General Studies Paper-2

Context: Recently, the Prime Minister of India and Bill Gates discussed the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for digital governance in key focus areas like health, agriculture and education.

About the Digital Governance:

• It is the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)for delivering government services, exchange of information, communication transactions, integration of various stand-alone systems and services between government-to-customer (G2C), government-to-business (G2B), government-to-government (G2G), and also back-office processes and interactions within the entire government framework.
• Data Governance is a crucial aspect of digital governance. The launch of India’s Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA), a consent management tool, has generated both excitement and concern among stakeholders.
  • It is important that the tool is implemented in a transparent, consistent, and secure manner.

Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Digital Governance:

• AI plays a pivotal role in Indian election campaigns by leveraging technology to overcome language barriers, marking a shift towards progressive politics empowering linguistic diversity and inclusive engagement.
• AI is also being used to drive economic growth and improve the lives of citizens.

Key Benefits of Digital Governance:

• Efficiency in Administration, Inclusiveness, Time and Cost Effectiveness, Transparency and Accountability, Data-Driven Decision Making, Empowerment of Citizens, Innovation, Improved Public Services, Economic Growth, Sustainable Development.

Digital Governance and Health:

• The ‘Digital India’ initiative has brought significant changes in the healthcare sector of India. Initiatives like Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), CoWIN App, Aarogya Setu, e-Sanjeevani, and e-Hospital have made healthcare facilities and services reach every corner of India.
• The Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) Number is a hassle-free method of accessing and sharing one’s health records digitally. The Aarogya Setu app has transformed into a National Health App, bringing a whole plethora of digital health services powered by the ABDM.

Digital Governance and Agriculture:

• The National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGPA) was launched to achieve rapid development in India through the use of ICT for timely access to agriculture-related information to the farmers.
• Realising the significance of new digital & emerging technologies, the NeGPA guidelines were amended in 2020-21and funds were released for sanctioning projects for customization/shifting of web & mobile applications already developed by the States, to the platform to be developed using digital/emerging technologies.

Digital Governance and Education:

• Digital Empowerment and Online Education are significant components to attain the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of 50% by 2035as targeted in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
• Digital empowerment in the field of education opens up a plethora of options for the learners of today. Digital advancements have wide-ranging implications on higher education.

Other Key Initiatives:

• Digi-Locker:This initiative assists citizens in storing important documents in a digital format, such as degree certificates, PAN numbers, and mark sheets.
  • It makes it easier to share documents and reduces the need for physical documents.
• Mobile Seva:It aims to provide government services via tablets and mobile phones.
• in:It is a platform for national citizen engagement where people can share ideas and get involved in policy and governance issues.
• UMANG:It is a unified mobile application that gives users access to services offered by the federal and state governments.
• Computerisation of Land Records:It ensures that landowners get digital and updated copies of documents relating to their property.
• e-Office:It received an award for its role in ensuring continuity of Government services and operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Potential Threats:

• Cybersecurity Risks:With the increasing dependence on digital systems, the risk of cyber threats has heightened.
  • About 91% of Indian companies experienced ransomware attacks in 2022, and about 55% of these companies reported financial implications.
• Data Privacy Concerns:The implementation of tools like India’s Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA) may pose risks associated with security and privacy.
  • If not properly implemented or managed, there is a risk that personal information could be misused or misappropriated.
• Digital Inequality: As the world becomes increasingly digital, there is a risk of digital inequality, where certain sections of the society might not have equal access to digital resources and services.
• Dependence on Service Providers:Remote work has moved digital exchanges from office networks to residential ones, which have a greater variety of connected devices with less protection against cyber intrusion.
• AI-Enabled Threats:With the increasing use of AI in digital governance, there is a risk of AI-enabled threats. AI-powered malware is a top concern for cybersecurity experts.
• Deep Fakes Technology:It can pose serious ethical and social challenges, such as creating fake news, spreading misinformation, violating privacy, and harming reputation.
• Infrastructure Vulnerability:India’s critical infrastructure, such as power grids, transportation systems, and communication networks, is vulnerable to cyber attacks that can disrupt essential services and endanger public safety and national security.

Conclusion and Way Ahead:

• Digital governance is transforming the way public services are delivered, making them more efficient, accessible, and transparent.
  • However, it also presents new challenges in terms of data security, privacy, and digital literacy.

