In this section, we are presenting our readers/aspirants compilation of selected editorials of national daily viz. The Hindu, The live mint,The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Economic Times, PIB etc. This section caters the requirement of Civil Services Mains (GS + Essay) , PCS, HAS Mains (GS + Essay) & others essay writing competition.
1.Three doses not two: Israel sets new benchmark for full vaccination. It is on India’s horizon as well
Redefining what it means to be fully vaccinated, every Israeli over 12 years is now entitled to a booster shot five months after the second dose. Indeed, everyone who does not get a third dose within six months stands to lose their green pass. Of course this largesse follows from a high-income country’s abundant access to vaccines, but it is also built upon solid vaccine science. Studies show that antibody responses weaken over time, especially in the face of new variants. So while Israel may have gone the furthest, many countries from the UK to Indonesia are on the path to offer boosters to vulnerable groups.
In India SII’s chairman has both called for a third dose and suggested the gap between Covishield doses be decreased. Rigorous local research is needed to inform these two vaccine policy questions. An Oxford University study of 3,391,645 test results has found that compared to the 92% and 69% efficacy against a high viral load seen two weeks after the second Pfizer and AstraZeneca doses, after 90 days efficacy slips to 78% and 61% respectively. Thus, at least for Covishield India can look to international studies. But with Covaxin, we are on our own.
ICMR must take the lead here but large hospitals should also step up. With more than 65.26 crore vaccine doses given till Tuesday 10pm, multiple studies will be helpful in getting an optimal handle on complex efficacy issues. The second critical factor is supply, thanks to whose improvement over a crore doses were given on both August 27 and 31. With Sputnik V’s supply disappointing so far and Corbevax’s yet to begin, GoI should top up its order of Covishield and Covaxin, which totals to 100.6 crore doses so far, and was last updated on July 16. Double-dosing all adults needs about 87.4 crore more doses. Then, booster shots will mean supplying even more doses.
2.Better policing, please: Court observations on investigations in Delhi riots should be required reading for all major police forces
Of late, trial courts in Delhi have been critiquing police investigation in the city’s February 2020 riots. Judges’ observations in cases they are hearing should hopefully lead to better methods being deployed for the many riot cases yet to be heard. This July, the first trial was completed with acquittal of alleged rioters. The court noted many inconsistencies in witness statements. In multiple bail orders, judges have cited poor evidence as their reason for granting bail. Note this in the context of Delhi high court’s bail for three anti-CAA activists in June, despite their being charged with the draconian UAPA. Protest and dissent are not terror, the court observed. But courts should not have to make such observations. Police investigators should know this.
True, in the Delhi riot investigation, the police’s job seems huge – 755 FIRs and 1,818 arrests, as reported this February. Aside from the question whether such a large number of arrests indicates failings in preventive policing and whether it also points to a quantity over quality approach in investigation, courts are also finding basic lapses in policing methods. In one case involving acid burn injuries to police personnel, cops did not collect chemical samples from the crime scene for forensic analysis. Judge Vinod Yadav said it was “really painful” to see “very poor” standards of investigation and “half-baked” chargesheets in many riots cases.
He also observed that investigating officers weren’t briefing prosecutors properly or answering their queries or attending courtroom proceedings during arguments on framing charges. In another case, a court said the investigation appeared “callous”, “inefficient” and “unproductive” but that it was still framing charges of arson and vandalism as it couldn’t ignore victims’ statements. There’s a serious question how such evidence and investigation will withstand a higher degree of scrutiny during trials.
Quite remarkably, for yet another “casual, callous, farcical” inquiry, as the court observed, in a riot victim’s gunshot injury complaint, cops had clubbed it with incidents from other localities on another day. Judge Amitabh Rawat’s order, in another gunshot case, quoted Dostoevsky – a ‘hundred suspicions don’t make a proof” – while noting that police could not trace the victim but still chargesheeted two for attempted murder.Hopefully, not just the capital’s police, but police forces all over the country are paying close attention to Delhi courts’ critiques. Police investigation is the first step of criminal justice. India deserves and needs better policing.
3.Monsoon pattern reminds us of the need to advance adaptation strategies of climate change
After a long dry spell, Delhi received its entire quota of September rainfall in a couple of days. This phenomenon is not limited to Delhi. There has been an increasing incidence across India of the reduction in the number of rainy days even in a normal monsoon year. Consequently, the southwest monsoon is now characterised by an increasing number of spells of intense rain.This does not come as a surprise. One of the symptoms of climate change is an increase in extreme weather events. Therefore, adaptation to climate change is as important as taking measures to mitigate it.For urban India, with perennial water problems and crumbling civic infrastructure, there has to be a renewed focus in terms of resources and political capital in adapting infrastructure to deal with this phenomenon.
As the southwest monsoon still determines the fate of Indian agricultural performance, farm reforms need to be designed to pivot towards crops that are relatively more resistant to extreme weather events.
4.For a bona fide press: On weeding out ‘fake journalists’
HC order for weeding out ‘fake journalists’ is well-intentioned, but needs wide consultation
In directing the State government to establish a ‘Press Council of Tamil Nadu’ within three months, the Madras High Court has come close to formulating policy and legislation. Its direction amounts to creating a body and clothing it with powers and functions, something that is normally done by law and after wider consultations. There is no doubt that it is a well-intentioned order that seeks to address problems arising from the dubious activities of ‘fake journalists’. In fact, the directives may constitute a remedy to the maladies highlighted by the Division Bench in its recent verdict, but it is quite surprising that such a far-reaching measure has sought to be created by judicial direction while disposing of public interest litigation somewhat unrelated to the case at hand. The original case initiated by a man claiming to be a journalist contained some allegations against the special team investigating theft of idols from various temples. It was disposed of with a direction to the Idol Wing CID to proceed with the investigation in accordance with the law. As there was suspicion over the petitioner’s credentials, the Bench has proceeded to address the larger problem of imposters masquerading as journalists for personal enrichment.
