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In the June 2024 paper in Nature Communications, scientists reported that an earthquake of magnitude 7 to 8 caused the Ganga River to dramatically shift its course approximately 2,500 years ago.

Earthquakes

• About: Earthquake refers to the sudden shaking of the earth’s crust. It is highly destructive of all the natural disasters. They occur when there is a rupture in the Earth’s surface, typically along a fault line, leading to seismic waves that propagate through the ground. 
• Causes of Earthquakes: 
  • Tectonic Activities: Earthquakes result from a series of earth movements brought about by a sudden release of energy during the tectonic activities in the earth’s crust.
  • Other causes: It could also be triggered by volcanic eruption, rock falls, landslides, subsidence, particularly in the mining areas, impounding of dams and reservoirs, etc. 
• Measuring Earthquakes: 
  • Seismographs: It is an instrument to detect and record seismic waves produced by earthquakes. 
    • The time, location and intensity of an earthquake from the information recorded by a seismometer. 
    • This record also provides information about the rocks the seismic waves travelled through.

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• • Scaling Earthquake Events: The earthquake events are scaled either according to the magnitude or intensity of the shock.
    • Richter Scale: The magnitude scale is known as the Richter scale. The magnitude relates to the energy released during the quake. The magnitude is expressed in absolute numbers, 0-10.
    • Mercalli Scale: The intensity scale is named after Mercalli, an Italian seismologist. The intensity scale takes into account the visible damage caused by the event. The range of intensity scale is from 1-12.

Key Findings from the Research

• Discovery of Sand Dikes: During fieldwork, scientists found two large sand dikes a kilometre east of an ancient river channel.
  • These dikes, formed by liquefaction during an earthquake, showed that sediments flowed like liquid due to seismic activity.
• Evidence of Earthquake
  • Presence of Dikes: The team suspected these dikes indicated a major earthquake event, which was later confirmed.
    • The dikes provided the first evidence that earthquakes can change the course of rivers.
• Study Results
  • Shift of Ganga River: The magnitude of the earthquake caused the Ganga River to shift its course over 2,500 years ago.
  • Presence of Paleochannel: This shift created a well-preserved paleochannel (Ancient riverbed)  in the area, which is now used for rice cultivation.
  • Timing Correlation: The timing of the sand dikes’ formation matched the river’s avulsion, supporting the link between the earthquake and the river’s shift.
• Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) Dating for Timing Analysis: 
  • About: Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating is a method used to determine the burial age of sedimentary deposits. It was used to determine the timing of both the earthquake and the river avulsion.
  • Mechanism of OSL Dating: OSL dating estimates how long mineral grains have been buried by measuring the natural radiation stored in them.
    • To estimate the amount of energy stored, the researchers shine blue light on the grains, causing the trapped electrons to escape the crystal structure and return to the atoms. 
    • When they do so, they emit a photon of light.
    • A photomultiplier tube captures the photons and estimates their number, leading to a measure of the trapped energy.
• Unresolved Questions
  • The exact origin of the earthquake remains unknown.
    • Researchers suggest it could have originated in the Indo-Burma mountain ranges or the Shillong hills, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

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Future Hazards and Preparedness

• Increased Risk from Earthquakes
  • The discovery that large earthquakes can trigger major river avulsions reveals their potentially greater impact than previously understood.
  • River avulsions have caused some of history’s deadliest floods, with severe cascading effects on heavily populated areas like the Ganges-Meghna-Brahmaputra delta.
• Exacerbating Factors
  • Human activities and climate change increase the risk of river avulsions.
  • Factors include rapid subsidence near riverbanks due to widespread embankments and rising sea levels coupled with extreme weather events.

Way Forward

• Need for Future Research
  • Future research should investigate the frequency of quake-driven avulsions and develop forecasting methods for such major earthquakes.
  • Decision-makers and residents in the delta region must prepare for the risks associated with these avulsions.
• Implications for Future Preparedness: The research highlights the need for better earthquake forecasting to prepare for potential river shifts.
  • Experts stress the importance of increasing public awareness and preparedness for such seismic events.
• Regional Cooperation
  • Effective preparedness requires collaboration between India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar in research, monitoring, and support.

