7 June

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7 June

10 June 2023 17:34

Sl. No. Topics Sources


1 Regionalism T.H
2 Manual Scavenging T.H
3 POCSO T.H
4 Pandemic Treaty T.H

1. UPSC Current Affairs: Regionalism| Page - 04


UPSC Syllabus: Social Issues| GS Paper - I
Sub Theme: Social Issues| UPSC

Regionalism: Regionalism means excessive attachment for a particular region or state as against
country as whole.

The term ‘regionalism’ has two connotations: negative sense and positive sense
Forms of regionalism:
o Demand for greater Autonomy:
o Bodoland, Gorkhaland, Vidarbha, Telangana.
o Delhi
o Kashmir
o Secession from the Union:
o Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura.
causes of regionalism:
o Geographical Factors
o Linguistic factors
o Religion
o Regional Culture/Ethnicity
o Economic backwardness
o Lower level of infrastructural facilities
o Political and administration failure
o “Son of the soil” mentality
o Rise of Political Parties with a regionalist agenda
Impacts
Positive impacts
• Positive role in nation building: If demands of regions are accommodated by political system
of country, people of that region feel empowered and closer to the larger nation.
• Strengthened representative democracy: Regionalism has a democratising effect as it helps
people feel more involved in institutions of local and regional governance.
• Balanced regional development
Negative impacts
• Internal security challenges
• Politics of vote bank
• Hurdles in international diplomacy
• Negatively impacts economic growth

Way Forward:
• Political parties should try to avoid partisanship
• Doing away with regional imbalance
• Cultural sensitization programs
• Promote national identity
• National Integration council

2. UPSC Current Affairs: Manual Scavenger| Page - 14


UPSC Syllabus: Social Justice| Mains: GS Paper II

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UPSC Syllabus: Social Justice| Mains: GS Paper II
Sub Theme: Vulnerable Section I UPSC

Manual Scavenger

• As per As Per The Prohibition Of Employment As Manual Scavengers And Their Rehabilitation Act,
2013 manual scavenger means:
A person engaged or employed, by an individual or a local authority or an agency or a
contractor, for manually cleaning, carrying, disposing of, or otherwise handling in any manner,
human excreta in an insanitary latrine or in an open drain or pit into which the human excreta
from the insanitary latrines is disposed of, or on a railway track or in such other spaces or
premises, as the Central Government or a State Government may notify, before the excreta fully
decomposes in such manner as may be prescribed, and the expression manual scavenging shall
be construed accordingly.

The International Labor Organization have segregated manual scavenging into three different parts:
1. Removal of human dunk from dry latrines and streets,
2. Cleaning and washing of septic tanks,
3. Cleaning and washing of gutters and sewers.

Legal safeguards In India

1. Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955


• It punishes the preaching and practice of Untouchability and enforcement of any disability against
any member of the society.

2. The Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989
• The Act punishes anyone who compels or employs a member of Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe
to carry human or animal carcasses or for manual scavenging. Further, the Act post amendment also
established Special Courts and Exclusive Special Courts for trial of offences punishable under the Act.

3. Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993
• It seeks to rehabilitate manual scavengers and provide for their alternative employment. Each local
authority, cantonment board and railway authority is responsible for surveying insanitary latrines
within its jurisdiction.
• They shall also construct a number of sanitary community latrines. It provided for imprisonment of
up to a year and a fine. Though the construction of dry latrines has drastically reduced, the number of
deaths in manholes, sewers and septic tanks continues to remain high.

4. National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act, 1993


• NCSK Act established National Commission for Safai Karamcharis with powers to investigate
grievances & take suo moto notice of matters relating to sanitary workers.
• However, the Act lapsed in 2004

Reason behind its prevalence

• Poor enforcement of Act and Policies - Several acts have failed to remove the menace of manual
scavenging due to their lackluster implementation.
• Caste system - Manual scavenging has remained closely associated with the age long feature of caste
system in India.
• Low level of technological intervention - Poor sewage treatment apparatus in Urban and rural area
have given scope for further engagement of the people in such jobs.
• Lack of alternative career options - Age old stigma attached to person associated with such jobs
coupled with poor education level.
• Prevalence of dry toilets - Both urban and rural landscape lack the waterborne toilets.

Impact of Manual Scavenging

• Poverty
Most of sanitation worker are not aware of employment laws, remunerations laws etc.

