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Marital Rape: An Indignity to Women

This article is based on Marital rape: an indignity to women, which was published in The Hindu on 31/08/2021. It talks about the issues related to...

31 Aug 2021 Role of Women
Women in Combat Role in ITBP

Why in News For the first time, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) inducted women officers in the combat role. Two women officers joined it as...

11 Aug 2021 Role of Women
Women’s Reservation Bill

Why in News Recently, a political party has raised the demand of bringing the long-pending Women’s Reservation Bill to Parliament, ahead of...

17 Jul 2021 Role of Women
Women After Pandemic

This article is based on Women work more, earn less, and face greater health risks which was published in Hindustan Times on 15/07/2021. It talks...

15 Jul 2021 Role of Women
Dowry System in India

This article is based on “Breaking the chain” which was published in The Indian Express on 02/07/2021. It talks about the menace of...

03 Jul 2021 Role of Women
Role of Religion & Patriarchy

This article is based on “Challenging patriarchy in religion” which was published in The Hindustan Times on 25/06/2021. It talks about...

26 Jun 2021 Role of Women
Women in Military

Why in News Two women officers have been selected to undergo helicopter pilot training for the first time in the Army Aviation Corps. They will join...

10 Jun 2021 Role of Women
Biodegradable Yoga Mat

Why in News Recently, six young girls from the fishing community from Assam have developed a biodegradable and compostable yoga mat called...

12 May 2021 Role of Women
The Big Picture: Women Led Development Model

Why in News? In charting a new growth story India is transitioning from women’s development to ‘women-led development’. Key...

07 Apr 2021 Role of Women
Pros & Cons of Bad Bank

This article is based on “Bad bank, good move” which was published in The Indian Express on 23/03/2021. It talks about the pros and...

24 Mar 2021 Role of Women
Unpaid Work

This article is based on “How to treat unpaid work” which was published in The Hindu on 22/03/2021. It talks about the issues related...

23 Mar 2021 Role of Women
India’s Women and the Workforce

This article is based on “India’s women and the workforce” which was published in The Hindustan Times on 08/03/2021. It talks...

12 Mar 2021 Role of Women
Wages for Housework

Why in News Recently, a political party of Tamil Nadu has promised salaries to housewives as a part of its electoral campaign. A report by the...

09 Jan 2021 Role of Women
Water, Sanitation & Women’s Rights

This article is based on “Women must be centre-stage in water and sanitation” which was published in The Hindustan Times on 31/12/2020....

01 Jan 2021 Role of Women
Data on Police Organisations: BPRD

Why in News Recently, the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) has released data on police organisations. It shows different aspects...

30 Dec 2020 Role of Women
Marital Rape in India

This article is based on “The impunity of marital rape” which was published in The Indian Express on 18/12/2020. It talks about the...

22 Dec 2020 Role of Women
Inter-Faith Marriage & Personal Liberty

This article is based on “UP anti-conversion law pushes women back under parental and community control” which was published in The...

18 Dec 2020 Role of Women
Government Order for PC of Women in Army

Why in News Recently, the Ministry of Defence has issued the formal Government Sanction Letter for grant of Permanent Commission (PC) to Women...

24 Jul 2020 Role of Women
International Nurses Day

Why in News The International Nurses Day is annually observed on May 12. May 12 was chosen for celebrating the day as it is the birth anniversary...

12 May 2020 Role of Women
Permanent Mission to UN

Why in News India has appointed T S Tirumurti as its Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN). Key Points Permanent Mission to the...

