic social services, nutrition and/or early childhood care (e.g., through conditional cash transfers as being piloted in some states), specific urban social protection programs, or other options as proposed by states.

Answer : NGOs are voluntary organization s (VOs). These are popularly known as NGOs because they are free from governmental control in their functioning. They are democratic and open to all those wishing to become member of the organization voluntarily and serve the society.

Therefore, they have assumed a significant space in civil society, which is fast emerging today due to the weakening of the state. NGO is a popular term, which has gained currency at global level and commands respect in society due to its welfare services in society. The organization does seek financial assistance from the government but it operates, at least theoretically, on its own principles and programmes.

NGO have a long history in India. In the past, people in this country have been found to have provided help to others in trouble. Since centuries there exists the tradition of voluntary service to the needy and helpless in the country.

NGOs have gained importance in present times and are increasing in number very fast. Enhancement of their importance is the result of weakening of the role of state in upholding the welfare and well-being of its citizens and consequent development of the assertive role of civil society to ascertain social welfare and integration. More than half a million voluntary organizations would perhaps be working in the country.

NGOs have immense role in bringing about social change and development and it is being experienced from different parts of the country. Development, as we have read earlier, is a multi- faceted process, which essentially involves the aggressive participation of the people that would not be possible unless they are educated, awakened and motivated. NGOs are taking up this job sportingly and successfully.

The areas in which we witness active and appreciative role of NGOs are as follows:

• NGOs have played an important role in the education of children, eg. : Infosys foundation is providing free text books and computers to rural schools. Voice a NGO at Mumbai teaches under- privileged children at Mumbai.
• NGOs conduct various programmes to develop youth and bring out their talents E.g.: "Yavanika"
• NGOs take sufficient care in preventing cruelty and protecting animals. Eg.: Prani Daya Sangha.
• Betterment of disabled: Spastic Society of India, Alert working for the leprosy patients.
• NGOs can acquire and develop land, construct housing. They provide basic amenities like wells, public toilets, and waste collection services. E.g: Infosys has constructed Public toilets called "Nirmal" at many places in Bangalore city.
• NGOs provide technical assistance and training in various fields. E.g.: "Awake" is a NGO providing development programmes for women entrepreneurs.
• NGOs facilitate communication from people to the government and government to people. They also facilitate communication between organisations through networking.
• NGOs take up activities such as the provision of health, family planning or education services. E.g.: Hindu Kusht Nivaran Sangh offering services for people suffering from the disease and providing rehabilitation programmes. E.g.: Society for integrated development in rural and urban areas.
• Some NGOs have engaged in activities pertaining to upliftment of women. E.g.: Chaitanya, Yuvatiyara Sangha is helping the women in distress.
• Some NGOs take up general welfare programmes in times of natural calamity such as flood, earthquake etc. E.g.: "Medhavi". NGO based at Ahmedabad has rendered active assistance to 2, 50,000 homeless in Gujarat after the major earthquake. Many NGOs have rendered financial assistance for Suhami victims.
• Some NGOs are playing a key role in protecting the environment. They have taken up activities like afforestation, prevention of water and air pollution etc. E.g.: Nasa Foundation, Ahmadabad, India.
• Some NGOs have carried out such activities as to prevent bonded labour. E.g.: "Bandhu Mukti Morcha" a NGO played a crucial role in filing a public interest litigation to prevent exploitation of labourers at stone quarries.

The current government's aversion to foreign funding of NGOs is based on the fact that NGOs are being used by foreign players to promote their specific global agenda and in the process impede any progressive measures undertaken by the government. This argument draws strength by the pivotal role played by NGOs in organizing resistance movements against projects like the DVC, the Kudankulam nuclear reactor, the DMIC etc.

Recent findings by the CBI - only 10% of NGOs in India file their balance sheets further reinforces the government viewpoint. Also, NGOs have often been accused of misusing the funds accorded to them and engage in corruption. A recent IB report had accused several major civil rights groups of advancing the Maoist cause and engaging with separatist forces in Kashmir and the NE.