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A study named, ‘The Effect of Replacing Sucrose in Beverages with Nonnutritive Sweetener Sucralose on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Among Asian Indian Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A 12-Week Randomized Controlled Trial’ was published recently.

• Published In: The Study was published in the Paper Diabetes Therapy.
• Experiment: The study is a 12-week, parallel-arm randomized controlled trial which includes 210 participants.
  • The intervention group were assigned sucralose in coffee or tea and the control group, where sugar/sucrose was continued.
• The Research aims to study the effects of replacing sucrose or table sugar with an artificial sweetener ie. sucralose in a regular diet.
• Result:
  • There was no significant change in glucose or  HbA1c levels between the intervention and control groups. 
  • Positive changes were noted in the body weight, waist circumference and body mass index (BMI).

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About Sucralose

• Sucralose is made from real sugar and is a zero calorie artificial sweetener that often comes in a yellow packet and is marketed as Splenda.
  • Sucralose is blended with other calorie-free sweeteners such as dextrose and maltodextrin to reduce its excessive sweetness. 
• Process: Sucralose is made from sugar in a multistep chemical process in which three hydroxyl groups are replaced with chlorine atoms and is 600 times sweeter than real sugar with almost no calories. 
  • Sucralose is also altered so that most of it passes through our body instead of being stored to later use as energy. 
• Use: Sucralose is an approved ingredient and can be found in a variety of foods,
  • Packaged foods; Ready-made meals; Desserts; Chewing gum; Toothpaste; Drinks; Cakes
  • Sucralose doesn’t leave a bitter aftertaste in the mouth, so it can be used in foods like yogurt, candy, ice cream, and soda.
• Safety Evidences: 
  • Sucralose  was accepted as a table-top sugar-free sweetener by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998. More than 110 studies were evaluated by FDA for approving the safety of sucralose.
  • The scientific committee of food (SCF) in Europe affirmed that sucralose does not cause any harm to fertility, the immune system, and pregnancy. Also, it does not increase the levels of sugar.
    The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) affirmed that sucralose consumption does not have any effect on tooth decay in its evaluation in  2011
• Is Sucralose healthy?
  • Sucralose can help  limit the calorie intake as it is a zero calorie substitute of sugar.
  • Splenda sweetened foods and drinks doesn’t lead to a blood sugar level spike the way that regular sugar does.
  • Sucralose stays sweet even when used in high-temperature cooking like baking.
  • Absorption in body: Sucralose is not completely absorbed by the human body and is disposed of through excretion. Approximately 8–20% of the sucralose gets into the blood and is excreted through urine without metabolism.
• Negative Impacts of Sucralose consumption: 
  • Gastrointestinal tract (GI): Sucralose can be accumulated in the GI tract and can affect the metabolism and microfloral composition of the gut affecting the functions of gut bacteria like, immune response modulations, vitamin synthesis, pathogen inhibition, drug metabolism, and the absorption of magnesium and calcium.
  • Makes Medicine Ineffective: Sucralose ingestion may reduce the absorption of certain therapeutic drugs, thereby reducing their effectiveness. These drugs include cancer and heart disease medications.  
  • Digestion: Chemically extracted sweeteners can disturb smooth digestion by causing bloating, diarrhea, and gas. This condition may increase the level of water and nitrogen gas in the colon, which in turn may lead to diarrhea. 
  • Carcinogenic: Sucralose becomes unstable when heated at temperatures beyond 180°C and starts to generate chloropropanols which may increase cancer risk in humans.

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Union Agriculture Minister announced a significant investment of ₹18,000 crore to establish 100 export-oriented horticulture clusters over the next five years.

Stance on Farmers Welfare

• PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN): He highlighted the government’s commitment to direct financial assistance to farmers through this scheme.

About Horticulture Cluster

• It is a geographical concentration of targeted horticulture crops.
• These clusters allow specialization in production, postharvest management and provide growth opportunities. 
• India’s status: It is the second largest producer of horticulture crops. 
  • Major fruits: mango, banana, papaya, sapota, pomegranate, acid lime and aonla. 

