the hindu daily notes 8 september 2021

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THE HINDU

DAILY NOTES

8th September

2021

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TABLE OF CONTENT

IMPORTANT NEWS

➢ Survey details ‘catastrophic’ impact of school closure (Source – The Hindu pg10)

➢ PM urges private sector to help improve quality in govt. Schools (Source – The Hindu pg10)

➢ More delays on Data Protection Bill (Source – The Hindu pg8)

➢ ‘Govt. mulls allowing local sales by SEZ units sans import tag’ (Source – The Hindu pg12)

➢ El Salvador adopts bitcoin as legal tender (Source – The Hindu pg12)

➢ 21.02 lakh unorganised workers registered so far (Source – The Hindu pg10)

EDITORIAL OF THE DAY

➢ Needed: A tribunal for CAPF (Source – The Hindu pg7)

➢ Redefining the reservation policy (Source—The Hindu pg7)

➢ Nipah amidst a pandemic (Source – The Hindu pg6)

➢ The economic reforms — looking back to look ahead (Source – The Hindu pg6)

➢ Making them pay: About the regulation of big techs source—The Hindu pg 6)

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Survey details ‘catastrophic’ impact of school closure (Source – The Hindu pg10)

GS2 Social Justice: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

In news: The Emergency Report on School Education contains findings from the study of School Children's Online and

Offline Learning (SCHOOL).

Findings of the report:

1. The study highlights the tragic effects for children of the pandemic's extended closure of elementary and upper

primary schools.

2. Only a minority of the school-aged population has been able to complete their education online.

3. As a result, the learning process has been significantly disturbed, which may have a negative effect on the

educational results.

4. Students in rural India have been disproportionately affected. Only 8% of rural India's schoolchildren have

access to online education, and at least 37% have abandoned their studies entirely.

5. Around 24% of urban residents were shown to be consistently enrolled in online schooling.

6. The primary reason for the restricted reach of online education has been the low rate of smartphone ownership

in rural regions, which is less than 50%.

7. Additionally, smartphone ownership does not ensure access to online education, since smartphones are mostly

utilized by working adults who are not always able to use the devices with their children at home.

8. Additionally, the study found that Dalit and Adivasi students were more disadvantaged, with just 5% of these

children having access to online courses.

9. Along with education, the extended school shutdown has impacted the nutritional status of students in rural

schools that have discontinued midday meals.

PM urges private sector to help improve quality in govt. Schools (Source – The Hindu pg10)


In news: Vidyanjali 2.0, which was just launched, would aid in the facilitation of individual donations, corporate social

responsibility contributions, and volunteer activities supporting school education in India. As a result, the site would

assist in the coordination of private donations to school growth.

More in news:

Increased private sector involvement will contribute to an improvement in the quality of education in public schools.

More delays on Data Protection Bill (Source – The Hindu pg8)

GS2 Social Justice: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

In news: The Joint Parliamentary Committee on the 2019 Personal Data Protection Bill has convened a meeting to

finalize its long-awaited report on the bill.

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Basics:

The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, aims to control the governments and private businesses' use of person data,

and a Data Protection Authority has been established to ensure compliance with the legislation.

More in news:

• According to the proposed Act, the Data Protection Authority would take "immediate and appropriate action in

response to a breach of personal data in line with this Act's requirements."

• The committee suggested that the term "personal" be removed to broaden the authority's scope to include both

personal and non-personal data.

• Additionally, many committee members filed amendments opposing the clause in the law authorizing the Central

government to exclude any government agency from the Act's applicability.

‘Govt. mulls allowing local sales by SEZ units sans import tag’ (Source – The Hindu pg12)

GS3 Economy: Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.

In news: Measures taken by the government to assist manufacturers in Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

More in news:

• The government is contemplating a number of measures to assist manufacturers operating in special economic

zones.

• Allowing manufacturers in SEZs to sell their product to the local market without it being classified as imports is

one such idea.

• This enables them to expand their market access without incurring extra charges.

