aditya
11:52
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Saturday, August 20, 2022
The HINDU Notes – 20th August 2022
aditya
11:47
📰 The injustice of exceptionalism
It is the exceptionalism in granting the release of 11 individuals that lies at the core of injustice in the Bilkis Bano case
•Eleven men who were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008 for the gang rape of Bilkis Bano (she was pregnant then) and the murder of her family members in 2002 were released this week from a jail in Gujarat. A Special Central Bureau of Investigation Court had sentenced the men to life imprisonment in 2008. Their release seems unjust and the subsequent celebration of their release by some is revolting. While the applicable law in this case, on the face of it, seems to give the power to the Gujarat government to release these men, serious questions about the legality of the decision have emerged. However, the injustice, in this case, goes beyond questions of legality or illegality. It runs deeper. Therefore, it is crucial to locate the source of this injustice.
Remission policy
•As in most States, Gujarat’s current remission policy (it adopted a new and revised remission policy for prisoners in 2014), makes those convicted of rape ineligible for premature release. However, the Supreme Court of India had earlier ruled that the remission question in this case would be governed by the remission policy of 1992 that was in force at the time of conviction which did not exclude those convicted of rape from executive remission. Is the injustice in this case to be located in the fact that the 1992 policy allowed remission to this category of offenders? Does justice demand that certain categories of offenders be ineligible for remission? Before we get to these questions, a brief explanation on remission and premature release is called for.
•State governments have laid down behaviour/activities that can earn prisoners a certain amount of days as remission, that is then deducted from their sentence. For example, if a prisoner earns two years in remission and a court has sentenced them to 10 years, they can leave prison effectively after eight years. This system is enshrined in the Prisons Act, 1894, and also rules developed by different States (prison is a state subject). However, the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) is clear that life convicts have to undergo a minimum of 14 years of actual imprisonment before they can be considered for remission/premature release. Each State has its own procedure to consider each application for release. There is very little transparency on how these decisions are made.
•Besides this, State governments have also developed premature release rules that include the power to give effect to the Governor’s powers of remission under Article 161 of the Constitution. Those powers are not governed by the CrPC and are often used to bypass the minimum 14 years of actual imprisonment requirement in the CrPC. But in this case, the term of imprisonment of all 11 men was more than 15 years and therefore, the calculation of 14 years is irrelevant.
A right
•While, undoubtedly, questions of punishment and reformation need to be individualised, a meaningful criminal justice policy should never adopt offence-based exclusions when considering remission or premature release with respect to individual persons. Remission is borne out of the central objective of prisons to operate as reformative and rehabilitative spaces. The Supreme Court has recognised remission as an inherent part of a prisoner’s right to life. Contrary to popular conception, remission is a right and not a privilege extended to the convict by the state.
•However, that broader position on remission cannot settle the questions of justice in this case. It is the extraordinary treatment bestowed on these 11 men when it is now denied to an entire class of offenders across the country that carries the stink of injustice. While the policy of 1992 provided no disqualification for their release, it is unclear why the Gujarat government found these men fit for release when it has excluded the very same category of prisoners from any consideration whatsoever under the policy of 2014. A cardinal rule of justice stands broken — one set of considerations for everyone else convicted for the same offence but, somehow, a different set of governance considerations for these 11 individuals.
Survivors and challenges
•While there is much to worry about the legislature, the executive and the judiciary moving towards harsher sentences for those convicted for sexual offences, the impunity for sexual violence remains a grave concern. There is significant research demonstrating the challenges that rape survivors face in filing criminal complaints and navigating the justice system.
•These difficulties are particularly pronounced and qualitatively different for survivors from caste and religious minorities against whom rape is used as a weapon of social oppression. One such aspect is the intimidation and pressure from perpetrators, the majority community, and often the police to drop criminal charges. The lack of witness protection measures results in many complainants turning hostile to protect themselves from more harm.
•For the Bilkis Bano case too, not only was it an uphill struggle to initiate criminal proceedings but it was also accompanied by several death threats throughout the course of her case. She relocated constantly for her safety. In pursuing justice, survivors from caste and religious minorities have to bear the brunt of a casteist and Islamophobic society, apart from facing greater challenges in negotiating the criminal justice system than other survivors do.
•Given this lived reality of survivors, the exceptionalism in granting the release of these 11 individuals in the Bilkis Bano case becomes even starker. When the executive has otherwise made the choice to exclude this category of offenders from the benefit of remission/premature release, releasing these men from the majority community who gang raped Bilkis Bano and murdered her family members during a communal riot is an act of exceptionalism. It is this exceptionalism that lies at the core of injustice in this case.
