10 September 2024 : The Hindu Editorial Analysis

1. Regulatory reform stuck in a loop in Health Ministry

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

Topic: GS2 – Social Justice – Health

Context

The article discusses India’s ineffective regulatory framework for pharmaceuticals, focusing on drug recall guidelines, good distribution practices, and confusing brand names. Despite repeated calls for reform by authorities and courts, non-binding guidelines and bureaucratic delays persist, posing significant risks to public health and highlighting the need for stronger enforcement.

Introduction

• The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), under the Ministry of Health, introduced three policy initiatives: recall guidelines, good distribution practices, and regulating the use of similar brand names.
• These initiatives aim to improve public health by ensuring drug quality, storage standards, and preventing prescription errors.

Issues with Implementation

• Despite the initiatives’ importance, they either lack legal backing or are poorly conceived.
• This follows a pattern of non-binding guidelines being presented as reform, without effective enforcement.

Insights from the 59th Report of the PSC

• The 59th report of the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health & Family Welfare (PSC) in 2012 raised concerns about drug regulation.
• The PSC identified critical issues, including:
  • Absence of recall guidelines
  • Lack of standards for drug storage
  • Confusing brand names for drugs.
• These issues had been flagged years earlier, including in court cases, but no substantial reform followed.

Recurring Problems and Non-Binding Guidelines

• The lack of enforceable recall guidelines has been an ongoing issue since 1976.
• Recall guidelines were proposed multiple times (2012, 2017, 2023), but the DCGI lacks the power to make binding rules.
• As a result, drugs deemed “not of standard quality” continue to be sold without legal repercussions.

Good Distribution Practices and Storage Standards

• Good distribution practices (GDP) guidelines, based on WHO standards, were discussed but never made legally binding due to anticipated opposition from pharmacy trade associations.
• Despite India’s hot climate, which affects drug stability, the government hesitated to enforce these standards due to logistical challenges.
• Even after serious violations in drug storage were exposed in 2019, the government continued to delay making GDP guidelines mandatory.

Similar Brand Names and Prescription Errors

• Confusing brand names for drugs, flagged by the Supreme Court in 2001, remain a problem despite calls for reform.
• The Ministry’s rule requiring pharmaceutical companies to self-declare the uniqueness of their brand names is ineffective.
• Regulators in other countries scrutinise brand names from a public health perspective, but India’s approach relies on voluntary trademark registration, which lacks proper oversight.

Leadership Failures in the Ministry of Health

• The failure to enforce these measures reflects a leadership gap within the Ministry of Health.
• Drug regulation is handled by joint secretaries with limited expertise, leading to repeated consultations with industry stakeholders, who often stall reforms.
• The recurring delays suggest a lack of commitment to public health priorities.

Conclusion: Breaking the Loop

• The cycle of non-binding guidelines and ineffective reforms is unlikely to break without intervention from the Prime Minister’s Office.
• Persistent leadership challenges, lack of domain expertise, and resistance from the pharmaceutical industry have stalled meaningful regulatory change for decades.

Practice Question:  Discuss the challenges in implementing drug recall guidelines and preventing the use of similar brand names in India’s pharmaceutical industry. How do these challenges impact public health, and what steps can be taken to ensure effective regulatory reforms? (250 Words /15 marks)

2. Next Census should be the last enumeration-based one

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

Topic: GS2 – Governance

Context

India’s Census has been delayed, and concerns are growing about outdated demographic data. The idea of transitioning to a “dynamic” and register-based census, as adopted by several countries, could offer real-time updates and significant cost savings. This approach could revolutionise policy-making and resource allocation in India.

Delay in India’s Census and the Need for Dynamic Data

• India’s long-delayed Census is expected to begin soon and could take around 18 months to complete, with the final report likely available in 2026 or 2027.
• A significant demographic shift has occurred since the last Census in 2011, including India surpassing China as the most populous country.

Challenges of Decennial Census and the Discrepancy in Data

• The traditional decennial Census format has led to a significant time lag in data collection, which causes a growing gap between available information and reality.
• Conducting a census is a complex, resource-intensive process, making frequent data updates challenging.
• If conducted more frequently, dynamic data would benefit various policy decisions and studies, helping them adjust based on current information.

Register-based and Dynamic Censuses: A Possible Solution

• A “dynamic census” that updates in real-time could provide up-to-date information whenever required.
• This idea has been in development in India, where software was designed to update demographic data, such as adding citizens to the voter list when they reach 18 years and removing them upon death.