As India continues to evolve its digital strategies, it must ensure that they are inclusive, transparent, secure, and conducive to sustainable development.

General Studies Paper-2

Context: Environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk, currently on a 21-day fast to demand the implementation of the Indian Constitution’s Sixth Schedule and statehood for the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh.

About Sixth Schedule 

• The Sixth Schedule under Article 244 of the Constitution protects tribal populations, allowing for the creation of autonomous development councils which can frame laws on land, public health, agriculture. 
  • autonomous councils exist in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.
• Under the provision of the Sixth Schedule, the Governor of the State is
• empowered to determine the area or areas as administrative units of the Autonomous Districts and Autonomous Regions.

Demand of Ladakh 

• Ladakh has a population of 2.74 lakh, according to the 2011 Census.
• Ladakh was turned into a Union Territorywithout any Legislative Assembly after the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution was revoked by the Parliament in 2019 and the erstwhile State was split into the UTs of Ladakh and J&K.
• Ladakh has erupted in protests several times over the past few years amid concerns about the protection of land, resources, and employment for local residents, and bureaucratic overreach.
  • It is argued that Ladakh is heading towards an uncertain, perhaps destructive future, all in the name of development. Its natural resources are under attack in the name of large-scale tourism, hydel and even solar power.
• Climate activists have raised serious concerns regarding mining and industrialisation in the fragile glacial ecological system of Ladakh. Sixth schedule status is being demanded to protect the high-altitude deserts, glaciers and alpine meadows which are a crucial habitat for rare and endangered species.

Benefits  

• Inclusion under Sixth Schedule would allow Ladakh to create Autonomous District and Regional Councils (ADCs and ARCs) — elected bodies with the power to administrate tribal areas.
• This would include the power to make laws on subjects such as forest management, agriculture, administration of villages and towns, inheritance, marriage, divorce and social customs.
• These provisions would enable greater autonomy for the people of Ladakh in determining development policies and exercising control over their natural resources
• The Sixth Schedule would allow the Kargil and Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils to regulate land, minerals, tourism, and developmental activities as per local needs.
  • Statehood is seen as critical for political empowerment.

Challenges and Limitations 

• The granting of special provisions to certain tribal groups can lead to a further demand by other groups.
• This can create a disparity among the people residing in the area where a particular group has been granted while others have felt deprived of it.
  • This has resulted in the rise of conflict between different groups—tribes vs tribes and tribes vs non-tribes.
• The introduction of the Autonomous District Councils under the Sixth Schedule has weakened the position and relevance of the traditional structure ruled by the Chiefs and Headmen in the tribal society.
• Number of criticisms have been levelled against the functioning of District and Regional Councils. Some sections of people alleged that the Autonomous District and Regional Councils are used by some vested interests.
• They are also accused of indulging in corruption and misuse of public funds.

Conclusion and Way Forward 

• The special provisions of the constitution are meant to protect the cultural identities and the rights of the tribal inhabitants of the concerned regions, especially from the encroachment and cultural, economic and political exploitation by the outsiders.
• According to the government the main objective of including tribal population under the Sixth Schedule is to “ensure their overall socio-economic development, which the UT Administration has already been taking care of since its creation.
  • Sufficient funds are being provided to Ladakh to meet its overall developmental requirements”.
• Still, there is a need to discuss measures to protect the region’s unique culture and language taking into consideration its geographical location and strategic importance.

General Studies Paper-1

Context: According to medical journal Lancet, India’s TFR will fall to 1.29 in 2050. One in five persons in India will be above the age of 60 in 2050.This highlights that India’s demographic dividend is not for perpetuity.

What is Total Fertility rate and Replacement level?

• TFR– It is the average number of children that are born to a woman (15-49 years) over her lifetime.
• Replacement level– It is the level of fertility at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next. A TFR of 2.1 is known as replacement rate.

What are the key highlights of the lancet study?

1. Decline in TFR– India’s TFR has fallen to 1.29 well below the replacement rate of 2.1.
2. Aging factor– One in five persons in India will be above the age of 60 in 2050. Further as per the UN Population Fund’s (UNPF) India Ageing Report, the number of elderly in India will more than double from 149 million in 2022 to 347 million by mid-century.
3. About China-China’s TFR had dropped to a record low and its working-age population had contracted by more than 40 million.