•However, our rage at the grave injustice, in this case, must not be accompanied by a corresponding legitimisation of overly-punitive approaches to sexual violence. The insurmountable difficulties endured by Bilkis Bano to pursue justice and our collective fear for her safety now may make 15 years of imprisonment seem insufficient. But our dissatisfaction with a broken and discriminatory system cannot be fixed by harsher sentences and practices which is, unfortunately, the only form of justice that a punitive system can offer.
📰 End this asymmetrical conflict over ‘freebies’
Friday, August 19, 2022
Daily Current Affairs, 19th August 2022
aditya
14:57
1) World Photography Day celebrates on 19th August
•World Photography Day is celebrated on August 19 each year. The aim of World Photography Day is to create awareness, share ideas and encourage people to take up photography. The annual celebration pays tribute to the art of photography and also encourages those who are passionate about it to come together and share their work. It also serves as a motivating day for enthusiasts to pursue photography as a career.
2) World Humanitarian Day observed on 19th August
•World Humanitarian Day is celebrated on August 19 every year to recognise all aid and health workers who volunteer to help victims of disasters and crises against all odds. The day aims to spread awareness about the need for humanitarian assistance worldwide. The UN hopes that the day will serve as a reminder to people of the risk taken by some to save lives and support humanitarian causes.
3) Country first electric double-decker bus launched in Mumbai
•Union Transport Minister, Nitin Gadkari has launched India’s first electric double-decker bus at YB Centre in south Mumbai. The name of the bus is “Switch EiV 22”, the double-decker bus will be run by the Mumbai civic transport body from September. Nitin Gadkari said 35 per cent of the pollution is because of diesel and petrol, and the introduction of these buses will reduce pollution. Two new electric buses, including the first air-conditioned double-decker bus in the country, will join the fleet of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST).
4) Goa, first state in India to receive “Har Ghar Jal” certification
•The people of all the villages in Goa and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (D&NH and D&D) declared their village to be a “Har Ghar Jal” through a resolution passed by the Gram Sabha, certifying that all households in the villages have access to safe drinking water through taps and ensuring that “No One is Left Out.” All 85,156 of the 85,635,000 rural households in Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, and Goa have access to potable water via a tap connection with Har Ghar Jal.
5) Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched ‘Make India No. 1’ mission
•Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal has formally unveiled his Aam Aadmi Party’s national ambition with the launch of the ‘Make India No 1’ campaign. At an event organised at Talkatora stadium here, he proposed a five-point vision for good governance. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor termed the campaign a “national mission” and appealed to the masses to join.
6) The Geo-Political Situation Of China-Taiwan-USA Relations
•Taiwan is crucial for power ambition. No country can become superpower without establishing regional hegemony. The US is protected by the World’s two largest ocean that has made her Great power, same with soviet union. China knows if it wants to become global power, it cant be caged in terms of naval power. And china is surrounded by crowded neighbous which acts as obstacle in its ambition.
7) United Kingdom(U.K) Inflation Rises To 10.1%, A 20 Year High
•Britain’s annual inflation rate has touched doubled digits, climbing to 10.1% in July from a year ago — the sharpest increase since 1982. Consumer prices are rising even faster in the U.K. than in the U.S. and Europe, propelled by higher food and energy costs. The increase was largely due to rising prices for food and staples, including toilet paper and toothbrushes. Core inflation, which strips out volatile, food and energy prices hitting 6.2% in July.
8) India’s Oil Demand Will Rise By 7.73% In 2022, Fastest In The World
•India’s demand for petroleum products like petrol and diesel will grow by 7.73 per cent in 2022, the fastest pace in the world. India’s oil demand remained healthy at 0.7 millions barrels per day (million b/d), about 16 per cent y-o-y growth in June, after an annual growth of 0.8 million b/d in May. Oil demand in India is supported by the rising momentum in economic activities, as the economic reopening continued amid an easing of COVID-19 restrictions in India. Indian oil demand in June was supported by the reduction in excise duty on petrol and diesel by the Central Government, coupled with the delayed arrival of the monsoon season and has led to robust demand for fuels.
The HINDU Notes – 19th August 2022
aditya
14:44
📰 Bustards adapt to produce 2-egg clutch
New behaviour, a result of increased feed after excessive rain, hailed as a record
•The perceived beliefs and recorded observations of egg laying habit of Great Indian Bustard (GIB) have changed after the recent excessive rains in western Rajasthan. The critically endangered bird species has adopted an altogether new behaviour of giving clutch of two eggs at a time after getting additional protein diet during the monsoon season.
