09 January 2021: The Hindu Editorial Analysis

1) Grading India’s counter-coercive strategy:

It can only be fair to argue that the country has done well in countering Chinese moves in eastern Ladakh

GS-2: India and its neighbourhood- relations.

GS-2: International relations.

 

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CONTEXT:

1. World of contemporary geopolitics, adopting a sceptical approach to analyses and evaluation is often the best way forward.

2. Politico diplomatic military Approach by the Indians during negotiations has been a welcome departure from the past.

3. Looks at the crisis through the prism of a larger global and regional context, or even through the more focused lens of coercive diplomacy, there are several positives for Indian statecraft, particularly in the diplomatic and military realms..

 

Changing geopolitical landscape of India against china:

1. Middle powers such as India must see an opportunity to redefine their place in the world order in USA china conflict.

2. An immediate Indian military response in the form of a quid-pro-quo was among the options that were demanded by shrill voices across constituencies of strategic watchers.

3.  This was correctly not subscribed to by India’s strategic establishment, which decided instead to adopt the try-and-see approach.

 

Synergy in handling China in ladakh ?

1. In eastern Ladakh, the People’s Liberation Army unrolled its tactical plans with speed and transgressed with the requisite stealth.

2. However, at the operational and strategic level, the Chinese engaged in significant overreach and did not expect the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force to mobilise in strength and slip into their operational roles at high altitude with ease. 

3. The synergised politico-diplomatic-military approach by the Indians during negotiations has been a welcome departure from the past.

4. There are several positives for Indian statecraft, particularly in the diplomatic and military realms. India is a status quo power and this is ingrained in its strategic DNA and associated strategies of deterrence and coercion.

5. This implies, and history is testimony to the possibility, that when faced with adversaries who are either irrational or revisionist

6. There is every likelihood of India initially being rocked onto the back foot during a crisis that involves either the application or the show of force. Response strategies to such situations are where there is much ground still to be covered.

7. India has militarily recovered well, diplomatically played hard-ball and strategically postured deftly despite the constraints of the on-going pandemic.

 

Relevance of  Pangong Tso Lake.

1.  It is a long narrow, deep, endorheic (landlocked) lake situated at a height of more than 13,000 ft in the Ladakh Himalayas.

2.  It lies in the path of the Chushul approach, one of the main approaches that China can use for an offensive into Indian-held territory..

Source: BBC ENGLISH .

India- China Border:

1. India and China share a 3,488 km long boundary. Unfortunately, the entire boundary is disputed. The line, which delineates the boundary between the two countries, is popularly called the McMahon line, after its author Sir Henry McMahon.

2. In 1913, the British-India government had called a tripartite conference, in which the boundary between India and Tibet was formalized after a discussion between the Indian and the Tibetans.

3. A Convention was adopted, which resulted in the delimitation of the Indo-Tibetan boundary. This boundary is, however, disputed by China which terms it as illegal.

4. In 1957, China occupied Aksai Chin and built a road through it. This episode was followed by intermittent clashes along the border, which finally culminated in the border war of 1962. The boundary, which came into existence after the war, came to be known as Line of Actual Control (LAC). It is a military held line.

 

India-China Trade Relations:

Since the beginning of the 21st century, trade between China and India has grown from less than $3 billion to nearly $100 billion, an increase of about 32 times. In 2019, the trade volume between China and India was $92.68 billion.

 

Way Forward

1. Detailed protocols are in place for troops to handle face-off incidents. The countries need to stick to the 2005 protocol and the 2013 Border Defence Cooperation Agreement.

2. This would allow India to signal to China that it has options, and that China would be wise not to escalate these situations too far.

3. India must build power-balancing alliances and Good neighbourhood relations are crucial for national stability and well-being.

4. It is time for India to boldly take the long view in this area as also on its Act (South) Asia policy.

 

2) Night and day.

To expect women to stay indoors for their safety is to deny them their freedoms, rights.

GS-1: Role of women and women’s organization, Social empowerment.

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CONTEXT:

1. Violence against women’s Unnao, Hathras and now Badaun continues as news of another horrific alleged rape and murder emerged from Uttar Pradesh recently.

