10 September 2024 : Indian Express Editorial Analysis

1. The audacity of a mission    

(Source: Indian Express; Section: The Editorial Page; Page: 10)

Topic: GS2– Governance – Government Policies

Context:

The article discusses the impact of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), launched in 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on public health and sanitation.

Introduction: SBM’s Landmark Achievements

• The recent publication of a scientific report in Nature on the Swachh Bharat Mission’s (SBM) impact, particularly in reducing infant and child mortality, has coincided with the program’s 10-year anniversary.
• Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, the SBM aimed to eliminate open defecation across India by 2019.
• The report confirms the program’s significant health benefits, attributing the lives saved of around 60,000–70,000 children under five to the provision of household toilets.
• This milestone invites reflection on the progress and lessons learned from this ambitious public health initiative.

The Vision: A Bold Commitment

• When Prime Minister Modi announced the Swachh Bharat Mission on August 15, 2014, it was unprecedented in scale and ambition.
• For the first time, a world leader committed to eradicating open defecation within a set timeframe, addressing a previously taboo subject in public discourse.
• The challenge of altering the behavior of 550 million people in just five years was staggering. However, the campaign transformed into a mass movement, or jan andolan, spurred by strong political leadership and public engagement.
• Villages, districts, and states across the country embraced the cause, culminating in all states declaring themselves open defecation-free (ODF) by October 2, 2019.

SBM as a People’s Movement

• A critical factor in SBM’s success was its community-led approach. The Prime Minister communicated directly with citizens, using platforms like his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio address to inspire widespread participation.
• Villages mobilized themselves to achieve ODF status, often celebrating their achievements with pride tours (gaurav yatras).
• This created a healthy sense of competition between states, further accelerating progress.
• Beyond the goal of ODF, the movement fostered a collective sense of ownership and pride in cleanliness and sanitation, ensuring its long-term sustainability.

The Health Impact: Reducing Infant and Child Mortality

• According to the Nature report, the SBM has had a profound impact on public health, particularly in reducing infant and child mortality rates.
• By providing access to over 100 million household toilets, the mission drastically reduced exposure to unsanitary conditions and diseases associated with open defecation, such as diarrhea and malnutrition, which are major contributors to child deaths.
• This is particularly significant for improving the health outcomes of marginalized populations, who had previously been most affected by poor sanitation.

Economic Benefits: Savings for Households

• In addition to its health benefits, SBM had notable economic advantages. A UNICEF study estimated that achieving ODF status in a village resulted in each household saving approximately ₹50,000 annually.
• These savings stemmed from reduced medical expenses, time savings from not needing to search for safe defecation sites, and fewer lost workdays due to illness.
• The economic uplift brought by SBM contributed to enhanced living conditions in rural India, reinforcing the long-term sustainability of the program’s success.

Global Lessons: The Four Ps

• The Swachh Bharat Mission has not only transformed India but has also provided valuable lessons for the world.
• During the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention in 2018, key takeaways from SBM were formalized into the “Four Ps”—political leadership, public financing, partnerships, and people’s participation.
• These elements have been recognized globally as essential to the success of large-scale development programs.
• SBM’s model has inspired similar initiatives worldwide, including Nigeria’s Clean Nigeria Campaign, further advancing global progress on Sustainable Development Goal 6: access to clean water and sanitation.

The Broader Impact: Other Transformative Initiatives

• SBM is part of a broader series of successful initiatives launched under the Modi government aimed at improving the quality of life for ordinary Indians.
• Programs such as Ujjwala (providing cooking gas), Jan Dhan (expanding bank account access), the Awas Yojana (affordable housing), Ayushman Bharat (medical insurance), and the Jal Jeevan Mission (providing clean water) have all contributed to raising living standards.
• The political vision and leadership that drove the SBM are similarly evident in these transformative programs, which continue to improve the daily lives of millions.

Conclusion: A Decade of Transformation

• The Swachh Bharat Mission, celebrating a decade of impact, stands as a testament to the power of audacious goals backed by strong political will and public participation.
• The success of SBM in reducing child mortality, improving health outcomes, and elevating economic conditions in rural India highlights its transformative impact.
• As India and the world reflect on its lessons, SBM’s legacy will continue to inspire large-scale developmental efforts globally.