Global Trends in Census Methodology

• Countries like Austria, Denmark, Singapore, and the U.K. are transitioning to register-based censuses, which pull data from various administrative registers, such as population, tax, employment, and health records.
• These countries complement their censuses with small sample surveys, which are cost-effective and provide reliable data.
• Austria’s shift to a register-based census reduced costs from €72 million in 2001 to €10 million in 2011.

The U.K.’s Dynamic Census Approach

• In 2014, the U.K. government declared it would replace decennial censuses with statistics derived from more frequent, real-time administrative data after 2021.
• The U.K.’s dynamic census continuously updates data on social, economic, and demographic activities.
• The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects reliable data from private companies, like supermarket transactions and transport data, to support official statistics.

India’s Potential for Database Integration

• India already has a strong Aadhaar-centric database, and there have been discussions on merging voter cards, Aadhaar cards, and other databases into a comprehensive Census database.
• However, integrating multiple registers is a complex task, as combining different data sets requires careful coordination.
• India’s expertise and technical capabilities make this integration feasible, potentially saving crores of rupees in Census costs.

Value of Census Data and Potential Challenges

• A Census provides essential data on various socio-economic and demographic factors, including education, housing, migration, fertility, and more.
• The challenge is whether a dynamic Census system will be able to update all these aspects in real-time.
• Any gaps in data can be supplemented by conducting small, well-structured surveys on a regular basis.

The Future of Censuses in India

• A dynamic, continuous Census approach could revolutionise India’s data collection process, making the traditional complete enumeration-based Census obsolete.
• This transformation, if implemented effectively, could be one of the lasting legacies of Digital India, enabling the country to keep pace with modern census methodologies used globally.

Practice Question:  Discuss the potential benefits and challenges of implementing a dynamic, register-based census in India, compared to the traditional decennial Census. (150 Words /10 marks)

3. Looking beyond Sanskrit

(Source – The Hindu, International Edition – Page No. – 9)

Topic: GS1 – Indian Culture

Context

India celebrated Sanskrit Day on August 19 to honour Sanskrit’s rich heritage. However, this focus risks overshadowing the nation’s linguistic diversity. While Sanskrit has significant cultural value, the government’s emphasis on it over other Indian languages raises concerns about equitable support for all regional tongues.

Sanskrit’s Importance in Indian Culture

• Sanskrit Day was celebrated on August 19 to promote Sanskrit’s richness and antiquity.
• Sanskrit has deep roots in India’s cultural, religious, and intellectual traditions, with a significant body of literature like the Vedas, Mahabharata, and Ramayana.
• Historically, Sanskrit was patronised by religious institutions, royal dynasties like the Guptas and Cholas, and colonial-era scholars.

India’s Diverse Linguistic Heritage

• While Sanskrit is vital, other Indian languages like Tamil, Pali, Prakrit, Kannada, Telugu, and Malayalam have equally rich literary traditions.
• Tamil, for instance, boasts classical Sangam literature and has inscriptions dating back to the 2nd century BCE, challenging the idea that Sanskrit predates it.
• Many scholars emphasise the ancient origins of Tamil and its unbroken literary history.

Funding Imbalance and Government Privilege

• There is a perception that the government favours Sanskrit and Hindi over other regional languages, affecting their development and preservation.
• 2011 Census data shows that only a small number of people (24,821) reported Sanskrit as their mother tongue, yet the government allocated significantly more funds to Sanskrit’s promotion.
• This funding imbalance can endanger smaller regional languages, leading to their marginalisation.

Cultural Hegemony and Language Dominance

• The theory of cultural hegemony by Antonio Gramsci explains how Sanskrit and Hindi have gained dominance in India.
• This language supremacy, reinforced by colonial and postcolonial state-building, marginalises other languages with rich cultural traditions.
• Linguistic imperialism and cultural capital further reinforce the social and economic advantages of speaking dominant languages, deepening inequality.

Solutions for Addressing Language Bias

• The article calls for comprehensive policy reforms to ensure equal promotion of all Indian languages, including in education, governance, and media.
• The National Education Policy‘s focus on mother tongues is a step forward.
• Promoting linguistic diversity through cultural events, support for publishing literary works, and community involvement in preserving languages is essential.

Conclusion

• Language forms a core part of one’s identity, and promoting linguistic diversity is crucial for cultural inclusivity and harmony in India.
• A balanced approach that promotes all Indian languages will ensure their survival and development, preventing cultural and political issues associated with language marginalisation.

PYQ: Has the formation of linguistic States strengthened the cause of Indian Unity? (200 words/12.5m) (UPSC CSE (M) GS-1 2016)

Practice Question:  Discuss the importance of promoting linguistic diversity in India and the challenges posed by the government’s emphasis on Sanskrit and Hindi over regional languages. (150 Words /10 marks)