2. The equal rights movement means nothing if women are stopped from going out whenever they want to or need to, day or night.

3. it is also imperative that with society steeped in gender prejudices, the government, police and family must step up to provide a safe environment.

Reports crime against woman in India:

1. As per World Health Organization (WHO) findings about 1 in 3 (35%) women worldwide have experienced either physical or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.

2.  The NCRB data show 88 rape cases were recorded every day in India with U.P. reporting the second-highest number at 3,065 cases.

3. Globally, 38% of murders of women are committed by a male intimate partner

4. Violence can negatively affect women’s physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health, Domestic Violence,and may increase the risk of acquiring HIV in some settings.

Causes of violence:

1. Domestic violence often happens in India as a result of dowry demands.

2. The patriarchal household structure in India.

3. Feminization of Migration

4.  Poorly lit urban spaces coupled with inadequate police patrolling are favourable for increased sexual violence.

5. Lack of stringent laws for punishing sexual assault is compounded by inefficient criminal justice system.

6. Increasing objectification of women by media as an object for sexual satisfaction.

7. Inefficient and apathetic attitude of law enforcement agencies.

8. Physical and psychological deterioration,

9. Gender Disparity is one of the deep rooted cause,

10. Traditional and cultural practices, Killing in the name of family honour.

Consequences:

1. Health Issue affects their self-esteem, ability to work and make decisions about fertility.

2.  Economic Issue serious impact on economy of the household as well as of the nation.

3. Loss of income, productivity, healthcare and cost of social services.

4. Impact on child wellbeing, female and child mortality, intergenerational social and psychological cost.

5. Rights Issue realization of fundamental rights under article 14, 21, 19 and 32 of the Indian constitution.

 

Laws and safeguards for women against sexual crimes:

1. Section 354 of the IPC criminalises any act by a person that assaults or us es criminal force against a woman

2. Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 To ensure women’s safety at workplace, this Act seeks to protect them from sexual harassment at their place of work. 36 % of Indian companies and 25% among MNC’s are not complaint with the Sexual Harassment Act according to a FICCI report.

3. National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO): The government in 2018 launched the National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO). The database contains entries of offenders convicted under charges of rape, gang rape, POCSO and eve teasing It’s managed by the National Crime Records Bureau.

4. Fast track courts:As a result of the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, the Indian government implemented a fast-track court system to rapidly prosecute rape cases.

5. Education programmes: In 2017, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare unveiled resource material relating to health issues to be used as a part of a nationwide adolescent peer-education plan called Saathiya. Among other subjects, the material discusses relationships and consent.

6. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act: The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 was enacted to provide a robust legal framework for the protection of children from offences of sexual assault, sexual harassment and pornography. The framing of the Act seeks to put children first by making it easy to use by including mechanisms for child-friendly reporting,.

Way forward:

1. Gender based legislation and Financial Independence. Developing and resourcing national plans and policies to address violence against women.

2. Improve system of collecting crime surveillance data on violence against women.

3 Capacity building and training, Male Mediated Initiatives and Prevent recurrence of violence

4.  through early identification of women and children who are experiencing violence and providing appropriate referral and support.

5. Promote egalitarian gender and  Gender based surveys, including violence against women in population-based demographic and health surveys, as well as in surveillance and health information systems.

 

 

3) Beyond the Central Vista verdict, key questions?

Public commitment in civic projects and procurement of professional services are areas that need definite improvement

GS 3: Infrastructure

GS-2: Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions.

 

CONTEXT:

1.  The Supreme Court of India has cleared the decks for the intensely contested new Parliament and Central Vista projects in New Delhi. Limiting itself strictly to ‘the procedures sanctioned by law’, pronounced the 2-1 judgment.

2.  The critical questions on ensuring public commitment in civic projects, improving participatory processes in city-building and effective procurement of professional services remain unanswered.

3.  Judicial reviews are hesitant to direct changes to the mandated regulations, enduring solutions have to be found by improving them through political persuasion and public pressure.

What is the Central Vista Project/case ?