What are the consequences of declining fertility rate?

1. Increase in aged population– By 2050, over 20% of India’s population will be senior citizens, it poses challenges related to care, support, and health care.
2. Shrinking Workforce– A smaller working age population could lead to labour shortages and affect economic growth. For ex- working-age population of China had contracted by more than 40 million.
3. Endanger Demographic Dividend-Experiences of developed nations suggests that once fertility rates fall below the replacement rate, it’s almost impossible to set them back.
   India’s TFR is 1.9 which is currently just below the replacement rate. Further, as per UNPF calculations, the share of the country’s working-age population will peak in the late 2030s and early 40s.Thus, in the background of these population trends, it is important to reap Indias full demographic dividend.

What should be the way forward?

1. Skill Development-There is an urgent need to overcome skill deficits and plug gaps in the knowledge economy.
2. Diversifying employment pattern-There should be creation of jobs outside of agriculture. Further, the jobs must not be in the low-paid informal sector.
3. Social security measures– The government should ensure adequate social security and healthcare provisions for the growing elderly population. Along with this, the government should create opportunities for the elderly population to harness their skills effectively.
4. Addressing regional imbalance-TFR rate is not uniform across all Indian states. For ex- parts of south India and west India are greying faster than those in the north. Thus, the policymakers should acknowledge the demographic imbalance in all its dimensions and prepare for the change.

General Studies Paper-3

Context: The role of the private sector in ‘climate finance’ has so far been somewhat of a blind spot.

About Climate Finance 

• Climate finance refers to local, national or transnational financing—drawn from public, private and alternative sources of financing—that seeks to support mitigation and adaptation actions that will address climate change.
• The Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement call for financial assistance from Parties with more financial resources to those that are less endowed and more vulnerable.

Significance

• It is critical to addressing climate change because large-scale investments are required to significantly reduce emissions, notably in sectors that emit large quantities of greenhouse gases.
• It is equally important for adaptation, for which significant financial resources will be similarly required to allow societies and economies to adapt to the adverse effects and reduce the impacts of climate change.

Global Position on Climate Finance & role of Private Sector

• Paris Pact for People and Planet:
  • Recently, more than 100 countries as well as representatives from global private sector entities gathered in Paris to affirm a single goal: No country should have to choose between fighting poverty and fighting for the planet.
  • The Paris Pact for People and Planet proposed actions aimed at scaling up private capital flows to transform emerging and developing economies.
• Shift from billions to trillions:
  • Much discussion and controversy have focused on the public sector, especially the commitment by developed countries to provide USD 100 billionin climate finance per year between 2020 and 2025.
    • This goal is now expected to be met in 2023for the first time.

Challenges of private climate financing

• Underperformance of private sector:
  • The OECD 2020 data shows that the mobilisation of private climate finance has underperformed against the expectations of developed countries.
  • The SCF (Standing Committee on Finance) report notes that it is unclear:
    • to what extent this was due to a lower-than-expected potential to mobilise private finance or
    • to a relatively lower proportion of projects with mobilisation potential in the overall climate finance portfolio.
  • Demands of developing countries:
    • Developing countries have for a long time insisted that a significant portion of climate finance should come from public funds as private finance will not address their needs and priorities especially related to adaptation.
  • Issues with adaptation priorities:
    • Adaptation is unlikely to offer commercially profitable opportunities for private financiers.
    • Vulnerable, debt-ridden and low-income countries with poor credit ratings needing adaptation finance the most, find it challenging to access private finance.
  • Contradictory claims:
    • Many developed countries and multilateral development banks have emphasised the importance of private finance mobilised in their climate finance strategies, including by de-risking and creating enabling environments.
    • According to the reports, these efforts have not yielded results at the scale required to tap into the significant potential for investments by the private sector and deliver on developed countries’ climate ambition.

