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EDITORIAL TODAY (ENGLISH)

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.Fast forward: On Gati Shakti National Master Plan

Gati Shakti can cut logistics costs if it can convince all States to come on board

With the Gati Shakti National Master Plan that he launched on October 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expanded on the familiar theme that India’s slowing economic growth engine can find renewed momentum through major infrastructure upgrades that will cut logistics costs for industry and raise all round efficiency. Essentially a technocentric administrative initiative that promises silo-breaking integration of 16 Ministries including railways, roads and ports through information technology, satellite mapping and data tools, the programme seeks to appeal to the national imagination as an umbrella integrator of ₹111-lakh crore worth of projects under the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) for 2020-25. The importance given in the plan to rail-road multimodal connectivity and higher share of freight for the railways — articulated also by NITI Aayog — has evident multiple benefits. This includes reducing the cost of logistics to GDP that has prevailed at about 14% even at the time the NDA government took office, to an aspirational 8%. There is also the challenge of reducing vehicular emissions from road freight growth in order to meet climate change commitments and containing input costs due to extraordinarily high taxes on diesel. A similar fillip to efficiency in port operations can increase cargo handling capacity and cut vessel turnaround time. Evidently, States have a crucial role in all this, considering that key pieces of the plan such as port linkages and land availability for highways, railways, industrial clusters and corridors depend on political consensus and active partnership.

The observations in the Economic Survey for 2020-21 underscore the role of active Centre-State partnerships for infrastructure building. The Survey projects maximum investments towards NIP sectors such as energy, roads, urban infrastructure and railways for FY 2021 and 22, with about ₹8.5-lakh crore to be invested by either side annually, besides ₹4.5-lakh crore per year from the private sector. There is a steep gradient to cover here, as the effects of COVID-19 continue to be felt in terms of lost jobs, depressed wages and consumption, while the planners are pinning their hopes on infrastructure projects for a new deal outcome that will boost jobs and demand for goods and commodities, besides attracting major investments. Significant delays to projects can often be traced to incompatible and hostile land acquisition decisions that alienate communities or threaten to violate environmental integrity. Given the Centre’s preference for Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing to identify potential industrial areas, policymakers would do well to reclaim lands already subjected to degradation and pollution, rather than alienate controversial new parcels. Convincing citizens that they stand to benefit from such grand plans through better social welfare, lower service costs and higher efficiencies, and respecting federal boundaries while dealing with the States are other imperatives.

2.Tackling terror: On J&K civilian deaths

Civil society, political forces must do their best to remove fear among minorities in J&K

The uptick in the number of deaths of civilians, including those of the minority community after terror attacks recently is a major setback when the number of violent incidents in the Kashmir Valley was the lowest in five years. Orchestrated allegedly by a shadowy force calling itself The Resistance Front (TRF), termed by security forces as being set up by the LeT, the killings have resulted in fear gripping the Valley’s minority Hindu and Sikh communities. Notwithstanding statements from mainstream political parties and separatist organisations condemning the violence, many Kashmiri Pandit and Sikh employees abstained from work or took leave temporarily, worried about their security. This is an unfortunate outcome that calls to mind the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits due to terror attacks in the early 1990s. The reversal of this dangerous trend requires not only a reassurance of security from the Government for members of the minority communities such as the Pandits and the Sikhs but also a commitment for solidarity with the victims from the various political forces and civil society. The targeted nature of the killings by a “faceless” terror group suggests that its aim was to use the disquiet in the Valley with the recent administrative and political measures to foment communal discord and violence.

Beyond the condemnation from the polity, civil society in such situations must take the initiative to foster communal amity and to mobilise people across communities against hatred. In this regard, the recent appeals by some masjids in Srinagar requesting the public to show solidarity with the victims and to prevent the furthering of fear among Kashmiri Pandits is a welcome step indicating an intention to not let the situation deteriorate to what happened in the early 1990s. The UT administration followed up with a strong crackdown on the insurgency seeking to isolate and quell the militant network that is allegedly responsible for the attacks. While the reactions from the polity and civil society and the administrative actions by the Government are necessary, they are not sufficient to restore normalcy in the Valley. The suspension of the polity with the absence of an elected Assembly, and the stasis and alienation that had set in since the abrogation of J&K’s special status, its bifurcation and designation as a Union Territory would make the job of administration even more difficult. An immediate renewal of political dialogue to address this along with the restoration of Statehood and the complete resumption of political and press freedoms will help create the environment to isolate and tackle terror in the region.

3.Desi Uvs: India’s love for SUVs is not anti-green

Cars and Indian society have a peculiar relationship. Buying a car is a milestone of having arrived. Yet, vehicles are also the focal point of action in the drive to clean up the country’s poor air quality. In this backdrop, an emerging trend in the passenger vehicle market foregrounds two issues. The ubiquitous small car is being displaced by SUVs. As this paper reported, 3.67 lakh SUVs were sold in the June-September quarter as compared to 3.43 lakh cars. It’s clearly not a one-off as a growing list of new SUV launches suggests.