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Benefits of Horticulture Cluster

Challenges of Horticulture Cluster

Indian Government Initiative for Horticulture

• The Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)
  • It is a centrally sponsored scheme. 
  • Initiated in 2014
  • This Initiative focuses on superior planting materials and cutting- edge irrigation systems. 
  • It has five schemes under it
    • National Horticulture Mission (NHM)
    • Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States (HMNEH)
    • National Horticulture Board (NHB)
    • Coconut Development Board (CDB)
    • Central Institute of Horticulture (CIH), Nagaland
• Horticulture Cluster Development Programme (CDP)
  • It is also a centrally sponsored scheme. 
  • Objective: It aims to develop horticulture clusters for increasing their competitiveness. 

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Recently, the Union Health Ministry for the first time has come out with Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) for transporting organs seamless transport of human organs through various modes of travel such as air, road, railways and waterways.

• The transport protocols aim to ensure the expeditious movement of life-saving organs from the point of harvest to their destination through effective use of available infrastructure.

About Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) For Transporting Organs

The SOPs issued by the government will serve as a guiding document for those involved in organ transplants across the country.

• Territory Provision: The instructions made it clear that human organs for transplant would be transported only within the territory of India and no organ shall be transported outside the country. 
  • Also, no human organ for transplant shall be allowed to be transported from outside the territory of India.
• Appropriate Screening: While transporting the organs by air (commercial/non-commercial aircraft/helicopter/ air ambulance etc., except drones), the Health Ministry recommended that the box containing the organ should be screened without opening it but passengers carrying it shall not be exempted from pre-embarkation security checks.
• Priority Reservation: Staff carrying/accompanying the organ box should be given priority in deboarding for which an in-flight announcement could be made by the Pilot-in-Command. 
  • Seating in front row seats, priority reservation, and provision for late check-ins for organ transport may be facilitated by the airline concerned. 
• Responsibility: It would be the responsibility of the airport officials to define a green path (free from obstruction) and a trolley for the organ box from the ambulance to the aircraft at the point of origin and from the aircraft to an ambulance at the destination.
  • When organs are transported by road, a green corridor may be provided on the request of the concerned authorities/agencies. 
• One Trigger System: It is a request from the organ allocation authority (National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation NOTTO or the regional/state authorities, ROTTO/SOTTO), as the case may be to initiate the process of organ transport by creating a green corridor.
  • It may be considered to help minimise the concerns around internal security as the request would be obtained from a credible source.
• Appointment of Nodal Officer: A nodal officer from the police department may be appointed to handle issues related to the creation of green corridors in each State/city. 
  • He/she may help sort out issues related to jurisdiction, approvals, security concerns, etc. during the creation of the green corridor.

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Recently, scientists have proposed Ladakh as a potential site for the country’s first analogue research station where conditions of the Moon and Mars can be emulated to test experiments. 

Significance of Research 

• This initiative aligns with India’s ambitious space programme, which includes plans for a space station by 2035 and Gaganyaan, the country’s first human spaceflight, landing the first Indian on the Moon by 2040. 
  • Boost India’s space programme: The establishment of such a facility would significantly boost India’s space programme, particularly the Indian human space programme and future Mars exploration plans. 
• International collaboration: It also presents an opportunity for international collaboration, enhancing the global community’s efforts in space exploration.
• Comparative research: It would also provide valuable opportunities for studying extremophiles and conducting comparative research with samples from India’s existing polar research stations.
• Local communities in Ladakh: It is poised to promote astro-tourism and support local communities in Ladakh.

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Proposed Research Station Would Serve Multiple Purposes

• Testing platform for space technologies: Assessing the effectiveness and sustainability of habitats designed for long-term stays on other planets.
• Advancing Technology Readiness Levels (TRL): Gradually increasing the readiness levels of various space technologies through rigorous field tests in Ladakh’s challenging environment.
• Engineering integration:  Integrating different systems and subsystems, such as power, life support, and communication, to ensure they work seamlessly together in a real-world setting.
• Human studies and crew training: Studying the effects of high altitude, low oxygen levels, and isolation on human physiology and psychology, which are analogous to conditions on Mars.
  • Training astronauts and mission crews in a realistic environment to prepare them for the challenges of living and working on the Moon or Mars. 
• Geological and astrobiological research: Conducting geological studies to understand the processes that shape planetary surfaces, providing insights that are applicable to the Moon and Mars.
  • Astrobiology: Searching for and studying extremophiles (organisms that live in extreme conditions) to gain insights into the potential for life on other planets and the best methods for detecting it.