In spite of these issues, NGOs are critical stakeholders in the development process and have full legitimacy in a democratic framework. These organizations have given voice to the powerless and have been an essential force in finding an equitable and sustainable balance between the interests of different stakeholders.

In this backdrop, a middle-ground needs to be found. To prevent any misuse of funds or corruption in NGOs, they can be asked for comprehensive disclosures as they enjoy tax benefits and might qualify as 'public authorities' under the RTI Act. The government cannot prevent foreign contributions to NGOs when it itself is a recipient of huge capital from organizations like World Bank, IMF etc. and often has to heed their policies. Instead, the government can look to setup an independent regulatory framework which can work to bring about greater transparency in the functioning of NGOs.

Answer : A Self Help Group (SHG) is an association of people similar in both social and financial habitats eager to achieve a goal (of individual or group) leading to individual and community development. This is a unique means to empower individuals realizing their inherent strengths. This concept has scripted a success story in Bangladesh and is now catching up imagination of people, particularly of poor and developing countries. SHGs were started mostly by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that had broad anti-poverty agenda. They were seen as instruments for a variety of goals including empowering women, developing leadership abilities among poor people, increasing school enrollments, and improving nutrition.

India brims with Self Help Groups (SHGs). The National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) estimates that by March 2006 over 33 million women have been linked to banks for financial services through 2.2 million SHGs. 'Linkage' is defined by NABARD as taking a loan from a bank, although banks in fact first become linked to SHGs by taking their deposits. Growth has been spectacular in the past couple of years: 'over 400 women per hour' according to the NABARD web-site. The hourly rate is actually more than this, with an increase in 2006 of 620,000 SHGs or over 9 million women SHG members.

Growth has been strongest in the southern region where SHG bank linkage first began, with three states (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka) the top three in the country. The south accounts for 54% of SHGs (half of this in Andhra Pradesh alone) and 75% of bank credit. The rest of the country is beginning to catch up, at least in terms of SHG numbers, although the share of credit remains at one-fourth, both cumulative and current

Objectives in promoting SHGs differ. Even with social objectives, 'Self-Help' has a financial base (depositing and managing savings, lending and borrowing) and the base has to be right, with effective and transparent management and the guidance to do this

Women from different social and economic levels are joining SHGs, including the poor, and some very poor. This process continues as the numbers grow. However, the barriers to entry for the poor are high - not only do they have lower incomes (by definition), but their incomes are usually more variable. To reduce barriers for the poor means allowing more flexibility to cater to varying and seasonal cash flows, for example, allowing varying deposit amounts and frequency, perhaps with a specified annual minimum.

THE SOCIAL ROLE OF SHGs

SHGs and politics: There are apparent synergies between SHGs and local politics since through membership of SHGs, or SHG clusters and federations, village women can gain experience of relevant processes (regular meetings, taking decisions, allocating money). They also become more 'visible' in the village, which is important for campaigning.

Social harmony: Indian society is split by a hierarchical caste system that has traditionally discriminated against those at the bottom - the Scheduled Castes - as well as those outside it, for example the Scheduled Tribes. Within broad caste categories too there are divisions.

Social justice: SHGs seem uniquely placed to support their members on issues of social justice affecting women. Nevertheless, we did not find that SHGs are dealing regularly with issues of social justice. Nor did many groups report such actions: 12% of sample SHGs (with some groups mobilising together on single issues) had taken up issues such as domestic and sexual violence, bigamy, and a few cases of dowry death, prevention of child marriage, support for separated women to remarry.

SHGs and community action: Women in SHGs can work together to address issues that affect not only their own members, but others in the larger community.