• Health Issues
Abundant of diseases they face during life span.

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Abundant of diseases they face during life span.
• Social discrimination
they face discrimination at all the levels of lifecycle.

Way Ahead

• Social awareness
Nagar Palika, NGOs, Health Officers, and Social Communities should create awareness among the
manual scavenger community regarding health issues, hygiene practices, and sanitization processes.
• Rehabilitation and rejuvenate of Manual Scavengers
More employment should be created, and this community should be prioritised.

• Enforcement of laws
Many of the laws are being enacted to protect the sanitation workers, but when it comes to
implementation, these laws have failed to show results. So stringent enforcement of laws should be
ensured by training and sensitizing the officials entrusted with such tasks.
• Use of technology
Use of technology and scientific management of waste management should be prioritized to curb the
menace of manual scavenging
• Education
Financial assistance should be ensured to children of such families so that certain level of skill and
education can be imparted to help them in grabbing alternative job opportunities.

3. UPSC Current Affairs: POCSO| Page - 14


Sub Theme: POLITY GOVERNANCE |UPSC

About POCSO:
• In order to effectively address the heinous crimes of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children
through less ambiguous and more stringent legal provisions, Protection of Children from Sexual
Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 was enacted.
Salient features of the POCSO Act:
• child as any person below eighteen years of age.
• different forms of sexual abuse for first time, which includes “penetrative sexual assault”,
“sexual assault” and “sexual harassment” and deems a sexual assault to be “aggravated” under
certain circumstances, such as when the abused child is mentally ill or when the abuse is committed
by a person in a position of trust or authority vis-à-vis the child, like a family member, police officer,
teacher, or doctor.
• People who traffic children for sexual purposes are also punishable under the provisions relating
to abetment in the Act.
• establishment of Special Courts
• child friendly procedures for reporting, recording of evidence, investigation and trial of offences.
• mandatory to report commission of an offence and also the recording of complaint and failure to do so
would make a person liable for punishment of imprisonment. (Section 19)
• The media has been barred from disclosing the identity of the child without the permission of the
Special Court.

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Key challenges to the implementation of POSCO act:
• Legal Inconsistencies: While the POCSO Act criminalised sexual intercourse with a woman less than
18 years of age, Exception 2 to Section 375 of the IPC carved out an exception in cases where the
‘wife’ was more than 15 years of age. Consequently, sexual intercourse by a man with his wife who
was more than 15 years of age, was not rape.
• Disclosure of identities: numerous instances when the identity of child victims has been revealed by
the media or court themselves while giving verdict.
• Mandatory reporting provision: The mandatory reporting provision of crimes under the act proved
to be counterproductive as victims of sexual abuse or their families may hesitate to approach medical
professionals for fear of being drawn into a criminal case, thereby negatively impacting their right to
health and medical care. It hinders adolescents’ access to safe and legal sexual and reproductive
services, including legal abortions and contraceptives.
• Applicability to consensual relations in minors: The POCSO Act made any sexual activity
involving a child an offence under the Act. By rendering teenagers incapable of giving consent to
sexual relationships, consensual ‘romantic relationships’ between teenagers often get criminalised.
• Delay in investigation: The pendency of POCSO cases is very high due to slow pace of police
investigations and delay in submitting the reports by forensic laboratories.
• Lack of Special Courts in all districts: Though the POCSO Act came into force in 2012, designation
of Special Courts (as mandated by the Act) did not happen at the expected pace.
• Inadequate compensation to the victims: The payment of compensation to victims under the
POCSO Act is a complex issue because there is often a lack of clarity on procedures for disbursing the
compensation.
• Inadequate awareness about the POCSO Act

Measures need to be taken:


• Awareness and Education: Increase awareness about the act by including age-appropriate
information about POCSO in school curriculum, including information on helplines like Childline.
• Reporting Mechanisms: dedicated helplines, online platforms, and child-friendly complaint
mechanisms.
• Child-Friendly Environment: Ensure child-friendly investigation procedures and settings, where
children are interviewed in a non-threatening, supportive, and age-appropriate manner to minimize
trauma.
• Strengthening Law Enforcement: Establish specialized units or cells within the police force to deal
with cases under the POCSO Act. Set up more Forensic laboratories while improving the capacity
and infrastructure of existing ones.
• Special Courts: Set up dedicated special courts to expedite the trial of POCSO cases, ensuring a
child-friendly environment, and fast-track justice. Stipulate a time limit for consideration of
disbursement of compensation to the victim.
• Confidentiality and Privacy: Ensure the confidentiality and privacy of victims throughout the legal
process, including protection against public disclosure of their identities.
• Rehabilitation and Support: Provide comprehensive support services, including counselling,
medical assistance, and rehabilitation programs, for victims and their families.
• Public Prosecutors and Legal Support: Enhance legal aid and support services for victims to ensure