What are the Various Ways to Improve the Effectiveness of SBM?

Focussing on Vulnerable Sections: While, India has made substantial progress in sanitation coverage, some individuals, households, and community belonging to disadvantage sections of the society such as female-headed household, landless people, migrant laborers, and disable people-still do not have toilets in their home or find the existing toilets not accessible. It is crucial to support these un-served populations both from human rights and public health perspectives because these marginalized sections are already without access to basic services and experience various health issues. Integration With Public Health Infrastructure: Educational institutions, child-care centers, hospitals, and other government facilities need further development in sanitation practices. Sanitation coverage disaggregated data in public facilities and among the government departments requires innovation to make it a long lasting and feasible option, which will be vital in public health infrastructure. Promoting Adequate Behavioural Change: For India to realize in achieving sustainable development goal 6 (SDG), i.e., “ensure access to water and sanitation for all” by 2030, a number of factors needs to be considered. Country like India, which is vast in her diversity, culture, and population, where 60% of total population resides in rural areas, only access to toilet does not ensure hygienic and safe sanitation practices. For instance, lesson from the India’s first sanitation program “Central Rural Sanitation Programme” launched in 1986, stated that only toilet construction did not translate to usage of toilets. This program focused on the household toilets construction and promotion of the pour-flush toilets. However, this program lacks the focus on behavior change toward toilet use that led failure of the program. Therefore, promoting behaviourally sound practices are an urgent imperative. Following the Holistic Path: SBM must learn to resolve these issues by capitalizing political support, to pay subsidies directly to households through e-banking, strengthening monitoring system through technological platform and broadcasting the success of the program. Moreover, it should also focus to promote objectives through information, education, and communication campaign and to provide individual toilet facilities in all households to achieve the goal of ODF by October 2, 2019 – to honor the 150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. Improving Sewer Infrastructure in Village Areas: The absence of proper sewage systems probed a severe challenge when it came to implementation of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Gramin scale. As the population went out to defecate, the areas lacked a working sewage system to treat the generated sewage.Thus before constructing toilets, the government also had to address this problem. The village and rural segments also need to be integrated into the AMRUT programme of the government. Robust Waste Management Systems: With pollution levels in cities growing and the overflowing of landfills, there is an urgent requirement to reinvent garbage management in cities so that waste is fully processed and not landfilled. The ministry should take steps to scale up waste processing in all states that are lagging behind and emphasise on segregation at source, primary collection, secondary storage, transportation, secondary segregation, resource recovery, processing, treatment and final disposal of solid waste to achieve 100% solid waste management in the country. Supplementing Urban Local Bodies: The strategies for providing basic services to the urban areas should be intensified and efforts should be made to improve the on-ground implementation of these schemes. Urban local bodies in India, which lack critically in infrastructure and capability, should be provided support and equipped with better resources and avenues to enhance citizen participation in the management of urban areas. Addressing the Tax Burden: While the focus of the government should be on ensuring that maximum waste in the country is processed, the increased tax burden under the Goods and Service Tax (GST) regime on the recycling and composting industry is not aligned with this ‘noble’ mission. The increased tax slabs for recyclables is killing the recycling sector. The composting machines are now attracting 12% tax against the 8% previously. While on one hand, the government is trying to promote city compost, imposing 5% GST will have a negative impact on its production and promotion. Therefore, the GST rate should be rationalized to achieve the long-term goals. Adoption and Integration of Technologies: The e-Governance Solutions need to be incorporated including Mobile Apps, MIS, dashboards APIs, developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), aim to track the progress of ODF Plus progress in different states. SBM-G e-governance solution should be a Robust, Interoperable, Scalable, Secure and Role-based system that enables user to enter all the assets of solid and liquid along with geo coordinates using mobile app.

PYQ: How could social influence and persuasion contribute to the success of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan? (2016)

Practice Question:  Critically analyze the impact of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) in rural India over the past decade. Discuss the key factors that contributed to its success and the lessons it offers for other large-scale developmental initiatives. (250 words/15 m)

2. By withholding refuge  

(Source: Indian Express; Section: The Ideas Page; Page: 11)

Topic: GS2– International Relations

Context:

The article discusses India’s decision to grant safe passage to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina but deny asylum to persecuted Bangladeshi Hindus, despite ongoing religious persecution in Bangladesh.

