Context: According to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), several states and Union territories (UTs) are yet to implement the Incident Response System (IRS), which is crucial for disaster response.

About Incident Response System (IRS):

• It envisages a composite team with various Sections to attend to all the possible response requirements to a disaster. 
  • The IRS designates officers to perform various duties and get them trained in their respective roles. 
  • It emphasizes the need for proper documentation of various activities for better planning, accountability and analysis. 
  • This will greatly help in reducing chaos and confusion during the response phase.
• National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued the Guidelines on the Incident Response System (IRS) under Section 6 of the DM Act, 2005.
• AIm: Effective, efficient and comprehensive management of disasters in India. 
• Vision of IRS: To minimize loss of life and property by strengthening and standardising the disaster response mechanism in the country.
• It is an effective mechanism for reducing ad-hoc measures in response. 
• IRS Organisation: 

Image Source: NDMA

• Organisational Flexibility: The IRS is a flexible system and all its Sections need not be activated in every situation at the same time. 
  • Only required sections may be made operational as and when required. 
  • This system envisages that the roles and duties shall be laid down in advance, the personnel earmarked and trained in their respective roles and duties.

News Source: HT

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Context: Recently, World Health Organisation (WHO) issued an alert over a batch of India-made common cold syrup sold in Iraq.

More on the News

• According to WHO, syrup had a higher than acceptable limit of contaminants: diethylene and ethylene glycol, 
• In its medical product alert, the WHO said the batch of the syrup had 0.25 per cent of diethylene glycol and 2.1 per cent of ethylene glycol, when the acceptable safety limit for both of them is up to 0.10 per cent.
• Dangerous effects of  Diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol: They can prove fatal for humans on consumption. 
  • The contaminated batch use, especially in children, may result in serious injury or death. 
  • Toxic effects can include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, inability to pass urine, headache, altered mental state and acute kidney injury which may lead to death.
  • According to WHO, till now, five “contaminated” syrups involving Indian manufacturers have come under scrutiny.
• Past Instances: Previously, Indian-made cough syrups have been linked to the death of dozens of children in Uzbekistan and Gambia, prompting the government to tighten the export policy for cough syrups. 
  • It is now mandatory to test before supplying to other countries.
• Need for Tough Regulation: Pharmaceutical exports from India rose by 3.25 per cent in the last fiscal, reaching USD 25.4 billion, and are expected to grow by approximately 6.3 per cent in the ongoing fiscal year, reaching the USD 27 billion mark.

News Source: Livemint

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Context: Recently, four Members of Parliaments said that their names were included in a proposed select committee of the House for the Delhi services bill without their consent.

More on the News:

• The select committee was proposed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha in the Upper House to examine the Delhi services bill.
• Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to replace an ordinance on the handling of transfers and postings of officials in the Delhi government.

Types of  Committees in Parliament:

• India’s Parliament has several types of committees which discharge different functions:
  • 12 Standing Committees: They are permanent in nature, with their members nominated from time to time by the Chairman.
  • Ad hoc or temporary committees: They are set up for a specific purpose, such as examining a particular Bill, and are dissolved once that purpose has been served. 
  • Select Committee: They are a type of Ad-hoc Committee.
• Rule for Select Committees: Under Rule 125 of the Rajya Sabha Rules and Procedures, any member may move an amendment that a Bill be referred to a Select Committee.
  • The motion to refer a Bill to a Select Committee can either be moved by the member in-charge of the Bill, or by any other MP, as happened in the case of the Delhi Services Bill, where the motion was moved by MP Chadha.
• Membership of Select committees: These committees consist of Members of Parliament (MPs) from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
  • The members are chosen by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha or the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, as the case may be. 
  • The selection process usually involves consultations with the leaders of various political parties and groups in the Parliament to ensure a fair representation.
  • The members are chosen based on their expertise and interest in the subject matter of the committee. 
  • The number of members in a select committee varies depending on the nature and scope of the issue at hand.
  • Committee conducts meetings and hearings to gather information and opinions from experts and stakeholders. 
  • The committee then submits a report with its recommendations to the Parliament for further action.

Significance of Select Committee:

• In the Indian Parliament, select committees are formed to scrutinize specific bills, budgets or policies of the government. 
• They seek inputs from experts, stakeholders, and the public to ensure that the proposed legislation is comprehensive and effective. 
• Recommendation: The committee members deliberate on the provisions of the bill and make recommendations for amendments or modifications. 
  • Once the committee submits its report, the Parliament may accept or reject its recommendations.
• Consultative: They play a crucial role in ensuring that the legislative process is transparent and democratic. 
  • They provide a platform for stakeholders to voice their opinions and concerns, and their recommendations can influence the final outcome of a bill. 
• They are an essential part of the Indian parliamentary system, and their work helps to ensure that legislation is well-informed and effective.