The issues highlighted by the Bench are quite real and need remedial measures. Some people claiming to be journalists do run letter-pad publications, or even print some copies of obscure journals, but devote much of their time to using “connections” to wangle benefits and gifts, try and swing transfers and postings; or be fronts for vested interests. Broadly, the court wants a State-level ‘Press Council’ to weed out ‘fake journalists’, regulate the distribution of identity and accreditation cards and the recognition of media bodies, besides receiving and disposing of complaints about the media. As of now, the Press Council of India performs the watchdog role about public complaints, but without any substantive enforcement powers. Accreditation and dealing with journalist bodies are now the functions of the respective governments. A powerful body that will identify and accredit journalists, decide their entitlements to bus and rail passes and welfare measures, as well as act as a complaints authority will surely need a statutory framework. Besides, a separate body created by executive order may act over-zealously and end up eliminating bona fide journalists. As ‘newspapers, books and printing presses’ are in the Concurrent List, the State government needs to examine if the field is occupied by central legislation, and whether it can create a watchdog body, as suggested by the court, encompassing all forms of media. It may have to weigh its options carefully, including an appeal.
5.Fleeting cheer: On GDP growth and consumption demand
Fiscal measures should ensure overall consumption demand does not weaken
The latest GDP estimates expectedly show that national output rebounded in Q1 of the current fiscal from the record contraction in April-June 2020, when the pandemic’s onset and the lockdown gutted the economy. National Statistical Office data show GDP expanded 20.1% from a year earlier, as every one of the eight industries spanning the broad agriculture, manufacturing and services categories posted positive growth. And gross value added, which aggregates output from all the eight sectors, grew by 18.8%. The numbers, however, show a different picture when compared with either the preceding quarter or the pre-pandemic first quarter of fiscal 2019-20. GDP at constant prices was estimated at ₹32.38-lakh crore, a 16.9% contraction from January-March’s ₹38.96-lakh crore and more than 9% shy of the ₹35.66-lakh crore in April-June 2019. That the second COVID-19 wave extracted a significant toll is evident. With the exceptions of electricity and other utility services and the non-contact intensive services grouping of financial, real estate and professional services, all other six industries posted double-digit quarter-on-quarter contractions. On the expenditures front, private consumption spending flattered to deceive, posting year-on-year growth of 19.3% but still shrinking by 17.4% from the preceding three months. And most disconcertingly, government consumption expenditure, which has invariably in the past helped shore up the economy, contracted 4.8% from a year earlier and 7.6% from the previous quarter.
Looking ahead rather than in the rear-view mirror, there have been signs of some traction in the current quarter as most States have gradually eased their localised second wave restrictions. Exports have been one of the bright spots as the U.S. and other western economies have ramped up vaccinations and posted economic recoveries that have underpinned demand for goods and services from India. And manufacturing has surged almost 50% year-on-year to be just under ₹24,000 crore short of the April-June 2019 output level. A fact borne out by the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index from IHS Markit, whose August release shows the sector experienced a second straight month of increase in production, albeit at a slower pace than July. Still, the same PMI survey also points to the challenges ahead. Rising raw material costs have been forcing manufacturers to either absorb the impact or raise prices, as several automakers have done, risking the prospect of dampening the already tenuous demand. And lingering uncertainty has led companies to yet again freeze hiring, according to IHS Markit. With monsoon rains in deficit, agricultural output and wider rural consumption also face a likely downturn. Policy makers must remain laser focused on expediting vaccination coverage and taking fiscal measures to ensure overall consumption demand does not weaken any further.
6.Paralympics 2020: Where India shines
The world’s biggest sporting event for the disabled is seeing India shine brighter than ever before. With two gold, four silver and two bronze medals at the halfway mark, India has shot past its best-ever tally at the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020. Rifle shooter, Avani Lekhara has become the first Indian woman to win a gold, and javelin thrower, Devendra Jhajharia, has outdone himself and past records. India’s para-athletes, undeterred by deficits and the challenges of Covid-19, deserve greater recognition and celebration.
With the agenda of social inclusion, the Paralympic Games have, over the past 50 years, ensured fair competition irrespective of physical, visual and mental limitations. They have raised the bar of “disabled sport”, paving the way for para-athletes to be recognised as sportspersons in their own right. They promote accessibility (an important factor in building equitable societies) and play a key role in changing attitudes towards disability, while restoring the belief that sport is accessible to all.
In 1968, India sent its first delegation of para-athletes to Israel for the Games, but returned empty-handed. In 2021, after breaking records, displaying personal bests, smashing past tallies, and overcoming all odds for a place on the podium, India can hold its head high. But it cannot end there. The numbers are telling: India has won more medals (already, for they are still ongoing) in the Paralympic Games than the Olympics this year. This should lead to more funding and the creation of sports facilities that promote disabled athletes. Para-athletes are living proof that the human spirit is indomitable. India must promote sport for all, as a symbol of equity in society and the recognition of its most courageous athletes.