• The government is also contemplating whether to include export-oriented units (EOUs) and special economic

zones (SEZs) in the newly announced export tax credit program.

• EOU units have been excluded from the program for the Remission of Taxes and Duties on Export Products

(RoDTEP).

• Additionally, the government will take necessary steps to address the huge container shortages and exorbitant

freight costs plaguing India's exports.

• Global markets are highly price sensitive, and even little increases in the cost of exporting Indian goods may

significantly reduce their competitiveness.

El Salvador adopts bitcoin as legal tender (Source – The Hindu pg12)


In news: El Salvador became the world's first nation to legalize bitcoin as a form of payment.

More in news:

While adopting bitcoin as legal currency would benefit El Salvador by lowering commission fees on billions of dollars

brought home from overseas, it has also generated worries.

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21.02 lakh unorganised workers registered so far (Source – The Hindu pg10)

GS3 Economy: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.

In news: According to Labor and Employment Ministry statistics, the government's e-Shram portal has enrolled 21 lakh

unorganized sector employees since its inception.

More in news:

• The Ministry of Labour and Employment has established the e-Shram Portal to facilitate the creation of a

National Database of Unorganized Workers (NDUW) seeded with Aadhaar.

• It is the nation's first database of unorganized workers, which includes migrant workers, construction workers,

and gig and platform employees.

• The unorganized worker register would be used to administer welfare programs.

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EDITORIAL OF THE DAY

Needed: A tribunal for CAPF (Source – The Hindu pg7)

GS2 Polity: Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.

Context: The editorial discusses the need of establishing a tribunal for Central Armed Police Forces.

Background:

• Numerous instances of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel exceeding their leave entitlement have

been reported.

• This led the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to direct the CRPF headquarters to include the Security Force

Court's (SFC) regulations, which are already included in the Acts and Rules of other CAPFs (Central Armed

Police Forces).

• This is for the purpose of starting disciplinary action against defaulting officials in order to expedite the resolution

of such instances.

Concern:

• The CRPF's regulations specify the process for conducting departmental investigations against non-gazetted

personnel, and officers are usually familiar with the system.

• As a consequence, the majority of cases brought before the High Courts are upheld.

• Generally, departmental inquiries are concluded within three to six months.

• When gazetted officers are charged, the time required to order investigations increases because additional

institutions such as the Union Public Service Commission, the Central Vigilance Commission, the Department

of Personnel and Training, and the MHA are consulted for their perspectives and legal opinions.

• When employees overstay their leave for an extended period of time, they must be summoned to appear before

the investigating authority, together with the presenting officer and the accused official's defence aid.

• Even if one of them is unable to attend for the hearing, the investigation must be adjourned.

• Frequently, the investigation is performed in the absence of the accused official.

• In such instances, the accused official must be notified of the recorded remarks and other documentation.

• Postal delays exacerbate the situation.

• Due to the fact that the majority of officers are preoccupied with operational issues, which take precedence over

everything else, the inquiries are delayed.

• Additionally, there are delays in delivering some prosecution papers to the accused official, who may need them

for the purpose of preparing his or her own defense.

• Due to the fact that the majority of serving officers designated as inquiring authority are charged with conducting

inquiries in addition to their regular duties, the inquiries do not get the attention they need.

The Way Forward

• While investigations into non-gazetted ranks are often concluded within a few months, there is no need for

excessive delay in the case of officers.

• The monitoring mechanism must be very rigorous.

• Inquiring authorities must be retired officers. They may dedicate their attention to conducting investigations.

• While the SFC is a fully judicial procedure in which guilt must be shown beyond a reasonable doubt and the

accused official may retain a legal practitioner to defend him, a departmental inquiry is a quasi-judicial

proceeding in which preponderance of likelihood is sufficient to establish guilt.

• Though the Central Reserve Police Force Act of 1949 authorizes the Commandant to conduct judicial trials in

his role as a Magistrate, this authority is often not used since it enters the domain of the judicial process.

• As a result, conducting a departmental inquiry is the preferable course of action.