News Source: Indian Express

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Context:

Recently, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has highlighted irregularities in registration and validation of beneficiaries under the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PMJAY).

More On news:

• In its audit report on Performance Audit of Ayushman Bharat, the CAG has revealed that nearly 7.5 lakh beneficiaries were linked with a single mobile number in the Beneficiary Identification System (BIS) of the scheme.
• Data analysis of the BIS database has revealed that there were large numbers of beneficiaries registered against the same or invalid mobile number.

About Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY):

• AB-PMJAY is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with some central sector components under Ayushman Bharat Mission anchored in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). 
• It is an umbrella of two major health initiatives, namely Health and wellness Centres and National  Health Protection Scheme:
  • Health and wellness Centres: These centres provide comprehensive health care, including for non-communicable diseases and maternal and child health services.
  • National Health Protection Mission (AB-PMJAY):
    • AB-PMJAY provides a defined benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year. This cover will take care of almost all secondary care and most of tertiary care procedures.
    • To ensure that nobody is left out (especially women, children and elderly) there will be no cap on family size and age in the scheme.
    • The benefit cover will include pre and post-hospitalisation expenses. 
    • All pre-existing conditions will be covered from day one of the policy. 
    • A defined transport allowance per hospitalization will be paid to the beneficiary.
    • Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country and a beneficiary covered under the scheme will be allowed to take cashless benefits from any public/private empanelled hospitals across the country.
    • Beneficiaries:The families covered under this scheme have been included on the basis of occupational criteria of Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011(SECC 2011). 
    • PM-JAY also included the beneficiaries of the then existing Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, which were not present in the SECC 2011 database. 

Need of the scheme:

• India is grappling with a “triple burden of disease” comprising persistent communicable diseases, a growing prevalence of non-communicable diseases, and injuries.
• There are challenges for India’s healthcare system to serve its 1.4 billion citizens adequately. 
• The private sector handles around 70% of healthcare needs, but private providers are typically small, unregulated, and concentrated in urban areas, leaving underprivileged populations without proper care. 
• Public hospitals are overwhelmed and hindered by insufficient funding, a lack of skilled health professionals, inconsistent drug and equipment supplies, and often overcrowding with more patients than they can handle.
• A significant factor contributing to these issues is India’s ongoing underinvestment in public healthcare, with government spending on health remaining at approximately 2.1% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
• As a result, out-of-pocket expenses(OOPE)make up 62% of India’s total healthcare expenditure, exacerbating poverty and forcing nearly 60 million Indians back into poverty annually.
• Earlier government-funded health insurance schemes, such as Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY), targeted secondary care hospitalization but overlooked primary healthcare.

Achievements of PM-JAY in India:

• Reachability: As of March 2023, more than 21 crore Ayushman Bharat (AB) cards have been created, and 28,561 hospitals are empanelled under PM-JAY in India, and the total amount incurred under PM-JAY is INR 53,942.7 crores.
• Role of Private Hospital: In the year 2022-23, approximately 56 per cent of the total admissions (in terms of amount) were authorised in private hospitals, while 44 per cent were authorised in public hospitals.
• Gender equity:  Around 49% of Ayushman Card recipients are women, and over 48 per cent of the total authorised hospital admissions under the AB PM-JAY scheme have been availed by women.
• Inclusivity: The AB-PMJAY scheme added people from the transgender community to its list of beneficiaries.

Issues highlighted in the report:

• Beneficiary identification and registration: In the absence of adequate validation controls, errors were noticed in beneficiary databases such as invalid names, unrealistic date of birth, duplicate PMJDY IDs, and unrealistic size of family in a household, etc.
• Dead Getting Treatment: Patients earlier shown as ‘died’ continued to avail treatment under the scheme.
  • States that reported the maximum number of such cases are Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh.
• Infrastructural Issues: There is a shortage of infrastructure, equipment, doctors and the quality standards prescribed under PMJAY guidelines have not been conformed.
• Indulgence in malpractices: 12 hospitals in Jharkhand and one in Assam allegedly indulged in various malpractices such as illegal collection of money from beneficiaries, repeated submission of the same photograph for multiple claims, and non-disclosure of facts. 
• Faulty IT System: The CAG audit revealed that the IT system (TMS) did not prevent any patient from getting admission in multiple hospitals during the same period of hospitalizations. 
  • Same patient could get admission in multiple hospitals during the same period of hospitalisation and there was no mechanism to prevent it.
• OOPE: PMJAY beneficiaries had to pay out-of-pocket for treatment(OOPE) under the scheme. 
  • Ex: In Himachal Pradesh, 50 beneficiaries of five hospitals had to manage their diagnostic tests from another hospital or diagnostic centre, and the cost was borne by the beneficiaries.
• Post Hospitalisation Cost: PMJAY is a hospitalisation scheme; leaving uncovered most out-patient treatment, including the cost of diagnosis and medicines. 
• Poor follow-up actions: Actions like recovery of the amount of money collected, imposition of penalty, action against errant medical and paramedical professionals, de-empanelment of hospitals has not been initiated in most of the cases.
• Delayed in excluding ineligible beneficiaries: The report observes that delayed action in weeding out ineligible beneficiaries had resulted in ineligible people availing of benefits, and excess premium payment to insurance companies.
• Lack of speciality services: Lack of speciality services in many states forcing beneficiaries to move to far-off places causing hardship and inconvenience to them leading to OOPE.
• Skewed awareness pattern: Awareness of the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat scheme is higher among the rural beneficiary families in the southern region. 
  • Share of hospital admission is found to be higher in the Southern states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala, viz 19.5% and 10.9%, respectively.
• Disproportionate AB card creation and hospital admissions: Highly populous states like Bihar and Maharashtra have very low percentages of AB card creation as well as hospital admissions. 
  • In spite of having a higher share of AB cards in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the hospital admission shares are low – 4.4% and 5.7%, respectively.
• Absent Grievance Redressal Systems: Out of 37,903 grievances, only 3,718 complaints (9.80 per cent) were redressed within turn – around-time while 33,100 complaints (87.33 per cent) were redressed beyond turn-around time. 

Way Forward:

• Stepping up enrollment: In order to realise the scheme’s full potential, the National Health Authority (NHA) along with its counterparts in the states should aim to provide every possible beneficiary with an Ayushman Card. 
  • Till 30 June 2023, the scheme has only enrolled 23,88,07,318 beneficiaries which aims to cover 50 crore people.

• Upgradation of the speciality services: There is a strong need to upgrade the speciality services of empanelled hospitals so as to fulfill the objective of the scheme.
• Incentivising Prevention: It should be made financially viable for a hospital for offering medication and lifestyle counselling to people.
• Following global budget model: Under this, the hospital is paid the premium for its enrolled patients at the start of the financial year which have a stake in preventing chronic health conditions from snowballing into catastrophic health expenditures. 
• Multipronged Approach: Examining healthcare expenditure across various categories and cost savings through preventive care, improved regulation of drug prices, addressing insurance gaps for the middle-income group in India, collaboration with the private sector are essential. 

News Source: Indian Express

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Context:

Recently, the Immunization drive Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 5.0, began in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.

More on News:

•  Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 5.0 focuses on reaching zero-dose children aged between 0-5 years and pregnant women.
• It aims to eliminate measles and rubella  by ensuring that every child under 5 years of age has completed the two-dose schedule of Measles and Rubella Containing Vaccine (MRCV)
• According to statistics, more than five lakh children have not yet received their initial Pentavalent-1 dose while over seven lakh children have missed their second dose of the measles-rubella (MR) vaccine.
• In 2022, Uttar Pradesh accounted for every fourth measles-rubella (MR) outbreak recorded in the country.

 About Mission Indradhanush (MI):

• Mission Indradhanush (MI) is a special catch-up campaign under the Universal Immunization Program (UIP).
  • India’s Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) provide free vaccines against 12 life threatening diseases namely: 
    • Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, Hepatitis B, Pneumonia and Meningitis due to Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib), Measles, Rubella, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Rotavirus diarrhea.
• It is conducted in the areas of low immunization coverage to vaccinate all the children and pregnant women left out or dropped out from Routine Immunization. 
• Nodal Ministry:  Ministry of Health and Family Welfare 

Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 5.0

• Coverage: It focuses on reaching zero-dose children aged between 0-5 years and pregnant women.
• It aims to eliminate measles and rubella  by ensuring that every child under 5 years of age has completed the two-dose schedule of Measles and Rubella Containing Vaccine (MRCV)

News Source: The Hindu

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Context: 

The 133rd report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law, and Justice underscores the imperative for a comprehensive strategy to alleviate case backlogs. 

More on News:

• The Committee recognizes the historical origin of judicial vacations as a colonial legacy. 
  • The court takes two long vacations each year, the summer and winter breaks, but is technically not fully closed during these periods.
• It is evident that the collective suspension of court proceedings during such vacations causes substantial inconveniences to the litigants involved.

