Context

The recent raids on public functionaries and private individuals speak volumes about the deep roots of corruption still existing in Indian society.

Issue of Corruption in India

• Corruption Resurfaces in National Discourse: Whether it is the issue of electoral bonds, and  the liquor policy of Delhi or many others involving politicians, bureaucrats and even private individuals, perhaps after some hiatus, the ghost of corruption is back haunting the national discourse at present.
• Perceptions of Corruption in India: Varying views on corruption prevalence based on individual experiences and knowledge. 
  • Some perceive corruption as predominantly governmental or political, while others see it as pervasive across all sectors.
  • Diversity of opinions ranging from justifying corruption to vehemently criticizing it.
• Corruption Beyond Government: Corruption knows no bounds, infiltrating both public and private realms.
  • From street vendors to corporate executives, instances of exploitation and dishonesty abound. Despite their prevalence, such acts often evade legal censure, revealing systemic shortcomings.

Enroll now for UPSC Online Course

• Unmasking Hidden Corruptions: Monetary gain isn’t the sole motive; abuse of power and arrogance play significant roles. 
  • Bureaucratic delays, undue harassment, and abuse of authority erode public trust. Such actions contradict the oath of honesty sworn by public officials, underscoring a breach of faith.
• Efficacy of Legal Measures: Governments enact laws and establish enforcement agencies to combat corruption. However, recent events suggest a failure to deter illicit behavior. 
  • This raises doubts about the efficacy of legal frameworks in addressing systemic issues.
• Normalization of Corruption: The reluctance to condemn corrupt acts and the absence of social stigma suggest a troubling acceptance of unethical behavior. Addressing corruption requires challenging entrenched cultural attitudes.
• Solutions for Combating Corruption in India: Combating corruption demands a multifaceted approach. Merely relying on legal measures is insufficient. Revisiting social, educational, and cultural norms is essential to foster a culture of integrity and accountability.

Conclusion

Corruption in India remains deeply entrenched in the society. To effect change, a holistic approach is imperative. By challenging norms and fostering accountability, India can strive towards a future free from the shackles of corruption.

DOWNLOAD PDF

Context

India submitted three papers to the 111th Session of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Legal Committee (LEG) to address seafarers’ security concerns and broader maritime security challenges.

Rising Safety Concerns for Indian Seafarers

• Escalating Safety Concerns for Indian Seafarers: Indian seafarers face escalating safety concerns due to recent attacks on commercial ships in sensitive regions like the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.
• India’s Initiatives for Seafarer Security: India has submitted three papers to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to address seafarers’ security, contractual terms, and broader maritime security challenges.
• Enhancing Maritime Security: These submissions underscore the need for a comprehensive approach to maritime security and improved conditions for seafarers.

Enroll now for UPSC Online Course

Challenges and Concerns for Indian Seafarers

• Resurgence of Sea Piracy: Recent pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia indicate a resurgence of piracy, with vessels like the MV Ruen and MV Lila Norfolk being targeted.
• Unlawful Recruitment Practices: Unlawful recruitment practices negatively impact seafarers’ well-being and international trade.
  • India reports over 200 cases of seafarer exploitation since 2020, urging international coordination to address these issues under the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006.
• Vulnerabilities of Indian Seafarers: India, with 9.35% of global seafarers and ranking third globally, confronts such incidents.
  • Indian seafarers face significant vulnerabilities due to incidents such as vessel seizures and detentions, as exemplified by the cases of MSC Aries and MT Heroic Idun.
• Accountability Challenges: Challenges persist in holding ship owners accountable for violations and protecting seafarers’ rights under foreign registrations.
• Seafarers at Risk: Three years ago, the Maritime Union of India highlighted a 40% increase in kidnappings in the Gulf of Guinea, with 134 cases of assault, injury, and threats reported.
  • Incidents such as the kidnapping of 20 Indian nationals from the MT Duke (off the western coast of Africa) and the ship owners paying hefty ransoms highlight the dangers faced by seafarers.