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• With a growing number of service-related lawsuits being brought in High Courts throughout the nation, it is past

time for the government to consider establishing tribunals for the CAPFs on the model of the Armed Forces

Tribunal for defence services.

• These tribunals may include former Inspectors General and Additional Directors General from the CAPFs, as

well as retired judges from the High Courts.

• This will guarantee prompt delivery of justice and relieve the High Courts of their load.

Redefining the reservation policy (Source—The Hindu pg7)

GS2 Social Justice: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context: Political parties should explore fundamental modifications to the reservation system's implementation.

Introduction

• Tamil Nadu has passed a law providing 10.5 percent reservation for Vanniyakula Kshatriyas under the MBC

(Most Backward Class) and DNC quotas (Denotified Communities)

• Beginning this year, 27% of all India's quota for medical and dentistry admissions would be allocated for Other

Backward Classes (OBC).

What are the clauses of the Constitution?

• Article 15(4) (5), Article 16 (4): Reservation schemes for SEBC are allowed but should be limited to those OBC

who are not sufficiently represented.

What are the judgments of the courts?

• Indira Sawhney Case (1992): Extraordinary circumstances must exist to warrant the quantity exceeding the

limit.

• Maratha case: Judgment in the Maratha Reservation Case and Federalism

Why is subcategorization necessary?

• Reservation has not resulted in an equal distribution of benefits for a large number of groups within our diverse

society. This has necessitated the creation of subcategories.

• In 2015, the NCBC (National Commission for Backward Classes) highlighted the importance of "Classification

of OBC" above simplifying the rules on creamy layers to guarantee the reservation policy's free implementation.

• The Rohini Commission was established in 2017 for the aim of sub-categorizing groups on the OBC Central

List.

What are the critical problems that need attention?

• All of these circumstances need an objective definition of Creamy Layer. For instance, Tamil Nadu's First

Backward Classes Commission proposed that the backward classes' "affluent portions" or "creamy layer" be

excluded from reservation.

• The yearly income ceiling is one of the factors that contribute to the creamy layer's determination.

• However, we note that since September 1993, this has been updated just five times, compared to the average

of every three years.

• Additionally, standards such as GDP inflation, per capita income, and an increase in the cost of living should be

taken into account.

• Additionally, we find that revenue from pay and agriculture is disregarded in favor of "income from other

sources."

• Discrimination is unjust.

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• Additionally, we should strive to rapidly fill OBC positions. The parliamentary committee noted that OBC workers

made up just 21.75 percent of staff in 78 ministries, compared to the required quota of 27 percent.

What are the next steps?

• Rather than squabbling about abstract problems, we should concentrate on real ones that may yield practical

outcomes.

• With the passage of the 105th Constitutional Amendment, the federal government authorized states/UTs to

create their own list of socioeconomically backward classes (SEBC).

Nipah amidst a pandemic (Source – The Hindu pg6)


Context: In Kerala, a Nipah virus outbreak has been verified, with one fatality confirmed in Kozhikode.

Issue:

• India is currently battling the coronavirus pandemic, and concerns of a Nipah virus breakout in Kerala have

emerged. The infection has a significant mortality rate.

• The Integrated Disease Surveillance Program demonstrates how the variety of viral and bacterial epidemics

pass by unnoticed, until they threaten India's metropolises, as dengue, H1N1, chikungunya, or malaria

outbreaks sometimes do.

• The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, on the other hand, brings to light major outbreaks that preceded it.

Background:

• Nipah outbreaks in Kozhikode and Malappuram were the first to highlight the need of excellent healthcare.

• Kerala's public health system, which has hitherto been lauded only for its commitment to providing high-quality

primary care, has won praise for its capacity to identify connections between infected individuals and their

contacts and to isolate them to avoid further spread.

Identifying and containing future viral or bacterial outbreaks:

• At the national level, procedures have been developed for three critical elements of a possible pandemic:

infection control, treatment, and immunization.

• These lessons learned from the coronavirus pandemic must be applied to future epidemics.