01 May 2020 Role of Women

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		'title' => 'Marital Rape: An Indignity to Women',
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<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/marital-rape-an-indignity-to-women/article36188225.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Marital rape: an indignity to women</strong></a>, which was published in The Hindu on 31/08/2021. It talks about the issues related to non criminalisation of marital rape and suggest a way forward.</p>
</div>
<p>A recent case in Chhattisgarh High Court has reignited the debate about non-criminalisation of marital rape. Even though many legal amendments have been done in criminal law for the protection of the women, the non-criminalization of marital rape in India undermines the dignity and human rights of women.</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Recent Case</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The High Court of Chhattisgarh recently decided on a criminal revision petition challenging the charges framed against the applicant husband.</li>
<li>Based on the allegations of his wife, charges were framed by a trial court under Section 376 (rape), Section 377 (carnal intercourse against the order of nature) and Section 498A (cruelty towards wife by husband or his relatives) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).</li>
<li>The High Court upheld charges under Sections 498A and 377 but<strong> discharged the husband</strong> under Section 376 on the ground that <strong>by virtue of Exception 2 to Section 375 (the definition of rape), sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife (provided she is over the age of 18) would not amount to the offence of rape.</strong></li>
<li>Since the High Court was bound by the law, which exempts husbands from being tried or punished for raping their wives by creating the legal fiction that all sex within marriage is consensual, no other conclusion was open to the Court.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Notwithstanding this, the discrepancies and failings of Indian criminal law, highlighted by the judgment, deserve scrutiny.</p>
<h3>Issues With Marital Rape Exception</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Inconsistent Provision:</strong> A husband may be tried for offences such as sexual harassment, molestation, voyeurism, and forcible disrobing in the same way as any other man. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Moreover, husband separated from his wife may even be tried for rape <strong>(Section 376B).</strong></li>
<li>However, the marital rape exception is inconsistent with other sexual offences.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Patriarchal Beliefs:</strong> The marital rape exception is an <strong>insult to the constitutional goals</strong> of individual autonomy, dignity and of gender equality enshrined in fundamental rights such as <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/fundamental-rights-part-1#:~:text=Protection%20of%20Life%20and%20Personal,both%20citizens%20and%20non%2Dcitizens." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Article 21 (the right to life)</strong> </a>and <strong>Article 14 (the right to equality).</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In<strong> Joseph Shine v. Union of India (2018),</strong> the Supreme Court held that the offence of adultery was unconstitutional because it was founded on the principle that a woman is her husband&rsquo;s property after marriage.</li>
<li>The marital rape exception betrays a similar patriarchal belief: that upon marriage, a wife&rsquo;s right to personal and sexual autonomy, bodily integrity and human dignity are surrendered.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Destroy the Institution of Marriage:</strong> A commonly cited rationale even by the government for preserving the marital rape exemption is that recognising marital rape as a criminal offence would <strong>&lsquo;destroy the institution of marriage&rsquo;. </strong></li>
<li><strong>Doctrine of Coverture:</strong> Non-Criminalised nature of Marital rape emanates from the British era. The Marital rape is largely influenced by and derived from this doctrine of merging the woman&rsquo;s identity with that of her husband.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>At the time the IPC was drafted in the 1860s, a married woman was not considered an independent legal entity.</li>
<li>The marital exception to the IPC&rsquo;s definition of rape was drafted on the basis of Victorian patriarchal norms that did not recognize men and women as equals, did not allow married women to own property, and merged the identities of husband and wife under the<strong> &ldquo;Doctrine of Coverture.&rdquo;</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Against International Obligation:</strong> Antithetical to the liberal and progressive values of our Constitution, and violative of India&rsquo;s international obligations under instruments such as the Convention on the <strong>Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,</strong> the provision underlines women&rsquo;s subordination to men, especially within marriage. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In 2017, the Supreme Court had read down the exception so that husbands who raped their minor wives could no longer hide behind it.</li>
<li>It is high time adult women are afforded the same protection and dignity in marriage.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Impacts of Marital Rape on Women</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Mental health impacts</strong> associated with marital rape and other forms of abuse by partners include <strong>depression, anxiety, emotional distress and suicidal thoughts.</strong></li>
<li>Marital rape and violence also <strong>undermine children&rsquo;s health and well-being,</strong> both through the <strong>psychological impacts</strong> of witnessing violence and because it can undermine the ability of mothers to care for themselves and their children.</li>
<li>Marital rape victims are more likely than stranger and acquaintance rape victims to experience multiple rape incidents. Marital rape victims suffer long-lasting physical injuries that are as severe or more severe than victims of stranger rape experience.</li>
<li>Victims of marital rape may remain in the marriage for a variety of reasons. These include: fear of more violence, loss of financial security, a low sense of self-worth, and false hope that their partner will change.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Not Against Institution of Marriage:</strong> The government defended exception to marital rape in<strong> Independent Thought v. Union of India (2017)</strong> saying it against the institution of marriage.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, rejecting this claim, the Supreme Court observed, <strong>&ldquo;Marriage is not institutional but personal</strong> &ndash; nothing can destroy the &lsquo;institution&rsquo; of marriage except a statute that makes marriage illegal and punishable.&rdquo;</li>
<li>In this context, marital rape can be taken out of the exception.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Criminalise the Marital Rape:</strong> The <a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-analysis/26-11-2019/print" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women</strong></a> defines violence against women as &ldquo;any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.&rdquo;<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In 2013, the UN Committee on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) recommended that the Indian government should criminalize marital rape.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Justice Verma Committee Report:</strong> The <a href="/pdf/1601622519-j-s-verma-committee-on-sexual-harassment-at-workplace-act.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>JS Verma committee</strong> </a>set up in the aftermath of nationwide protests over the December 16, 2012 gang rape case had also recommended the criminalisation of the marital rape.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>By removing this law, women will be safer from abusive spouses, can receive the help needed to recover from marital rape and can save themselves from domestic violence and sexual abuse.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Women&rsquo;s Rights Awareness Programme:</strong> Awareness campaign based in Kenya can provide shelter, counselling, practical and legal advice and other services to survivors of gender-based violence.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Educational and prevention programs on local, state, and national levels can be initiated for spreading awareness.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Indian law now affords husbands and wives separate and independent legal identities, and much jurisprudence in the modern era is explicitly concerned with the protection of women.</p>
<p>Therefore, it is high time that the legislature should take cognisance of this legal infirmity and bring marital rape within the purview of rape laws by eliminating Section 375 (Exception 2) of IPC.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1630410333_image7.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1630410333_image7.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" caption="false" width="414" height="512" /></a></p>
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<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fcfff2;">
<p><span style="color: #333399;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>The marital rape exception to the definition of rape is antithetical to women&rsquo;s dignity, equality and autonomy. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
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		'title' => 'Women in Combat Role in ITBP',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>For the first time, the<strong> Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)</strong> inducted women officers in the combat role. Two women officers joined it as Assistant Commandants (AC).</p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>ITBP</strong> is a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/central-armed-police-force-capf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Central Armed Police Force</strong></a> functioning under the <strong>Ministry of Home Affairs,</strong> Government of India.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Other Central Armed Police Forces are: <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/proposal-for-merging-assam-rifles-and-indo-tibetan-border-police" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Assam Rifles (AR)</strong></a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bsf-raising-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Border Security Force (BSF)</strong></a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-11-march-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)</strong></a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/central-reserve-police-force" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)</strong></a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-security-guard-nsg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Security Guards (NSG)</strong></a> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sashastra-seema-bal" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The ITBP was raised on<strong> 24<sup>th</sup> October, 1962</strong> during the<strong> India-China War</strong> and is a <strong>border guarding police force </strong>specializing in<strong> high altitude operations.</strong></li>
<li>Presently, ITBP is deployed on border guarding duties from<strong> Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Jachep La in Arunachal Pradesh</strong> covering 3488 km of<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-china-conflict" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Indo-China Border.</strong></a></li>
<li>The Force is also deployed for <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/naxalism-left-wing-extremism-internal-security-threat-vulnerabilities" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Anti Naxal operations</strong></a> and other internal security duties.</li>
<li>ITBP was initially raised under the <strong>Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Act,</strong> 1949. However, in <strong>1992, parliament enacted the ITBPF Act</strong> and the rules were framed in 1994.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Women officers joining the ITBP as officers have served in combat roles earlier as well.</li>
<li>However, it was only in 2016 when the appointment of women as combat officers through the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) entrance exam conducted by the UPSC (<a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/public-service-commissions-union-and-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Union Public Service Commission</strong></a>) was approved.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Status of Women in the Indian Armed Forces (under the Ministry of Defence):</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Army, Air Force and Navy</strong> began <strong>inducting women as short-service commission (SSC) officers in 1992.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This was the first time when women were allowed to join the military outside the medical stream.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>One of the turning points for women in the military came<strong> in 2015 when Indian Air Force (IAF) decided to induct them into the fighter stream.</strong></li>
<li>In <strong>2020,</strong> the <strong><a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/supreme-court-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supreme Court (SC)</a> ordered the central government to grant <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/government-order-for-pc-of-women-in-army" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Permanent Commission</a> (PC) to women officers in the Army's non-combat support units</strong> on par with their male counterparts.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The SC had<strong> rejected the government&rsquo;s stand of women officers&rsquo; physiological limitations</strong> as being based on "sex stereotypes" and "gender discrimination against women&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Women officers have been granted PC in the Indian Army in all the ten branches where women are inducted for SSC.</li>
<li>Women are <strong>now eligible to occupy all the command appointments,</strong> at par with male officers, which would open avenues for further promotions to higher ranks for them.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In early<strong> 2021,</strong> the <strong>Indian Navy deployed four women officers on warships</strong> after a gap of almost 25 years.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India&rsquo;s aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and fleet tanker INS Shakti are the warships that have been assigned their first women crews since the late 1990s.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In <strong>May 2021,</strong> the<strong> Army inducted the first batch of women into the Corps of Military Police,</strong> the <strong>first time that women joined the military in the non-officer cadre.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>However, Women are<strong> still not allowed in combat arms like Infantry and Armored Corps.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Issues with Women in Combat Role:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Physical Issues:</strong> The natural physical differences in stature, strength, and body composition between the sexes make women more vulnerable to certain types of injuries and medical problems. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Pre-entry physical fitness levels tend to be lower in most women recruits compared with men.</li>
<li>Hence, when standards of training remain same for the two genders, there is a higher probability of injuries among the women.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Physiological Issues:</strong> The natural processes of menstruation and pregnancy make women particularly vulnerable in combat situations. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Lack of privacy and sanitation can result in an increased incidence of genitourinary infections.</li>
<li>The effect of prolonged deployment in difficult terrains and grueling physical activity on the reproductive health of women is still unknown.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Social and Psychological Issues:</strong> Women tend to be more attached to their families, particularly their children. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This translates into greater mental stress and requirement of social support to sustain themselves during prolonged separations from family.</li>
<li>The issue of military sexual trauma (MST) and its effect on the physical and mental well-being of women combatants is grave.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Conventional Barriers:</strong> Cultural barriers in society may be the biggest impediment to induction of women in combat.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Another major question that needs to be studied is the acceptance of orders of the women officers by the jawans.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Counter-Arguments:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Gender is not a Hindrance:</strong> As long as an applicant is qualified for a position, one&rsquo;s gender is arbitrary. In the modern high technology battlefield, technical expertise and decision-making skills are increasingly more valuable than simple brute strength.</li>
<li><strong>Military Readiness:</strong> Allowing a mixed gender force keeps the military strong. The armed forces are severely troubled by falling retention and recruitment rates. This can be addressed by allowing women in the combat role.</li>
<li><strong>Effectiveness:</strong> The blanket restriction for women limits the ability of commanders in theater to pick the most capable person for the job.</li>
<li><strong>Tradition:</strong> Training will be required to facilitate the integration of women into combat units. Cultures change over time and the masculine subculture can evolve too.</li>
<li><strong>Global Scenario:</strong> When women officially became eligible for combat positions in the American military in 2013, it was widely hailed as another step towards the equality of sexes. In 2018, the UK military lifted a ban on women serving in close combat ground roles, clearing the way for them to serve in elite special forces.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Women were being kept out of command posts on the reasoning that the largely rank and file will have problems with women as commanding officers. Thus, changes have to take place in the culture, norms, and values of not only the rank and file of the Army but also that of society at large. The responsibility to usher these changes lies with the senior military and political leadership.</li>
<li>The United States, Israel, North Korea, France, Germany, Netherlands, Australia and Canada are among the global militaries that employ women in front-line combat positions.</li>
<li>It is the right of every woman to pursue a career of her choice and reach the top since Equality is a constitutional guarantee.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/itbp-inducts-its-first-women-officers-in-combat/article35799543.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 8900,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Women’s Reservation Bill',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, a political party has <strong>raised the demand</strong> of bringing the long-pending <strong>Women&rsquo;s Reservation Bill to Parliament</strong>, ahead of the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/monsoon-session-of-parliament-begins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">monsoon session</a>.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Bill was introduced in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/role-of-rajya-sabha" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Rajya Sabha</strong></a> <strong>in May 2008</strong> and was referred to a <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/parliamentary-committee-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener">standing committee</a>.</strong> In 2010, it was passed in the House and transmitted finally to the <strong><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/the-office-of-speaker-of-lok-sabha" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lok Sabha</a>.</strong> However, the Bill <strong>lapsed with the 15<sup>th</sup> Lok Sabha.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Origin:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>original idea</strong> for this bill <strong>originated from a constitutional amendment</strong> which was passed back in <strong>1993.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>constitutional amendment</strong> stated that a random <strong>one third of village council leader, or Sarpanch, positions in the gram panchayat</strong> should be reserved for women.</li>