Initiatives in Ensuring Seafarers’ Rights

• India’s Anti-Piracy Efforts: India calls for vigilance, proactive measures, and international cooperation to combat piracy, aligning with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
• Protecting Indian Seafarers: The Indian government and the National Human Rights Commission launched the ‘human rights at sea’ initiative to address abuses against Indian seafarers, including cases of imprisonment and illegal detentions.
  • Human Rights at Sea’ has highlighted abuses against Indian seafarers, including 200 held in foreign jails and 65 stranded in Indonesia for 151 days.
• Cooperative Action: Proactive cooperation among stakeholders is crucial to safeguard human rights in the maritime industry and ensure seafarers’ well-being.

Way Forward

• Addressing the Growing Concern of Maritime Piracy: Maritime piracy poses a growing concern for Indian seafarers, with a more than 10% increase in serious piracy incidents over the last 10 months.
• Call for International Cooperation: Enhanced international cooperation is needed to safeguard seafarers and ensure uninterrupted navigation, especially amid rising incidents involving Indian seafarers and geopolitical tensions.
• Improved Protection Measures: Reports highlight exploitation of Indian seafarers by Iranian shipping companies, underscoring the need for improved protection measures and government support.
  • These seafarers often face overwork, are provided insufficient food, and are forced into transporting illegal cargo, despite paying hefty fees to secure overseas jobs.
• Indian Seafarers’ Resilience Amid COVID-19: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Indian seafarers demonstrated their resilience and professionalism, enhancing India’s standing in the global maritime market. 
• Opportunities in the Indian Maritime Sector: The Ukraine-Russia conflict has also created opportunities for new players in the Indian maritime sector.

Conclusion

India aims to increase its share of global seafarers to 20% in the next 10 to 20 years, emphasizing the importance of improving rights and protection for seafarers in the maritime industry.

DOWNLOAD PDF

Context

India was ranked right at the bottom of 180 countries in the Environment Performance Index (EPI) in 2022.

India’s Low Ranking in the Environment Performance Index (EPI)

• Assessing Environmental Performance: EPI evaluates countries based on climate change performance, environmental health, and ecosystem vitality using 40 performance indicators across 11 categories.
• Response to EPI Assessment:The Indian government criticized the EPI’s methodology, claiming it doesn’t accurately reflect India’s environmental situation.

Enroll now for UPSC Online Course

Critique of Development Initiatives

• India’s Environmental Performance Challenges: Despite initiatives like Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), and National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), India’s environmental performance remains poor.
• Mission Failures: The Swachh Bharat Mission is meant to address the issue of WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Health). Likewise, the SCM is supposed to deliver on the clean energy requirements of towns. 
  • These missions aimed to improve living standards and address issues like sanitation and clean energy but have failed to mitigate air and water pollution.
• SBM’s Limitations:The SBM, for instance, continues caste-based sanitation practices and relies on capital-intensive technologies without effectively addressing waste management.

Challenges with Swachh Bharat Mission

• Poor Quality of Infrastructure: Reports suggest inadequate construction quality of toilets under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), raising questions about the effectiveness of the initiative.
  • A Comptroller and Auditor General report in 2020 raised many questions about the government’s claims over the success of the SBM on this front.
• Slum Sanitation Gaps in Urban Areas: A few urbanization studies pointed out that in some metros, communities in slums still do not have access to public toilets
• Lack of Waste Treatment: Toilet construction in rural areas is not linked to waste treatment, leading to improper disposal of faecal sludge and environmental contamination.
• Manual Scavenging: Septic tanks are cleaned by manual scavengers and the sludge is thrown into various water systems.
• Ineffective Waste Management Technologies: Large, capital-intensive waste management technologies have failed to meet expectations, resulting in health crises and the need for additional resources to fix them.
• Privatization of Public Health Services: The outsourcing of sanitation work to private contractors, often employing subjugated communities, has led to the privatization of public health services and perpetuated caste discrimination.
  • City governments are being asked to buy more machines including road sweeping machines that cost more, more vehicles to transport the waste from one corner to another with geo-tagging, and so on. 
• Lack of Success in Solid Waste management: In most towns, the Union government is employing technological solutions in handling solid waste. 
  • Some of these solutions are in the form of waste-to-energy plants and biological methanation. But there are barely any success stories in either case.
• Insufficient Human Resources: Shortage of sanitation inspectors and inadequacy in recruitment efforts hinder effective monitoring and management of sanitation programs at the local level.
  • In Himachal Pradesh State where there are more than 50 municipal bodies, there are only 20 sanitation inspectors.