Why has Ladakh been chosen?

Ladakh, particularly its high-altitude desert regions like the Changthang plateau, offers a unique set of environmental and geographical features that make it a valuable analogue research site for Moon and Mars mission studies: 

• Harsh Terrain: Ladakh’s rocky terrain, cold and arid desert landscape, and geomorphological similarities to early Mars and the Moon make it a prime candidate for simulating extra-terrestrial conditions
• Testing Platform for Space Technologies: Providing a controlled environment to advance technology readiness levels and engineering integration.
• Human Studies and Crew Training: Offering realistic conditions for training astronauts and studying human adaptation to extreme environments.
• Geological and Astrobiological Research: Enabling comprehensive studies of the terrain and potential extremophiles, organisms that thrive in extreme conditions.

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Recently, In the journal Nature Machine, findings on this new tool “GROVER” which can extract important information out of DNA sequences  were published.

About DNA

• DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the central information storage system of most animals and plants, and even some viruses.
  • DNA is organised structurally into chromosomes and then wound around nucleosomes as part of those chromosomes. 
• Classification: The name comes from its structure, which is a sugar and phosphate backbone which have bases sticking out from it—so-called bases.
  • It’s a polymer of four bases – Adenine (A), Cytosine (C), Guanine (G), and Thymine (T))
• Double Helix model: In 1953 James Watson and Francis Crick, based on the X-ray diffraction data produced by Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin, proposed a very simple but famous Double Helix model for the structure of DNA. 
  • A DNA molecule consists of two strands wound around each other, with each strand held together by bonds between the bases. Adenine pairs with thymine, and cytosine pairs with guanine. 
  • Gene: The sequence of bases in a portion of a DNA molecule, called a gene, carries the instructions needed to assemble a protein

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• Hallmarks: Base pairing between the two strands of polynucleotide chains.

About GROVER

• GROVER is a new large language model trained on humans.
• DNA that can extract important information out of DNA sequences, such as identifying gene promoters or protein binding sites. 
• Significance: The researchers believe tools like GROVER could help transform genomics and personalized medicine. 
• To train GROVER, the team at the Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC) of Dresden University of Technology in Germany, first created a ‘DNA dictionary’. 
• The DNA Dictionary: DNA resembles language. It has four letters that build sequences and the sequences carry a meaning. 
  • DNA consists of four letters (A, T, G, and C) and genes, but there are no predefined sequences of different lengths that combine to build genes or other meaningful sequences.
  • Information hidden in the DNA is multilayered. Only 1-2 % of the genome consists of genes, the sequences that code for proteins.
• GROVER Role: ​​Grover learns the grammar of DNA
  • In terms of the DNA code, this means learning the rules of the sequences, i.e. the order of the nucleotides and their meaning. 
  • For example: It’s Similar to how GPT models learn human languages, Grover has basically learned to speak DNA,
• GROVER Functioning: Grover can not only predict the sequence of DNA sequences for certain genetic information, but also derive information of biological relevance from the context, such as the start of genes or protein binding sites on the DNA. 
  • Grover also learns processes that are considered “epigenetic“.
    • Epigenetics: It is the study of how cells control gene activity without changing the DNA sequence. 

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Recently, World Bank releases the World Development Report 2024  provides a comprehensive roadmap to enable developing countries to escape the “Middle-Income Trap”

Key Highlights From The Report

Timeline for Economic Growth: China could take 10 years, Indonesia could take 70 years, and India could take as many as 75 years just to reach a quarter of the per capita income of the United States.

