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.Words and deeds: On PM Modi’s speech at UNGA
PM Modi did well to commit India to its democratic traditions at UN General Assembly
For the third consecutive year in a row, and his fourth such speech since he was elected in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the UN General Assembly, outlining his outlook on India’s place in the world. Referring to India’s large population, he said that the world grows when India grows, and transforms when India reforms, pointing to examples of the country’s progress and impact: in the area of vaccines and pharmaceuticals, particularly to counter COVID, green technology and the promise of 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030, and poverty alleviation. He also enumerated how many Indians had been provided water connections, banking access, insurance coverage, health services and homes, although his claim that these “all-inclusive” development goals had been achieved only in the “last seven years”, struck a politically partisan note that was out of place. Moving to regional matters, Mr. Modi pointed to the contrast between India’s actions and those of Pakistan and China in veiled references. In an apparent message to Pakistan, he linked events in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have taken control, to the problem of “regressive thinking” that leads to the use of terrorism as “a political tool”. He also called for safeguarding the maritime sphere from the “race of expansion and exclusion” and referred to the need for investigating the “origins of the coronavirus”, subjects China is sensitive about. Addressing the UN directly for its own shortcomings, the PM said that time waits for no one, urging the UN to speed up the reforms process that has been flagging for more than a decade, which would include an expanded Security Council. This, he explained, is the only way to restore the credibility of global governance institutions.
Mr. Modi’s strongest words came at the beginning of his speech, where he launched a defence of the state of Indian democracy, which has come in for some criticism over the past few years. He said India had been named the “mother of democracy” for its adherence to democratic values, symbolised by its diversity, pluralism, inclusivity, and equality, that allowed someone like him, who had once worked at his father’s tea stall, to become the country’s leader. The PM’s words appeared to be a response to comments made during his Washington visit, where U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris stressed the need to strengthen democratic processes internally. Even as he addressed the UN, protesters outside criticised his government for actions against activists, NGOs, the laws on agriculture and citizenship, and incidents of lynching and mob violence. While the PM’s commitment to India’s “great tradition of democracy” was heartening, it will be measured not by words at the world body, but by answers and actions on the ground in India.
2.High water: on growing challenge from tropical cyclones
India must create a social safety net to manage the fallout of cyclonic storms
Tropical cyclones laden with moisture and accumulated energy pose a growing challenge, as they have the propensity to inflict heavy damage to lives and property. As the annual monsoon retreats, thousands are left assessing the impact of cyclone Gulab, a rare event for September, on coastal Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and other areas inland. This weather system, with a gusting wind speed of 70 knots at landfall, appears to have been less intimidating than cyclones Yaas and Tauktae, although it continued to keep the seas unsafe for fishermen all along the coastline north of Andhra Pradesh, after moving overland. There have been some distressing deaths and inevitable material losses for many, and the focus must now be on relief and rehabilitation; in the recovery phase of COVID-19, the weather system has upended life for many, disrupting key inter-State road links and leading to the cancellation or diversion of several trains. The imperative is to reach out to those affected by Gulab with food, shelter and health-care support, deploying the many administrative capabilities acquired during the pandemic with the same alacrity. The welcome concern for public health and economic security must lead to stronger institutional responses to natural disasters too.
The northern Indian Ocean, of which the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal are a part, experiences only a minority of tropical storms annually, at about 7% of worldwide events, but their destructive impact on the subcontinent is severe due to a dense population and poor capacity to absorb large quantities of rainfall dumped in a short period over cities and towns. Financial arrangements to insure the population against material losses also remain weak, and as the experience in West Bengal with cyclone Amphan demonstrated last year, relief measures can easily fall victim to corruption. The influence of climate change on cyclone characteristics in a world that is heating up due to accumulation of greenhouse gases is an ongoing topic of study. The IPCC, in its scientific report on 1.5° C warming, said with a high degree of confidence that changes in the climate system, including the proportion of tropical cyclones, would experience a larger impact from increasing warming. Research evidence shows more cyclones forming over the Arabian Sea when compared to the Bay; overall there were eight storms of concern to India in 2019, and five last year, Amphan being a super cyclone. The Centre and all States cannot afford to allow large-scale losses to communities to continue each year, and, going beyond disaster response, must put in place institutional structures and insurance systems for financial protection. Cities must prepare to harvest every deluge that brings vast quantities of water, so vital to sustain mass populations.