•Environmentalists in Rajasthan have hailed it as a new record, as all experts had been reporting a clutch of single egg by GIB for more than a century. Scientists working on ex situ breeding of these endangered birds have discovered the new proclivity in Jaisalmer district’s Desert National Park (DNP).
•Four female GIBs laid two eggs at a time during the current rainy season in the DNP, while two others were observed laying clutches of two eggs each earlier in the 2020 season. Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India’s (WII) scientist Sutirtha Dutta, who is leading the project for breeding of the rare species, told The Hindu that six nests with two eggs each had been detected so far in the DNP.
•Dr. Dutta said 5% to 10% of the female GIBs had been detected in the past laying two eggs each, but the high incidence, with the signs of an evolving habit, had been observed for the first time. “The natural feed for birds gets produced in abundance whenever it rains excessively in DNP,” he said. The rains exceeded 20 mm by mid-August in Jaisalmer district.
•Aimed at preserving the GIBs whose population has reduced to less than 150 in the wild, the breeding project focuses on spatial prioritisation, risk characterisation and conservation management with the endangered species.
📰 Hard truths about India’s labour reforms
Vision IAS Environment Mains 365 Hindi 2022 PDF
aditya
09:22
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Thursday, August 18, 2022
India as a ‘Developed’ Country
aditya
19:21
Why in news?
In Independence Day address, PM Narendra Modi asked Indians to embrace “Panch Pran” (five vows) by 2047 when the country celebrates 100 years of independence.
The first vow is for India to become a developed country in the next 25 years.
What is a “developed” country?
- World Economic Situation and Prospects’ (UN) Classification
- Developed economies
- Economies in transition
- Developing economies
- The World Bank’s categorization - Based on Gross National Income (GNI) per capita
- Low income countries
- Lower middle income countries
- Upper middle income countries
- High income countries
Why is the United Nations classification contested?
- It can be argued that the UN classification is not very accurate and has limited analytical value.
- There are 31 developed countries according to the UN in all.
- Except 17 economies in transition, others are designated as “developing” countries, even though in terms of proportion, China’s per capita income is closer to Norway’s than Somalia’s.
- Then there are countries such as Ukraine, with a per capita GNI of 4,120 dollars (a third of China’s) that are designated as “economies in transition”.
Where does India stand?
- India falls under the categories of “developing economies” and “lower middle income countries”.
- GDP- Considering the absolute level of GD, India is one of the biggest economies of the world even though the US and China remain far ahead.
- Per capita income- However, to be classified as a “developed” country, the average income of a country’s people matters more.
- On per capita income, India is behind even Bangladesh.
- Developments- India has made a secular improvement on Human Development Index (HDI) metrics that has three factors.
- Health and longevity of citizens
- Quality of education
- Standard of life
- The life expectancy at birth in India has gone from around 40 years in 1947 to around 70 years now.
- India has also taken giant strides in education enrolment at all three levels — primary, secondary, and tertiary.
China’s per capita income is 5.5 times that of India, and the UK’s is almost 33 times.
- Distance left to cover- Even though India is the world’s third-largest economy in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms, most Indians are still relatively poor compared to people in other middle income countries.
- Metrics, such as the food share of consumption, suggest that even rich households in India would have to see a substantial expansion of their total consumption to reach levels of poor households in rich countries.
As of 2013, India had 218 million people living in extreme poverty — which made India home to the most number of poor people in the world.
How much can India achieve by 2047?
Daily Current Affairs, 18th August 2022
aditya
19:16
1) PM Modi announced ‘Panch Pran’ goal for the next 25 years
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the nation from the Red Fort for the ninth time in a row on August 15, 2022. PM Modi, in his 88-minute speech, outlined his “Panch Pran Targets” (Five Resolves) to make India a developed country by the time it celebrates its 100th Independence Day in 25 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the Panch Pran Goal.
2) NASA’s moon rocket moved to launch pad for 1st test flight
•The American space agency, NASA has rolled out its giant new Moon rocket, surrounding the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, the vehicle was moved to Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of the expected lift-off on 29 August. The near 100m-tall (328ft) SLS rode an immense tractor to the pad. The SLS will be used under the Artemis mission that will take humans back to the Moon his time with plans for a longer presence on the surface.