Suggestions and Way Ahead 

• Building & reviewing climate-finance architecture:
  • The need is to engage in a review of the global vertical climate funds in order to optimise the use of their resources.
  • It is also needed to increase partnerships between peers and with the rest of the climate-finance architecture.
• Structural requirements:
  • More simplicity and consistency in the rulebook is required to lower risk and risk perception for global investors who fund sustainable projects in developing countries.
  • Providing the right signals and labels to invest in sustainable projects, maintaining a stable and transparent environment, and promoting investment opportunities are also essential.
• Role of Credit-rating agencies:
  • Credit-rating agencies must be included in the reform agenda of multilateral development banks (MDBs).
  • Rating agencies should take into account the innovative blended finance schemes we are designing and use the new data on actual defaults.
  • This new data shows that in many developing economies, contrary to most OECD countries, projects with good multilateral guarantees are less prone to default than companies, which are less likely to default than sovereigns.
• Country-led, multi-actor partnerships:
  • There is a need to push further the thinking on the “green finance” framework to make the most of the global savings pool.
    • The objective is to align the financial sector with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
  • In this respect, country-led, multi-actor partnerships such as Just Energy Transition Partnerships are the right way to raise the required investments.
  • These partnerships are already operative in Indonesia, Vietnam, South Africa and Senegal.
    • We should do more with countries willing to phase out coal from their electricity mix.
  • Addressing debt vulnerabilities:
    • Unlocking private sector finance for the green transition does not exonerate governments from addressing debt vulnerabilities in developing countries.
    • Too many low-and middle-income countries face unsustainable debt trajectories.
    • All major creditors in the region should now avoid contributing further to debt vulnerability.
  • On many of these issues, India’s G20 Presidency has enabled path breaking progress.
    • We now need to jointly support the G20 Brazilian presidency to bring this agenda to the finish line.
  • India has a crucial role to play because of its economic size, but more than that, because of its unique capacity to build bridges rather than stir up divisions within the international community.
    • India’s Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, must guide our efforts to make the global financial system more efficient and more just.
  • In order to address the overlapping challenges of poverty reduction, climate change and biodiversity protection, we need a shift from billions to trillions in global investments.

General Studies Paper-1

Context: The year 2024 is being hailed as the biggest year for democracy, with 45% of the global population preparing to exercise their voting rights.

And, it has become imperative to assess how women are represented in politics and leadership roles.

Women’s Political Participation 

• Women’s representation in political spheres improved in the latter half of the 20th century, with significant progress made in many nations in securing voting rights and parliamentary seats, and in climbing to the highest political offices.
  • New Zealand extended universal suffrage to women in 1893.
  • Norway first saw women enter parliament in 1907
• As of 10 January 2024, there are 26 countries where 28 women serve as Heads of State and/or Government.
  • 15 countries have a woman Head of State, and 16 countries have a woman Head of Government
• First-time compiled data by UN Women show that women represent 22.8 percent of Cabinet members heading Ministries, leading a policy area as of 1 January 2023 .

Status in India 

• India has a history of marginalisation and exploitation of women framed by patriarchal social structures and mindsets.
• Beginning in the 19th century, social reform movements succeeded in pushing for women’s well-being and empowerment.
• The Indian freedom movement, starting with the swadeshi in Bengal (1905-08) also witnessed the impressive participation of women,] who organised political demonstrations and mobilised resources, as well as occupied leadership positions in those movements.
• Women representation in Lok Sabha has increased from 5% in the first Lok Sabha to 15% in the current Lok Sabha.
  • Scandinavian countries such as Sweden and Norway, and South Africa have more than 45% women representation in their national legislatures. 
  • Currently, 15% of Lok Sabha MPs and 13% of Rajya Sabha MPs are women.

Importance 

• Women’s equal participation and leadership in political and public life are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
• Women’s representation in the national parliament is a key indicator of the extent of gender equality in parliamentary politics.
• It will ensure that women form a strong lobby in Parliament to fight for issues that are often ignored.
• There is now evidence that women as panchayat leaders have shattered social myths, been more accessible than men, controlled the stranglehold of liquor, invested substantially in public goods such as drinking water, helped other women express themselves better, reduced corruption, prioritised nutrition outcomes, and changed the development agenda at the grassroots level.
• India has a high percentage of crimes against women, low participation of women in the workforce, low nutrition levels and a skewed sex ratio.
  • To address all these challenges, it is argued, we need more women in decision-making.
• The rate at which women accumulate assets while in office is 10 percentage points lower, per year than among men.