Current Status of Case Pendency in Indian Judiciary:

• Steady Increase in Backlog: Between 2010 and 2020, the pendency of cases in all courts increased by an annual rate of 2.8%. 
• Concentration in Lower Judiciary: The most severe backlog of cases is found in the lower levels of the judiciary where most cases are filed.

• Pendency of cases in High Court: Over 59 lakh cases were pending in the High Courts until July 2022.
• Varied Regional Backlogs: The number of pending cases varies greatly across different states. 
  • Some states, like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, have exceptionally high numbers of unresolved cases. 
  • Bihar has more than 5 million pending cases, while Uttar Pradesh has over 6 million.
• Illustration of Tribunal Backlog: As of the end of 2020, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) had a backlog of 21,259 cases.

Reasons for High Case Pendency in the Indian Judiciary:

• Shortage of Judges: The scarcity of judges within the Indian judiciary is a key factor contributing to the backlog. 
  • As on September 1, 2021, the Supreme Court had one vacancy out of the sanctioned strength of 34 judges.  
  • In the High Courts, 42% of the total sanctioned posts for judges were vacant (465 out of 1,098).  
  • As on February 20, 2020, in subordinate courts, 21% posts out of the sanctioned strength of judges were vacant.
  • India has about 21 judges for every million people. China, by contrast, has about 159 judges for every million people.
• Court Vacations: The Supreme Court has 193 working days a year for its judicial functioning, while the High Courts function for approximately 210 days, and trial courts for 245 days.
  • Too many vacations in the courts cause an unreasonable delay in the cases. 
• Government Litigation: In 2018, the Law Commission of India, in its 230th report, noted that the government is the biggest litigant in the system.
  • As on January 3,20223,   LIMBS project (Legal Information Management Briefing System) shows that there are 6,20,000 cases involving the government pending before the court system.
• Inadequate Infrastructure: Many courts across India lack the necessary facilities and resources to effectively manage the high volume of cases filed. This deficiency in infrastructure can lead to delays in case resolution.
• Complexity of Cases: Certain cases are intricate and demand significant time and resources for thorough resolution. Complex cases tend to take longer to conclude, contributing to the overall backlog.
  • Examples of cases that may be considered “complex litigation” might include environmental litigation, legal malpractice, medical malpractice, etc.
• Procedural Delays: Delays can arise due to procedural complications, such as difficulties in locating witnesses or obtaining essential evidence. These procedural obstacles can prolong the time it takes to reach a verdict.
• Low Enforcement of Court Orders: When court orders are not enforced, it leads to additional delays in case resolution. Non-compliance with court rulings undermines the effectiveness of the judicial process.
• New Mechanisms and Litigation: Innovative mechanisms like Public Interest Litigation (PIL) have expanded the scope of cases brought before the courts. While PIL is valuable for addressing public issues, it also contributes to the caseload.
  • PIL is a legal mechanism that allows individuals or groups to approach the courts in order to address issues that affect the larger public or society’s interests. 

Impact of Judicial Pendency on the Justice Delivery System in India:

• Delays in Justice: The accumulation of pending cases can result in considerable delays in resolving cases, extending the time it takes for individuals to receive a verdict. 
  • A State of the Indian Judiciary Report published in 2019 records that on average, at the district court level, a case remains pending for five years or more. If the losing side goes up in appeal, then the average time may go up to 13 years
• Compromised Quality of Justice: Due to the pressure of a heavy caseload, judges might not have adequate time to thoroughly assess and analyze each case. This can lead to decisions that may not be well-informed or fail to address the core issues effectively.
• Overwhelming the Court System: A significant backlog can strain the entire court system, making it challenging for judges to handle cases promptly and efficiently. This overload can disrupt the timely disposal of cases.
• Eroding Public Trust: Lengthy delays can erode public trust in the effectiveness of the legal system. People may lose confidence in the ability of the courts to deliver timely and fair justice.
• Financial Strain on Litigants: Prolonged legal proceedings can place a financial burden on litigants. They are required to bear the costs associated with ongoing legal battles, which can be financially taxing.
• Undertrials on the rise: Sharp spike in case pendency in Indian courts has resulted in an increase in the number of undertrials lodged in prisons. 
  • An undertrial is a prisoner on trial in a court of law. As per the Prison Statistics-2020, released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), undertrials accounted for 76% of the total inmates in around 1,300 prisons across the country. 

Efforts Taken to Reduce Case Pendency:

• E-Courts Mission Mode Project:The eCourts Integrated Mission Mode Project is one of the National e- Governance projects being implemented in District and Subordinate Courts of the Country since 2007.
  • It provide designated services to litigants, lawyers and the judiciary by universal computerisation of district and subordinate courts in the country.