Answer : The theory and practice of public administration is increasingly concerned with placing the citizen at the centre of policymakers' considerations, not just as target, but also as agent. The aim is to develop policies and design services that respond to individuals' needs and are relevant to their circumstances. Concepts such 'co-creation' and 'co-production' have emerged to describe this systematic pursuit of sustained collaboration between government agencies, non-government organisations, communities and individual citizens.

Over the past decade, this view has been reframed to regard the public as 'citizens', whose agency matters and whose right to participate directly or indirectly in decisions that affect them should be actively facilitated. Such an approach honours the fundamental principle of a democratic state-that power is to be exercised through, and resides in, its citizens.

In many democracies, citizen participation in policymaking and service design has been debated or attempted, but too infrequently realised. There have been some notable achievements, in both advanced and developing countries, and there is abundant public policy literature advocating thoroughgoing collaboration. But genuine engagement in the 'co-production' of policy and services requires major shifts in the culture and operations of government agencies. It demands of public servants new skills as enablers, negotiators and collaborators. It demands of citizens an orientation to the public good, a willingness to actively engage, and the capabilities needed to participate and deliberate well. These are tall orders, especially if citizens are disengaged and certain groups within the population are marginalised.

Most especially, effective engagement by a citizen-centric public service requires political support for the genuine devolution of power and decision-making to frontline public servants and professionals-and to the citizens and stakeholders with whom they engage. Ministers and agency heads have a major leadership responsibility here.

Answer : PESA for the first time brings the State Legislature (SL) in the picture in matters concerning Panchayats located in Scheduled Areas (SA). Space has been created in the frame of PESA for this purpose. Section 4(m) specifically mentions endowing Panchayats in SA with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as institutions of self-government'. This provision is on the same lines as in the general areas. However, the jurisdiction of the State Legislative (SL) envisaged here is subject to the specific provisions of PESA that have been set out in unequivocal terms in Section 4 as the basic 'features' of governance in the Scheduled Areas (SA), in keeping with the spirit of the Fifth Schedule (FS). It begins with a mandate, making the features listed therein as non-violable by the State Legislatures. 'Notwithstanding anything contained under Part IX of the Constitution, the Legislature of a States hall not make any law under that Part which is inconsistent with any of the following features'.

Section 5, in the same vein mandates the fall out of non-action by the concerned authorities. It envisages that any provision of any law relating to Panchayats which is inconsistent with the provisions of PESA shall continue to be in force until amended or repealed by a competent legislature or other competent authority or until the expiry of one year from the date on which this Act receives the assent of the President.

The most distinguishing 'feature' of governance at the village level in PESA is the 'creation of space' in the legal frame for the functioning system of self-governance of the tribal people. Moreover, detailed provisions have been made in PESA itself in that regard, leaving no choice with the SL, which is mandated to ensure that the frame of governance is inconsonance with the local situation.

Answer : Employees’ Pension Scheme is Pension Scheme for survivors, old aged and disabled persons. The earlier Family Pension Scheme, 1971 offered only one type of benefit, namely, survivor’s benefit, i.e. (payment of pension to widow/widower on death of the member in service. On the other hand, the new scheme caters for three types of contingencies:

• Survivor Pension: If death occurs during service period.
• Old Age Pension: Pension or Superannuation.
• Permanent Disability Pension: In the event of member suffering permanent disability while in service.

Answer : Micro finance is a form of financial services for entrepreneurs and small businesses lacking access to banking and related services. The two main mechanisms for the delivery of financial services to such clients are: (1) relationship based banking for individual entrepreneurs and small businesses; and (2) group-based models, where several entrepreneurs come together to apply for loans and other services as a group.

Micro finance provides many poor and near poor households access to an appropriate range of high quality financial services, including not just credit but also savings, - insurance, and fund transfers.