Challenges in Women’s Representation in National and State Legislatures

• Societal prejudices, a male-dominated political party structure, family obligations, resource scarcity, and various structural hindrances all impede greater participation among women as contestants and winners in parliamentary or state assembly elections.
• Election campaigns in India are extremely demandingand time-consuming. Women politicians, with family commitments and the responsibilities of child care, often find it difficult to fully participate.
• Women politicians have been constantly subjected to humiliation, inappropriate comments, abuse and threats of abuse, making participation and contesting elections extremely challenging. Financing is also an obstacle as many women are financially dependent on their families.
• There is a general perception that women should be preferred for “soft” ministries like Social Welfare, Culture, Women and Child Development.

Related Efforts 

• After India attained independence, its Constitution guaranteed equal status for men and women in all political, social and economic spheres.
• Part III of the Constitution guarantees the fundamental rights of men and women.
  • The Directive Principles of State Policy ensure economic empowerment by providing for equal pay for equal work by both men and women, humane conditions of work, and maternity relief
• At the same time, India has taken a number of steps towards women’s empowerment in other domains, such as marriage and employment.
  • For example, the Supreme Court has conferred daughters the equal status of a coparcener in Hindu families, providing them inheritance rights.
  • It has also ruled that “women offic­ers in the army should be entitled to permanent commission and command postings in all services other than combat, and they have to be considered for it irrespective of their service length.
• In 1992, the73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution provided for reservation of one-third of the total number of seats for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and municipal bodies.
  • The amendment intended to improve women’s participation in decision-making at the grassroots.

Conclusion and Way Forward 

• Given the deep structural constraints that impede progress in women’s political participation, institutional transformation can usher in inclusive politics, albeit only to a certain degree.
• Another imperative is social transformation.
  • better educational opportunities for women, their financial stability, the relative erosion of social prejudices, coupled with greater media awareness have compelled political parties to create spaces for women’s participation.
• As the movement for women’s political emancipation gathers momentum, women’s organisations and networks within political parties and civil society must continue to help them assert their presence within the larger political and social landscape.
• Women’s political mobilisation can be ramped up to compel urgent institutional reform towards greater representation of women in India’s Parliament and state assemblies.
• More women are needed in these platforms to transform the discourse on governance and policy-making, and bring India closer to becoming a truly inclusive and representative democracy.

General Studies Paper-2

Context: According to the ILO’s World Social Protection Report, 2022, India spends too little on social protection.

• Social security is a human right, according to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. The ILO’s Recommendation of 2012 has called for all nations to institute a “social protection floor”.

Social Security

• It is the protection that a society provides to individuals and households to ensure access to health care and to guarantee income security, particularly in cases of old age, unemployment, sickness, invalidity, work injury, maternity or loss of a breadwinner. 
• Social security is a human right, according to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
• The ILO’s Recommendation of 2012 has called for all nations to institute a “social protection floor”.

Importance 

• Social security has a powerful impact at all levels of society.
• It provides workers and their families with access to health care and with protection against loss of income, whether it is for short periods of unemployment or sickness or maternity or for a longer time due to invalidity or employment injury.
• It provides older people with income security in their retirement years.
• Children benefit from social security programmes designed to help their families cope with the cost of education.
• For employers and enterprises, social security helps maintain stable labour relations and a productive workforce.
• Social security can contribute to social cohesion and to a country’s overall growth and development by bolstering living standards, cushioning the effects of structural and technological change on people and thereby providing the basis for a more positive approach toward globalisation.