• Classification and Disparity: At the end of 2023, 108 countries were classified as middle-income, each with annual GDP per capita in the range of $1,136 to $13,845. 
  • Disparity: These countries are home to six billion people which is 75% of the global population and two out of every three people living in extreme poverty. 
  • They generate more than 40% of global GDP and more than 60% of carbon emissions. 
  • They face far bigger challenges than their predecessors in escaping the middle-income trap: 

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• • • Rapidly aging populations
    • Rising protectionism in advanced economies
    • Need to speed up the energy transition.
• Growth in middle-income countries is slower than that in countries at other income levels: Growth slowdowns occur more frequently in middle-income countries than in low- or high-income countries. 
  • Development strategies that served countries well in their low-income phase—capital investment, yields diminishing returns.
  • Countries with weaker institutions and especially those with lower levels of economic and political freedom—are susceptible to slowdowns at even longer levels of income.

• Challenges for Middle Income Countries: 
• • Geopolitical Tensions: Foreign trade and investment are in danger of becoming constricted by geopolitical tensions
  • Populism: It is shrinking the room for governments to act. 
  • Rising Debt and Adverse Demographics: They are crowding out private investors and  reducing public investment.
  • Accelerating Climate Action: It will require large investments in infrastructure and regulatory reforms that may stall productivity 
• Value Creation:  Both incumbents and entrants can create value. 

• • Incumbents bring scale. They can compete with entrants in the market to jointly expand a country’s technological capabilities, thereby moving the country closer to the global frontier. 
  • Entrants bring change—enterprises with new products or production processes, workers with new skills and ideas, or energy sources such as renewables that embody new technologies. By doing so, they expand a country’s technology frontier.
  • Implication of having both incumbents and entrants as value creators: Policy makers will have to stop relying on superficial measures of structural efficiency such as firm size, income inequality, and energy sources. 
    • Imperative for today’s middle-income economies is “efficiency”in the use of capital, labor, and energy. 

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Interactions between entrants and incumbents set the pace of creative destruction

About Middle-Income Trap

• About: A middle-income trap is a scenario where the country’s economy is unable to transition to the higher per-capita income levels. 
  • Low-income countries often tend to transition faster to middle-income levels, driven by low wages, cheap labour and basic technology catch-up. However, only a few countries manage to achieve high-income status.
• For Example: Latin American and Middle Eastern countries, historically these countries suffered middle-income traps for at least four or five decades. 
  • According to a World Bank Report: Out of 101 middle-income countries in 1960, only 13 countries achieved high-income status by 2008 based on per capita income level relative to the United States.
• Way to Improve: After rising to a matured middle-market economy, policymakers need to be innovative, strengthen institutional capacities and look for renewed sources of growth rather than depending on the traditional growth engines to avoid such traps.

Challenges India Faces

• Structural Economic Constraints:
  • Limited Industrialization: Despite efforts, India has not undergone the kind of industrial transformation seen in East Asian economies. Manufacturing remains a relatively small part of the economy compared to services.
  • Agricultural Productivity: A large proportion of the workforce is still employed in agriculture, which is marked by low productivity due to small landholdings, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient mechanization.
• Human Capital Deficiencies:
  • Education and Skills Gap: The Indian education system has struggled to provide the quality education needed to create a skilled workforce ready for a modern economy.
  • Health Concerns: Public health challenges, highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, stress the need for a stronger healthcare infrastructure.
• Innovation and Research:
  • R&D Expenditure: India’s spending on research and development is low compared to other major economies, which stifles innovation.
  • Patent Registrations: There is also a low rate of patent registrations, reflecting upon the inadequate emphasis on research and innovation.
• Infrastructure Bottlenecks:
  • Inadequate Infrastructure: Poor logistics, energy, and digital infrastructure can hamper productivity and discourage investment.
• Financial Sector Issues:
  • Access to Credit: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often face difficulty in accessing finance, which restricts their ability to grow.
  • Non-Performing Assets: The banking sector has been struggling with a high level of non-performing assets (NPAs), reducing its lending capacity.
• Demographic Dividend or Burden:
  • Youth Unemployment: High unemployment rates among the youth could turn the potential demographic dividend into a demographic burden.
• Regulatory and Governance Concerns:
  • Red Tape: Bureaucratic hurdles and red tape can be a significant impediment to doing business in India.
  • Corruption: Transparency issues and corruption also affect investor confidence and economic efficiency.