<li>The <strong>Women's Reservation Bill was launched as a long term plan to extend this reservation to Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>About the Bill:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The bill seeks <strong>to reserve 33% seats in Lok Sabha and all state legislative assemblies for women.</strong></li>
<li>Reserved seats <strong>may be allotted by rotation to different constituencies</strong> in the state or union territory.</li>
<li>Reservation of seats for women <strong>shall cease to exist 15 years after the commencement</strong> of this Amendment Act.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Need:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-gender-gap-report-2021-wef" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Global Gender Gap Report 2021</strong></a>, <strong>India has declined</strong> on the <strong>political empowerment index</strong> by <strong>13.5 percentage points</strong>, and a decline in the <strong>number of women ministers</strong>, from <strong>23.1% in 2019 to 9.1% in 2021.</strong></li>
<li>It is acknowledged even by the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/highlights-of-economic-survey-2021#:~:text=Recently%2C%20the%20Union%20Minister%20of,%22Saving%20Lives%20and%20Livelihoods%22." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> government's Economic Surveys</strong></a> that women's representatives in Lok Sabha and the legislative assemblies are abysmally low.</li>
<li>The<strong> various surveys</strong> do indicate that <strong>women representatives from Panchayati Raj have worked commendably in the development and overall well-being of society</strong> in villages and many of them would definitely want to work on the larger scale, however, they <strong>face various challenges</strong> in the political structure prevalent in India.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Challenges</strong> include lack of proper political education, low financial power of women in society, sexual violence, manifestations of insecure patriarchy, uneven distribution of household work between men and women, etc.</li>
<li>The <strong>phenomenon of Panchayat Patis &ndash; husbands</strong> (or other male relatives) using women as proxies in PRIs and wielding the real power &ndash; is prevalent.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Women&rsquo;s political empowerment is premised on three <strong>fundamental and non-negotiable principles:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>equality</strong> between women and men.</li>
<li>Women&rsquo;s right to a <strong>full development</strong> of their potential.</li>
<li>Women&rsquo;s right to <strong>self representation and self-determination.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>There is a <strong>gender gap</strong> in <strong>political decision-making</strong>, and women leaders need to come out more in numbers to <strong>impact position decisions</strong> and <strong>inspire teenage girls to contribute to nation-building.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Issues:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has been argued that it <strong>would perpetuate the unequal status of women</strong> since they would not be <strong>perceived to be competing on merit.</strong></li>
<li>It is also contended that this policy <strong>diverts attention from the larger issues of electoral reform</strong> such as criminalisation of politics and inner party democracy.</li>
<li>It <strong>restricts the choice of voters</strong> to women candidates.</li>
<li><strong>Rotation of reserved constituencies</strong> in <strong>every election</strong> may reduce the<strong> incentive for an MP</strong> to work for his constituency as he may be <strong>ineligible to seek re-election from that constituency.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Some experts have suggested the <strong>adoption/promotion of alternative methods</strong>, such as reservation in political parties and dual member constituencies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/panchayati-raj-institution-pri" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs)</strong></a> have played a significant role in bringing <strong>women representatives at grass-root level</strong>. Many States have granted 50% <strong>reservation for women candidates in elections.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Fundamental reforms at the party level</strong> will serve as a necessary and strategic compliment to the Women&rsquo;s Reservation Bill. Even if the bill is derailed further, it should not stop political parties from making internal structures more conducive to women entering politics.</li>
<li>Here, it is important to underline and <strong>differentiate the Indian perspective on quotas from that of the West.</strong> Unlike the West, where quotas are almost a bad word, the Indian paradigm has seen such quotas emerge as invaluable tools for social leverage.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>They are <strong>redistributive tools meant to ameliorate centuries of continued oppression.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Even once women are on the same table as men in politics, they may continue to face the challenges mentioned. There is a need to <strong>bring about institutional, social and behavioral change</strong> among India&rsquo;s populace. Gender equality is a part of <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals</strong></a> as well.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bring-in-womens-reservation-bill-says-trinamool-congress/article35368228.ece&amp;sa=D&amp;source=editors&amp;ust=1626524380263000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Y4H_FJ-dcGXx9exzTHBOj" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 8881,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Women After Pandemic',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/women-work-more-earn-less-and-face-greater-health-risks-101626262199540.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Women work more, earn less, and face greater health risks</strong></a> which was published in Hindustan Times on 15/07/2021. It talks about the issues women have faced during and after the pandemic and ways to recover from those impacts.</p>
</div>
<p>Women tend to be the backbone of society during crises, even as they are also more likely to face the disproportionate impacts of such events. The <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/reasons-for-rising-covid-19-infections-second-wave" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Covid-19</a> pandemic</strong> is no different.</p>
<p>It has severely exacerbated existing gendered barriers, widened India&rsquo;s gender gap in the workforce, and affected (overwhelmingly female) caregivers and frontline workers.</p>
<p>Moreover, Dalberg conducted one of the largest studies of the socio-economic impacts of Covid-19 on women in low-income households, which pointed out that there is a multi-generational impact of poor nutrition, lack of access to contraceptives, and debt.</p>
<h3>Impact on Women</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>More Women Unemployed:</strong> Women were more affected than men by employment issues. Women made up just 24% of those working before the pandemic, yet accounted for 28% of all those who lost their jobs.</li>
<li><strong>Issues of Food Insecurity:</strong> Loss in incomes for women as well as their households led to reduction in food supply and women were affected more than other members of the family.</li>
<li><strong>Issues of Reproductive Health:</strong> Women&rsquo;s health indicators also deteriorated because they could no longer afford contraception and menstrual products. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>About 16% of women (an estimated 17 million if extrapolated) had to stop using menstrual pads, and more than one in three married women were unable to access contraceptives.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Unpaid Labour:</strong> Indian women already do almost three times more unpaid work than Indian men, and the survey showed a 47% increase in unpaid labour for women, and a 41% increase in unpaid care work for women.</li>
<li><strong>Marginalised Groups:</strong> Women from historically marginalised groups (Muslims, migrants, single/separated/divorced), were more affected than the average woman. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The variance is across the board, with more single, separated/divorced women having limited food or running out of food and many more Muslim women losing their income and livelihood.</li>
<li>Conditions on the ground are likely to worsen for those women (such as <strong>dalit women</strong> and<strong> transgender individuals</strong>) who bear the brunt of social discrmination.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Expanding public distribution system (PDS):</strong> Expanding <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/public-distribution-system-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>PDS</strong></a> beyond food as it&rsquo;s a far-reaching delivery channel. For instance, women&rsquo;s access to menstrual pads could be revolutionised in this fashion for the short term, improving reach considerably. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Bundling free menstrual hygiene products with PDS would relax women&rsquo;s dependence on income for these essentials.</li>
<li>Optimally, this would go hand-in-hand with national-, state- and district-level awareness drives around menstrual health and hygiene.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Benefits of Schemes Must Be Universalised:</strong> Enlist Women on <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/mgnrega-and-migrant-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>MGNREGA</strong></a> job cards to increase the total number of person-days to meet women&rsquo;s demand for job opportunities.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Strengthen the resilience of <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/self-help-groups-shgs" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>SHGs</strong></a> by focusing on their economic recovery and market linkages via the existing <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/day-nrlm-special-package-for-j-k-and-ladakh" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana &ndash; National Rural Livelihoods Mission.</strong></a></li>
<li>SHGs could also provide technical and managerial training to help women develop the skills needed to run small businesses digitally.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Inclusive Approach:</strong> Focus on the inclusion of single, divorced/separated women in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/one-nation-one-ration-card-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>One Nation One Ration Card</strong></a> rollout, and build social assistance programmes for <strong>informal workers,</strong> specifically domestic workers and casual labourers.</li>
<li><strong>Increasing Awareness:</strong> The government can build upon and accelerate its existing efforts through <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-health-mission-and-janani-suraksha-yojana#:~:text=Accredited%20Social%20Health%20Activist%20(ASHA,a%20community%20level%20care%20provider." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA)</strong></a> workers, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-s-stabilising-population-nfhs-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Mission Parivar Vikas</strong></a>, and other schemes to strategically focus on contraceptive usage.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>According to the survey, one in three women said that government welfare schemes and SHGs had played an important role in helping them navigate the pandemic. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Specifically, the<strong> Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS),</strong> the <strong>Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana,</strong> and the <strong>public distribution system (PDS)</strong> supported 12 million, 100 million, and 180 million women respectively during the crisis.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Thus, there is a need for universalising, deepening, and extending the government schemes and SHG setups in order to help every woman come out of the ill impact from the pandemic as soon as possible.</li>
<li>Making the right investments in women&rsquo;s issues now could prove transformational in the long-term recovery and health of our economy and society.</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fffff7;">
<p><span style="color: #333399;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>&lsquo;Women tend to be the backbone of society during crises, even as they are also more likely to face the disproportionate impacts of such events.&rsquo; Analyse the statement in the light of Covid-19 pandemic.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
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		'article_id' => (int) 8774,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Dowry System in India',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/why-a-grassroots-mass-movement-is-necessary-to-fight-dowry-7385022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Breaking the chain&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Indian Express on 02/07/2021. It talks about the menace of dowry in India.</p>
</div>
<p>Dowry is a social evil in society that has caused unimaginable tortures and crimes towards women and polluted the Indian marital system. Dowry is payment made in cash or kind to a bride&rsquo;s in-laws at the time of her marriage.</p>
<p>Today the government has come up with many laws (<a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-editorials/05-12-2019#:~:text=The%20Dowry%20Prohibition%20Act%2C%201961,at%20their%20place%20of%20work." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The Dowry Prohibition Act 1961</strong></a>) and reforms, not only to eradicate the dowry system, but also to uplift the status of the girl child by bringing in many schemes.</p>
<p>However, owing to the social nature of this problem, the legislation has failed to produce the desired results in our society.</p>
<p>In order to get rid of this problem, appealing to the social and moral consciousness of the people, providing education and economic independence for women, and effective enforcement of legislation against the dowry system, can help.</p>
<h3>Impact of Dowry System</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Gender Discrimnation:</strong> Due to the dowry system, many a times it has been seen that women are seen as a liability and are often subjected to subjugation and are given second hand treatment may it be in education or other amenities.</li>
<li><strong>Affecting Career of Women:</strong> The larger context for the practice of dowry is the poor presence of women in the workforce, and their consequent lack of financial independence.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Poorer sections of society who send their daughters out to work and earn some money, to help them save up for her dowry.</li>
<li>The regular middle and upper class backgrounds do send their daughters to school, but don't emphasize career options.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Many Women End Up Being Unmarried:</strong> An uncountable number of girls in the country, despite being educated and professionally competent, remain endlessly unmarried because their parents cannot fulfil the demand for pre-marriage dowry.</li>
<li><strong>Objectification of Women:</strong> Contemporary dowry is more like an investment by the bride's family for plugging into powerful connections and money making opportunities.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This renders women as merely articles of commerce.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Crime Against Women:</strong> In some cases, the dowry system leads to crime against women, ranging from emotional abuse and injury to even deaths.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Recognizing Limitations of Political Solution to Social Problem:</strong> No law can be enforced without the wholehearted cooperation of the people. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Enacting a law no doubt sets a pattern of behaviour, activates social conscience and renders some assistance towards the efforts of social reformers in getting it abolished.</li>
<li>However, social evil like dowry cannot eradicate itself unless the people carry the philosophy behind the law much further.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Educating Girls:</strong> Education and independence is one powerful and valuable gift that parents can give to their daughter.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This will in turn help her to be financially sound and be a contributing member of the family, giving her respect and right status in the family.</li>
<li>So providing the daughters with a solid education, and encouraging her to pursue a career of her choice is the best dowry any parent can ever give their daughter.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Creating Social Stigma Around Dowry:</strong> Accepting dowry should be made a social stigma, and all generations should be addressed. For this, social consciousness about the ill effects of the dowry system needs to be aroused. In this context:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Union and State governments must take effective steps for stepping up &lsquo;anti-dowry literacy&rsquo; among people through Lok Adalats, radio broadcasts, television and newspapers on a &lsquo;continuing&rsquo; basis.</li>
<li>Youths are the only ray of hope to effectively combat the menace of the dowry system. They must be given moral value based education to broaden their minds and widen their outlook.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Multi Stakeholder Approach:</strong>&nbsp;Dowry is not a standalone problem, thus society should take every step to bring gender parity. In this context, <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>States should look at gender-disaggregated data across the life cycle &ndash; birth, early childhood, education, nutrition, livelihood, access to healthcare, etc &ndash; to address gender inequality.</li>
<li>There is a need to expand childcare and safe public transport, reduce discrimination in hiring, and create affirming workplace environments.</li>
<li>At home, men should share domestic work and care responsibilities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The practice of dowry is not only illegal but also unethical. Therefore, the conscience of society needs to be fully awakened to the evils of the dowry system so that the demand for dowry itself should lead to &lsquo;loss of face&rsquo; in society for those who demand it.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fefffc;">
<p><span style="color: #333399;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>The practice of dowry is not only illegal but also unethical. Therefore, social consciousness about the ill effects of the dowry system needs to be aroused. Comment.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
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		'article_id' => (int) 8712,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Role of Religion & Patriarchy',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/challenging-patriarchy-in-religion-101624626355563.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Challenging patriarchy in religion&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Hindustan Times on 25/06/2021. It talks about the role of religion in furtherance of Patriarchy.</p>
</div>
<p>At Durga temple Madurai, a woman staked her claim to be the full-time pujari (priest-a hereditary position at that temple) in 2006. Agreeing with her claim, the Madras high court has recently ruled that &ldquo;the altars of the God must be free from gender bias.&rdquo;</p>
<p>After the<a href="/pdf/sc-allows-women-entry-into-sabarimala-temple.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Sabarimala judgment</strong></a>, this judgment can be seen as a positive step towards the furtherance of gender equality.</p>
<p>In many religions all across the world, patriarchal notions have seeped into religion which prohibit women into some religious activities. For example, prohibitions on women were based during their menstruation.</p>
<p>Therefore, in order to ensure opportunities for women to participate in every sphere of life, whether spiritual or material, the link between religion and patriarchy needs to be thoroughly discussed.</p>
<h3>Linkage Between Religion &amp; Patriarchy</h3>
<p>There are several ways in which religion can promote patriarchy:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Through Religious Scripture/Teachings:</strong> In many religious teachings across a wide range of religions, women are given the role of nurturing, caring and giving birth. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>While these roles are presented positively and as essential, they reinforce the gender norms in society and the patriarchal power structures.</li>