Self-help groups are group based models of micro finance. A self-help group (SHG) is a village-based financial intermediary usually composed of 10–20 local women or men. A mixed group is generally not preferred. Most self-help groups are located in India, though SHGs can also be found in other countries, especially in South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Self-Help Group may be registered or unregistered. It typically comprises a group of micro entrepreneurs having homogenous social and economic backgrounds; all voluntarily coming together to save regular small sums of money, mutually agreeing to contribute to a common fund and to meet their emergency needs on the basis of mutual help. They pool their resources to become financially stable, taking loans from the money collected by that group and by making everybody in that group self-employed.

This system eliminates the need for collateral and is closely related to that of solidarity lending, widely used by micro finance institutions. To make the book-keeping simple enough to be handled by the members, flat interest rates are used for most loan calculations. The group members use collective wisdom and peer pressure to ensure proper end-use of credit and timely repayment.

NABARD estimates that there are 2.2 million SHGs in India, representing 33 million members have taken loans from banks under its linkage programme to date. This does not include SHGs that have not borrowed. Many self-help groups, especially in India, under NABARD's SHG-bank-linkage programme, borrow from banks once they have accumulated a base of their own capital and have established a track record of regular repayments. The SHG Banking Linkage Programme since its beginning has been predominant in certain states, showing spatial preferences especially for the southern region – Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

Answer : NRHM is being operationalized throughout the country with special focus on 18 states. The main aim of NRHM is to provide accessible, affordable, accountable, effective and reliable primary health care facilities, especially, to the poor and vulnerable sections of the population.

It also aims at bridging the gap in rural health care services through the creation of a cadre of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and improved hospital care, decentralization of programme to district level to improve intra and inter-sectoral convergence and effective utilization of resources.

NRHM further aims to provide support to the existing programmes of health and family welfare including RCH-II, malaria, blindness, iodine deficiency, filaria, kalaazar, tuberculosis, and leprosy and for integrated disease surveillance.

Further, it addresses the issue of health in the context of sector-wide approach towards sanitation and hygiene, nutrition and safe drinking water as basic determinants of good health in order to have greater convergence among the related social sector departments.

The expected outcomes of the mission include reduction of Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) to below 30/1000 live births, Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) to below 100/100000 live births and Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to 2.1 by 2012.

Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY)

The Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a 100 per cent centrally-sponsored scheme and it integrates cash assistance with delivery and post-delivery care. The scheme was launched with locus on demand promotion for institutional deliveries in states and regions where these are low. It targeted lowering of MMR by ensuring that deliveries were conducted by the skilled birth attendants at every birth.

The Yojana has identified ASFIA, the accredited social health activist, as an effective link between the government and poor pregnant women in 10 low performing States. In other eligible States and UTs, wherever, Anganwadi Workers and ASFIA like activist have been engaged for this purpose, she can be associated with this Yojana for providing the services.

The following are identified as some of the areas for concerted action:-

• Well-functioning health facilities;
• Quality and accountability in the delivery of health services;
• Taking care of the needs of the poor and vulnerable sections of the society and their empowerment;
• Prepare for health transition with appropriate health financing;
• Pro-people public private partnership;
• Convergence for effectiveness and efficiency.
• Responsive health system meeting people's health needs.

Action to overcome constraints

• Infrastructure/equipments
• Management support
• Streamlined fund flows
• Contractual appointment and support for capacity development
• Pooling of staff/optimal utilization
• Improved MIS
• Streamlined procurement
• Local level flexibility
• Community /PRI/RKS for accountability / M&E
• Adopt standard treatment guidelines for each facility and different levels of staffing, and develop road maps to reach desirable levels in a five to seven year period.
• Convergence with AYUSH
• Involvement of RMPs.
• Partnership with non-State Stakeholders

Answer : Balika Samriddhi Yojana is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme to extend 100% central assistance to States/Union Territories to provide benefits under the Scheme in accordance with the norms, guidelines and conditions laid down by the Central Government.

The Objectives are to change negative family and community attitudes towards the girl child at birth and towards her mother; to improve enrolment and retention of girl children in schools and to assist the girl to undertake income generating activities.