Two factors have had a significant influence. SUVs are getting more affordable. An entry-level SUV now costs only five times India’s pre-pandemic annual per capita income of Rs 1.07 lakh. The demand for it has been met by the enhanced supply that’s come from an auto industry which is fairly sophisticated for a lower middle income country. Manufacturers have responded to the potential by introducing stripped-down versions, creating categories such as compact and subcompact SUVs. These factors have been complemented by an improvement in road infrastructure.

The emergence of SUVs has turned on the spotlight on their impact on air quality. The focus is misplaced and can have a perverse impact on necessary effort to improve it. Tailpipe emissions are not as big a contributor to poor air quality as combustion of coal and biomass, and dust blowing off degraded land, as one of our columnists points out today. Plus, public policy has relentlessly enhanced emission standards. Last year, India leapfrogged to a stringent BS-VI standard, which includes an upgrade in fuel quality. The point is that policy should keep emission standards high and let the market take its course. It might even strip away the complexity in the relationship between cars and society.

4.Doctor cure thyself: On revising queerphobic medical textbooks

The medical profession has a worldwide history of treating homosexuality as an illness, which in turn has played a significant role in the stigmatisation of non-hetrosexual identities. Recent decades have thankfully begun to see a better-informed consensus emerge, thanks to both activisms and attention to scientific evidence. But in India, as the Madras high court said last month, queerphobia continues to be rampant in medical education.

Now the National Medical Commission has done right to issue an advisory to all medical universities and colleges to stop teaching in ways that are “derogatory/discriminatory/insulting to LGBTQIA+ community”. Curricula that describe lesbians as “mental degenerates” or transvestism as a “sexual perversion” go hand in hand with “conversion therapy” and other medical practices that still try to alter various sexual orientations instead of recognising them as a normal variant of human sexuality. Such treatments have been discredited in many parts of the world as both unethical and risky, with the American Psychiatric Association for example saying that they can cause depression and self-destructive behaviour.

The NMC advisory will not change things overnight. Strong institutional follow-through will need monitoring, nudging and more. Consider how the degrading “two-finger” or virginity test to ascertain rape has continued to be taught in forensic syllabi long after being banned by the Supreme Court. But change must happen. Indian medical institutions must unlearn their queerphobia.

 

 

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EDITORIAL TODAY (ENGLISH)

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.Fast forward: On Gati Shakti National Master Plan

Gati Shakti can cut logistics costs if it can convince all States to come on board

With the Gati Shakti National Master Plan that he launched on October 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expanded on the familiar theme that India’s slowing economic growth engine can find renewed momentum through major infrastructure upgrades that will cut logistics costs for industry and raise all round efficiency. Essentially a technocentric administrative initiative that promises silo-breaking integration of 16 Ministries including railways, roads and ports through information technology, satellite mapping and data tools, the programme seeks to appeal to the national imagination as an umbrella integrator of ₹111-lakh crore worth of projects under the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) for 2020-25. The importance given in the plan to rail-road multimodal connectivity and higher share of freight for the railways — articulated also by NITI Aayog — has evident multiple benefits. This includes reducing the cost of logistics to GDP that has prevailed at about 14% even at the time the NDA government took office, to an aspirational 8%. There is also the challenge of reducing vehicular emissions from road freight growth in order to meet climate change commitments and containing input costs due to extraordinarily high taxes on diesel. A similar fillip to efficiency in port operations can increase cargo handling capacity and cut vessel turnaround time. Evidently, States have a crucial role in all this, considering that key pieces of the plan such as port linkages and land availability for highways, railways, industrial clusters and corridors depend on political consensus and active partnership.

The observations in the Economic Survey for 2020-21 underscore the role of active Centre-State partnerships for infrastructure building. The Survey projects maximum investments towards NIP sectors such as energy, roads, urban infrastructure and railways for FY 2021 and 22, with about ₹8.5-lakh crore to be invested by either side annually, besides ₹4.5-lakh crore per year from the private sector. There is a steep gradient to cover here, as the effects of COVID-19 continue to be felt in terms of lost jobs, depressed wages and consumption, while the planners are pinning their hopes on infrastructure projects for a new deal outcome that will boost jobs and demand for goods and commodities, besides attracting major investments. Significant delays to projects can often be traced to incompatible and hostile land acquisition decisions that alienate communities or threaten to violate environmental integrity. Given the Centre’s preference for Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing to identify potential industrial areas, policymakers would do well to reclaim lands already subjected to degradation and pollution, rather than alienate controversial new parcels. Convincing citizens that they stand to benefit from such grand plans through better social welfare, lower service costs and higher efficiencies, and respecting federal boundaries while dealing with the States are other imperatives.

