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23 September 2024 : The Hindu Editorial Analysis

1. India needs a ‘National Security Strategy’

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

Topic: GS2 – Governance – Government Policies
Context
  • The article emphasises the need for India to develop a comprehensive National Security Strategy (NSS) amidst growing geopolitical challenges, including tensions with neighbouring countries and global conflicts.
  • It highlights the importance of balancing defence priorities, economic resilience, and diplomatic flexibility, while maintaining strategic secrecy.

Demand for a National Security Strategy

  • The need for a National Security Strategy (NSS) is back in public discourse due to India’s evolving geopolitical environment.
  • Old adversaries like China are strengthening, while new alliances, such as with the U.S., are still uncertain.
  • India’s economic ambitions, such as becoming a $4 trillion economy, face challenges from the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, affecting global growth.
  • A strong economy is crucial to national security, as every ministry, from health to defence, relies on a share of the economic resources.

Defining National Security

  • The term ‘national security’ varies based on time and the state in question.
  • In the U.S., it once meant a union of values and national interests, allowing for the support of dictators when necessary for economic gain.
  • U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS) documents outline objectives for power projection, both domestically and internationally.
  • Countries like the U.K. and France use their security strategies to emphasise their global roles despite economic or military limitations.

India’s Need for an NSS

  • India needs a coherent NSS that integrates various sectors such as defence, finance, investments, and climate change.
  • The creation of an NSS requires a top-secret process, given that it would necessitate a clear identification of threats, such as the economic and military challenges posed by China.
  • Such an exercise is needed to prioritise within limited resources and to set strategic directions.

Multi-Alignment as India’s Approach

  • India’s current strategy of “multi-alignment” involves forming alliances with nations that could provide defence technology and support in times of crisis.
  • The Quad (Australia, India, Japan, and the U.S.) and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) illustrate this flexible approach, as India balances relations with both Western powers and China.
  • India’s $85 billion trade deficit with China complicates the relationship, given China’s frequent territorial incursions.

Challenges in Public Transparency

  • Public national security documents, like those of the U.S. or U.K., often exaggerate or highlight strengths for political and diplomatic purposes.
  • In India’s case, transparency in a public NSS could expose military and economic vulnerabilities, particularly in areas like shipbuilding or submarine capabilities, where India lags far behind China.
  • A public NSS could also reduce India’s flexibility in foreign policy, as seen in its careful balancing on issues like the Russia-Ukraine and Gaza conflicts.

Budgeting and Prioritization

  • National security is closely linked with economic strength, which in turn impacts defence capabilities.
  • While India’s defence budget is somewhat transparent, an NSS would require clear prioritisation of resources, especially in areas like the Indo-Pacific, where India needs to upgrade its naval capabilities.
  • Pakistan’s opaque defence budget highlights how secrecy is sometimes necessary, especially for nations with vulnerabilities.

Internal and External Messaging

  • A public NSS would need to balance the demands of social media-fueled nationalism with the realities of India’s military and economic limitations.
  • India’s foreign policy approach avoids the chest-thumping seen in other countries and emphasises results-oriented action, as demonstrated by its swift, effective interventions in foreign conflicts.
  • Any display of bravado in a public NSS would face criticism from political opponents and might hinder India’s diplomatic flexibility.

The Economy as a Central Component

  • An NSS must integrate economic goals with national security priorities, as a strong economy is the foundation of sovereignty and defence capabilities.
  • Such an exercise would involve setting priorities for industries, financial institutions, and other sectors that support national security.

Conclusion: A Discreet but Urgent Need

  • India urgently needs an NSS, but it should be kept secret to avoid revealing vulnerabilities to adversaries.
  • The NSS should be concise, focused, and linked to economic and defence priorities, with directives issued to individual ministries as needed.
  • The National Security Council Secretariat can lead this effort, ensuring a cohesive strategy that guides India toward its long-term national goals.
Practice Question:  Discuss the importance of a National Security Strategy (NSS) for India in the context of current geopolitical challenges and economic ambitions. How should India balance secrecy, defence prioritisation, and economic resilience in crafting such a strategy? (250 Words /15 marks)

2. Capturing the cost of healthy diets

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

Topic: GS2 – Social Justice – Health
Context
  • Despite economic improvements, India’s nutritional outcomes remain poor, with rising costs of healthy diets hindering access to balanced nutrition.
  • The concept of Thalinomics does not accurately reflect the cost of a nutritious diet, highlighting the need for an alternative measure like the Cost of Healthy Diet (CoHD).

Struggles with Nutritional Outcomes in India

  • Despite reductions in poverty and rising incomes over the last decade, India has struggled to improve nutritional outcomes significantly.
  • National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) in 2015-16 and 2019-21 show persistently high rates of child undernutrition and rising rates of anaemia among adults.
  • Concurrently, obesity and overweight issues are on the rise in both rural and urban areas.

The Triple Burden of Malnutrition

  • India faces a ‘triple burden of malnutrition’, characterised by undernutrition, overnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies.
  • A healthy, nutritious diet is key to addressing this burden, but many Indians do not consume such diets.

The Cost of Healthy Diets

  • Rising food prices, particularly for vegetables, fruits, pulses, and eggs, make healthy diets unaffordable for many.
  • Real wages have stagnated or declined, further exacerbating the issue.
  • According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 report, 55.6% of India’s population (788 million people) could not afford a nutritionally adequate diet in 2022.

Thalinomics and Its Limitations

  • The cost of a thali (a meal comprising rice/wheat, pulses, vegetables, and other ingredients) has gained popularity as a way to measure meal costs.
  • In 2019-20, the Economic Survey introduced the concept of ‘Thalinomics’, calculating the cost of a ‘typical’ thali based on the 2011 Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs).
  • However, the thali does not accurately reflect nutritional recommendations.
  • The thali provides only about 61% of the recommended daily food requirements in grams and 65% of caloric recommendations according to the NIN’s 2021 guidelines.
  • Additionally, the thali excludes nutrient-rich food groups like green leafy vegetables, dairy, and nuts/seeds.
  • The methodology relies on outdated 2011-12 consumer expenditure data and does not account for variations in regional food preferences and availability.

Proposal for an Alternate Method: CoHD

  • It is suggested that the government adopt a new measure called the Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD) to assess the affordability of nutritious diets.
  • The CoHD calculates the minimum daily expenditure needed to meet the energy recommendations prescribed by national FBDGs.
  • The CoHD uses already available price data and does not rely on costly household consumption surveys.
  • The calculations are simple, can be automated, and provide a more accurate measure than thali costs.

Comparison of CoHD and Thali Costs

  • The CoHD, does not move in tandem with thali costs, especially during crises like the COVID-19 lockdowns, when the CoHD was significantly higher due to supply disruptions of perishable foods.
  • This illustrates that thali costs, while intuitive, underestimate the true cost of nutritious diets, particularly during crises.

Conclusion: Importance of CoHD

  • The thali, though a useful measure, does not fully capture the cost of nutritious diets and can underestimate it in times of crisis.
  • The CoHD offers a more accurate and reliable method to track the cost of a healthy diet, ensuring better alignment with nutritional recommendations and short-term price fluctuations.
  • This alternative measure would provide a more realistic understanding of the affordability of nutritious diets in India and aid in addressing the country’s nutritional challenges.
Practice Question:  Discuss the limitations of Thalinomics in addressing India’s nutritional challenges and the potential benefits of using the Cost of Healthy Diet (CoHD) as an alternative measure. (150 Words /10 marks)

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