Answer : The consequences of child under nutrition for morbidity and mortality are enormous – and there is, in addition, an appreciable impact of under nutrition on productivity so that a failure to invest in combating nutrition reduces potential economic growth. In India, with one of the highest percentages of undernourished children in the world, the situation is dire.

Moreover, inequalities in under nutrition between demographic, socioeconomic and geographic groups increased during the 1990s. More, and better, investments are needed if India is to reach the nutrition MDGs. Economic growth will not be enough.

Under nutrition, both protein-energy malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, directly affects many aspects of children’s development. In particular, it retards their physical and cognitive growth and increases susceptibility to infection, further increasing the probability of malnutrition.

Child malnutrition is responsible for 22 percent of India’s burden of disease. Under nutrition also undermines educational attainment, and productivity, with adverse implications for income and economic growth.

Answer : Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 is the premier legislation concerning disability issues in the country. It ensures equal opportunities for disabled persons, protection of their rights and their full participation in nation building.

It contains the following four categories of provisions.

1. Prevention and early detection of disability.
2. Education, employment, affirmative action, non-discrimination and social security for disabled persons.
3. Establishment of coordination committees and executive committees at the central and state level.
4. Appointment of a Chief Commissioner at central and state level.

Answer : Rape in most of the societies is a greater social stigma and shame for the victim than the rapist. Some even say that in societies like India, rape means death of a girl or woman. She has no future after that-no option for marriage, social acceptance, respect, dignity, etc. Forced sexual act is violation of freedom and human rights also. Everybody agrees that it needs deterrent punishment. How severe the punishment should be is a matter of difference of opinion.

The feminist groups and many women organizations believe and demand that the rapists should be given death penalty because they are a perpetual danger to freedom and dignity of women. Whether they kill the rape victim physically or not doesn’t matter. A rape victim dies many times after the rape even if she is not murdered. She is permanently in a state of trauma. Hence, the punishment to the rapist should be the severest, i.e. death penalty.

The Supreme Court of India, however, asserts that death penalty in all the cases of rape would violate the principle of proportionate and commensurate punishment for an offence. Rape may be simply a case of extreme sexual urge without any intention to harm further or kill. It may be caused by sheer intense sexual attraction between two genders. In this sense it is non-compoundable offence as long as other kinds of intentions, violence and murder etc. are not involved. It is therefore important to take a balanced view case by case and death penalty for rape should not be a blanket rule applicable in all rape cases. Some groups suggested that a rapist should be permanently disabled for sex by chemical castration.

On December 23, 2012 a three member Committee headed by Justice J.S. Verma, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was constituted to recommend amendments to the Criminal Law so as to provide for quicker trial and enhanced punishment for criminals accused of committing sexual assault against women. The other members on the Committee were Justice Leila Seth, former Judge of the High Court and Gopal Subramanium, former Solicitor General of India.

The Committee rejected the proposal for chemical castration as it fails to treat the social foundations of rape. It opined that death penalty should not be awarded for the offence of rape as there was considerable evidence that death penalty was not deterrence to serious crimes. It recommended life imprisonment for rape.

Rape is a mental sickness. It is due to lack of awareness and education as well. People who often indulge in serious rape cases come from very low socio-economic background. It is advisable that strict deterrent punishment should be applied to rapist, a punishment that secludes them from society for a long period. At the same time corrective measures like consultancy and education should also be perused. If, however, rape is accompanied by violence and murder, death penalty may be considered.

Answer : As India is moving to become a global power, health and well-being of its citizens are important for better human resource development. This is ensured in part through an effective, comprehensive health system. But India spends just 1% of GDP in healthcare sector and health indicators such as IMR and MMR stands very high with respect to MDGs.