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• Public Prosecutors and Legal Support: Enhance legal aid and support services for victims to ensure
their rights are protected during the legal process.
• Collaboration and Coordination: Foster collaboration among various stakeholders, including
government agencies, law enforcement, child protection organizations, schools, and NGOs, to
coordinate efforts and share resources in implementing the POCSO Act effectively.
• Appropriate amendments to the law to decriminalise adolescent sexuality.

4. UPSC Current Affairs: Pandemic Treaty| Page - 11


Sub Theme: IR|UPSC

Anti-Microbial Resistance:
• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the process by which infections caused by microbes become
resistant to medicines/antimicrobial treatments (such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals,
antimalarials, and anthelmintics) developed to treat them.
o Microbes include bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites.
• As a result, traditional therapies are rendered ineffective, illnesses persist, and the risk of spreading the
infection to others increases. Antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms are frequently referred to as
"superbugs."

Factors contributing to AMR:


• Misuse of antibiotics by buying over-the-counter/wrong prescription. Widespread use of antibiotics
over the last years due to COVID-19.
• Rampant use of antibiotics in agriculture and farming sector. E.g., Streptomycin used for treating
Tuberculosis is used indiscriminately to grow fruits & vegetables, Colistin is mixed in poultry feed to
make chickens grow faster.
• Untreated waste from pharmaceutical manufacturing sites and hospitals releases large amounts of
active antimicrobials into the environment.
• Incomplete course of antimicrobial drugs may develop drug resistance. E.g., MDR-Tuberculosis.
• Lack of hygiene and sanitation, infrastructural standards such as quality of drinking water and
sanitation levels also contribute to AMR.

Rising Risk due to AMR:

• AMR is fueling the rise of drug-resistant infections, including:


o drug-resistant tuberculosis
o drug-resistant pneumonia
o drug-resistant Staph infections such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
AMR has made it harder to treat such infections and also, adds to the burden of
communicable diseases and strains the health systems of a country.

• AMR has been named one of the top ten global health hazards by the World Health Organisation
(WHO).
o In 2019, AMR was associated with an estimated 4.95 million human deaths.
o A 2018 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
warned of a phenomenal increase in resistance to backup antibiotics (second and third-line) by
2030.

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2030.

• AMR imposes a huge health cost on the patient in the form of longer hospitalisation, health
complications and delayed recovery. It puts patients undergoing major surgeries and treatments, such
as chemotherapy, at a greater risk.

The Pandemic Instrument:


• In December 2021, the 194 World Health Organization (WHO) Member States agreed to draft and
negotiate an international pandemic instrument/treaty.
• Aim: To strengthen and coordinate national and international efforts to prevent, prepare for, and
respond to future pandemic emergencies.
Concern:
• However, the draft Pandemic Instrument is overly focused on viral threats and has ignored the
“silent” pandemic of antimicrobial resistance and bacterial threats.
• But, it is a cause of concern as not all pandemics in the past have been caused by viruses and not all
pandemics in the future will be caused by viruses. E.g., Plague and cholera have been devastating past
pandemics due to bacteria.
o Even in the case of a viral pandemic, secondary bacterial infections will be a serious issue.
E.g., COVID-19 patients were associated with pneumonia — a secondary bacterial infection
that must be treated with antibiotics.

Way Forward:
• The “pandemic treaty” must plan, prepare and develop effective tools to respond to a wider range of
pandemic threats, not solely viruses. Hence, there is a need to include bacterial pathogens in the
definition of “pandemics”.
• AMR exceeds the capacity of any single country or sector to solve. Global political action is needed
to ensure the international community works together to collectively mitigate AMR and support the
conservation, development and equitable distribution of safe and effective antimicrobials.
• Treating bacterial infections requires effective antibiotics, and with AMR increasing, effective
antibiotics are becoming a scarce resource. Hence, more government investment in research and
innovation is needed to develop new antibiotics.

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