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Way Forward For India To Avoid Middle Income Trap

• Growth in middle-income countries different from that in countries at other income levels: 

• • Successful middle-income countries will have to engineer two successive transitions to develop economic structures that can eventually sustain high-income levels. 
    • First transition: It is from a 1i strategy for accelerating investment to a 2i strategy focusing on both investment and infusion in which a country brings technologies from abroad and diffuses them domestically—a process broadly applicable to lower-middle-income countries.
    • Second transition: It is to switch to a 3i strategy, which entails paying more attention to innovation—a process more applicable to upper-middle-income countries. 

• Merit must be rewarded—and vested interests must be disciplined.
  • The handful of countries that have made speedy transitions from middle- to high-income status have done so by disciplining vested interests, building their talent pool, and modernizing policies and institutions. 
    • Since 1990, only 34 middle-income economies have managed to shift to high-income status — and more than a third of them were either beneficiaries of integration into the European Union (EU), or of previously undiscovered oil
  • Today’s middle-income countries can do the same:
    • Discipline vested interests: Powerful incumbents (large corporations, state-owned enterprises, and powerful citizens) can add immense value, but they can just as easily reduce it. 
      • Governments must devise mechanisms to discipline incumbents through competition regimes that encourage new entrants without either coddling small- and medium-size enterprises or vilifying big corporations.
    • Reward merit:  Middle-income countries have smaller reservoirs of skilled talent than advanced economies and are also less efficient at utilizing them. So they will have to become better at accumulating and allocating talent.
    • Capitalize on crises: Cheap, reliable energy has long been a cornerstone of rapid economic development. But prospering while keeping the planet livable will now require paying greater attention to energy efficiency and emissions intensity. 
      • Climate change and other exigencies can provide opportunities to forge the consensus needed for tough policy reforms.
• Highest Socio-Economic Inequalities: So it is the onus of our policymakers to ensure that India’s quest for ‘Vikisit Bharat’ by 2047 should not be limited to enclaves but should be made inclusive and broad-based.
• Infrastructure Development: Accelerating investment in infrastructure, including roads, ports, electricity, and digital networks, through mechanisms like public-private partnerships (PPP).
  • For example, the Smart Cities Mission is an initiative that aims to develop sustainable and inclusive urban solutions.
• Improving Governance: Streamlining administrative processes and improving regulatory frameworks to reduce red tape.
  • Taking stringent measures against corruption to enhance transparency and accountability in governance.
• Reports of Western institutions: They are often accused of presenting the data and facts such that they may perpetuate the myth of the West’s superiority and invisibility. 
  • India must not be demotivated and should apply the aforesaid strategy of all three ‘i’s to ensure better and more equal opportunities for its citizens while upgrading the living standards of its people and enhancing the capabilities of its human resources.

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Conclusion

Avoiding the middle-income trap will require India to implement a multifaceted strategy, encompassing economic, educational, and governance reforms. With targeted policies and a commitment to structural reforms, India can pave the way for sustained growth and development, propelling it towards the high-income economy status.

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Nearly 50% women in India face domestic violence and two out of three Dalit women face sexual violence in their lifetimes. Yet, political parties and voters ignored it.

• In the world’s largest democratic exercise, 642 million voters participated and more than half of whom were female, but facing severe challenges, including institutional violence.

Gender-Based Violence in India

Gender-based violence (GBV) is violence committed against a person because of sex or gender. It is forcing another person to do something against his or her will through violence, coercion, threats, deception, cultural expectations, or economic means. 

• Refers: The United Nations’ definition of GBV is, “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, whether occurring in public or private life.”  
• Occurrence: The issue of violence against women occurs throughout the life cycle from pre-birth, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood to old age.
• A Matter of Concern: The issue of violence against women is a social, economic, developmental, legal, educational, human right and health (physical and mental) issue.
  • It is a human rights violation, and the immediate and long-term physical, sexual, and mental consequences for women and girls can be devastating, including death.
• Different Types of Violence against Women: Violence against women includes:
  • Intimate Partner Violence (battering, mental abuse, marital rape, femicide)
  • Sexual Violence and Harassment (rape, forced sexual activities, unhealthy sexual advances, child sexual abuse, forced marriage, stalking, cyber- harassment)
  • Human Trafficking (slavery, sexual exploitation)
  • Domestic Violence (child abuse and elderly abuse)
  • Female Child Foeticide
  • Acid Attacks
  • Female Genital Mutilation
  • Child Marriage

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About Institutional Violence

It is an established form of interpersonal violence resulting from the existence of such institutions as the police and prisons and from the practices of repressive justice. 