<li>If women choose not to conform to gender stereotypes, they are not only deviating from gender norms and family expectations, but deviating from God&rsquo;s will too.</li>
<li>Men have been dominant as recipients, interpreters and transmitters of divine messages, while women have largely remained passive receivers of teachings and ardent practitioners of religious rituals.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Through Religious Practices:</strong> In many religions both menstruation and pregnancy are treated as impure or ungodly. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For example, in Islam women who are menstruating are not allowed to touch the Koran. Similarly, in Hinduism, menstruating women are not allowed to enter temples.</li>
<li>The practice of Sati, or self-immolation by widows on the funeral-pyres of their husbands, thrived for centuries because it was rooted in the belief of the futility of a woman&rsquo;s existence without her husband.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Through the Structure of Religious Organisations:</strong> Although some religious organisations do have women in senior positions, they are certainly the exception rather than the rule.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This exclusion of women from the priesthood or leader of a religious group exemplified women&rsquo;s marginalisation in religious and social life.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Through Monothestic Religions:</strong> The development of monotheistic religions, with their all-powerful male Gods (such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism) which imbued religion with a patriarchal and sexist core.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Patriarchy &amp; Religion and Its Impact on Women</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Acting as Cause &amp; Effect:</strong> If patriarchy is the social normal, it is largely because it derives its legitimacy from religion, the most important rule book pertaining to societal do&rsquo;s-and-don&rsquo;ts in any community.</li>
<li><strong>Women as Inferior Being:</strong> Due to patriarchal notions in religion, women are painted as physically, mentally, emotionally and sexually inferior to men.</li>
<li><strong>Impacting Men As It Hurts Women:</strong> Patriarchy penetrates into every single sphere of a person's life, and it hurts men as much as it impacts women.</li>
<li><strong>Politics &amp; Religion:</strong> Politics uses religion as a tool to manipulate the masses, women bear the brunt of the consequences of cultural attitudes.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Demystifying True Essence of Religion:</strong> Many religions in the world don't explicitly suppress the role of women in religion. Thus, there is a need to unravel the true essence of religion.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For example, the Rig-Veda expounded the idea of feminine energy behind the creation of the universe.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Implementing Uniform Civil Code:</strong> Article 44 of the Constitution lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/uniform-civil-code-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Uniform Civil Code (UCC)</strong></a> for the citizens throughout the territory of India.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Implementing UCC will be a step in the right direction in extending the narrative of gender equality.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Codification of Personal Laws:</strong> Need of the hour is the codification of all personal laws so that prejudices and stereotypes in every one of them would come to light and can be tested on the anvil of fundamental rights of the Constitution.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The Durga temple example is not just a social engineering experiment, there are also good religious grounds for opening all ritual functions to women.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #f3f0fc;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Women must be given opportunities to participate in every sphere of life, whether spiritual or material. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
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		'article_id' => (int) 8571,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Women in Military',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Two women officers have been selected to undergo helicopter pilot training for the first time in the Army Aviation Corps. They will join<strong> front-line flying duties</strong> on completion of their training in July 2022.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Till now, women officers were assigned <strong>only ground duties</strong> in the Army Aviation Corps.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Army Aviation Corps</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Raised in November 1986, it operates the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/apache-helicopters-for-indian-army" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dhruv advanced light helicopter</a>, Chetaks, Cheetahs and Cheetal helicopters.</strong></li>
<li>It carries out an <strong>important role</strong> in supporting the<strong> army&rsquo;s deployment</strong> in<strong> high altitude areas,</strong> including the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/siachen-glacier" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Siachen Glacier.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Deployment in the Armed Forces:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>Army, Air Force and Navy</strong> began inducting women as<strong> short-service commission (SSC)</strong> officers in <strong>1992.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This was the<strong> first time</strong> when women were allowed to join the military outside the <strong>medical stream.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>One of the <strong>turning points for women in the military</strong> came in<strong> 2015</strong> when <strong>Indian Air Force (IAF)</strong> decided to <strong>induct them into the fighter stream.</strong></li>
<li>In 2020, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/supreme-court-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Supreme Court (SC)</strong></a> <strong>ordered the central government to grant <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/government-order-for-pc-of-women-in-army" target="_blank" rel="noopener">permanent commission</a> (PC) to women officers in the Army's non-combat support units</strong> on par with their male counterparts.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The SC had rejected the government&rsquo;s stand of women officers&rsquo; <strong>physiological limitations</strong> as being based on <strong>"sex stereotypes" and "gender discrimination against women&rdquo;.</strong></li>
<li>Women officers have been <strong>granted PC in the Indian Army in all the ten branches where women are inducted for SSC.</strong></li>
<li>Women are now eligible to occupy all the <strong>command appointments,</strong> at par with male officers, which would open avenues for further promotions to higher ranks for them.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In early 2021, the<strong> Indian Navy</strong> deployed<strong> four women officers</strong> on <strong>warships</strong> after a gap of almost 25 years.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>India&rsquo;s only aircraft carrier <strong>INS Vikramaditya</strong> and fleet tanker <strong>INS Shakti</strong> are the warships that have been assigned their first women crews since the late 1990s.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In <strong>May 2021,</strong> the <strong>Army</strong> inducted the <strong>first batch of women</strong> into the <strong>Corps of Military Police,</strong> the first time that women joined the military in the non-officer cadre.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>However, Women are still <strong>not allowed in combat arms</strong> like <strong>Infantry and Armored Corps.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Increment in Numbers:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has increased almost<strong> three-fold over the last six years,</strong> with more avenues being opened to them at a steady pace.</li>
<li>There are <strong>9,118 women</strong> currently serving the <strong>army, navy and air force.</strong></li>
<li>According to <strong>2019 figures,</strong> women comprise <strong>only 3.8%</strong> of the world's second-largest army - compared to<strong> 13% of the air force</strong> and<strong> 6% of the navy.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Gender is not a Hindrance:</strong> As long as an applicant is qualified for a position, one&rsquo;s gender is arbitrary. In modern high technology battlefield technical expertise and decision-making skills are increasingly more valuable than simple brute strength.</li>
<li><strong>Military Readiness:</strong> Allowing a <strong>mixed gender force</strong> keeps the military strong. The armed forces are severely troubled by <strong>falling retention and recruitment rates.</strong> This can be addressed by allowing women in the combat role.</li>
<li><strong>Effectiveness:</strong> The blanket restriction for women<strong> limits the ability of commanders</strong> in theater to pick the most capable person for the job.</li>
<li><strong>Tradition:</strong> Training will be required to facilitate the integration of women into combat units. Cultures change over time and the masculine subculture can evolve too.</li>
<li><strong>Global Scenario:</strong> When<strong> women officially became eligible for combat positions in the American military in 2013,</strong> it was widely hailed as another step towards the equality of sexes. In 2018, the <strong>UK</strong> military lifted a ban on women serving in close combat ground roles, <strong>clearing the way for them to serve in elite special forces.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Women were being kept out of <strong>command posts</strong> on the reasoning that the largely rank and file will have problems with women as commanding officers. Thus, changes have to take place in the <strong>culture, norms, and values</strong> of not only the rank and file of the Army but also that of society at large. The responsibility to usher these changes lies with the senior military and political leadership.</li>
<li>The <strong>United States, Israel, North Korea, France, Germany, Netherlands, Australia and Canada</strong> are among the global militaries that employ women in<strong> front-line combat positions.</strong></li>
<li>It is the <strong>right of every woman</strong> to pursue a career of her choice and reach the top since <strong>Equality is a constitutional guarantee.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/2-women-army-officers-to-undergo-helicopter-pilot-training/article34768088.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 8357,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Biodegradable Yoga Mat',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, six young girls from the fishing community from <strong>Assam</strong> have developed a <strong>biodegradable</strong> and <strong>compostable yoga mat</strong> called <strong>&lsquo;Moorhen Yoga Mat&rsquo;.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The intervention was triggered through an initiative by<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/saffron-cultivation-in-northeast" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR).</strong></a></li>
<li><strong>NECTAR</strong> is an autonomous society, set up under the Department of Science &amp; Technology, with its headquarter at Shillong, Meghalaya.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the Mat:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The &lsquo;Moorhen Yoga mat&rsquo; is <strong>named after Kam Sorai</strong> (Purple moorhen, a resident bird of Deepor Beel Wildlife sanctuary).</li>
<li>It is <strong>a hand-woven 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable mat developed from water hyacinth.</strong></li>
<li>The mat could <strong>improve the aquatic ecosystem of the wetland (Deepor Beel) through removal of water hyacinth,</strong> help <strong>sustainable production of utility products</strong> with community engagement and generate <strong>livelihood for indigenous communities</strong> to become completely <strong>&lsquo;Atamanirbhar&rsquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Water Hyacinth:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Water hyacinth is<strong> a type of invasive floating plant</strong> found in water bodies across the world.</li>
<li>These <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/invasive-weeds-threatening-tiger-habitats" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>invasive species</strong></a> block the sunlight reaching and oxygen level in water systems, which results in damaging water quality and seriously affecting various life forms in the ecosystem.</li>
<li>It is<strong> also referred to as the terror of Bengal</strong> given its effect on the local ecology and lives of the people.</li>
<li>It has an effect on irrigation, hydroelectric generation and navigation.</li>
<li>It also leads to a drastic reduction in fish production, aquatic crops and an increase in diseases caused by mosquitoes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Deepor Beel:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Deepor Beel (Beel means wetland or large aquatic body in Assamese)<strong> located about 10 km Southwest of Guwahati city</strong> is considered <strong>one of the large and important riverine wetlands in the Brahmaputra Valley of lower Assam.</strong></li>
<li>Deepor Beel has both biological and environmental importance besides being the<strong> only major storm-water storage basin</strong> for Guwahati city.</li>
<li>It is considered <strong>one of the staging sites for migratory birds in India;</strong> and some of the large congregations of aquatic birds in Assam during winter.</li>
<li>Because of the richness of avian fauna it enjoys, Deepor Beel has been selected as <strong>one of the Important Bird Area (IBA) sites</strong> by Birdlife International.</li>
<li>Deepor Beel has also been designated as <strong>a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/new-ramsar-sites" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ramsar Site</a></strong> in November 2002.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1715872" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 8093,
		'category_id' => (int) 15,
		'title' => 'The Big Picture: Women Led Development Model',
		'description' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j9Hds0DyNY8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<h3>Why in News?</h3>
<p>In charting a new growth story India is transitioning from women&rsquo;s development to &lsquo;women-led development&rsquo;.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Women as Architects:</strong> In this vision, the women have been reimagined as <strong>architects of India&rsquo;s progress and development,</strong> rather than being passive recipients of the fruits of development.</li>
<li><strong>Schemes Empowering Women Indirectly:</strong> Besides various women-centered schemes, other schemes such as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pradhan-mantri-awaas-yojana-gramin" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana</strong></a> are also empowering women as the house is given in the name of Woman of the Household.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>A house in the name of a woman means the ownership of her in an asset which makes a woman economically empowered.</li>
<li>Also, during the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-now-pandemic-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> covid-19 pandemic</strong></a>, under the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-mission-for-financial-inclusion" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)</strong></a>, an amount of Rs. 500/- per month for three months (April&rsquo; 20 to June&rsquo; 20), was credited to the accounts of women account holders.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Women at Work</h3>
<p><strong>Present Scenario</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>UNDP Findings: <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/road-to-gender-equality-undp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The UNDP in its latest report for Gender Inequality</a></strong> has noted the following:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Unpaid Labour:</strong> On an average, women spend 2.4 more hours per day than men on unpaid care and domestic work.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Among people who participate in the paid economy, women spend an average of four hours more per day than men on paid and unpaid work combined.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Effect of Covid:</strong> Women have been hit harder than men by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/future-pandemics-and-reduction-measures" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>pandemic</strong></a>, losing income and leaving the labour market at a greater rate.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Women are 25% more likely than men to live in extreme poverty.</li>
<li>The global female employment is 19% more at risk than male employment (ILO estimates).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>WEF Findings for India:</strong> The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-gender-gap-report-2021-wef" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Global Gender Gap Report 2021</strong></a> by <strong>World Economic Forum (WEF)</strong> report noted that in terms of economic participation, the <strong>gender gap actually widened in India</strong> by 3% this year.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The share of women in <strong>professional and technical roles declined</strong> further to 29.2%.</li>
<li>The share of <strong>women in senior and managerial positions also is as low</strong> as 14.6% and <strong>only 8.9% firms in the country have top female managers.</strong></li>
<li>The estimated earned income of women in India is only one-fifth of men&rsquo;s, which puts the country among the bottom 10 globally on this indicator.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In Pakistan and Afghanistan, the income of an average woman is below 16% of that of an average man, while in India it is 20.7%.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Government Initiatives for Women Empowerment in Various Fields</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>In Panchayats:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/mahila-sabhas-on-the-international-women-s-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Mahila Sabhas in Gram Panchayat</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rotation-of-panchayat-seats-between-men-and-women" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)</strong></a></li>
<li><strong>Panchayat Mahila Evam Yuva Shakti Abhiyan (PMEYSA)</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>In Education:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/initiatives-for-gender-equality-in-science" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Vigyan Jyoti Scheme</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/initiatives-for-gender-equality-in-science" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>GATI Scheme</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/kiran-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>KIRAN Scheme</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-25th-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>In Entrepreneurship:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/what-stops-rural-women-from-getting-involved-in-entrepreneurship" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Mahila e-haat</strong></a></li>
<li><strong>Mahila Bank</strong></li>
<li><strong>Mahila Coir Yojana</strong></li>
<li><strong>Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP)</strong></li>
<li><strong>Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP) Scheme</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Initiatives:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-creche-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Creche Scheme</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/one-stop-centre-scheme#:~:text=One%20stop%20centre%20is%20a,Indira%20Gandhi%20Mattritav%20Sahyaog%20Yojana" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>One Stop Centre Scheme</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/scheme-for-adolescent-girls#:~:text=About%20the%20Scheme&amp;text=Key%20Objective%3A%20To%20facilitate%2C%20educate,self%2Dreliant%20and%20aware%20citizens.&amp;text=The%20scheme%20aims%20at%20motivating,schooling%20or%20vocational%20%2Fskill%20training" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG)' across the country</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues Associated</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Lesser Labour Force Participation:</strong> Data from the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) has shown that <strong>education and employment have a U-shaped relationship</strong> (a rise and subsequent decline in employment with the rise in education levels).