2.Tackling terror: On J&K civilian deaths

Civil society, political forces must do their best to remove fear among minorities in J&K

The uptick in the number of deaths of civilians, including those of the minority community after terror attacks recently is a major setback when the number of violent incidents in the Kashmir Valley was the lowest in five years. Orchestrated allegedly by a shadowy force calling itself The Resistance Front (TRF), termed by security forces as being set up by the LeT, the killings have resulted in fear gripping the Valley’s minority Hindu and Sikh communities. Notwithstanding statements from mainstream political parties and separatist organisations condemning the violence, many Kashmiri Pandit and Sikh employees abstained from work or took leave temporarily, worried about their security. This is an unfortunate outcome that calls to mind the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits due to terror attacks in the early 1990s. The reversal of this dangerous trend requires not only a reassurance of security from the Government for members of the minority communities such as the Pandits and the Sikhs but also a commitment for solidarity with the victims from the various political forces and civil society. The targeted nature of the killings by a “faceless” terror group suggests that its aim was to use the disquiet in the Valley with the recent administrative and political measures to foment communal discord and violence.

Beyond the condemnation from the polity, civil society in such situations must take the initiative to foster communal amity and to mobilise people across communities against hatred. In this regard, the recent appeals by some masjids in Srinagar requesting the public to show solidarity with the victims and to prevent the furthering of fear among Kashmiri Pandits is a welcome step indicating an intention to not let the situation deteriorate to what happened in the early 1990s. The UT administration followed up with a strong crackdown on the insurgency seeking to isolate and quell the militant network that is allegedly responsible for the attacks. While the reactions from the polity and civil society and the administrative actions by the Government are necessary, they are not sufficient to restore normalcy in the Valley. The suspension of the polity with the absence of an elected Assembly, and the stasis and alienation that had set in since the abrogation of J&K’s special status, its bifurcation and designation as a Union Territory would make the job of administration even more difficult. An immediate renewal of political dialogue to address this along with the restoration of Statehood and the complete resumption of political and press freedoms will help create the environment to isolate and tackle terror in the region.

3.Desi Uvs: India’s love for SUVs is not anti-green

Cars and Indian society have a peculiar relationship. Buying a car is a milestone of having arrived. Yet, vehicles are also the focal point of action in the drive to clean up the country’s poor air quality. In this backdrop, an emerging trend in the passenger vehicle market foregrounds two issues. The ubiquitous small car is being displaced by SUVs. As this paper reported, 3.67 lakh SUVs were sold in the June-September quarter as compared to 3.43 lakh cars. It’s clearly not a one-off as a growing list of new SUV launches suggests.

Two factors have had a significant influence. SUVs are getting more affordable. An entry-level SUV now costs only five times India’s pre-pandemic annual per capita income of Rs 1.07 lakh. The demand for it has been met by the enhanced supply that’s come from an auto industry which is fairly sophisticated for a lower middle income country. Manufacturers have responded to the potential by introducing stripped-down versions, creating categories such as compact and subcompact SUVs. These factors have been complemented by an improvement in road infrastructure.

The emergence of SUVs has turned on the spotlight on their impact on air quality. The focus is misplaced and can have a perverse impact on necessary effort to improve it. Tailpipe emissions are not as big a contributor to poor air quality as combustion of coal and biomass, and dust blowing off degraded land, as one of our columnists points out today. Plus, public policy has relentlessly enhanced emission standards. Last year, India leapfrogged to a stringent BS-VI standard, which includes an upgrade in fuel quality. The point is that policy should keep emission standards high and let the market take its course. It might even strip away the complexity in the relationship between cars and society.

4.Doctor cure thyself: On revising queerphobic medical textbooks

The medical profession has a worldwide history of treating homosexuality as an illness, which in turn has played a significant role in the stigmatisation of non-hetrosexual identities. Recent decades have thankfully begun to see a better-informed consensus emerge, thanks to both activisms and attention to scientific evidence. But in India, as the Madras high court said last month, queerphobia continues to be rampant in medical education.

Now the National Medical Commission has done right to issue an advisory to all medical universities and colleges to stop teaching in ways that are “derogatory/discriminatory/insulting to LGBTQIA+ community”. Curricula that describe lesbians as “mental degenerates” or transvestism as a “sexual perversion” go hand in hand with “conversion therapy” and other medical practices that still try to alter various sexual orientations instead of recognising them as a normal variant of human sexuality. Such treatments have been discredited in many parts of the world as both unethical and risky, with the American Psychiatric Association for example saying that they can cause depression and self-destructive behaviour.

The NMC advisory will not change things overnight. Strong institutional follow-through will need monitoring, nudging and more. Consider how the degrading “two-finger” or virginity test to ascertain rape has continued to be taught in forensic syllabi long after being banned by the Supreme Court. But change must happen. Indian medical institutions must unlearn their queerphobia.

 

 

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Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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