3.Healthcare Digitisation needs concurrent upgrade of cybersecurity
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). It’s a key endpoint in the data integration aspect of the 2017 National Health Policy. The idea is to integrate data from the 1.5 lakh primary health centres, the pan-India medical insurance scheme for 100 million households and other sources to create a national digital health ecosystem. It will come with a unique health identifier on the lines of Aadhaar.
Data integration in the healthcare sector does provide huge benefits, subject to privacy laws being rigorously enforced.
The flip side, however, is that it requires enhancement of cybersecurity measures to a level that India is currently unaccustomed to. Digitised healthcare data has proved to be a particularly popular target in the U.S for ransomware attacks. The so-called “Ryuk gang” has hit at least 235 general hospitals and healthcare facilities in the U.S since 2018, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Healthcare facilities are particularly vulnerable as ransomware attacks can cut off a service provider’s access to critical data. Medical emergencies make hospitals vulnerable to extortion.
Therefore, the drive to digitise services and attendant records needs to be accompanied by far more attention to cybersecurityPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). It’s a key endpoint in the data integration aspect of the 2017 National Health Policy.
The idea is to integrate data from the 1.5 lakh primary health centres, the pan-India medical insurance scheme for 100 million households and other sources to create a national digital health ecosystem. It will come with a unique health identifier on the lines of Aadhaar.
Data integration in the healthcare sector does provide huge benefits, subject to privacy laws being rigorously enforced.
The flip side, however, is that it requires enhancement of cybersecurity measures to a level that India is currently unaccustomed to. Digitised healthcare data has proved to be a particularly popular target in the US for ransomware attacks. The so-called “Ryuk gang” has hit at least 235 general hospitals and healthcare facilities in the US since 2018, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Healthcare facilities are particularly vulnerable as ransomware attacks can cut off a service provider’s access to critical data. Medical emergencies make hospitals vulnerable to extortion.
Therefore, the drive to digitise services and attendant records needs to be accompanied by far more attention to cybersecurity
4.Women’s turn: Is reservation the only way to a fair deal in India? Economic growth delivers justice, too
When Chief Justice of India NV Ramana administered the oaths of office to Justices Hima Kohli, Bela M Trivedi and BV Nagarathna last month, it meant women now constitute a record 12% of the country’s top court. The moment was marked by celebrations, including of the prospect of Justice Nagarathna becoming our first woman chief justice in 2027. But considering that this moment came 75 years after Independence, it was an underwhelming feat. From accepting that we should have done better by now follows the question, how can we do better in the future? CJI Ramana offered one solution this weekend: 50% quota for women in the judiciary, indeed in all spheres of activity. He urged them to ‘shout and demand’ this right.
Women’s representation in the Parliament and bureaucracy is only marginally better than in the upper judiciary. In all cases the argument for reservation is twofold: Proportionate representation is social justice and diverse voices result in better decision-making overall. The trouble is that women are hardly the only group demanding reservation in India. After all, even as the historic and uplifting photo of the CJI flanked by four women judges entered the public domain, there were questions about when Dalits and Adivasis would occupy a similar frame.
Indian women know there are countries where their counterparts are doing much better. Iceland just celebrated a female-majority parliament, even if a recount swiftly pushed the numbers to a less dramatic 48%. But forms of affirmative actions are only one factor in the country topping a World Economic Forum index for gender equality for 12 years in a row. For example, more than 50% women earn university degrees and women make up over 47% of the total labour force.
Indian women of course had been retreating from the labour force even before the pandemic. Recent research indicates that this is because they are being displaced by male workers in the wake of repeated macroeconomic shocks. The weaker sections of society are worse hit when the pie shrinks. But the populist politics of reservations has them all pitted against each other, instead of united to ‘shout and demand’ economic growth, which is what actually has a great track record of delivering social uplift in India. The lure of the blunt tool is eclipsing smarter ones. Let’s push back. Let’s demand good economic policies and really invest in proactive mentoring and recruitment of women before declaring these to be failures.