• Refers: It refers to the structural violence that occurs when specific organisations employ attitudes, beliefs, practices, and policies to marginalise or exploit vulnerable groups, such as racist attitudes and practices within certain police agencies or violence and abuse experienced by the incarcerated within certain prison facilities.
• Existence: Such violence emanating from institutions which exercise power may manifest itself in the political, the economic, and the cultural spheres.
• Concerning Scenario: In India, 90 rapes are reported everyday, however, very few among the 2,823 candidates who stood for elections, had women’s safety on their electoral agenda. For those that did, all were sporadic and none tackled the underlying institutional violence that millions of survivors live through everyday.
  • As per experts, the institutional violence on survivors is often prolonged and worse than the specific act of gender-based violence itself. This is where voters and politicians can make a vital difference.
  • Institutional violence against survivors starts even before the reporting process, influencing their decision to come forward. 
    • According to a report published in 2019 by J-PAL, a global policy think tank, showed that 39% of officers in India think that complaints of gender-based violence are usually baseless. 

Causes of Violence faced by Women

Following are the various causes of violence faced by Women:

• Gender Disparity: It is one of the major causes of violence against women. 
  • Discriminatory gender norms and gender stereotypes result in structural inequality.
  • Stereotypes of gender roles have continued over the ages.
• Socio-Demographic Factors: Patriarchy is the main cause of violence against women. 
  • If women have a higher economic status than their husbands and are seen as having sufficient power to change traditional gender roles, risk for violence is high.
• Family Factors: Exposure to harsh physical discipline during childhood and witnessing the discriminatory behaviour between gender roles in childhood is a predictor of victimisation and perpetration of violence.
• Female Genocide: It causes long-term psychological trauma with increased physical suffering.
• Honour Killing: In several countries of the world including Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Turkey, and India, women are killed to uphold the honour of the family due to varied reasons such as-alleged adultery, premarital relationship, rape, etc.
• Early Marriages: Early marriage is a form of violence as it undermines the health and autonomy of millions of girls.
  • The primary roles thought for women have been marriage and motherhood.
  • Women must marry because an unmarried, separated or divorced status is a stigma.
• Low Education & Sensitivity: Men are more likely to perpetrate violence (and female victims) if they have low education, a history of child maltreatment, exposure to domestic violence against their mothers, harmful use of alcohol, unequal gender norms including attitudes accepting of violence, etc.
  • As per 2011 census, male literacy rate is 82.14% while for females it lags behind at 65.46%.
  • India closed 64.1% of its gender gap in 2024, ranking the third lowest in the region, only ahead of Maldives and Pakistan. 

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Consequences of Violence against Women

Violence has a long lasting effect on survivors and their families. Impacts can range from physical harm to long-term emotional distress to fatalities. 

• Health Issues: Violence in any form affects physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health of women with an adverse affect on their self esteem, ability to work and make fertility decisions.
• Economic Issues: Violence against women poses serious impacts on the economy of the household as well as of the nation.
  • Examples: Loss of income, productivity, cost of social services, impact on child well being, intergenerational social, psychological cost, etc.
• Development Issue: Such violence resists women participation in the workforce, prevents their ability to act or move freely and hence in development and planning programs.
  • Violence against women is an obstruction to poverty alleviation programs as it impedes equitable distribution of resources.
• Violation of Constitutional Rights & Values: Any form of Violence against women is against the fundamental rights under articles 14 (equality before the law and equal protection of the laws), 19 (freedom of speech), 21 (Protection of Life and Personal Liberty) and 32 (Right to Constitutional Remedies) of the Indian Constitution.
  • Violence against women is an obstacle for achieving equality, development, peace as well as to the fulfilment of women and girls’ human rights. All these lead to non-fulfillment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
• Impact on Future Generation: Many victims of such violence attempts suicides or escape with their children and in such an environment they face threats or even received disabilities (if a suicidal attempt got failed during train jump or self-fire).
  • Throughout their homelessness, they faced the arduous task of survival, finding food and safe spaces to rest every day. 

