18 September 2024 : The Hindu Editorial Analysis
1. The continuing distribution of the death penalty
(Source – The Hindu, International Edition – Page No. – 8)
| Topic: GS2 – Indian Polity |
| Context |
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Introduction: The Revival of the Death Penalty in India
- The death penalty in India continues to persist, taking new forms as it resurfaces periodically.
- The latest instance is the Aparajita Woman and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, 2024, introduced after the brutal rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.
- This bill amends the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, applicable in West Bengal, and introduces the death penalty for rape.
- Despite unanimous support from the Bengal Assembly, the State Governor referred the bill to the President for consideration.
Rising Incidents of Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC)
- In August 2024, similar brutal cases of rape and murder, especially involving Dalit and Adivasi women and children, were reported across different states.
- In 2022, 31,516 rapes were recorded in India, averaging four per hour, alongside 248 cases of murder involving rape/gang rape.
- Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh had the highest number of rape cases with 5,399, 3,690, and 3,029 cases, respectively.
Global Perspective on the Death Penalty
- Amnesty International’s 2023 data reveals that nearly three-quarters of countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice.
- 112 countries have abolished it entirely for all crimes.
- 144 countries have abolished it in law or practice.
- 55 countries still retain the death penalty.
- In South Asia, Bhutan and Nepal have abolished the death penalty, while Maldives and Sri Lanka are abolitionists in practice.
- India, along with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, are retentionist countries.
Death Sentences in India
- According to Project39A, India had 120 recorded death sentences in 2023, a decrease from 167 in 2022.
- By the end of 2023, 561 people were on death row, the highest in two decades, reflecting a steady rise from 378 in 2019.
- Many death row prisoners spend years awaiting execution, often suffering from severe physical and psychological problems, with some eventually being exonerated.
- Prisons in India face overcrowding, with undertrials, mostly from marginalised communities, constituting three-fourths of the incarcerated population.
The Role of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)
- The BNS, despite its decolonizing language, has increased the number of death-penalty-eligible offences from 12 to 18.
- India’s shift towards a deterrent regime for sexual offences has not significantly improved women’s safety or empowerment.
Criticism of the Death Penalty as a Deterrent
- The Justice Verma Committee recommended that the death sentence does not effectively deter crimes like sexual violence, including gang rapes.
- Despite this, the Union Cabinet did not accept these recommendations, and carceral politics continues to dominate discussions on sexual violence.
Addressing Structural Inequalities
- Structural issues such as the redistribution of land and wealth for marginalised communities, along with their representation in public and private spaces, need to be addressed.
- Additionally, there is a need for properly funded public education, healthcare, and support for rape survivors in areas like education, employment, and health.
- Victim-centred procedural and institutional reforms should be implemented, alongside awareness campaigns to challenge the myth that the death penalty deters sexual violence.
Conclusion: Reform Beyond Punishment
- The abolition of the death penalty and creating a safer environment for women and children requires comprehensive societal reform.
- There must be public discourse on caste, race, religion, and gender-based violence, focusing on power dynamics rather than sex.
- A culture of evidence-based policymaking and public awareness campaigns are necessary to replace knee-jerk reactions with meaningful legal and social reform.
| Practice Question: Discuss the efficacy of capital punishment in addressing sexual violence against women and children. Critically analyse its impact within the broader framework of criminal justice reform in India. (250 Words /15 marks) |
2. Demographic advantage, Indian economy’s sweet spot
(Source – The Hindu, International Edition – Page No. – 8)
| Topic: GS3 – Indian Economy – Issues relating to development and employment. |
| Context |
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India’s Economic Emergence and Labour Force Dynamics
- India is currently the world’s fastest-growing large economy and ranks as the fifth largest.
- The nation’s demographic advantage plays a key role in this rise, with a median age of around 28 years and 63% of the population being of working age.
- However, India’s labour force participation rate was 55.2% in 2022, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).
- The growth led by the services sector, rather than manufacturing, has resulted in lower labour intensity.
- While India is not experiencing “jobless growth,” more efforts are needed to harness its demographic dividend.
Need for Reforms to Sustain Growth
- To maintain or accelerate India’s growth trajectory, it is crucial to continue with reforms that create new opportunities.
- Despite the Centre’s efforts to enhance ease of doing business, many of the necessary reforms, particularly in the context of production, must come from the States.
- Both the Centre and States need to collaborate to ensure that reforms are broadened and deepened.
Capital-Led Growth and Labour Intensive Sectors
- Technological advancements have led to a decrease in the capital-to-output ratio while increasing the capital-to-labour ratio.
- Economist Arvind Panagariya highlighted the need for labour-led economic growth, as India has an abundant labour supply.
- Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the backbone of employment, are reluctant to grow in size due to the burden of outdated labour laws.
- Delays in implementing the new labour codes send negative signals to investors, and States with evolved manufacturing ecosystems should take the lead in breaking the logjam.