•Nasa has promised that this third mission will witness the first woman to put her boots down on the Moon’s surface. A major objective of the test fight is to check the heatshield on the capsule can survive the heat of re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
3) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh gives “F-INSAS” system to Indian Army
•Defence Minister of India, Rajnath Singh handed over to the Indian Army the much-awaited Future Infantry Soldier as a System (F-INSAS) at the unveiling ceremony of various defence and strategic systems held in Delhi. The full gear of the F-INSAS includes an AK-203 assault rifle, which is a Russian-origin gas-operated, magazine-fed, select-fire assault rifle.
4) National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission (NIPAM)
•The National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission (NIPAM) was launched by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on 8th December 2021. The National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission (NIPAM) aims to provide awareness and training on Intellectual Property (IP). On 31st July 2022, the scheme met its goal of training one million students before the deadline on 15th August 2022. The number of students or faculty trained under the Intellectual Property Awareness Mission is 10,05,272 and 3663 educational institutions have been covered.
5) Centre Approves Limit of Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme(ECLGS) to 5 Lakh Crore
•The Union Cabinet approved the enhancement in the limit of the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) by Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 5 lakh crore, with the additional amount being earmarked exclusively for enterprises in hospitality and related sectors. ECLGS is a continuing scheme and the additional amount of Rs. 50,000 crore would be made applicable to enterprises in hospitality and related sectors till validity of the scheme in March 31 next year.
•The enhancement is expected to provide much-needed relief to enterprises in these sectors by incentivizing lending institutions to provide additional credit of up to Rs 50,000 crore at low cost, enabling these business enterprises to meet their operational liabilities and continue their businesses. Loans of about Rs. 3.67 Lakh crore have been sanctioned under ECLGS till August 5.
6) India Gift Dornier Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft to Sri Lanka
•India on August 15 gifted a Dornier maritime reconnaissance aircraft to Sri Lanka which will enable the island nation to tackle multiple challenges like human and drug trafficking, smuggling and other organised forms of crime in its coastal waters more effectively. Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe was present at the impressive handover ceremony which took place on a day when India celebrated its 76th Independence Day and a day before a high-tech Chinese missile and satellite tracking ship docks at the island nation’s strategic Hambantota port.
•Vice Chief of Indian Navy Vice Admiral S.N. Ghormade, who is on a two-day visit to the country, accompanied by Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Gopal Baglay, handed over the aircraft to the Sri Lanka Navy at the Sri Lanka Air Force base in Katunayake, adjoining the Colombo international airport.
7) Now, Use UPI For NPS, Atal Pension Yojana(APY) Contribution
•Subscribers of National Pension System (NPS) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY) can now contribute to their accounts through Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the country’s instant real-time payment system. The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has launched a UPI handle for depositing contributions through D-Remit for the benefit of subscribers.
•Currently, the contributions were carried out through net banking account by using IMPS/NEFT/RTGS. The PFRDA-administered two schemes NPS and APY are targeted towards organised and unorganised sector employees, respectively. Introduced in December 2003, it is mandatory for central government employees (except armed forces) who joined service from January 1, 2004, to subscribe to NPS. In May 2009, it was extended to private and unorganised sector on voluntary basis.
8) India’s IT Secretary Alkesh Kumar Sharma named to high-level UN internet panel
•UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has named India’s Electronics and Information Technology Secretary, Alkesh Kumar Sharma to a panel of eminent experts on internet governance. Internet pioneer Vint Cerf and Nobel Prize-winning journalist Maria Reesa were also appointed to the 10-member Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Leadership Panel. In addition, Guterres’ envoy on technology, Amandeep Singh Gill, will also be on the panel. They will serve for a two-year term during the 2022–23 IGF cycles.
9) Vostok-2022: Indo-China military drills to be held in Russia
•The People’s Liberation Army of China will take part in the Vostok-2022 strategic command and staff exercise in Russia, which also includes the armies of India, Belarus, Tajikistan, and Mongolia, according to the country’s defence ministry. China‘s People’s Liberation Army will send some troops to Russia to participate in the Vostok-2022 (East) strategic exercise, in accordance with the two countries’ yearly military cooperation plan and agreement.
10) GoI unveils “Manthan” platform for better industry and R&D collaboration
•The government of India unveiled the “Manthan” platform to drive collaboration between the industry and research institutes to implement technology-based social impact innovations and solutions in the country. The launch of Manthan, a platform that promises to augment our efforts to build and nurture industry participation in R&D, is also a testimony of our commitment to the UN’s SDG goals. The launch commemorates India’s 75 years of independence and presents an opportunity to bring national and global communities closer to India’s technology revolution.