Crores of rupees have been spent for the development of health sector but still there are many health related issues and there is a huge shortage of doctors, nurses, and other staff across the world. Public healthcare facilities also suffer from a variety of problems, including worker absenteeism and dual public private practice, low demand for their use.

On the other hand private healthcare systems are emerging and government healthcare system is taking a back seat. The private health care system caters to the needs of those who can afford the amenities but vulnerable weaker section of the society has been completely neglected. They have to depend on poor public healthcare systems.

Government and many State governments have launched health schemes such as NRHM, RSBY which suffer from many lacunae’s such as shortage of medicines, ill-trained staff, poor infrastructure, corruption, etc.

Public private partnerships can be an alternative to ensure that service delivery is being strengthened so as to achieve universal access to healthcare. Ultimately, private partnerships cannot be an alternative to adequate government investment, and it must remain the obligation of the state to ensure access to treatment for every citizen at reasonable cost.

Answer : With the implementation of Right to Education which guarantees free and compulsory education to all children between the age of 6 and 14 in India has increased the enrolment and attendance of child.

Further India today is the second largest higher education network in the world. Universities in India are set up by the Central or State Governments by means of legislation, while colleges are established by the State Governments or private bodies/trusts. All colleges are affiliated to some university.

Increase in infrastructure has increased the education in terms of quantity but quality of education is very poor.

The reasons for this are:

1. A large number of school going children are not even able to access schools due to poor infrastructure; Parents are not certain about the safety of the girl child travelling to school even if it is only 1/2 km away from home.
2. The education system is designed to squeeze out students at each stage (secondary, higher secondary, under graduation, post-graduation etc.) simply because there are not enough seats available.
3. Under RTE numbers of schools have been increased but they are run by ill trained teachers.
4. Teachers are often uninterested in teaching.

e)Most of the kids coming from poorly educated households do not have the atmosphere at home to aid learning. There are no books. There is no money to pay for extra coaching, even if a kid is a slow learner and needs that support. Parents are not capable of evaluating whether the kid is learning anything.

The economic growth and school quality are interlinked. Economic growth determines how much improvement can occur in the overall standard of living of a society. Moreover, the education of each individual has the possibility of making others better off. Specifically, a more educated society may translate into higher rates of innovation, higher overall productivity through firms’ ability to introduce new and better production methods, and faster introduction of new technology. These externalities provide extra reason for being concerned about the quality of schooling.

Answer : Hunger is defined as the continuing deprivation in a person of the food needed to support a healthy life. In addition to the human cost, there is a huge economic cost to hunger– in terms of loss of cognitive ability, schooling, and labour productivity. Estimates, albeit rough ones, suggest that malnutrition may be costing the Indian economy the equivalent of 4%-5% of its GDP.

Hunger in India is not due to lack of stocks of food grains but due to lack of purchasing power and distributive justice. For this the government, institutions and middlemen are responsible.

There is huge leakage in, Government’s schemes meant to overcome hunger and malnutrition. Centralisation of governance, resources, decision-making, and development action as well as concentration of productive assets, resources and wealth in a few hands further aggravates the problem.

The institutions suffer from the problem of lack of data and inadequate selection of beneficiaries. Bogus beneficiaries decrease the rights of true beneficiaries.

Computerization of PDS system and recent Food Security Act might reduce the problem of hunger in India only if implemented properly by alleviating all the lacunae’s associated to beneficiary identification and organizational structure.

Answer : India was the first country to evolve a government-backed family planning programme in the 1950s when the rest of the world was not aware of the problem.

During the Emergency regime the political leaders, the government officials and policemen shouted themselves hoarse advocating sterilization. They devised ambitious programmes and carried them out against popular wishes, and even used such harsh and coercive methods of sterilization that today one is reluctant to talk of family planning to the populace. In fact, for all practical purposes, the country is without an effective programme or an effective target.