Social Security Welfare Schemes

• Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan Yojana (PM-SYM) (Old Age Protection)   :Voluntary and contributory pension schemes
  • Under this schemes, 50% monthly contribution is payable by the beneficiary and equal matching contribution is paid by the Central Government
• Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY): Those living in scheduled caste and scheduled tribe households.
  • Families with no male members aged 16 to 59 years.
  • Beggars and those surviving on alms
  • Health coverage of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization free of cost.
• Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G): the Ministry of Rural Development is implementing PMAY-G with effect from 1st April 2016 to provide assistance to eligible rural households with an overall target to construct 2.95 crore pucca houses with basic amenities by March, 2024.
  • Assistance provided to the Beneficiary to the tune of 1.2 Lakhs in plain areas and 1.3 Lakhs in Hilly Areas.
• PDS: 35 kg of rice or wheat every month, while a household above the poverty line is entitled to 15 kg of food grain on a monthly basis.
  • Being implemented as ONORC to enable migrant workers to receive the food grains wherever they are working.
• Atal Pension Yojana : The contributor on his choice, can attain a pension of 1000-5000 rupees, or he can also get an accumulated sum of the pension after his death.
• Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) : The risk coverage under the scheme is Rs. 2 lakh for accidental death and full disability and Rs. 1 lakh for partial disability. Premium @ 20/- year
• Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana (PMJJBY) : 2 lakh on death due to any cause Premium @ Rs.436/- year
• Women have come to occupy centrestage in the emerging social protection architecture.
  • Schemes covering education expenses, free public transport, subsidised LPG, and cash transfers have been floated.
  • The Centre made a beginning by launching the Ujjwala schemein 2016, providing subsidised LPG gas cylinders to poor women.
• Mahatma Gandhi NREGA: Government of India has allocated Rs.60, 000 crore in Budget Estimate 2023-24 under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA.
  • Recently the Government notified new wage rates for unskilled manual workers under MGNREGA for the financial year 2024-2025, with Goa seeing the maximum hike of 10.56% over the current wage rate, and Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand recording the lowest raise of 3.04% each.

Issues and Concerns 

• According to the ILO’s World Social Protection Report, 2022, India spends too little on social protection.
• India’s policymakers have largely ignored social security. While policies are often announced, budgetary allocation has always been limited and utilisation even less so.
• Approximately 91% (or around 475 million) of India’s workforce works in the informal sector.
  • It lacks access to social security.
• In two decades, India will be an ageing society — for such workers with limited savings, there will be no significant social protection.
• While the Code on Social Security (2020)merged existing social security legislation, it dealt fundamentally with formal enterprises and did not cover informal ones.
  • It  remains unimplemented even today.
• The existing social security framework for unorganised workers has become complex, with overlapping areas of authority between the State and Centre, and confusing definitions being used such as between a platform worker, an unorganised worker and someone who is self-employed.
• The lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has inflicted a heavy cost on India’s poor.

Suggestions and Way Forward 

• India should aspire to provide social security to all of its workforce, in a manner that is fiscally and administratively feasibl
• Greater support is required for financing social security for the majority of India’s labour force, moving beyond construction and gig workers.
• Special attention is required for domestic workers (usually female), who are never sure when their employment may be terminated.
• Migrant workers often face discrimination and suspicion from authorities in their working area so coverage of social services such as child care can be expanded.
• We need a more significant push to raise awareness about social security to ensure that more workers are aware of the available benefits.

The time has come for India to consolidate its existing social security schemes/ad hoc measures and provide universal social security to its entire labour workforce.

General Studies Paper -3

Context: Marginalised tribal communities face difficulties in accessing basic healthcare and diagnostics of Sickle cell disease (SCD).

About Sickle cell disease (SCD)

• It is an inherited haemoglobin disorder in which red blood cells (RBCs) become crescent or sickle-shaped due to a genetic mutation.
  • These RBCs are rigid and impair circulation, often leading to anaemia, organ damage, severe and episodic pain, and premature death.
• India has the third highest number of SCD births, after Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Regional studies suggest approximately 15,000-25,000 babies with SCD are born in India every year, mostly in tribal communities.
• According to the 2023 ‘Guidelines for National Programme for Prevention and Management of Sickle Cell Disease’, of the 1.13 crore persons screened in different states, about 8.75% (9.96 lakh) tested positive.
• It is also one of the 21 “specified” disabilities listed in the Schedule of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016.
• Steps: In 2023, the Government of India launched the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, to eliminate SCD by 2047.
• Challenges: At present treatment and care for SCD remains grossly inadequate and inaccessible.
  • Like the (un)availability of the drug hydroxyurea
  • Blood transfusion is another important therapy for SCD, but its availability is limited to district-level facilities.
  • Bone marrow transplantation (BMT), until recently the other cure for SCD, is out of reach for most SCD patients due to the difficulty in finding matched donors, the high cost of the treatment at private facilities, and long waiting times in public hospitals.
• Solution: the application of the gene-editing technology called CRISPR (short for ‘Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats’) to treat SCD is important — for its novelty and promise but also for the health disparities it makes apparent.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved two gene therapies, Casgevy and Lyfgenia, to treat SCD in people ages 12 and older.
• CRISPR in India: In India, CRISPR’s possible medical applications also pose ethical and legal quandaries.
  • The National Guidelines for Stem Cell Research 2017 prohibit the commercialisation of stem cell therapies .
  • Gene-editing stem cells is allowed only for in-vitro studies.
  • India has approved a five-year project to develop CRISPR for sickle cell anaemia.
  • Under its Sickle Cell Anaemia Mission, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research is developing gene-editing therapies for SCD.