• Virtual Courts: Conducting court proceedings through videoconferencing, improving access and speeding up cases.
• E-filing: E-filing allows cases to be submitted electronically over the internet, minimizing physical presence and paperwork. It accelerates case processing and reduces administrative delays.
• e-Payment: Online payment for court fees and fines, minimizing cash transactions and paperwork.
• Interoperable Criminal Justice System (ICJS): Data exchange among justice system components, aiding faster case resolution.
• Fast Track Courts: Dedicated courts for quick case handling, prioritizing backlog reduction.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): Methods like Lok Adalats, Gram Nyayalayas, and Online Dispute Resolution offer alternate avenues for swift dispute resolution.

Way Forward:

• Increase the Number of Judges: One way to reduce the backlog of cases is to increase the number of judges in the Indian judiciary. This will allow more cases to be heard and decided more quickly.

• Judicial Workload Management: Implement strategies to distribute cases more evenly among judges and courts, preventing overburdening of specific courts and judges.
• • Adopt modern case management techniques to track cases, allocate resources efficiently, and expedite hearings.
• Decrease Court Vacations: Extended frequent vacations are not good optics, especially in the light of mounting pendency of cases and the snail’s pace of judicial proceedings. 
  • For an ordinary litigant, the vacation means further unavoidable delays in listing cases.

• Efficient Utilization of Experienced Judges: Retain experienced judges beyond the retirement age of 62 with pay and perquisites to maximize their contribution to the justice system.
• Specialized Courts: Establish specialized courts for specific types of cases (e.g., commercial, family, environmental) to handle them more effectively and promptly.
• Clearing Archaic Laws: Review and repeal outdated laws that contribute to the backlog and focus on more relevant and current legal matters.
• Virtual Hearings Expansion: Further expand virtual court hearings to ensure cases can proceed even during emergencies and disruptions.
• Strengthening ADR: Promote the use of alternative dispute resolution methods like mediation, conciliation, and arbitration to resolve cases swiftly.

News Source: The Indian Express

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Context: Recently, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched the first State of Elementary Education in Rural India report.

Key Highlight of the Report:

• Pan-India survey was conducted by the Development Intelligence Unit (DIU), across 6,229 rural households in 20 states, focussing on 6 to 16-year-old children in rural communities.
• Equality Among Gender: Parents from rural communities believe that a child’s gender, whether a boy or a girl, should not hinder their educational aspirations. 
  • Total of 78 percent of parents of girls and 82 per cent of parents of boys wanted to educate their children to graduation and above.
• Parental participation: About 84 percent of parents regularly attend parent-teacher meetings, demonstrating their active involvement in their children’s education.
• Role of Parents: Majority of children (62.5 per cent) are under the supervision of their mothers when it comes to their studies, while 49 per cent are supervised by their fathers.
  • Over 38 per cent of parents opt for private tutors to further enhance their children’s education.
  • About 26 per cent of the children study under the supervision of a private tutor.
• Drop Outs: Out of the total dropped-out children, around one-fourth of male children discontinued their education during primary schooling, due to lack of interest in studies.
  • Dropout rate for female children is high at 35 per cent, due to the need to contribute to the family’s earnings. 
  • A higher proportion of both boys and girls dropped out of school after completing the primary school education (75 per cent for boys and 65 per cent for girls).
• Increased access to smartphones: Nearly half, 49.3 percent of students in rural India have access to smartphones. 
  • 76.7 percent of these students primarily use their phones for entertainment purposes, such as playing video games and watching movies. 
  • Only 34 percent of smartphone-accessible students use their devices for study-related downloads, while 18 percent access online learning through tutorials.
• Learning Environment at Home: 40 percent of parents have age-appropriate reading materials available at home, beyond school books. 
  • Only 40 percent of parents engage in daily conversations with their children about their school learning, while 32 percent have such discussions a few days a week.

News Source: India Today

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Context: Recently, Rajya Sabha passed the Inter-Services Organisation (Command, Control & Discipline) Bill, 2023.

Highlight of Bill

• Aim: To provide commanders-in-chief and officers-in command of Inter-Services Organisations (ISOs) with disciplinary and administrative power over personnel from other forces serving in such establishments.
• Objective: It will ensure better coordination among the three services and bolster the integrated structure. 
• Present Condition: Currently, armed forces personnel are governed in accordance with the provisions contained in their specific Service Acts – Army Act 1950, Navy Act 1957 and Air Force Act 1950. 

Feature of the Bill:

News Source: Indian Express

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