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/aishe-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> AISHE Report 2019</strong></a>, the female students constituted almost half (48.6%) of the total enrolment in higher education but the participation of women in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/periodic-labour-force-survey-2018-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>labour force stands as low as 18.6%.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Women with Families:</strong> A large number of women often drop out of their jobs to get married and have a family and later on find it difficult to come back and continue their job. They are seen as an <strong>&lsquo;unreliable&rsquo; member of the company.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Moreover, women with families can not be expected to work 12-14 hours a day (including the commute).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Societal Pressure:</strong> Generally there is a fear of women being stigmatized by the community that might see their work as a marker of low status, i.e. the inability of the husband, the main breadwinner, to provide for the family.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Further, there is a rise in conservative attitudes that believe a woman&rsquo;s place is inside the home and that if she steps outside the<strong> socially approved threshold,</strong> it would invite a backlash.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Prevalence of Informal Work:</strong> In the informal sector in India, most occupations dominated by women are undervalued and underpaid.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The poor quality of the paid work often on top of long hours of arduous unpaid domestic chores is one of the main challenges to women empowerment.</li>
<li>Further, the <strong>non-availability of white collar jobs,</strong> disproportionate long hours and lesser job security narrow downs the job opportunities for educated women in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Steps to be Taken</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Maintaining the Education v/s Employment Ratio:</strong> It needs to be assured that the women education which is being subsidised very heavily is actually put to use for the country.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The remaining share of the women, which is educated and skilled but not participating in the labour force, should also be able to utilise its talent and contribute to the GDP of the country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Encouraging Women Entrepreneurship:</strong> Women shall not only be the seekers but also the creators of job opportunities.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Entrepreneurship among women could transform India&rsquo;s economy and society by creating jobs, fuelling innovation, and furthering investment in health and education.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Redesigning the Workplaces:</strong> There is a need to rethink the way the workplaces are designed.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It needs not to be essentially a 40-hours-a-week job or a two hour commute to keep a woman in the workforce.</li>
<li>We can't expect women with home based responsibilities to work 12+ hours but work from home can be redesigned to make women centric workplace.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Bringing Women in Leadership Role:</strong> Subdued gender participation emanates from social-economic issues, which can be treated by bringing behavioural change. This can be changed if more women are given leadership positions.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Thus, there is a need to ensure equal representation&ndash; from company boards to parliaments, from higher education to public institutions -- through special measures and quotas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Changing the Mindset:</strong> Girls, just like male childs, should be asked their dreams, aims, aspirations in family as well as schools.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The idea that &lsquo;their dreams and career are as important as that of a male&rsquo; must be instilled in the minds of girls right from the beginning.</li>
<li>The society also needs to recognise the role and importance of women in the development of the country.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Families must have conversations with women about their choice of work.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Recognizing Invisible Work:</strong> There is a need to invest significantly in the care economy and social protection, and redefine Gross Domestic Product to make work in the home visible and counted.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The concept of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/road-to-gender-equality-undp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Temporary Basic Income</strong></a> introduced by <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>UNDP</strong></a> can prove as a headstart to other similar initiatives.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Providing Small Necessities is Empowerment too:</strong> Not just education, job and entrepreneurship lead to women empowerment but also providing basic and other small necessities is an empowerment itself.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For example; a bank account in their name, a house of their own or even proper hygiene and sanitation facilities at workplaces, educational institutions etc.</li>
<li>A woman who is educated and has worked at places with these basic necessities provided is quite likely to ensure these facilities for the future generations she will be in touch with.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Women empowerment is a starkly long journey but that doesn&rsquo;t imply that it is not worth the efforts.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The fruits of women empowerment will require time to ripe and collaborative efforts but all for nothing but a greater good.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The ripple effects of empowering women are undeniable as an educated and empowered woman will ensure education and empowerment for future generations.</li>
</ul>',
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	(int) 9 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 8005,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Pros & Cons of Bad Bank',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on<a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/npa-bad-loan-covid-pandemic-indian-banks-7240423/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;Bad bank, good move&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Indian Express on 23/03/2021. It talks about the pros and cons of a bad bank.</p>
</div>
<p>For a banking sector-dependent economy like India, the good health of the banks is very important to ensure accessible financial services and flow of credit to support the growing economy. However, for many years, Indian banks have been dealing with the NPA crisis that has created problems for them and the entire economy.</p>
<p>Further, the economic fallout due to the coronavirus crisis has increased the banking sector&rsquo;s stress. Therefore, to restore banks&rsquo; health, the<a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-analysis/03-02-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Budget 2021</strong></a> has proposed one such measure i.e. the idea of setting up a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/bad-bank" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National bad bank</strong></a>. However, the idea of a bad bank is itself much debatable.</p>
<h3>What is a Bad Bank</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A bad bank is an entity that acts as an aggregator of bad loans or non-performing assets (NPA&rsquo;s) and purchases them from across the banking sector at a discounted price and then works towards their recovery and resolution.</li>
<li>These loans are classified as non-performing and are at the verge of or already in the state of default. These bad loans negatively impact a bank&rsquo;s balance sheet.</li>
<li>The bad bank is similar to an Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC), where they absorb these loans from the banks and then manage them to recover as much amount as possible.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Proposed Model for Bad Bank</h3>
<p>The budget 2021 proposed an Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC)-Asset Management Company (AMC) structure, wherein the ARC will aggregate the debt, while the AMC will act as a resolution manager.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The proposed structure envisages the setting up of a National Asset Reconstruction Company (NARC) to acquire stressed assets in an aggregated manner from lenders, which will be resolved by the National Asset Management Company (NAMC).</li>
<li>A skilled and professional set-up dedicated to Stressed Asset Resolution will be ably supported by attracting institutional funding in stressed assets through strategic investors, AIFs, special situation funds, stressed asset funds, etc for participation in the resolution process.</li>
<li>Further, transferring these stressed assets to bad banks will entail recovery of 15% in cash and 85% in sovereign guaranteed security receipts. This government guarantees but will carry a zero-risk weight, for a specified period of time.</li>
<li>The net effect of this approach would be to build an open architecture and a vibrant market for stressed assets.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Arguments For Bad Banks</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Providing Lending Leverage to Banks:</strong> The benefits of bad bank include the recovered value, and significant lending leverage because of three factors: <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Capital being freed up from less than fully provisioned bad assets.</li>
<li>Capital freed up from security receipts because of a sovereign guarantee.</li>
<li>Cash receipts that come back to the banks and can be leveraged for lending, also freeing up provisions from the balance sheet.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>International Precedent:</strong> There are several international success stories of a bad bank accomplishing its mission and there is no reason to believe why India cannot accomplish its objective.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The US implemented the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) after the 2008 financial crisis, which helped the US economy after the subprime crisis.</li>
<li>It was modeled around the idea of a bad bank.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Revival of Credit Flow Post-Covid:</strong> Some experts believe that a bad bank can help free capital of over ₹5 lakh crore that is locked in by banks as provisions against the bad loans.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Arguments Against a Bad Bank</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Not a Panacea:</strong> It is argued that creating a bad bank is just shifting the problem from one place to another. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Without fundamental reforms to solve the NPA problem, the bad bank is likely to become a warehouse for bad loans without any recovery taking place.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Tight Fiscal Position:</strong> Furthermore, an important concern is regarding mobilizing capital for the bad bank. In an economy hit by the pandemic, it is hard to find buyers for distressed assets and the Government is also in a tight fiscal position.</li>
<li><strong>No Clear Procedure:</strong> Also, there is no clear procedure to determine at what price and which loans should be transferred to the bad bank. This may create political challenges for the Government.</li>
<li><strong>Moral Hazard:</strong> Former Governor of the reserve bank, Raghuram Rajan believes that setting a bad bank may also create moral hazard problems among the banks that would enable them to continue with their reckless lending practices, further exacerbating the NPA problem.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>So long as Public sector banks managements remain beholden to politicians and bureaucrats, their deficit in professionalism will remain and subsequently, prudential norms in lending will continue to suffer.</p>
<p>Therefore, a bad bank is a good idea, but the main challenge lies with tackling the underlying structural problems in the banking system and making reforms to improve the public sector banks.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fefffa;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Setting up a bad bank is the right step in tackling the NPA crisis, but it is not at all the panacea. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
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	(int) 10 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7996,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Unpaid Work',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on<a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/how-to-treat-unpaid-work/article34125020.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;How to treat unpaid work&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Hindu on 22/03/2021. It talks about the issues related to the high burden of unpaid domestic work and care work in India.</p>
</div>
<p>Women bear a disproportionately high burden of unpaid domestic work and care work in India. They carry a disproportionately higher burden of unpaid work, namely, unpaid domestic services as well as unpaid care of children, the old, and the disabled for their respective households.</p>
<p>Women do this job not necessarily because they like it or are efficient in it, but because it is imposed on them by patriarchal norms, which are the roots of all-pervasive gender inequalities.</p>
<p>Though this work contributes to overall well-being at the household level and collectively at the national level, it is invisible in the national database and particularly in national policies. By excluding this work from the economy, macroeconomics shows a clear male bias.</p>
<p>Therefore, in order to adhere to the principle of gender equality and justice, it is imperative to recognize this unpaid work and make provisions to rectify this problem.</p>
<h3>Need to Recognise Unpaid Work</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Restricting Opportunities:</strong> The invisible labor that a woman puts into household work is a 24-hour job without remuneration, promotions, or retirement benefits. Further, it restricts opportunities for women in the economy and in life. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is due to this <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/female-labor-force-participation-in-india#:~:text=In%202019%2C%20before%20the%20Covid,has%20made%20this%20situation%20worse." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>female labor force participation rate</strong></a> in India is around 25%.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Linkage with Economy:</strong> The household produces goods and services for its members, and if GDP is a measure of the total production and consumption of the economy, it has to incorporate this work by accepting the household as a sector of the economy.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Unpaid work is a privately produced public good that is critical for the sustenance of the mainstream economy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Subsidizes Private Sector:</strong> At the macro level, unpaid work subsidizes the private sector by providing it a generation of workers (human capital) and takes care of the wear and tear of labor who are family members.</li>
<li><strong>Subsidizes Government:</strong> Similarly, unpaid work also subsidizes the government by taking care of the old, sick, and disabled. The state would have spent huge amounts in the absence of unpaid work.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges in Compensating Unpaid Work</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Implementation Issue:</strong> The<a href="/gist-of-economic-survey/gist-of-economic-survey-2019-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Economic Survey 2019</strong></a> recognizes this unpaid work, is a positive development. However, its implementation may create problems such as the affordability of the government and calculation of the amounts.</li>
<li><strong>Endorsing Norm of Women&rsquo;s Work:</strong> Paying monetary benefits carries with it the possible danger of formally endorsing the social norm that domestic and care work is &lsquo;women&rsquo;s work&rsquo;, for which they are being paid.</li>
<li><strong>Master-Servant Relationship:</strong> The term salary, wage, or compensation is indeed problematic as it indicates an employer-employee relationship, i.e., a relationship of subordination with the employer having disciplinary control over the employee.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>Public policy should aim at closing the huge gender gap in unpaid domestic and care work through &lsquo;recognition, reduction, and redistribution.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Recognition:</strong> Paying a wage is a formal recognition of the fact that unpaid domestic and care work is no less important than paid market work, as the latter is parasitic on the former. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>What governments could do is recognize this unpaid work in the national database by a sound time-use survey and use the data in national policies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reduction:</strong> Women&rsquo;s burden of unpaid work can be reduced by:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Improving technology (e.g. better fuel for cooking),</li>
<li>Better infrastructure (e.g. water at the doorstep),</li>
<li>Shifting some unpaid work to the mainstream economy (e.g. childcare, care of the disabled, and care of the chronically sick),</li>
<li>Making basic services (e.g. health and transportation) accessible to women.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Redistribution:</strong> Policy measures should also envisage redistributing the work between men and women by providing different incentives and disincentives to men (e.g. mandatory training of men in housework, childcare, etc.) and financial incentives for sharing housework. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These measures will give free time to women and open up new opportunities to them.</li>
<li>Further, payment of pension to old women (60+ years) may be a better idea to compensate them for their unpaid work.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>In order to reduce women&rsquo;s burden of unpaid work and tap their potential in development, there is an urgent need to expand the purview of economics not only for gender justice but mainly for moving towards realistic economics.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fffffa;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Unpaid work is a privately produced public good that is critical for the sustenance of the mainstream economy. Discuss.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>',
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	(int) 11 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7919,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'India’s Women and the Workforce',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/indias-women-and-the-workforce-101615128493639.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;India&rsquo;s women and the workforce&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Hindustan Times on 08/03/2021. It talks about the declining women&rsquo;s employment in India.</p>
</div>
<p>Women&rsquo;s education has increased over the last two decades, and fertility rates have fallen &mdash; both have contributed to increasing participation of women in the paid labour force in the world. However, this is not the case in India.</p>
<p>According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey, 2018-19, the female labour force participation rates (LFPR) among women aged above 15 years are as low as 26.4% in rural areas and 20.4% in urban areas in India.</p>
<p>The pandemic is already worsening the <a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-editorials/2020-03-17" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>deep inequalities facing women and girls</strong></a>, erasing years of progress towards gender equality.</p>
<p>Both supply and demand factors contribute to the low levels of employment among women &mdash; especially the burden of domestic responsibilities, including the reproductive roles played by women, coupled with the lack of adequate and appropriate job opportunities.</p>