Adopting and promoting advanced therapies like CRISPR in India requires a comprehensive approach that accounts for inequities and disparities in the country’s overall healthcare access framework.

General Studies Paper -2 

Context: Recently, a research paper from Lancet has released the forecast of fertility rate in India.

Major Findings

• Drop in Fertility Rate: India’s fertility rate has dropped from nearly2 in 1950 to just under 2 in 2021. It is projected to dip further to1.29 in 2050 and 1.04 in 2100.
• Depleting Working Population:India’s total fertility rate (TFR) — the average number of children born per woman — is dipping irreversibly to 1.29, far lower than the replacement rate of 2.1.
  • This means a rapidly depleting working age population.
• Increase in Senior Citizens:By 2050, one in five Indians will be a senior citizen while there will be fewer younger people to take care of them.

Reasons for Decline in Fertility Rate in India

• Government Policy:Post-independence, there was a need to restrict the population. So the Family Welfare Programme were intended to convince people to have no more than two children.
  • Slowly that behaviour change started showing up.
• Decline in Infant Mortality: Due to various maternal and child health-related programmes and successful immunisation infant mortality declined in India substantially and small families became the norm.
• Rise in Female Literacy:Due to the rise of female literacy and women’s participation in the workforce the career consciousness, financial returns and economic independence have increased in India which means that women are reconsidering their options of having a second child.
• Economic Factors:Economic factors such as rising living costs, the need for dual incomes to support households, and the desire for better standards of living have contributed to smaller family sizes.

Consequences

• Rise in Elderly Population:The consequences of fertility decline will be that the share of the elderly in the population will increase sharply.
  • By 2050 the share of senior citizens in India will be more than 20 percent, that is one five people.
• Labor Force Decline: With fewer young people entering the workforce due to a declining fertility rate, this can impact economic growth and industries may face challenges in finding skilled workers.
• Healthcare Challenges: As the population ages, there is likely to be increased demand for healthcare services, this can strain healthcare systems and require adjustments in healthcare policies and infrastructure.
• Challenges for Social Security Systems:Declining fertility rates can pose challenges for social security systems, including pensions and retirement funds.

Government Initiatives

• National Health Mission (NHM):It is aimed at strengthening healthcare systems, including maternal and child health services.
  • NHM provides essential healthcare services, including antenatal care, postnatal care, family planning services, and child immunization, which indirectly influence fertility rates by promoting maternal and child health.
• Family Planning Program:India has a long-standing family planning program aimed at promoting contraceptive use and reproductive health awareness.
  • The program provides various contraceptive methods free of cost or at subsidized rates, conducts family planning counseling, and promotes awareness about the importance of family planning.
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY):Under the scheme financial assistance is provided to pregnant and lactating mothers for their first live birth.
  • The scheme aims to improve maternal and child health outcomes and indirectly supports fertility by promoting safe motherhood.

Way Ahead

• The challenges are still a few decades away for India but the country needs to start acting now with a comprehensive approach for the future.
• Models from Scandinavian countrieslike Sweden and Denmark, which are dealing with these challenges by supporting new families can be replicated.
  • They are providing affordable childcare, investing in healthcare and taking on large-scale male-engagement initiatives to build gender equity.
• Distribution of Household chores:For women to be able to manage careers with motherhood, it would be crucial for men to take greater responsibility for household and care work.

Economic policies that stimulate growth and job creation, alongside social security and pension reforms, will also be essential in adapting to and mitigating the impacts of declining fertility rates.