• It has become normal for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to declare outbreaks of'mystery fevers' at regular intervals,

despite the fact that these illnesses were often readily diagnosable.

• India can take comfort from the fact that the threat of an epidemic elicits national concern and a preemptive

reaction, in contrast to the previous, purely reactive approach.

• There is currently no conventional therapy for Nipah, and an increase in cases may mean catastrophe given

the disease's high death rate.

• However, some research indicate that vaccines designed for the coronavirus may be effective against the Nipah

virus as well, if appropriately modified.

• Another proposed vaccination is undergoing preclinical testing in humans.

• Vaccination remains the greatest line of defense against the illness.

• The rapid development of vaccinations against tropical diseases is a coronavirus era triumph.

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The economic reforms — looking back to look ahead (Source – The Hindu pg6)

GS3 Economy: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.

Context: The crisis sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a discussion about new ideas and new methods

to economic management and humanity's destiny.

Background:

• The pandemic has emphasized the need of measures that promote economic resilience and guarantee a strong

health system, as well as research and development.

• Numerous initiatives are being undertaken in India to boost economic development.

• In today's complicated economic system, history counts. As a result, it is essential to take a short look at the

economic changes of the past three decades.

Economic Reforms in India: A History

• The evidence indicates that the 1991 economic reforms and subsequent interventions for economic and trade

liberalisation have resulted in some genuine benefits for the nation.

• Over a 30-year span, a few markers have emerged as characteristics of success. Example:

1. Foreign exchange reserves that are thriving

2. Sustaining the industrial sector's contribution to GDP

3. Increased global export share (from a mere 0.6 percent in the early 1990s to 1.8 percent)

4. Exports of robust information and communication technologies software

5. Sustain economic growth in the range of 6% to 8%.

• Historically, economic changes have been more concerned with the technical aspects of the economy than with

the system, process, and people.

• As a consequence, many key economic drivers — human capital, technological preparedness, labor

productivity, disposable income, capital investment, process innovation in company formation, and institutional

capacity — have received insufficient attention.

Attention areas need to focus:

Certain fundamental problems need careful study in the context of a global competitive economy.

Human Capital:

• The development of human resource capital (HRC) is a strong predictor of labor productivity.

• It has been deemed wanting throughout the reform era.

• Low HRC is a consequence of a lack of quality education, a shortage of trained labor, and deficiencies in basic

health care.

• According to the 2017 Global Human Capital Report, India ranks 103; Sri Lanka ranks 70; China ranks 34; and

South Korea ranks 27.

• The absence of HRC and a lack of technological preparedness have had a detrimental effect on labor

productivity.

• India's manufacturing labor productivity is less than 10% of that of advanced countries such as Germany and

South Korea, and around 40% of that of China, according to a 2018 World Bank book, The Future of

Manufacturing-Led Development. Productivity stagnation has a detrimental effect on competitiveness, industrial

growth, exports, and economic development.

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Disposable Income:

• As the World Bank's GDP database for 2019 indicates, India's low per capita GDP is directly related to its poor

per capita family income.

• According to Deloitte's 2016 Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index, India's hourly salaries are $1.7; in

the United States, Japan, South Korea, and China, they are $38, $24, $20.7, and $3.3, respectively.

• Low salaries have a direct effect on families' disposable income, leaving little space for the majority of

households to buy consumer durables or industrial goods. This has an effect on demand.

R&D:

• India's R&D spending is 0.8 percent of GDP, compared to 4.5 percent for South Korea, China (2.1 percent),

and Taiwan (3.3 percent ).

• This results in a decreased ability for technological innovation and a decreased preparedness for technology,

particularly in industry.

Productivity of labor:

• The absence of HRC and a lack of technological preparedness have had a detrimental effect on labor

productivity.

• India's manufacturing labor productivity is less than 10% of that of advanced countries and approximately 40%

of that of China, according to a 2018 World Bank report, The Future of Manufacturing-Led Development.

• Productivity stagnation has a detrimental effect on competitiveness, industrial growth, exports, and economic

development.