<h3>Reasons for Declining Women&rsquo;s Employment in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Societal Pressure:</strong> Generally there is a fear of women being stigmatized by the community that might see their work as a marker of low status, i.e. the inability of the husband, the main breadwinner, to provide for the family.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Further, there is a rise in conservative attitudes that believe a woman&rsquo;s place is inside the home and kitchen, and that if the woman steps outside the socially approved threshold, it would invite a backlash.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Growing Informalization of Work:</strong> Over the last three decades, there has been a massive decline in agricultural jobs, which has not necessarily been accompanied by an increase in rural non-farm employment or livelihood opportunities.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There has been movement out of agriculture into informal and casual jobs, where the work is sporadic, and often less than 30 days at a stretch.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Women&rsquo;s Work Not Being Counted As Work:</strong> There is also the problem of much of women&rsquo;s work not being counted as work. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Data indicate that the decline in LFPRs is driven by women moving from paid to unpaid work and hence not getting counted as &ldquo;workers&rdquo;, even though they might continue to be involved in unpaid economic work in family enterprises (farming, livestock, kirana shops, handmade products for sale and so on).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Inadequate Social Security Protection:</strong> Even for women who are in the workforce, the nature of their employment is such that most of them are out of the purview of labour laws, including the recently passed Social Security Code. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This automatically leaves out women in self-employment and those in informal jobs, together constituting more than 90% of the female workforce.</li>
<li>Moreover, with land in agriculture continuing to be mostly in the name of men, women are not even recognized as farmers, although a large proportion of them are involved in agricultural work.</li>
<li>This also keeps women away from accessing various schemes and resources such as priority sector loans, income support cash transfers, and so on.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Bringing Women in Leadership Role:</strong> Subdued gender participation emanates from social-economic issues, which can be treated by bringing behavioural change. This can be changed if more women are given leadership positions.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Thus, there is a need to ensure equal representation&ndash; from company boards to parliaments, from higher education to public institutions -- through special measures and quotas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Recognizing Invisible Work:</strong> There is a need to invest significantly in the care economy and social protection, and redefine Gross Domestic Product to make work in the home visible and counted.</li>
<li><strong>Imbibing Gender Equality:</strong> There is a need to remove barriers to women&rsquo;s full inclusion in the economy, including through access to the labor market, property rights and targeted credit and investments.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Women-oriented government initiatives such as <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-25th-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Beti Bachao Beti Padhao</strong></a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/kiran-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing (KIRAN) Scheme</strong></a>, represent steps in the right direction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Checking Violence Against Women:</strong> India should enact an emergency response plan to address violence against women and girls, and follow through with funding, policies, and political will to end this scourge.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>It is clear that Covid-19 has impacted women&rsquo;s employment even more than that for men. Concerted efforts towards ensuring enabling conditions for women to be employed including transport, safety, women&rsquo;s hostels along with social security provisions for all in the form of maternity benefits and child care arrangements are required for providing a level playing field for women entering the labour market.</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fffdf7;">
<p><span style="color: #333399;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Discuss the supply and demand factors that contribute to the low levels of employment among women in India.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0o6cbi6qMRQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/blogs/et-editorials/let-spacs-in-with-stringent-riders/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;Let SPACs in, with stringent riders&rdquo;</strong></a> published in The Economic Times on March 10<sup>th</sup>, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
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	(int) 12 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7420,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Wages for Housework',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, a political party of Tamil Nadu has promised salaries to housewives as a part of its electoral campaign.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A report by the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/international-labour-organization" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>International Labour Organization (ILO)</strong></a> in 2018 shows that, globally, women perform 76.2% of total hours of unpaid care work, more than three times as much as men. In Asia and the Pacific, this figure rises to 80%.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Background:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Wages for Housework Movement:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>International Wages for Housework Campaign</strong> started in <strong>Italy in 1972</strong> as a feminist movement that <strong>highlighted the role of gendered labour in the home and its connection to the production of surplus value under capitalism. </strong>The movement further spread to Britain and America.</li>
<li>Alongside other demands for<strong> social and political equality,</strong> women&rsquo;s rights campaigners made visible and also politicised <strong>women&rsquo;s everyday experience of housework and child care</strong> in the &lsquo;private&rsquo; realm of the household.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Scenario in India:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>In 2010,</strong> an application by the <strong>National Housewives Association,</strong> seeking recognition as a trade union was rejected by the deputy registrar of trade unions on the ground that housework is not a trade or an industry.</li>
<li><strong>In 2012,</strong> the then minister for Women and Child development announced that the <strong>government was considering mandating a salary for housework to wives, from husbands.</strong> The purpose was to <strong>empower women financially and help them live with dignity.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The proposal never materialised and with the change in the government in 2014, <strong>the idea was put to rest.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Issue:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Housework demands effort and sacrifice, <strong>365 days a year, 24/7.</strong> Despite this, a huge proportion of <strong>Indian women are not treated equal to men.</strong></li>
<li>A large number of women live with <strong>domestic violence and cruelty because they are economically dependent on others,</strong> mainly their husbands.</li>
<li>Time-use data from 2019 gathered by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/restructuring-of-indian-statistical-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Sample Survey Organisation</strong> </a>revealed that only about a quarter of men and boys above six years engaged in unpaid household chores, compared to over four-fifths of women. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Every day, an average<strong> Indian male spends 1.5 hours per day</strong> in unpaid domestic work, compared to about<strong> five hours by a female.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Arguments in Favour of Household Wage:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>More Accurate National Income Accounting:</strong> Domestic labour of women is not accounted for in either the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/base-year-for-gdp-calculations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Gross Domestic Product (GDP)</strong></a> or the employment metrics. Neglecting to include it would thus mean underestimating GDP of the economy.</li>
<li><strong>Makes Woman Autonomous and Controls Domestic Violence:</strong> The wage that the state ought to pay women would make them autonomous of the men on whom they were dependent. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Most women continue in an abusive relationship because they don&rsquo;t have a way out, as they are financially dependent on their partner.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Redefines the Role of Women:</strong> More fundamentally, the very demand for a wage was a repudiation of housework as an expression of women&rsquo;s nature. It was a revolt against the assigned social role of women.</li>
<li><strong>Welfare of a large Segment of Population:</strong> According to the <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/census-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Census</a> in 2011,</strong> people engaged in household duties have been treated as non-workers, even when <strong>159.9 million women stated that &ldquo;household work&rdquo; was their main occupation.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Recognition as the first step to Equality:</strong> Recognition of household work is one of the most central processes in empowerment. It gives them a claim to equality within the patriarchal Indian household that only recognises the work done by men.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Once recognised as work, this arena of unpaid domestic labour that is dominated almost entirely by women can become one where <strong>women can demand some degree of parity in terms of the time and energy expended on it.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Time Poverty: C</strong>ombining paid work commitments with a mountain of menial, domestic labour at home means <strong>poor women are more likely to suffer from &lsquo;time poverty&rsquo;.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Time poverty fundamentally <strong>undermines women&rsquo;s human rights</strong> since it undermines women&rsquo;s agency and ability to make choices. The immense burden of work therefore <strong>prevents women from pursuing further education, employment opportunities, raising their skill-level and tending to their own well-being.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Against Household Wage:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Increased Responsibility:</strong> Asking men to pay for wives&rsquo; domestic work could further enhance their sense of entitlement. It may also put the additional onus on women to perform.</li>
<li><strong>Strengthen the Position of Men:</strong> Buying domestic labour from wife poses a serious risk of formalising the patriarchal Indian family where the position of men stems from their being &ldquo;providers&rdquo; in the relationship.</li>
<li><strong>Acceptance and application:</strong> Despite a legal provision, equal inheritance rights continue to be elusive for a majority of women.</li>
<li><strong>Burden on Government:</strong> There are still debates on who would pay for the housework done by women, if it is to be done by the State then this will put additional fiscal burden on government finances.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>We need to <strong>strengthen awareness, implementation and utilisation of other existing provisions.</strong> Starting from the right to reside in the<strong> marital home, to streedhan and haq meher, to coparcenary and inheritance rights as daughters and to basic services, free legal aid and maintenance</strong> in instances of violence and divorce.</li>
<li>Women should be<strong> encouraged and helped</strong> to<strong> reach their full potential</strong> through <strong>quality education, access and opportunities of work,</strong> gender-sensitive and harassment-free workplaces and attitudinal and behaviour change within families to make household chores more participative.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/housewives-income-moeny-patriarchy-arpan-tulsyan-7138881/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 13 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7350,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Water, Sanitation & Women’s Rights',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on<a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/women-must-be-centre-stage-in-water-and-sanitation/story-rpOxhFPp8A1IEeA9ucjR2J.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <strong>&ldquo;Women must be centre-stage in water and sanitation&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Hindustan Times on 31/12/2020. It talks about the interlinkages between water, sanitation &amp; women&rsquo;s rights.</p>
</div>
<p>The right to water and sanitation is recognised as fundamental to attaining all other human rights. However, globally, 2.1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water at home, and 2.3 billion do not have basic sanitation and 1 billion still practice open defecation.</p>
<p>Amongst this, women are the most vulnerable section. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by the lack of access to essential water, sanitation and hygiene facilities.</p>
<p>Women are largely responsible for household water, sanitation and hygiene management; they bear a disproportionate burden when these basic services are lacking, and face health, security and psychological vulnerabilities due to inadequate access and decision-making control.</p>
<p>Therefore, access to water and sanitation, if delivered well, empowers women economically and socially. Done poorly, it may undermine women&rsquo;s position at home and in the community.</p>
<h3>Interconnection: Water, Sanitation &amp; Hygiene With Women&rsquo;s Rights</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Women&rsquo;s Water-Fetching Responsibility:</strong> Women and girls are responsible for fetching water in most households where a drinking water source is off-premises.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This practice has implications for women&rsquo;s health, workloads, and caloric expenditure.</li>
<li>When girls carry water over long distances, the time available to them to pursue education is reduced.</li>
<li>Water-fetching responsibilities also add to the burden of <strong>unpaid domestic work,</strong> decrease time towards other income-generating activities, and affect leisure and nonessential activities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Sanitation Access and Gender-Based Violence:</strong> There is enough evidence of sanitation-related gender-based violence, highlighting a range of vulnerabilities women and girls face who are forced to defecate openly.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>This leads to the fear of sexual violence that can restrict freedom of movement and affect equal opportunities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Women&rsquo;s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Needs:</strong> Women have an increased need for water for hydration, sanitation and hygiene during menstruation, pregnancy, the postnatal period, and caring for sick family members or young children. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>When these basic needs are not met, women and girls are unable to participate equally in society.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Linkage With SDGs:</strong> The <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)</strong> </a>make an essential initial step in connecting water, sanitation and hygiene (SDG 6) and gender equality and empowerment (SDG 5) through target 6.2.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Target 6.2 of SDG emphasises<strong> &lsquo;access to equitable sanitation and hygiene and women and girls&rsquo;</strong> needs.</li>
<li>Further, SDG 10 aims to<strong> reduce inequalities within and between countries.</strong> Equal access to clean water and sanitation is critical to reducing overall disparities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Associated Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Lack of Women&rsquo;s Participation in Decision-making:</strong> The central role of women and girls in the procurement and management of water, sanitation and hygiene at the household level is recognised. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, women&rsquo;s water, sanitation &amp; hygiene governance and household decision-making control over such resources are scarce.</li>
<li>For example, women not being consulted in decisions taken on sanitation-related matters such as the building and using toilets. It also fails to take into account the prevalent socio-cultural norms.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lack of Data:</strong> Measurement of the burden placed on women and girls, the opportunity costs of these burdens, and female empowerment related to water, sanitation and hygiene decision-making and autonomy are limited.</li>
<li><strong>Lack of Adequate Infrastructure:</strong> In many parts of India (especially in rural India) water, sanitation and hygiene in health-care facilities are far from adequate.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In schools, the lack of necessary infrastructure, privacy, spaces, materials and guidance to manage menstruation has been associated with harassment, sexual exploitation, psychosocial impacts, decreased school attendance rates and drop-out for girls.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Gender-Neutral Approach:</strong> There is a need for the political imperative to recognise that both women and men&rsquo;s involvement are integral to sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene management.</li>
<li><strong>Policy Framework for Women Leadership:</strong> Women&rsquo;s leadership and decision making power in water and sanitation is critical. Therefore, enabling policy frameworks backed by resources, training and political will, are vital to developing and sustaining women&rsquo;s leadership in the water sector at the local, national and global level.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In this context, there is a need to invest in developing the next generation of water, sanitation and hygiene leaders, by collaborating with colleges, water utilities and districts, using experiential learning, internships and interacting with experts.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Sustained Focus on Swachh Bharat Mission:</strong> The rallying call of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) campaign of &ldquo;Satyagraha se Swachhagraha&rdquo; has led to the significant change in sanitation habits in India.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The next SBM phase should envisage finding solutions for sustained behaviour change, addressing women and their hygiene needs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Role of Society:</strong> As the women already spend 2.6 times more hours than men on unpaid activities, including caregiving and domestic work. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Citizenry as a part of society to ensure their involvement in water and sanitation services does not further contribute to the burden of unpaid work, or decrease the ability to earn an income.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Role of SHGs:</strong> There are rapidly increasing examples throughout the country, with women being able to push through reforms through the help of support groups or community-led efforts.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Therefore, women SHG should be promoted to take up the cause of water, sanitation and Hygiene.</li>
<li>In this context, Jharkhand&rsquo;s example is worth emulating. Trained women masons built over 15 lakh toilets in one year and the state was declared open defecation free (rural) much ahead of the national cut-off date of October 2, 2019.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>As countries work to achieve SDG 10, access to clean water and sanitation can be a game-changer for prosperity and transformation. Policies on water and sanitation need to keep women centre-stage needs and enable them to be agents of change.</p>