General Studies Paper -3 

Context: It has been argued that India will become a semiconductor manufacturing hub providing vast employment opportunities.

About Semiconductors 

• A semiconductor is a material product usually composed of silicon.
• It represents a distinct class of materials that possess some of the electrical properties of both conductors and insulators.
• It can be used to control the flow of electric currents, and with exquisite precision.
• Each step-insemiconductor fabrication demands ultra-high precision and harnesses a blend of diverse scientific principles.
  • For example, to make the most advanced transistors, thephotolithography process requires a light source emitting electromagnetic radiation at a wavelength of 13.5 nm.

Major players 

• Dutch companyASML is the sole provider of photolithography machines for cutting-edge semiconductor technology worldwide.
• The American firms dominate the software tools the engineers use to design circuits, while the silicon wafer sector is led by Japan’s Shin Etsu.
• The market for theactual task of fabrication is led by Taiwan’s TSMC, with fabrication tools provided by Applied Materials and Lam Research, both headquartered in the U.S.
• The majority ofintellectual property rights are held by British company Arm.
• The U.S. also imposed sanctions on Chinese tech companies, including bans on the acquisition of cutting-edge ASML equipment and high-end design software, for the same reason.
  • In response, China has intensified efforts to bolster its domestic semiconductor production capabilities to meet local demand.

Status of India

• India boasts a leading role in chip design centred in Bengaluru.
• However, most of the intellectual property rights required to execute these designs are retained either by parent companies or by Arm, relegating India to being a mere user of their products.

Benefits

• Computing: The semiconductor industry produces microprocessors and memory chips, which are the primary components in computers, servers, and data centers. These devices are used in various industries, from finance and healthcare to manufacturing and logistics.
• Communications: Semiconductors are used to produce cell phones, satellite systems, and other communication devices. They are also used to create wireless communication systems, network equipment, and other hardware for data transmission.
• Energy: Semiconductors are used in the production of solar cells and other renewable energy systems. Power management applications also use semiconductors, including voltage regulators and power supplies.
• Automotive: Automotive electronics also use semiconductors, including engine control units, sensors, and safety systems. They are also used in electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles.
• Healthcare: Medical imaging, monitoring, and diagnostic equipment, as well as medical implants and devices, use semiconductors.
• Owing to their role in sectors like defence and automotives, semiconductors have also emerged as a focal point of geopolitical interest, with nations vying to establish semiconductor fabrication facilities within their borders and drawing industry leaders in with a plethora of incentives.

Challenge and Issues 

• The semiconductor industry faces the challenges and opportunities of increased product demand in the immediate future.
• The growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) and the ongoing demands from the smartphone sector and other high-tech industries will place stress on the semiconductor supply chain.
• The challenge will be further complicated by ongoing international trade disputes, which may drive up the cost of semiconductor materials and interfere with global collaboration within the industry.
• India also currently lacks in original research in semiconductor design, where the future of the chip is decided.

Recent steps of Government 

• The Government of India has launched the India Semiconductor Missionto develop a comprehensive semiconductor ecosystem, aiming to position India at the forefront of the global semiconductor industry and bolster youth employment prospects.
• The Union Cabinet recently approved setting up three semiconductor-making units, entailing an investment of Rs 1.26 lakh crore, as part of an attempt to cut India’s dependence on imports to meet the requirements of chips
• Several initiatives have been launched to promote semiconductor production, including the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the electronics sector.
• Additionally, the government has introduced the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) and other schemes such as Chips to Startup (C2S)and Scheme for Promotion of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS) to support the industry.
• the government has launched the “Semicon India program”to address the global chip shortage by encouraging manufacturers to establish their semiconductor industry setups

Conclusion

• Setting up semiconductor fabrication units or fabs requires significant investments and expertise.
• India is seeking a collaborative approach, building partnerships with like-minded nations to facilitate sustainable growth in the industry.
• India’s talent pool is unparalleled, and the country is currently at a crucial point where manufacturing can grow rapidly and efficiently.
• India has the intellectual capacity, determination, and capability to emerge as a leading global research and development hub.

It remains focused on its objective of strengthening the semiconductor industry, which, in turn, will stimulate the growth of the country’s expanding electronics manufacturing and innovation ecosystem.