Challenges that Need to be Tackled

30% women between the age of 18 and 49 have experienced physical violence since the age of 15 years, while 6% have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime and only 14% of women who have experienced physical or sexual violence by anyone have brought the issue up.

• Silent Women: Women only seek justice when their circumstances become unbearable. Despite one in two women facing intimate partner violence, India has one of the lowest divorce rates in the world at 1%. 
  • A report estimated that 77% of women in India remain silent, even to their closest relatives, about the violence they faced.
• Police Attitude: Police often discourage women from filing complaints, as seen in the case where police tried to dissuade a woman and sent her to different stations.
• Barriers in Rural India: In rural India, male and upper-caste dominated panchayats add an additional set of barriers for women to seek justice. 
• Delay in Access to Justice: Divorce is almost never an option. India has a backlog of 40 million court cases and this particularly impacts survivors of gender-based violence, even more so survivors from marginalised communities with pre-existing systemic inequities due to their caste, literacy and geography.
• Weak Implementation of Laws: India has strong domestic violence laws, yet, implementation is weak due to inept officials and archaic processes. This is unsurprising because the officials come from the very society that has condoned violence. 

Way Forward

Voters and politicians have the power to provide safety and dignity to Indian Women and make a massive difference. For such a shift to happen in the small and large institutions of India where survivors of violence no longer fear the repercussions of accessing justice, citizens, as voters, must demand the safety rights.

• Generate Awareness: There is an immediate need for generating awareness on the issue of violence against women. Families, especially male gender, have to be sensitised about the problems. 
• Availability of More Data : For decades, institutional violence has been amplified by a lack of data. To overcome the challenge, more data and more stories need to be shared publicly.  
• Create Survivor-Centric Institutions: Bureaucrats and elected leaders need to create survivor-centric institutions especially for survivors from marginalised communities with pre-existing systemic inequities.
  • There is a need for a national reimagination and improvisation of justice institutions by leveraging the learnings of organisations such as Vanangna, to make them trauma-informed and focused on healing.
• Need for Policies and Interventions: There is a need to implement such policies and interventions that reduce violence beginning in the formative years itself.
  • Legal systems across the countries need to be modified to prevent violence and also punish perpetrators of crime in a time-bound manner.
• Gender-based Legislation: There is a need to enact and enforce legislation and develop and implement policies that promote gender equality by ending discrimination against women.
  • National plans and policies should be formed to address violence against women.
  • Example: Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is considered the most “progressive blueprint” for advancing the rights of women. 
    • It is focused on the goals of equality, development and peace for all women everywhere. 
• Enhancement of Survey and Surveillance Quality: To combat this women violence issue, there is a need to improve the system of collecting crime surveillance data on violence against women.
  • Gender based surveys and health surveys should be conducted.
  • There is a need for a comprehensive and systematic research and analysis on crime against women at Central, State, district and block level.
  • The recent updates to criminal law procedures heavily focus on timeliness and ease of access through digital means. However, this needs to be accompanied by gender-sensitive training and monitoring and evaluation measures to ensure staff have a trauma-informed approach when working with survivors of violence.
• Capacity Building and Training: It should be prioritised for service providers and law enforcement officers to handle cases of violence against women.
  • Investments in Prevention: Investment in women’s organisations, law enforcers, vigilance infrastructure etc should be carried out.
  • Training Law Enforcement Officials: There is a need to train law enforcement officials regarding handling of violence against women. This also includes raising women officials to handle such issues. 
• Adopt National Policies: There is a need to adopt national policies that focus on the wisdom of survivors of violence, especially those from historically marginalised communities, to help in design and validate a just system.
  • Example: Vanangna, a women-led organisation in Bundelkhand trains government officials, including the police and law enforcement, on women-centric and survivor-centric processes. 

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Conclusion

A woman’s right to live free from violence is upheld by international agreements such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the 1993 UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women. There is an urgent need for investments to increase proximal access to mental health care with collective action that can substantively address deep-rooted violence.

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