Linking EPI Performance to Development Model

• Development Model Flaws: India’s low EPI ranking exposes flaws in its development model and sustainability.
• Climate Change and Human Rights Link: The Supreme Court’s observation on the link between climate change and human rights underscores the need to reassess development policies.
• Reevaluating Development: Anthropogenic and systemic factors contribute to environmental challenges, necessitating a reevaluation of development models and policies.

Conclusion

Aligning policies with human rights is essential to address climate change and ensure sustainable development. Reforms are needed to mitigate environmental degradation and promote equitable development in India.

DOWNLOAD PDF

Context

According to a 2019 UN report, cities occupy 3% of India’s land and contribute about 60% to the economy.

India’s Affordable Urban Housing Initiatives

• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: In recognition of the need for affordable and quality housing, the government launched the PM Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) in June 2015 to provide housing for all by December 2024.
  • Around 8.2 million of nearly 11.7 million houses approved under the scheme have been completed.
  • In contrast, 25 million houses of the 29.5 million target under the scheme’s rural version, PMAY-Gramin, had been completed by November 2023.
• Lower Completion Rate: Not only is the urban version of PMAY  completion rate lower, but many houses constructed under it remain unoccupied.

Enroll now for UPSC Online Course

Challenges in India’s Urban Housing

• Issues with livability: The Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs noted in 2022 that many houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) are not in “liveable condition,” pointing to missing windows and doors, and illegal occupation by “anti-social elements.”
• PMAY-Urban Beneficiary Selection Concerns: Comptroller and Auditor General report noted several issues related to the selection of beneficiaries under PMAY-U. 
  • In Karnataka, for example, some beneficiaries got multiple benefits while ineligible people got allotments.
• Low Demand: Given weak purchase demand for public housing , the Centre launched a scheme under which PMAY-U houses are repaired and converted into affordable rental housing complexes for urban migrants/poors.

Barriers to Urban Public Housing Demand: Location, Maintenance, and Cultural Hurdle

• Lack of Choice in location: A housing subsidy in rural areas is used to build homes on land owned by families in their native places. 
  • The location of a residence is not decided by the government, but by individuals. Urban public housing can’t offer such a choice.
• Maintenance Challenges: In apartment  complexes, public space maintenance and shared-resource use are often subject to the ‘tragedy of commons.’ Public resources tend to get misused and suffer from poor upkeep.
• Preference for Upward Mobility: People may not prefer to live in neighborhoods that do not suit their aspirations of upward mobility. 
• Cultural Barriers for Migrants: Migrants from other states often stay together and form a small local community, since assimilation in the larger urban community takes time. That may discourage migrants from other states from applying for public housing rental apartments.
• Lack of Information: It is also unclear if there is proper dissemination of information on the rental housing available, the process of applying for it, and so on.

Way Forward to Urban Housing

• Exploring Innovative Policies: The 2015 National Urban Rental Housing Policy mentions the provision of a fund to set up a rental voucher scheme and a pilot project in selected cities. 
  • The vouchers were meant to partially offset the cost of private housing rent incurred by the urban poor and migrants.
• Challenges of Affordability: Rents in our cities are so high that even after a rent subsidy, private housing remains largely unaffordable to the urban poor.
• Boost Urban Housing Supply: The supply of urban housing can be increased via two measures:
  • First, a stockpile of private accommodation can be unlocked that remains locked up because of unfavorable terms for house owners under rental laws. 
  • Second, regulations can be eased that control and thereby slow the construction of new homes in big cities.

Conclusion

If India is to become a prosperous nation, our cities would be at its core. It is therefore imperative to rethink the country’s urban public housing policy once national elections are over.

DOWNLOAD PDF