11) IRDAI hosts its inaugural hackathon, Bima Manthan 2022
•IRDAI, the insurance regulator, in order to safeguard the interests of policyholders, has asked organisations to provide technologically advanced new solutions for automated death claim settlement, reducing miss-selling, and other components of the insurance ecosystem. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) is accepting applications for Bima Manthan 2022, its inaugural hackathon, with the topic “Innovation in Insurance.”
12) Marina Tabassum, first South Asian to get Lisbon Triennale Lifetime Achievement Award
•As the first recipient from the global south and the first South Asian, renowned Bangladeshi architect, researcher, and educator Marina Tabassum received the prestigious Lisbon Triennale Millennium bcp Lifetime Achievement Award. The Lisbon Architecture Triennale panel commended Marina Tabassum for providing an inspiring example of work with local communities that may have a beneficial impact all over the world even in the most challenging circumstances when announcing the award.
13) Rajkiran Rai named as new MD of NaBFID
•The Centre and the board of the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) has appointed Rajkiran Rai G as its managing director (MD) for the next five years. The board of NaBFID approved Rai’s appointment on July 30 based on clearance by the RBI, centre and the Development finance institutions (DFI) nomination and remuneration committee. He took charge as the DFI’s MD on August 8, and will hold the top post till May 18, 2027, according to details of the appointment.
•Last year in October 2021, the Centre had appointed K V Kamath as chairperson of NaBFID. Subsequently, government nominees Pankaj Jain and Sumita Dawra were appointed directors to the board of DFI. The government has already infused Rs 20,000 crore into NaBFID to help the DFI start its operations to catalyse investment in the infrastructure sector.
14) State Bank of India introduced its first dedicated branch to support start-ups
•The country’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI) has launched its first branch dedicated to start-ups in Koramangala, Bengaluru. SBI Chairman Dinesh Khara launched the branch in Koramangala near HSR Layout and Indiranagar which are the biggest start-up hubs in the city. After Bengaluru, the next branch will be opened in Gurgaon and the third one will be in Hyderabad. These branches would support the needs of the entire start-up ecosystem.
15) Meghalaya Sports Department set to host 2nd edition of North East Olympics
•Meghalaya is all set to host the upcoming 2nd edition of the North East Olympics from 30th October. Meghalaya Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, and the North East Olympic Association was held last evening to finalize the list of sports disciplines. The first edition of the Games was held in Manipur in 2018, with 12 disciplines.
•In this edition, about 4,000 participants from eight North Eastern States will be competing in 18 disciplines at 13 venues spread across Shillong. Participants will be competing in disciplines, such as archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, football, judo, karate, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, wushu, cycling (Mountain Bike), golf, weightlifting and wrestling.
The HINDU Notes – 18th August 2022
aditya
14:07
📰 Data opportunity at the G20
The Indian Government should present a holistic agenda that embeds data collection and sharing
•The global politics of data is rapidly evolving as leading and emerging digital economies like the European Union (EU), the U.S., India, Indonesia, and South Africa strive to protect, monetise, and leverage data collected within their territories for domestic purposes. The age of borderless data with limited or no government control, once an aspiration, appears behind us.
•Increasing privacy and security concerns coupled with economic interests have compelled governments to institute rules and standards that govern and restrict cross-border flows with natural implications for negotiations on global trade and commerce. Indeed, the sheer amount of data being generated and shared globally has necessitated governments to exert more control over the use, sharing, and cross-border flow of data. According to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), data localisation laws have more than doubled from 2017 to 2021, indicating that states seek and want increasing levels of regulatory control over data.
Creation of single data market
•Data regulation efforts transcend data localisation. Relaxing its deference to self-regulation by firms, Joe Biden’s administration recently issued an executive order on promoting competition in the American economy that pushed for the use of antitrust policy to meet the challenges posed by the rise of dominant platforms, and surveillance. European policymakers have introduced a bevy of digital rules that place individual users centre-stage, and enhancing their data security. Through the proposed Data Act, the EU hopes to become an unparalleled data power by creating a single data market, setting robust standards and deploying the EU’s collective data for their own use.
•As a rising ‘data market’ with critical stakes in multilateral and regional negotiations on data, how can India negotiate data when it assumes leadership of the G20?