Focus on High-Growth and Labour-Intensive Sectors
- The Centre’s focus on manufacturing is partly driven by the need to shift workers from agriculture, which employs 45% of the workforce but contributes only 18% of GDP.
- In addition to improving agricultural productivity, attention should also be paid to unorganised and non-agricultural sectors, which employ 19% of the workforce but suffer from low productivity.
- High-growth potential sectors such as toys, apparel, tourism, and logistics, which are labour-intensive, must be prioritised.
- As skills improve, there will be opportunities for workers to move up the value chain and secure better-paying jobs.
Importance of Skilling the Workforce
- Skilling is vital for making future generations productive members of society.
- Only 4.4% of the workforce in the 15-29 age group is formally skilled, a major concern.
- The labour surplus and skills shortage should be addressed through public-private partnerships, where industries play a role in developing curriculums and offering on-the-job training.
- Skilling must be a lifelong process, and flexibility in institutional mechanisms is essential to ensure continuous learning.
Impact of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
- Repetitive, low-skilled jobs are at risk due to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), but human intervention will always be needed.
- The AI/ML market is expected to grow significantly, reaching $826.73 billion globally by 2030.
- India has the second-largest talent pool in AI/ML, but there is a 51% gap between supply and demand, a gap that is expected to widen.
- India should seize this opportunity to remain competitive in the global market.
Conclusion
- Gainfully employing India’s large, young population is challenging but more advantageous than dealing with an ageing population.
- A holistic approach is required to create a skilled talent pool, allowing India to harness its demographic dividend and contribute to the global economy.
| PYQ: “Demographic Dividend in India will remain only theoretical unless our manpower becomes more educated, aware, skilled and creative.” What measures have been taken by the government to enhance the capacity of our population to be more productive and employable? (200 words/12.5m) (UPSC CSE (M) GS-2 2016) |
| Practice Question: Discuss the challenges and opportunities posed by India’s demographic dividend, with a focus on labour reforms, skilling initiatives, and the impact of technological advancements like AI/ML on employment. (250 Words /15 marks) |
3. A climate crisis agenda remains urgent
(Source – The Hindu, International Edition – Page No. – 9)
| Topic: GS3 – Environment – Environmental pollution and degradation |
| Context |
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India’s Climate Action Challenges
- The next five years are crucial for India’s climate efforts, with ambitious 2030 targets.
- While solar and renewable energy advances are notable, coal dependence remains a major issue, with clean energy constituting only 22% of the electricity mix.
- Key issues needing urgent attention include reducing heat stress, improving air quality, waste management, and enhancing energy efficiency.
- Businesses should see climate action as an opportunity, and the development of India’s carbon market is a critical step.
Mitigating Pollutants
- India faces extreme heat stress and may experience heat waves beyond survivability limits.
- Addressing CO2 and super pollutants like methane, black carbon, and hydrofluorocarbons is vital.
- Super pollutants contribute significantly to global warming; mitigating them can prevent more immediate warming than reducing CO2 alone.
- Solutions could focus on pollutants, sinks, or sectors, and tailor-made treaties can help, modelled on the Montreal Protocol, which aims to prevent 0.5°C of warming by 2100.
- Methane reduction, achievable through a global treaty, could prevent 0.3°C of warming by the 2040s.
Cleaning the Air
- Reducing methane emissions through gas capture and biogas projects could tackle potent greenhouse gases while improving urban sanitation.
- Reducing short-lived climate pollutants like black carbon and strengthening the National Clean Air Programme can improve public health and air quality.
- Sustainable air quality improvement requires collective responsibility, proactive investments, sustainable development, data-driven interventions, and recognition of clean air as an economic growth driver.
- Coordinated efforts, better monitoring, and regulatory reforms are needed to ensure clean air.
Importance of Carbon Markets
- Carbon markets incentivize reducing greenhouse gases by offering financial rewards for cutting emissions.
- Global greenhouse gas emissions must be cut by 43% to limit global warming to 1.5-2°C.
- India plans to launch its carbon market by 2026, with the potential to become the largest emissions trading system by 2030.
- A successful carbon market in India could save $35 trillion in climate-related costs over the next 50 years.
- A nuanced approach to carbon trading, treating long-lived pollutants separately from short-lived ones, would better account for their varied impacts.
Conclusion
- The 2024 Lok Sabha election’s neglect of climate change amid pressing issues like unemployment and high living costs underscores a critical need for climate-progressive leadership.
- Integrating robust climate action into political agendas is essential for addressing environmental challenges and ensuring a sustainable future for India.
| PYQ: Clean energy is the order of the day. Describe briefly India’s changing policy towards climate change in various international fora in the context of geopolitics. (UPSC CSE (M) GS-2 2022) |
| Practice Question: Discuss the critical challenges India faces in meeting its 2030 climate targets, including its reliance on coal, air pollution, and the role of carbon markets. How can a nuanced carbon trading approach enhance climate action? (250 Words /15 marks) |