Political parties studiously skirt the subject, and election campaigns are conducted without a word about it. What was once a highly dramatic political issue has suddenly become taboo? 1977 onward, ‘family planning’ was rechristened ‘family welfare’, and tasks beyond its competence embracing all aspects of family welfare, including improvement of women’s educational level. Government of India also adopted the UNEP guideline of delaying the first child and spacing the subsequent births.

Population Policy 2000: National Socio-Demographic Goals

1. Address the unmet needs for basic reproductive and child health services, supplies and infrastructure.
2. Make school education up to age 14 free and compulsory, and reduce dropouts at primary and secondary school levels to below 20 per cent for both boys and girls.
3. Reduce infant mortality rate to below 30 per 1000 live births.
4. Reduce maternal mortality ratio to below 100 per 100,000 live births.
5. Achieve universal immunization of children against all vaccine preventable diseases.
6. Promote delayed marriage of girls, not earlier than age 18 and preferably after 20 years of age.
7. Achieve 80 per cent institutional deliveries and 100 per cent deliveries by trained persons.
8. Achieve universal access information/counseling, and services for fertility regulation and contraception with a wide basket of choices.
9. Achieve 100 per cent registration of births, deaths, marriage and pregnancy.
10. Contain the spread of Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and promote greater integration between the management of Reproductive Tract Infections (RTI) and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) and the National Aids Control Organization.
11. Prevent and control communicable diseases.
12. Integrate Indian System of Medicine (ISM) in the provision of reproductive and child health services, and in reaching out to households.
13. Promote vigorously the small family norm to achieve replacement levels of TFR.
14. Bring about convergence in implementation of related social sector programmes so that family welfare becomes a people centered programme.

But National Population Policy-2000 has been criticized on many counts. Some major concerns regarding NPP-2000 are:

1. NPP-2000 provides cash-based incentives for small family norm. Some scholars are concerned that this does not help as monetary incentives do not change habits and behaviours based on social norms. That children are gifts of God and one should never stop children from coming to this world is widespread social value in our society. Monetary incentives cannot change this basic social value, alternative strategies need to be devised. There is need for social transformation, and no innovative strategy on line with this thought has been included in NPP-2000.
2. Highlighting the bottom up approach to implementing small family norm NPP-2000 has emphasized on role of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). However, it is not mentioned what their role is going to be. Similarly, Population Research Institutes have not been given any clear responsibilities.
3. NPP-2000 unequivocally rejects all forms of coercion. Yet, many state governments have announced population policies that violate this commitment of NPP. Coercion is used by states in the form of disincentives. For example, Rajasthan and Maharashtra make adherence to two child norm, a service condition for state government employment. Many states provide funds for rural development schemes subject to adherence of population largest by panchayats.
4. Disincentives imposed by state governments are often anti-poor and anti-women. The poor (tribals, dalits, etc.) have more fertility rate than the rich.

Answer : Youth in the age group of 15-29 years comprise 27.5% of the population. India is expected to become the 4th largest economy by 2025, contributing about 5.5%-6% to the world GDP, only after the United States, China and Japan with the help of this demographic dividend.

But the great concern is that, how this bulge in working age population can be used as opportunities for growth and prosperity of a nation. The critical aspects of the challenge are mostly related to labour market entry where young people encounter difficulties in finding and maintaining a decent job. The growing large number of unemployed youth is one of the most daunting problems. Failure to integrate young people into the labour market has broader consequences for the future prosperity and development.

Thus GoI has drafted “National Youth Policy-2014 which replaces policy of 2003 and identifies people in the age group of 15-23 years as youth.

The basic focus of the policy is on youth empowerment. The target groups identified are (i) Student Youth (ii) Migrant Youth (iii) Rural Youth (iv) Tribal Youth (v) Youth At Risk (vi) Youth in violent conflicts (vii) out of school/dropouts (viii) groups with social /moral stigma (ix) Youth in Institutional Care. Young women, Youth belonging to socially and economically disadvantaged communities/groups, and differently abled youth form the three priority groups among the target age group.