Expenditure on Capital Assets:

• Due to a lack of capital expenditure and institutional capacity, as well as inefficiency in business service

processes, there are difficulties acquiring land for businesses, inefficiently utilizing economic infrastructure, and

providing business services, all of which result in a longer time and increased cost for setting up enterprises,

thereby draining entrepreneurs' creative energy.

• These basic flaws are at the root of the issue. For years, the economy has been harmed both domestically by

low consumer demand as a consequence of low family incomes and internationally by a lack of competitiveness

and inadequacy in trade integration.

• A business-as-usual (BAU) strategy produces decreasing results.

The Way Forward

• To stimulate the economy, new thinking is required to address the fundamental problems completely and

holistically.

• The proposed changes should be systemic in nature and focus on structural problems such as human resource

development, skills development, research and development (R&D), land management, and institutional

capacity.

• The quality of business services, technological preparedness, labor productivity, and per capita income should

be prioritized.

• To attract significant investment in manufacturing and sophisticated services, it is necessary to invest in human

capital and technology.

• Industry 4.0 requires a three-year increase in public research and development spending to 2% of GDP. As a

result, initiatives toward technological readiness are critical for continued competitiveness.

• There is a need to develop ways to boost per capita income by increasing salaries for employees with higher

skills and increasing minimum wages, in addition to strengthening the social safety net.

• Increased labor costs may be offset by increased productivity, certain tax advantages during the first phase of

wage changes, particularly for Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises, as well as lower transaction costs

and improved infrastructure utilization efficiency.

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• It is essential to strengthen governmental institutions' ability to foster a favorable commercial and industrial

environment. The reform process is also critical.

• The economy's future should be seen through the lens of a major and permanent change in terms of

dependence on global supply.

• Strategies used during the 1990s may not provide sufficient returns, necessitating novel approaches to public

policymaking.

• What is required is a systemic approach that encompasses the interconnected basic factors of the economic

system in order to correct economic fundamentals in order to unlock the economic system's creativity and

innovation, increase total factor productivity (TFP), a measure of productive efficiency, and achieve higher

growth.

Making them pay: About the regulation of Big techs source—The Hindu pg 6)


Context:

• A legislation regulating app store owners is critical for limiting Big Tech's monopolistic tendencies.

• South Korea amended its Telecommunications Business Act recently.

• The Act prohibits app store owners, such as Google and Apple, from compelling developers to adopt their in-

app payment methods.

• Additionally, it will prevent them from abusing their market position.

Why did South Korea make this change?

• This occurred as a result of the legal dispute between Apple and Epic Games.

• Apple kicked Epic from its platform for establishing its own payment mechanism that circumvented Apple's

payment system.

Other nations have enacted similar legislation/initiatives.

• Australia has enacted legislation requiring Internet platforms to compensate media businesses for the

distribution of their material. Now, the government is working to regulate digital payment systems such as Apple

Pay, Google Pay, and WeChat Pay.

• European Union: A proposed EU legislation would establish big platform firms as gatekeepers”. The EU desires

that gatekeepers adhere to a list of dos and don'ts. This will ensure that smaller businesses have an equal

opportunity to participate in the market. Additionally, this proposed legislation aims to provide consumers with

additional options.

• USA: Introduced a bill to increase competition and weaken the app economy's gatekeepers. The law seeks to

enhance customer choice, improve product quality, and lower consumer prices.

Within the Indian context

• Apple is being sued in India for antitrust violations by a Rajasthan-based non-profit group named 'Together We

Fight Society'.

What is India's course of action?

• India, too, has the ability to pass such a legislation.

• As such, such a legislation cannot be described as revolutionary.

• Additionally, the Government has established the Open Network for Digital Commerce in order to "democratize

e-commerce" and "offer alternatives to private e-commerce sites."

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• Thus, such regulations are necessary, given the difficulty of protecting and promoting smaller players.

• Earlier this year, the CCI (Competition Commission of India) opened an inquiry into similar accusations against

Google.

the hindu daily notes 8 september 2021

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