Introduction: A Diplomatic Dilemma

• On August 5, when Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made a desperate appeal for safe passage into India, the Indian government’s decision to grant her access was an obvious diplomatic move.
• Hasina’s strong ties with India and her efforts to combat religious extremism, including a crackdown on anti-India militant outfits in Bangladesh, influenced this decision.
• However, this stands in stark contrast to India’s subsequent refusal to offer asylum to persecuted Bangladeshi Hindus, raising questions about India’s stance on humanitarian crises and its commitment to protecting persecuted minorities.

India’s Inconsistent Refugee Policy

• The denial of refuge to Bangladeshi Hindus comes as a surprise given India’s historically consistent position as a safe haven for persecuted Hindus and minorities.
• This refusal contradicts the principles of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), which allows religious minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who faced persecution to seek Indian citizenship if they arrived before December 31, 2014.
• While the government’s strict adherence to the cutoff date under the CAA is a possible reason for denying asylum, its failure to grant temporary refuge appears out of sync with India’s past policies.

Rising Persecution in Bangladesh

• The situation for minorities in Bangladesh has deteriorated significantly since August 5, with reports of violence, intimidation, and attacks on Hindu communities.
• Figures indicate 205 incidents of violence against minorities, with five confirmed deaths.
• Leaders of the Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian Unity Council in Bangladesh have raised alarm over the ongoing threats.
• Despite this, the Indian government’s response has been limited to monitoring the situation via a committee led by the Border Security Force (BSF) instead of offering refuge.

Historical Precedents: India as a Refuge

• India’s refusal to provide asylum to persecuted Bangladeshi Hindus marks a departure from its previous record of extending refuge to those fleeing religious or political persecution.
• Historically, India welcomed millions of refugees during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, and later hosted smaller groups like Tibetans and Chakmas.
• These acts, despite India not being a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, have been lauded as examples of India’s humanitarian leadership.
• The government’s current reluctance represents a stark policy shift and appears to deviate from its earlier commitments.

Legal and Moral Considerations

• While India is not bound by the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, international customary law obligates nations to provide refuge to those fleeing persecution.
• The recent attacks on Bangladeshi minorities provide India with legal grounds for granting asylum.
• Refusing to offer refuge contradicts its established tradition of aiding persecuted groups and weakens its standing as a humanitarian leader.
• India’s lack of action could also fuel questions about its commitment to religious freedom and its broader moral responsibility.

Political and International Repercussions

• India’s decision to tighten its stance on refugees, especially in the face of ongoing persecution, could have wider implications.
• The refusal to extend asylum to persecuted Hindus and other minorities may affect India’s relations with neighboring countries and diminish its global reputation.
• With political instability and religious tensions rising in the region, India’s hardened position could result in significant humanitarian consequences.
• This shift could be perceived as a departure from the country’s longstanding role as a compassionate regional leader, potentially diminishing its influence and credibility on the international stage.

Conclusion: A Shift in India’s Humanitarian Stance

• India’s recent response to the plight of persecuted Bangladeshi Hindus marks a significant departure from its earlier refugee policies, which were based on humanitarianism and international goodwill.
• By denying refuge to a small group of asylum seekers, the government risks undermining its historical commitment to offering sanctuary to those in need.
• This policy shift raises questions about India’s future role in regional stability and its commitment to protecting vulnerable communities amidst growing tensions in its neighborhood.

PYQ: The protests in Shahbag Square in Dhaka in Bangladesh reveal a fundamental split in society between the nationalists and Islamic forces. What is its significance for India? (200 words/10m) (UPSC CSE (M) GS-2 2013)

Practice Question:  Critically examine India’s evolving refugee policy in light of its recent refusal to offer asylum to persecuted minorities from Bangladesh. How does this decision align with India’s historical role as a sanctuary for refugees and the provisions of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019? Discuss the humanitarian and international implications of this shift.. (250 words/15 m)