•The G-20 appears as a viable platform to discuss data, particularly sharing and transfer, given seemingly converging positions on data governance amongst major G-7 powers and emerging economies as the state finds a greater role in regulating data. Moreover, the G-20’s track record as the apex forum to discuss global economic issues gives it legitimacy and having the top (digital) economies makes it an appropriate forum to discuss data. The G20 does not create binding rules but serves as a platform to catalyse and inject new thinking around critical current issues.
Data sovereignty
•India was way ahead of the ‘data sovereignty’ curve, brandishing it to justify domestic policy-making and burnishing this stance at various international discussions, long before it became fashionable across northern jurisdictions. Since 2017, India has attempted to incubate governance of non-personal data, personal data, e-commerce regulation and artificial intelligence (AI) with a preference to harness “India’s data for India’s development.” These policies, including the recently withdrawn Personal Data Protection Bill, are works in progress but this does not take away from the vast ecosystem of actors — including experts, civil society, and industry actively engaging with and attempting to shape digital policy-making.
•To underscore political rhetoric and drive global data discussions at the G20, the Indian government should present a holistic agenda that embeds data collection and sharing within a broader framework that prioritises digital security, innovation, and citizen rights.
•For instance, the Reserve Bank of India’s data localisation directive has been in place for four years now. An empirical assessment of how this has impacted both start-ups, big technology companies, and users could serve as a useful example. Has localisation achieved requisite security and economic benefits? Or has it stifled digital innovation? Second, India’s digital economy stewardship must transcend data localisation by highlighting best practices on data protection, competition law, data stewardship, and responsible artificial intelligence both in India and other G20 countries. The ongoing effort to redraft the Personal Data Protection Bill and embed it within a ‘more comprehensive framework’ that addresses related concerns like cybersecurity must serve as an urgent domestic priority, and could lend weight to India’s G-20 data approach.
•By adding nuance to prevailing ‘data’ narratives and enabling countries with different views to express themselves and engage meaningfully on critical questions, India’s G-20 stint would mark a key phase in the global digital economy.
📰 Voters not looking for freebies: SC
Promises alone do not decide the outcome of elections for political parties, it says
•Voters, if given a chance, will prefer to earn a dignified earning through welfare schemes such as the MGNREGA and create public assets in rural India. Freebies do not always decide the outcome of elections for political parties, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday.
•A Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana said there have been instances of parties losing elections in spite of their promises of freebies. “I don’t think voters are looking for freebies. Given an opportunity, they (voters) will opt for dignified earning. For example, MGNREGA offered dignified earning and also created public assets in rural areas. So, I don’t think promises alone decide the outcome of elections... There are instances of parties not being elected despite their promises,” Chief Justice Ramana said.
•The court was hearing a petition to curb the practice of offering or distributing “irrational freebies” at the cost of public money, especially in debt-ridden States during the run-up to elections.
•The court said its primary concern is about “the right way of spending public money”. The court indicated that promises of freebies come at a cost to the public exchequer. “At the end of the day, we must say there is no free lunch,” the Bench observed.
•The court is dealing with rival contentions raised in the case. On the one hand, the contention is that freebies are a waste of public money and a sure road to economic doom for the country, on the other, they are incentives and schemes to ensure public welfare.
•“But the question is what exactly qualifies as a ‘valid promise’? Can promise of subsidy on power, seeds and fertilizers to small and marginal farmers, free health care and drinking water be considered as freebies? Can we treat promises of consumer products, electronics free of cost for all as a welfare measure?” the court asked.
Welfare schemes
•Chief Justice Ramana said freebies should not be confused with welfare schemes introduced by States. The CJI said Article 38 of the Constitution mandates that States should ensure the welfare of the people, “minimise inequalities in income and endeavour to eliminate inequalities in status, facilities and opportunities, not only amongst individuals but also amongst groups of people residing in different areas or engaged in different vocations”.
•“You cannot prevent a political party or an individual from making promises that are aimed at fulfilling this constitutional mandate, if elected to power,” the Chief Justice observed.
•Senior advocate P. Wilson, for Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, submitted that the Constitution empowered States to promulgate welfare schemes. The term ‘freebies’ cannot be interpreted to restrict States’ competence to provide welfare.
•The court said the parties involved, including the Centre and the State political parties, should come up with their opinions and recommendations on the issue of freebies which was getting more “complicated”. The court posted the case to next week. In the previous hearing, senior advocate Vikas Singh, for petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay, said States have a debt of ₹15 lakh crore. “Public money should not be misused by political parties whose only intention is to gain and retain power,” Mr. Singh said.
📰 The Centre vs State tussle over IAS postings