NYP 2014 seeks to achieve a productive workforce through education, skill development for better employability and entrepreneurship training; a healthy generation with sports as a way of life; a sense of community service and strong social values; high levels of participation in governance; and social inclusiveness by creating equitable opportunities for all. The thrust areas are promotion of National values, social harmony, national unity, and empowering youth through employable skills, education, health, sports and recreation, gender justice, participation in community service, environment and local governance. This all will help in enhancing human capital formation.

Answer : The practice of manual scavenging in India lives today in a milieu apparently antagonistic to its incidence as a country that has long been tagged the world's largest democracy having a progressive and protective constitution forming the fundamental law of superior obligation with an apex court performing the function of a sentinel on the qui vive and a system of laws intended to forbid and penalize acts of discrimination on the basis of caste.

Measures taken by government so far towards elimination of manual scavenging are: Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 -The Act does not prohibit dry latrines and manual scavenging in a direct fashion. It operates after State Government issues a notification fixing a date for enforcing the provisions prohibiting employment of manual scavengers and dry latrines in the specified area.

The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013- it prohibits employment of individuals as manual scavengers by prescribing stringent punishment, including imprisonment up to five years and has provisions for rehabilitation of manual scavengers and their family members as well. Offences under the Act are cognisable and non-bailable and may be tried summarily. The broad objectives of the Act are to

1. Eliminate- Insanitary latrines.
2. Prohibit employment as Manual Scavengers and hazardous manual cleaning of sewer and septic tanks.
3. Survey- Manual Scavengers and their rehabilitation

Answer : The level of Human Development is calculated on the basis of following dimensions:

• A long and healthy life is measured by life expectancy at birth
• Knowledge is measured by the adult literacy rate (with two thirds weight) and the combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrollment ratio (with one third weight)
• A decent standard of living is measured by GDP per capita in purchasing Power Parity (PPP) US Dollars.

There is a north south divide. All the southern Indian states are doing well. On the other hand most of northern states except Punjab and Haryana are doing badly in Human Development Index. These northern states are given an acronym “BIMARU” (which stands for Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh). Apart from north-south divide, there exists an east - west divide also. Western states like Gujarat and Maharashtra are doing fairly well in comparison to eastern states – Orissa, and Assam. Both these states are below national average. West Bengal is exactly positioned at the national average. Therefore there is a need to pay a greater attention to those states which are not doing well in HDI.

The reasons for low human development of Northern and Eastern states are as follows:

1. Rapid increase in population
2. Large number of adult illiterates and low gross enrollment ratio
3. High dropout rates
4. Inadequate government expenditure on education and health,
5. Large proportion of underweight children as well as under nourished people
6. Very poor sanitation facilities and low access to essential life-saving medicines

The steps taken by GOI to reduce disparity are:

A new scheme named Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) has been launched as the prime vehicle for strategic funding of State institutions so as to ensure that issues of access, equity and quality are addressed in an equitable manner.

The Government has decided to set up five new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in Jammu, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala and six new Indian Institutes of Management in states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Maharashtra.

“Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” Abhiyan in 100 districts of the country to enhance the sex ratio and the status of the girl child

UDAAN is an initiative of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to enable disadvantaged girl students and other students from SC/ST & minorities to transit from school to post-school professional education especially in Science and Maths.

"Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat" to focus on the quality of foundational learning so that each child attains appropriate learning levels in classes I and II for reading, writing, language comprehension and numeracy.

GOI has launched Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to provide one hundred days of employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural household willing to do public work-related unskilled manual work at the statutory minimum wages.

The National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) has been launched by GOI to establish efficient and sustainable institutions of the rural poor that enable them to increase household income through livelihood enhancements and improved access to financial and selected public services.

GOI has launched Right to education guarantees free and compulsory education to all children between the age of 6 and 14 in India under Article 21A of the Indian Constitution.