24 December 2024 : The Hindu Editorial Analysis

1. Envisioning India as a global skill supplier

(Source – The Hindu, International Edition – Page No. – 8)

Topic: GS2 – International Relations, GS3 – Indian Economy

Context

The article discusses India’s potential to contribute to the global job market through skilled labor migration. It highlights the need for a comprehensive policy framework to address skill gaps, improve training standards, and facilitate the effective integration of returning migrants. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of data-driven migration policies.

 India’s Skilled Workforce and Global Migration Trends

• Prime Minister Modi expressed hope that India’s skilled workforce will play a significant role in the global job market.
• Global mega trends such as demographic transitions, technological advancements, and climate change are altering the demand and supply of international migrant workers.
• Skills are becoming central to public policy discourse as countries adjust their immigration policies to address challenges like an ageing society, digitalisation, and declining fertility rates.

Skill-Selective Immigration Policies of Key Countries

• Traditional migration destinations like the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Gulf Cooperation Council countries, along with new destinations like Germany, South Korea, and Japan, are increasingly prioritising skilled workers.
• These countries recognise that economic diversification and addressing societal challenges can be achieved by welcoming skilled international migrants.

India’s Challenges in Meeting Global Skill Gaps

• India faces a complex task in responding to the skill needs of various destination countries.
• Effective policy interventions based on robust evidence are essential for facilitating skill-centred migration.
• India lacks a comprehensive policy framework for international labour mobility, with interventions often being fragmented and not data-driven.
• The only data source available for migrant labour outflows is emigration clearance data, which primarily covers low-skilled workers, creating a major obstacle for formulating effective policies.

Lack of a Comprehensive National Policy on Migration

• India’s efforts have largely focused on bilateral agreements with other countries concerning social security, skills, protection, and welfare, but these agreements are not part of a larger policy framework.
• There is a lack of evaluations to assess the effectiveness of these agreements, highlighting the need for a more cohesive and structured approach.

The Path Forward for India

• India needs to design a comprehensive national policy on international labour migration, with skill-centred migration as a central pillar.
• A critical step is identifying the skills in demand in destination countries, forecasting skill needs, and using data analytics from job vacancies to address skill gaps.
• India must assess its own capacity to provide the required skills, mapping existing skill development efforts and aligning them with the needs of destination countries.

Enhancing Skill Development Standards

• To meet global standards, India must improve its skill development efforts, including integrating specific skills into curricula, reorienting training programmes, and creating targeted short-term courses for destination countries.
• A review of the National Skills Qualification Framework is necessary to align India’s qualifications with those of major migration destinations.

Focus on Return Migration and Reintegration

• As international migration policies encourage temporary migration, return migration is becoming increasingly important.
• India must better utilise the skills of returning migrants by ensuring their competencies are recognised and accredited, facilitating their effective reintegration into the Indian labour market.

Need for a Skill-Centred Migration Information System

• India requires a comprehensive skill-centred international labour migration information system to collect, analyse, and report data on migration trends.
• Such a system will support evidence-based interventions, foster partnerships with destination countries, and enhance migration and development outcomes.

Practice Question:  Examine the challenges and opportunities for India in addressing global skill gaps through international labor migration. Suggest policy measures to enhance skill development and optimize the reintegration of return migrants. (250 Words /15 marks)

2. India’s ‘steel frame’ does need a check

(Source – The Hindu, International Edition – Page No. – 4)

Topic: GS2 – Governance

Context

India’s governance system faces challenges due to inefficiencies within the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). Despite various reform attempts, these issues continue to hamper India’s economic potential. A comprehensive administrative reform strategy is needed to address these challenges.

 Introduction to Governance Issues

• India has made significant economic progress, but governance challenges, particularly in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), remain a barrier.
• Issues like income inequality, underinvestment, and bureaucratic inefficiency persist, hindering the country’s economic potential.
• Urgent reforms are needed to address these administrative challenges and unlock India’s full economic potential.

Legacy of the IAS and Its Challenges

• The IAS, inherited from the colonial Indian Civil Service (ICS), serves as the backbone of India’s administrative machinery.
• Despite its historical importance, the IAS faces several challenges:
  • Political Interference: Promotions and transfers based on political loyalty rather than merit have affected officer morale.
  • Lack of Specialisation: Frequent departmental rotations prevent officers from developing expertise in specific policy areas, reducing effectiveness in governance.

Corruption and Bureaucratic Inefficiency

• Corruption and inefficiency remain significant issues within the bureaucracy.
• The World Bank’s government effectiveness measure places India at a moderate rank, reflecting inadequate policy implementation and a lack of administrative independence.
• Without reform, these inefficiencies risk stalling India’s governance and economic growth.

Centralised Governance and Its Limitations

• India’s centralised, executive-led governance model has had mixed results:
  • Positive: Facilitates rapid economic reforms and infrastructure development.
  • Negative: Leads to bottlenecks in policy execution and a lack of bureaucratic accountability.
• Bureaucrats’ expertise is often sidelined in a centralised system, limiting their ability to implement policies effectively.

Reform Efforts by the Government

• Under the present government, efforts have been made to reduce politicisation in bureaucracy and increase accountability.
• However, centralising power in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has been criticised for diminishing the autonomy of senior bureaucrats.

Historical Reform Efforts

• Over 50 commissions and committees have been formed since Independence to address bureaucratic inefficiency.
• The First Administrative Reforms Commission (1966) and Second ARC (2005) made key recommendations for reforms:
  • Performance-based promotions
  • Introduction of lateral entry
  • Reducing arbitrary transfers
• Many recommendations remain unimplemented due to bureaucratic inertia and political resistance.

The Push for Lateral Entry

The central government has introduced lateral entry to diversify governance by bringing domain experts from private sectors and other government services. Since 2018, 57 lateral entrants have been appointed, reducing the IAS’s dominance in top bureaucratic positions. By 2023, only 33% of Joint Secretaries at the Centre were from the IAS, down from nearly total IAS dominance a decade ago. The lateral entry initiative has faced resistance, particularly over concerns regarding morale and lack of reservation provisions for marginalised groups.

Challenges to Bureaucratic Reform

• Reform proposals often face resistance due to deeply entrenched institutional practices:
  • Seniority-based Progression: Seniority remains a dominant factor in bureaucratic promotions.
  • Political Interference: Continued political influence undermines reform efforts.
• Past proposals like the Civil Services Standards, Performance, and Accountability Bill (2010) have not been successfully implemented.
• Judicial interventions, such as the Supreme Court’s 2013 directive for civil services boards, have had limited impact due to lack of enforcement.

Conclusion

• A comprehensive, multi-pronged approach is needed to reform the IAS:
  • Recruitment should focus on merit and domain expertise, not just seniority.
  • Performance-based promotions and protection from politically motivated transfers are necessary to enhance accountability and efficiency.
  • A robust data infrastructure to track bureaucratic performance will support informed decisions on placements, promotions, and policy implementation.
• Reform is crucial for India’s economic growth and effective governance, ensuring that bureaucracy serves the public more efficiently.

PYQ: Initially Civil Services in India were designed to achieve the goals of neutrality and effectiveness, which seems to be lacking in the present context. Do you agree with the view that drastic reforms are required in Civil Services. Comment. (250 words/15m) (UPSC CSE (M) GS-2 2017)

Practice Question:  Examine the role of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in India’s governance system and the challenges it faces in ensuring effective administration. Critically assess the government’s initiatives, such as lateral entry and performance-based promotions, in addressing these issues. (250 Words /15 marks)

 

For more such UPSC related Current Affairs, Check Out: 23 December 2024 : The Hindu Editorial Analysis