<p>This is the time for governments, businesses, NGOs and academic institutions to look at how they are investing in women&rsquo;s leadership in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector, from local committees to the international stage.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1609763730_1st%20image.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1609763730_1st image.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="650" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #fffdf7;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Access to water and sanitation, if delivered well, empowers women economically and socially. Done poorly, it may undermine women&rsquo;s position at home and in the community. Comment.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OeCEiqjJ47c" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on<strong><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/himalayan-manoeuvres-the-hindu-editorial-on-india-and-the-nepal-political-crisis/article33457054.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> &ldquo;Himalayan manoeuvres&rdquo;</a></strong> which was published in The Hindu on December 31<sup>st</sup>, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
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	(int) 14 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7338,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Data on Police Organisations: BPRD',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-conference-on-women-in-police-and-capfs" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Bureau of Police Research and Development</strong></a> (BPRD) has released <strong>data on police organisations.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It shows <strong>different aspects of policing</strong> in the country like woman police, police expenditure, constabulary ratio, transport facilities, communication facilities, representation of various castes and police training centres.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>General Data:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government has spent<strong> Rs. 1,566.85 crore</strong> in <strong>2019-20</strong> for expenditure and police training.</li>
<li>It highlights that <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/constitutional-status-for-national-commission-for-backward-classes" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Backward Classes</strong></a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/reimagining-the-national-commission-for-scheduled-castes" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Dalits</strong></a> <strong>and <a href="/summary-of-important-reports/xaxa-committee-on-tribal-communities-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tribals</a> constitute almost 67%</strong> of India&rsquo;s population, but their<strong> representation in police forces</strong> in the country is <strong>only at 51%.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The goal of <strong>proportionate representation has remained unfulfilled despite</strong> all state governments providing <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/reservation-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>reservation</strong></a> to these categories.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Vacant Posts:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Over 5.31 lakh posts in police forces of different states and 1.27 lakh posts in<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/central-armed-police-force-capf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Central Armed Police Forces</strong></a> (CAPF) are lying vacant. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The figures include civil police, district armed police, special armed police and India Reserve Battalions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Scheduled Tribes:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>They form 8.6% of the population and have 12% representation in the police forces, placing them at a comparatively better position.</li>
<li>Only <strong>STs have better representation</strong> in police forces in comparison to their share in population while all other backward classes fare poorly.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Dalits:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>14% of all positions in police forces across the country were represented by Dalits at the end of 2019.</li>
<li>According to<strong> Census 2011,</strong> Dalits make up 16.6% of India&rsquo;s population.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Backward Classes:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>OBCs fare the <strong>worst on the representation front</strong> as, despite their 41% share in the population, they constitute only 25% of the police forces.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Women:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Women are <strong>highly under-represented</strong> with 10% share in the actual strength of the police in the country, even though their share in population is 48%.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>However, their situation has improved considerably over the past years as the actual strength of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/a-model-policy-for-women-in-the-police" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>women in police forces</strong></a> has almost doubled since 2014.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Women population per woman police ratio</strong> stands at 3,026 nationally which is very low.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Poor representation of women in the police is posing <strong>serious challenges in dealing with crimes against women and women criminals.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Ratios:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Sanctioned <strong>Population Per Police Person</strong> (PPP) is 511.81.</li>
<li>Sanctioned <strong>Police Population Ratio</strong> (PPR) is 195.39.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It is the number of police personnel per one lakh of the population which has declined from 198 in 2018.</li>
<li>The<strong> UN-mandated police-population ratio</strong> is over 220.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Sanctioned<strong> Police Area Ratio</strong> (PAR) per 100 sq km is 79.80.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1609322056_image7.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1609322056_image7.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" caption="false" /></a></p>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Bureau of Police Research and Development</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Government of India established it <strong>under the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1970.</strong></li>
<li>It replaced the<strong> Police Research and Advisory Council</strong> (1966), with the primary <strong>objective of modernization of the police force.</strong></li>
<li>In <strong>1995,</strong> the Government<strong> decided to entrust issues relating to Correctional Administration Work</strong> to the BPR&amp;D.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Thereby BPRD has to <strong>ensure the implementation of prison reforms</strong> as well.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Government of India decided to create a <strong>National Police Mission</strong> under the administrative control of BPR&amp;D to transform the police forces in the country.</li>
<li>In<strong> August 2020,</strong> it observed its <strong>50<sup>th</sup> foundation day.</strong></li>
<li>It has been<strong> publishing the data on police organisations since 1986.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/obcs-constitute-25-of-police-sts-get-better-representation-data-7125536/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 15 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7278,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Marital Rape in India',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on<a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-impunity-of-marital-rape/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;The impunity of marital rape&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Indian Express on 18/12/2020. It talks about the issues related to marital rapes in India.</p>
</div>
<p>Domestic violence in India is an entrenched problem, and it has only been exacerbated in recent years. According to the <a href="/printpdf/crime-in-india-2019-report-ncrb" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Crime Records Bureau&rsquo;s (NCRB) &lsquo;Crime in India&rsquo; 2019</strong></a> report, about 70% of women in India are victims of domestic violence.</p>
<p>One such manifestation of this domestic violence is Marital rape. Marital rape, the act of forcing your spouse into having sex without proper consent, is an unjust yet not uncommon way to degrade and disempower women.</p>
<p>Today, Marital rape has been impeached in more than 100 countries but, unfortunately, India is one of the only 36 countries where marital rape is still not criminalized.</p>
<p>Even though many legal amendments have been done in criminal law for the protection of the women, the non-criminalization of marital rape in India undermines the dignity and human rights of women.</p>
<h3>Status of Marital Rape in India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The definition of rape codified in Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) includes all forms of sexual assault involving non-consensual intercourse with a woman.</li>
<li>Non-Criminalization of marital rape in India emanates from <strong>Exception 2 to Section 375.</strong></li>
<li>However, <strong>Exception 2 to Section 375</strong> exempts unwilling sexual intercourse between a husband and a wife over fifteen years of age from Section 375&rsquo;s definition of &ldquo;rape&rdquo; and thus immunizes such acts from prosecution.</li>
<li>As per current law, a wife is presumed to deliver perpetual consent to have sex with her husband after entering into marital relations.</li>
<li>The concept of marital rape in India is the epitome of what we call an &ldquo;implied consent&rdquo;. Marriage between a man and a woman here implies that both have consented to sexual intercourse and it cannot be otherwise.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Marital Rape: Against Legal &amp; Constitutional Rights</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Doctrine of Coverture:</strong> Non-Criminalised nature of Marital rape emanates from the British era. The Marital rape largely influenced by and derived from this doctrine of merging the woman&rsquo;s identity with that of her husband.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>At the time the IPC was drafted in the 1860s, a married woman was not considered an independent legal entity.</li>
<li>The marital exception to the IPC&rsquo;s definition of rape was drafted on the basis of Victorian patriarchal norms that did not recognize men and women as equals, did not allow married women to own property, and merged the identities of husband and wife under the<strong> &ldquo;Doctrine of Coverture.&rdquo;</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Violative of Article 14:</strong> Marital rape violates the right to equality enshrined in Article 14 of the Indian constitution.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Exception creates two classes of women based on their marital status and immunizes actions perpetrated by men against their wives.</li>
<li>In doing so, the Exception makes possible the victimization of married women for no reason other than their marital status while protecting unmarried women from those same acts.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Defeats the Spirit of Section 375 of IPC:</strong> The purpose of Section 375 of IPC is to protect women and punish those who engage in the inhumane activity of rape.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, exempting husbands from punishment is entirely contradictory to that objective, as the consequences of rape are the same whether a woman is married or unmarried.</li>
<li>Moreover, married women may actually find it more difficult to escape abusive conditions at home because they are legally and financially tied to their husbands.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Violative of Article 21:</strong> According to creative interpretation by the Supreme Court, rights enshrined in<a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/public-interest-litigation" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Article 21</strong></a> include the rights to health, privacy, dignity, safe living conditions, and safe environment, among others
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the <strong>State of Karnataka v. Krishnappa,</strong> the Supreme Court held that sexual violence apart from being a dehumanizing act is an unlawful intrusion of the right to privacy and sanctity of a female.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In the same judgment, it held that non-consensual sexual intercourse amounts to physical and sexual violence.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In <strong>the Suchita Srivastava v. Chandigarh Administration,</strong> the Supreme Court equated the right to make choices related to sexual activity with rights to personal liberty, privacy, dignity, and bodily integrity under Article 21 of the Constitution.</li>
<li>In <a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-editorials/26-08-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Justice K.S. Puttuswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India</strong></a>, the Supreme Court recognized the right to privacy as a fundamental right of all citizens.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The right to privacy includes &ldquo;decisional privacy reflected by an ability to make intimate decisions primarily consisting of one&rsquo;s sexual or procreative nature and decisions in respect of intimate relations.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In all these judgements the Supreme Court has recognized the right to abstain from sexual activity for all women, irrespective of their marital status, as a fundamental right conferred by Article 21 of the Constitution.</li>
<li>Therefore, forced sexual cohabitation is a violation of the fundamental right under article 21.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-analysis/26-11-2019/print" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women</strong></a> defines violence against women as &ldquo;any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.&rdquo;
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In 2013, the UN Committee on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) recommended that the Indian government should criminalize marital rape.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <a href="/pdf/1601622519-j-s-verma-committee-on-sexual-harassment-at-workplace-act.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>JS Verma committee</strong> </a>set up in the aftermath of nationwide protests over the December 16, 2012 gang rape case had also recommended the same.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>By removing this law, women will be safer from abusive spouses, can receive the help needed to recover from marital rape and can save themselves from domestic violence and sexual abuse.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Indian law now affords husbands and wives separate and independent legal identities, and much jurisprudence in the modern era is explicitly concerned with the protection of women.</p>
<p>Therefore, it is high time that the legislature should take cognisance of this legal infirmity and bring marital rape within the purview of rape laws by eliminating Section 375 (Exception 2) of IPC.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1608639823_image%200.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1608639823_image 0.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #f9ffed;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p>The non-criminalization of marital rape in India is a dreadful slur on the dignity and human rights of women. Comment.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J1KDYSPm04w" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/blogs/et-editorials/hdr-2020-kill-the-earth-itll-get-you/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;HDR 2020: Kill the Earth, it&rsquo;ll get you&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Economic Times on December 18<sup>th</sup>, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 7246,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Inter-Faith Marriage & Personal Liberty',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This article is based on<a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/love-jihad-uttar-pradesh-anti-conversion-law-yogi-adityanath-7107755/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;UP anti-conversion law pushes women back under parental and community control&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Indian Express on 17/12/2020. It talks about the issues related to laws regarding the prohibition of unlawful conversion of religion.</p>
</div>
<p>Recently, the Government of Uttar Pradesh has passed the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/up-ordinance-on-unlawful-conversions#:~:text=UP%20Unlawful%20Religious%20Conversion%20Prohibition,religious%20conversion%20is%20two%20months." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance 2020.</strong></a> Many other states are also in the process of similar laws.</p>
<p>The UP ordinance prohibits any religious conversion due to coercion, force, undue influence, allurement, fraud or by marriage and makes such a marriage liable to be declared void. It also makes such an act of conversion a non-bailable criminal offence.</p>
<p>However, the law has been criticised as being a violation of an individual&rsquo;s right to marry a person of one&rsquo;s choice and being restrictive of the fundamental right to life, autonomy and privacy.</p>
<p>Moreover, the law has roots in the patriarchy and communalism, which may affect social harmony and respect for individual dignity.</p>
<h3>Issues Related to The Proposed Law</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Interfering With Secularism:</strong> Indian Constitution enshrines secularism as one of the cardinal principles.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Despite this, several states have had anti-conversion laws for a long time, including Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Against Personal Liberty:</strong> According to Articles 25 to 28, an Indian citizen is guaranteed the freedom to practise any religion of his or her choice. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Through this ordinance, the State wants to intervene not only in the citizens&rsquo; personal liberty by interfering with the choice of their spouse.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Asymmetrical With Various Supreme Court&rsquo;s Judgment</strong>: The Supreme Court in <strong>Shafin Jahan v Ashok KM (2018),</strong> has upheld the right to marry a person of one&rsquo;s choice as a part of Article 21.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to the Supreme Court, the Constitution protects the ability of each individual to pursue a way of life or faith to which she or he seeks to adhere. Therefore, the right to marry a person of one&rsquo;s choice is integral to Article 21 of the Constitution.</li>
<li>Further, Supreme Court in<a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/important-judgements-of-independent-india#:~:text=Justice%20K.S.%20Puttaswamy%20vs.&amp;text=Main%20Theme%3A%20SC%20ruled%20that,21%20of%20the%20Indian%20constitution.&amp;text=They%20relied%20on%20the%20fulfilment,the%20Puttaswamy%20(2017)%20judgment." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> K.S. Puttaswamy v UOI (2017)</strong></a> judgment held that &ldquo;right of choice of a family life&rdquo; as a fundamental right.</li>
<li>The ordinance is a conflict with these judgments as it limits the choice of a prospective spouse such that this spouse would only be one approved by the State.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reverse Burden of Proof:</strong> The Uttar Pradesh anti-conversion ordinance allows any relative of the woman to challenge the legitimacy of her marriage. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In this case, the reverse burden of proof would apply, wherein the person who facilitated the conversion would need to prove that it was not forced while disregarding the woman&rsquo;s testimony of having consented to the conversion and marriage.</li>
<li>This is a direct violation of the right to be deemed innocent until proven guilty; an aspect that is particularly worrying for women exercising their right to choose their life partners.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Patriarchal Roots:</strong> This shows the law has deep-seated patriarchal roots, wherein women are infantilised, placed under parental and community control, and denied the right to take life decisions, should those decisions not be agreeable to their guardians.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Historically, marriage has been a tool to control women&rsquo;s sexualities, promulgate caste lineage and stop women from exercising their autonomy. This communal propaganda does nothing to safeguard women&rsquo;s rights, rather it further curtails their mobility, social interactions and freedom of choice.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Deep-Rooted Prejudice:</strong> This deep-rooted opposition to interfaith marriage is comparable to a similar deep-rooted opposition to inter-caste marriage, in that both stem from historical prejudices between specific communities. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Recognising this prejudice, some members of the Sub-Committee on Fundamental Rights, especially the women members Rajkumari Amrit Kaur and Hansa Jivraj Mehta, advocated for the inclusion of interfaith marriage as a fundamental right.</li>