1.  The Central government wants to redevelop the Central Vista, the 3-km long stretch from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate..

2. The plan is to construct a new Parliament building by March 2022 and a common central secretariat by March 2024.

3. These will be built along with new residences for the Prime Minister and the Vice President near South and North Blocks, which will be repurposed as museums.

4. In April 2020, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court by Rajeev Suri. The petition stated that the order violated the citizen’s Right to Life guaranteed under Article 21 by depriving people of open and green spaces. The petition further argued that the Prime Minister's dream project violated the Master Plan of Delhi 2021. 

Key questions rise in public project ?

  1. Question raise on: planning and land acquisition:

             1. Confusion abounded: plans were erratically changed, the chosen architect  was dropped when the project moved towards construction and a new one appointed.

             2.  Acquiring of land through a controversial method, the project was abandoned, leaving farmers and others agitated and in difficulty.

Solution:

            The demand attention, immediate regulatory improvement is needed in two critical areas: public participation and architectural services procurement.

 

2: Accountability factor: Horizontal’ and ‘vertical’ accountabilities‘

                 1. Horizontal accountability’ is about creating interrelated state organisations such as heritage committees and environmental regulators to keep a check.

                  2. ‘Vertical accountability’ concerns citizen oversight, which currently is limited to elections. Governm ent often avoid it.

Solution:

           1. in urban projects, clear benchmarks such as the number of meetings, diversity of participants and response time have to determine whether a consultation is inclusive and effective.

            2  .Regulations have to unambiguously state what prior disclosures are needed when meetings have to be held and insist on publicly listing reasons for accepting and declining suggestions.

3. Choosing the designer: Value for taxpayer money

                                           1. Design is a complex service that requires a high level of creativity to meet functional, performative and aesthetic needs.

                                          2. Poor choices disastrously impact downstream construction activities, building use, city functioning, and value for money. 

Solution:

                       1. Barring a few instances of open competition, which is an ideal way to choose from a larger pool of solutions, the state follows the alternative method of closed procurement

                         2. Adopts the Quality- and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS). The method allows for stipulating prerequisites for consultants, placing higher weightage on their technical competency and relatively lower weightage on financial proposals. 

4. Reducing the entry barrier:  Steep turnover conditions for architecture firms to qualify.

                              1. Those familiar with the design profession know that creative outcomes are not a function of the firm’s scale.

                          2.   Steep entry requirements eliminate medium and small size firms and enable only a handful of large firms to qualify. This detrimentally reduces the pool of choice.

Solution:  

                           Going forward, where open competitions are not possible, the next best alternative is to mandate a method that reduces the entry barrier

5. On state capacity:  India has a relatively low state capacity.

                 1. Whenever a case for adopting better practices is made, policymakers argue that developing countries such as India have a relatively low state capacity.

Solution:

          Higher standards set in the matured economy and sustained by governments with higher capacity cannot be hastily implanted. The prevalent argument is that practices will improve as economic growth happens and as the country builds capabilities.

• Parliament House building was designed by both Lutyens and Baker.
• Rashtrapati Bhavan was designed by Edwin Lutyens.

Other opposition ?

1. The Opposition, environmentalists, architects and citizens have raised many concerns even before the pandemic brought in extra issues.

2 They have questioned the lack of studies to ascertain the need for the project and its impact on the environment, traffic and pollution.

3. This led to allegations of a lack of transparency.

4. There were enough reasons to be circumspect about this grand idea from the very beginning.

5. In the situation created by the pandemic, it must be deferred and the idea revisited later.

 Way forward:

 

1.  The new parliament building will have a life of more than 150 years with more than 150% increase in seating capacity.

2. Parliament session in the new building: In the 75th year of independence (2022), Parliament session will be held in the new building. As many as 1,224 MPs can sit together in the new building.

3. Indigenous Architecture the new Parliament will have four floors-- basement, ground, first and second. It will integrate the indigenous architecture and the height will be same as the new building

4. Aatmanirbhar Bharat As quoted by ANI, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla stated that the new Parliament building will be one such temple of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, reflecting the diversity of India.