<li>They wanted to introduce a constitutional provision to require the state to remove any impediments to inter-faith marriages so that the social stigma against such marriages is removed.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>Young Indian women of all faiths are increasingly seeking freedom &mdash; to work, study, marry who they choose and live life on their own terms. These basic rights must not be questioned or curtailed.</p>
<p>A woman&rsquo;s agency is her own, and no parent, relative or state apparatus should be given the authority to coerce her. The attempt to rob women of their agency is an attempt to produce a docile female population that does as it is told, and does not rebel against societal and familial directives.</p>
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<tbody>
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<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #ff0000; background-color: #f7fff7;">
<p><span style="color: #000080;"><em><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a conservative society with moral policing, any law to curb interfaith marriages is an assault on the rights of young men and women. Discuss.</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mYFT9YBuAUM" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This editorial is based on<a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/big-stakes-for-apple-india-need-to-address-all-issues/2151527/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;Big stakes for Apple &amp; India, need to address all issues&rdquo;</strong> </a>which was published in The Financial Express on December 17<sup>th</sup>, 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.</p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 5997,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Government Order for PC of Women in Army',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong>Ministry of Defence</strong> has issued the<strong> formal Government Sanction Letter</strong> for <strong>grant of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/women-eligible-for-permanent-commission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Permanent Commission (PC) to Women Officers in the Indian Army.</a></strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The order specifies grant of PC to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/command-posts-for-women-in-army" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Short Service Commissioned</strong></a> (SSC) Women Officers in the <strong>remaining 8 streams of the Indian Army.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These <strong>10 streams include</strong> Army Air Defence (AAD), Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), Army Service Corps (ASC), Army Ordnance Corps (AOC), Intelligence Corps, Judge and Advocate General (JAG) and Army Educational Corps (AEC).</li>
<li><strong>Before the order, women officers are allowed a PC in the JAG and AEC.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In anticipation, the Army Headquarters had set in motion a series of preparatory actions for the conduct of the <strong>Permanent Commission Selection Board</strong> (PCSB) for the eligible women officers.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Selection Board will be scheduled as soon as all eligible SSC Women Officers exercise their option and complete requisite documentation.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Issue:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Under the SSC scheme, women were <strong>commissioned into the Army for a period of 10 years, extendable up to 14 years.</strong></li>
<li>Women were, however, <strong>restricted to roles in specified streams</strong> such as Army Education Corps, Corps of Signals, Intelligence Corps and Corps of Engineers. These specified streams <strong>excluded combat arms</strong> such as infantry and armoured corps.</li>
<li>While <strong>male SSC officers could opt for permanent commission</strong> at the end of 10 years of service, this option was not available to women officers. <strong>Women officers were kept out of any command appointment and could not qualify for a government pension,</strong> which <strong>starts only after 20 years of service</strong> as an officer.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Background:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The case was first <strong>filed in the Delhi High Court by women officers in 2003</strong> and had <strong>received a favourable order in 2010.</strong></li>
<li>However, the <strong>order was never implemented</strong> and was <strong>challenged in the Supreme Court by the government.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In its appeal, the <strong>government cited &ldquo;physical&rdquo; and &ldquo;physiological limitations&rdquo;</strong> in granting command positions to women.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In the <strong>February 2019 policy statement, the Government endorsed the PC for SSC women officers</strong> in 10 streams of the &lsquo;Combat Support Arms&rsquo; and &lsquo;Services&rsquo; sections.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>However, it was said that the women officers<strong> would not be offered any command appointments, and would serve only in staff posts.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In <strong>February 2020,</strong> the SC held that there is a<strong> need for an administrative will and &lsquo;change of mindset&rsquo; </strong>and <strong>directed the government to grant PC and command postings in all services other than combat</strong> to women Army officers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Permanent Commission for Women</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Ministry of Defence has taken steps to <strong>ensure implementation of the grant of PC</strong> to women officers and all three services have allowed permanent recruitment of women in select streams including medical, education, legal, signals, logistics and engineering. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Indian Air Force:</strong> Women Officers recruited through the SSC in the IAF have the option of seeking PC in all streams except the flying branch.</li>
<li><strong>Indian Navy:</strong> In <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/permanent-commission-for-women-in-indian-navy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>March 2020, the SC cleared the way for PC to women in Indian Navy</strong> </a>as well.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Navy has allowed PC of women in a host of departments such as logistics, naval designing, air traffic control, engineering and legal.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Indian Army:</strong> Women officers are granted PC in the Indian Army in<strong> all the ten branches</strong> where women are <strong>inducted for SSC.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>With the order in force, women officers will now be eligible to occupy all the command appointments, at par with male officers, which would open avenues for further promotions to higher ranks for them.</li>
<li>Women were being kept out of command posts on the reasoning that the higher rank and file will have problems with women as commanding officers. Thus, changes have to take place in the culture, norms and values of not only the rank and file of the Army but also that of society at large. The responsibility to usher these changes lies with the senior military and political leadership.</li>
<li>It is the right of every woman to pursue a career of her choice and reach the top. Equality is a constitutional guarantee.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1640638#:~:text=New%20Delhi%2C%2023%20July%202020,larger%20roles%20in%20the%20organisation." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 5313,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'International Nurses Day',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The International Nurses Day is annually observed on<strong> May 12.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>May 12 was chosen for celebrating the day as it is the<strong> birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale,</strong> the foundational philosopher of modern nursing.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>2020 Theme:</strong> Nursing the World to Health</li>
<li><strong>Importance:</strong> The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-health-organization-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organization (WHO)</strong></a> has designated <strong>2020 as The Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Need:</strong> Nurses account for more than half of all the world&rsquo;s health workers. It will encourage the entire nurse community and the public to celebrate the day as well as would provide necessary information and resources to raise the profile of the nursing profession.</li>
<li><strong>Significance:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Nurses are at the forefront of fighting epidemics and pandemics providing high quality and respectful treatment and care.</li>
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Covid-19</strong></a> pandemic is a stark reminder of the vital role nurses play. Without nurses and other health workers, it is not possible to win the battle against outbreaks, and achieve the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals</strong> </a>or<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/universal-health-coverage-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Universal Health Coverage (UHC).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Suggestions provided by the WHO and Others:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To provide occupational safety and health of nurses and all health workers, including access to personal protective equipment so that they can safely provide care and reduce infections in health care settings.</li>
<li>Nurses and all health care workers should have access to mental health support, timely pay, sick leave and insurance.</li>
<li>They should be provided with access to the knowledge and guidance required to respond to all health needs, including outbreaks.</li>
<li>Nurses should be given the financial support and other resources required to respond to future outbreaks.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Step Taken by the Indian Government:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The<strong> Indian Nursing Council</strong> is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that establishes uniform standards of training for nurses, midwives and health visitors.</li>
<li>The Government has announced <strong>Rs. 50 lakh insurance cover per person</strong> (part of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-economic-relief-package" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana</strong></a>) for frontline health workers involved in managing the Covid-19 outbreak.</li>
<li>The Government has also passed an <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ordinance-to-protect-health-workers" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>ordinance for the protection of healthcare workers</strong></a> battling Covid-19 on the frontline.</li>
<li>Recently, the Supreme Court directed the government to ensure the availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), to all health workers, including doctors, nurses, ward boys, other medical and paramedical professionals.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 5199,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Permanent Mission to UN',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>India has appointed <strong>T S Tirumurti</strong> as its <strong>Permanent Representative to the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations</a></strong> (UN).</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Permanent Mission to the United Nations</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is the <strong>diplomatic mission</strong> that every member state deputes to the UN.</li>
<li>It is <strong>headed by a Permanent Representative</strong> who is also referred to as the <strong>UN ambassador.</strong></li>
<li>According to <strong>Article 1(7) </strong>of the<strong> Vienna Convention on the Representation of States in their Relations with International Organizations of a Universal Character, 1975</strong> it is a mission of permanent character, representing the State, sent by a State member of an international organization to the organization.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Other important Vienna Conventions are the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/protecting-power" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961</strong></a> and the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/consular-access-kulbhushan-jadhav-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>According to the <strong>UN General Assembly resolution 257(III) of 3<sup>rd</sup> December, 1948,</strong> permanent missions assist in the realization of the purposes and principles of the UN.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>They keep the <strong>necessary liaison between the Member States and the Secretariat</strong> in periods between sessions of the different organs of the UN.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>UN Permanent Representatives are assigned to the UN <strong>headquarters in New York City,</strong> and at other offices in <strong>Geneva, Vienna</strong> and <strong>Nairobi</strong> as well.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Indian Permanent Mission at the United Nations</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There are <strong>currently eight Indians</strong> in <strong>senior leadership positions</strong> at the UN at the levels of Under Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General.</li>
<li>The <strong>first Indian delegates</strong> at the UN included statesman <strong>Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar</strong> and freedom fighters <strong>Hansa Mehta, Lakshmi N. Menon</strong> and <strong>Vijayalakshmi Pandit</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Mehta and Pandit were among the 15 women members of the Indian Constituent Assembly.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India was among the select members</strong> of the UN that signed the <strong>United Nations Declaration</strong> at <strong>Washington</strong> on 1<sup>st</sup> January, <strong>1942.</strong></li>
<li>India also participated in the historic <strong>UN Conference of International Organization</strong> at <strong>San Francisco</strong> from 25<sup>th</sup> April to 26<sup>th</sup> June,<strong> 1945.</strong></li>
<li>As a <strong>founding member</strong> of the United Nations, India strongly <strong>supports the purposes and principles of the UN</strong> and has made significant contributions to implementing the goals of the Charter, and the evolution of the UN&rsquo;s specialized programmes and agencies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar (1887-1976)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>One of the prominent lawyers</strong> of his time and joined the Justice Party in 1917.</li>
<li>Took part in <strong>Joint Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms</strong> in India and the <strong>Round Table Conferences.</strong></li>
<li>He was <strong>India&rsquo;s delegate to the San Francisco Conference.</strong></li>
<li>In 1946 he was elected the <strong>first President of the United Nations&rsquo; Economic and Social Council</strong> (ECOSOC).</li>
<li>He also served as the <strong>chair of the executive boards</strong> of the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/world-health-organization-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>World Health Organisation</strong></a> (WHO) and <strong><a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/unesco-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization</a> </strong>(UNESCO).</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Hansa Mehta (1897-1995)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>After studying Journalism and Sociology from England, she returned to India and served as the<strong> President</strong> of the <strong>Bhagini Samaj</strong> and played a crucial role during the <strong>campaign against the <a href="/be-mains-ready-daily-answer-writing-practice-question/papers/simon-commission-british-government-immediate-response-indians-struggle-for-freedom-be-mains-ready" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Simon Commission.</a></strong></li>
<li>She was the <strong>first woman to be elected to the Bombay Legislative Council in 1931.</strong></li>
<li>She <strong>represented India on the Nuclear Sub-Committee</strong> on the status of women in 1946.</li>
<li>As the Indian delegate on the <strong>UN Human Rights Commission (now known as the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/unhrc-s-upr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UN Human Rights Council</a>)</strong> in 1947&ndash;48, she was <strong>responsible for changing the language Justice Party&nbsp;</strong>of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from <strong>&ldquo;all men are created equal&rdquo; </strong>to<strong> &ldquo;all human beings&rdquo;,</strong> highlighting the need for gender equality.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Lakshmi Menon (1899-1994)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>She was <strong>one of the founder</strong> members of the <strong>All India Women&rsquo;s Conference.</strong></li>
<li>She was <strong>India&rsquo;s delegate to the Third Committee in 1948</strong> and argued forcefully in <strong>favour of non-discrimination based on sex</strong> and &ldquo;the equal rights of men and women&rdquo; in the in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/international-human-rights-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Universal Declaration of Human Rights</strong></a>.</li>
<li>In 1949-1950, she <strong>headed</strong> the <strong>UN Section on the Status of Women and Children.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (1900-1990)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>She <strong>led the Indian delegation to the UN</strong> (1946-48 and 1952-53).</li>
<li>In 1953, she became the <strong>first woman to be elected president of the UN General Assembly.</strong></li>
<li>In 1978, she was appointed the <strong>Indian representative to the UN Human Rights Commission.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/indias-permanent-mission-to-the-united-nations-explained-6386259/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
		'posturl' => 'permanent-mission-to-un',
		'publishon' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'tag' => 'Role of Women',
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
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		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'articles'
	
	}
]
$tags = [
	(int) 0 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'id' => (int) 244,
		'tag' => 'Role of Women',
		'colorcode' => 'FFFFFF',
		'posturl' => 'role-of-women',
		'status' => (int) 1,
		'sort_order' => (int) 5,
		'type' => (int) 0,
		'relivant' => (float) 1,
		'metatitle' => 'Role of Women',
		'metakeyword' => 'Role of Women',
		'metadescription' => 'Role of Women',
		'addedby' => (int) 9,
		'updatedby' => (int) 9,
		'added' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'modified' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'tags'
	
	}
]
$title = 'Article Tags'
$lastyear = (int) 2018
$year = '2021'
$i = (int) 2017
$selected = ''
$m = (int) 13
$month = 'December'

include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Element/rightsection.ctp, line 115
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::_renderElement() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1554
Cake\View\View::element() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 668
include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Element/articlebox.ctp, line 5
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::_renderElement() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1554
Cake\View\View::element() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 668
include - ROOT/plugins/Drishti/src/Template/Articles/tags.ctp, line 61
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1196
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1157
Cake\View\View::render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 765
Cake\Controller\Controller::render() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 623
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 125
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 93

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