Context

During the campaign to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, the Prime Minister addressed six rallies in the north and central provinces and the Saurashtra region in Hindi Language.

Constitutional Provisions Related to Hindi Language

Article 343: According to this Article, the official language of the Union of India is to be Hindi Language in Devnagari script, and numerals should follow the international form of Indian numerals. The Article also states that English will continue to be used as an official language for 15 years from the commencement of the Constitution.

• Article 346: This article is about the official language for communication between the States and between a State and the Union. 
  • The Article states that the “authorised” language will be used for official communication. However, if two or more states agree that their communications shall be in Hindi, then Hindi may be used.
• Article 347: This Article gives power to the President to recognise a language as an official language of a given State. But this can be done if the President is satisfied that a substantial proportion of that State desires that the language be recognised. Such recognition can be for a part of the State or the whole state.
• Article 351: This Article gives power to the Union Government to issue a directive for the development of the Hindi language.

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Challenges in Promoting Hindi Language as a Common Language

• Vulnerability of local languages: Each language has vocabulary, gender rules and locutions that do not come instinctively to everyone. When the government uses Hindi as a common language, it will not be easy to understand the government’s policies, decisions and position to non-Hindi speakers.
• Challenges to the bureaucracy: The government’s decision to make Hindi language an official language might hamper the efficiency of the Indian Bureaucracy. 
  • For instance, there might be a situation where a bureaucrat from Kerala state in Delhi has to read and write file notations in Hindi and has to submit them to a superior officer belonging to Odisha state.
• Failure of the Three lanquage formula: In the five decades since the promulgation of the’ “three-language formula’, implementation has largely failed across the country. 
  • This is for two reasons; (a) Anti-Hindi agitations in various states, such as Tamil Nadu; (b) There is no demand for learning a Southern or North-Eastern Language in states that demand Hindi as an official language.
• Against Constitutional ideas: The Constitution envisages India as a Union of States working within a federal framework. Further, in India, most of the States have been formed on a linguistic basis. So, promoting Hindi will go against these ideas and aspirations and violate constitutional provisions.
• Eighth Schedule to the Constitution: The Eight Schedule consists of the 22 languages. Of these languages, 14 were initially included in the Constitution. 
• Article 350A: This article facilitates instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage.
• Article 350B: This Article provides for the establishment of a Special Officer for linguistic minorities and safeguards their identity.
• Creates discrimination in the long run: The government’s move to make Hindi as a common language might provide Hindi speakers with the economic, academic and administrative edge

Conclusion

Any efforts to promote Hindi Language must be balanced with respect for linguistic diversity and constitutional principles, ensuring inclusivity and equitable representation for all language speakers in India.

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Context

According to TCS CEO, AI could result in “minimal” need for call centres in about a year.

Status of Information Technology Industry in India

• India’s IT & BPM Sector: India’s IT and Business Process Management (BPM) sector employs about 50 lakh people – up from 20 lakh people in 2009 – with a market size of about $180bn (of which about 84% is outsourced work from other countries).
• Call Centre Jobs:  In call centers alone, India created 98,000 jobs last year, more than any other country by a long mile. Globally, too, the call center market size is about $340bn and is projected to be close to $500bn by 2027.

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Reasons for Shifting of Call Centres in India

• Cost efficiency: Educated Indians were doing what their counterparts in wealthier countries wouldn’t, at costs unimaginable in the places from which the work came.
• Call Centers as Career Launchpads: As India began to embrace economic liberalization in 1991, opportunities started to emerge. Many saw a job at a multinational call center as an appealing entry point into their careers.
• Evolution of India’s Tech Workforce: Especially for a skilled workforce which had been looking for opportunities – the first degree courses in computer sciences were offered in the 1970s, a “Computer Manpower Development Programme” launched in 1983 had started building on that to offer tertiary training
  • Networking infrastructure came up in the 1980s, and a number of technology parks (focused spaces for research and industry to work together) had been set up in the 1990s.
• Challenges of Entry-Level Jobs: But entry level jobs in India were few, and entry level salaries were low – in 1994, for instance, even business school graduates could expect their first salaries to be around Rs 8,500 a month, worth less than Rs 30,000 today.
• Lucrative Call Center Salaries: Call centres, on the other hand, offered salaries that would be worth anywhere between Rs 66,000 and Rs 1 lakh a month now.
• Perceptions and Realities in India: Elsewhere, call centres were being compared to sweatshops and its workers were being called cyber coolies. In India, where people get used to oppressive working conditions quickly, a monetary jumpstart seemed like a deal worth the trouble.
• Culture Shift in Call Centers: The job also entailed a cultural shift. Answering a call from Oklahoma at 5 pm meant being at your desk by 3:30 am, working the night shift, adapting to a foreign accent, and adopting the mindset of individuals from the country where your company was headquartered. This transformation was briefly idealized as an alternative aspiration.
• Cost Savings for Companies: For the companies that hired them, meanwhile, it still meant a ton of savings – Indian salaries were one-fifth to one-sixth of what they would have to pay someone in the US or the UK, for instance.

Challenges Faced by Call Centers because of Artificial Intelligence

• Job Losses and Backlash: The outsourcing rush among British and American companies meant a string of massive job losses in their countries and, understandably, considerable backlash.
• Outsourcing Strategy: While some companies faced criticism and a few relocated jobs from India back to their home countries, many quietly expanded their outsourcing operations in India once more. 
• Changing Landscape of Outsourcing: According to the recent report from consulting firm Kearney, the labor cost advantage traditionally enjoyed by leading outsourcing centers is becoming “less significant” due to technological advancements.
• Shift to Nearshoring: With Al and machine learning, automation will make more companies turn to “nearshoring” bringing jobs closer home.

Way Forward

• Talent Regeneration: However, not all outsourced work will be relocated. India is noted to be strategically positioned for talent regeneration, implying the ability to reskill individuals and transition them into the workforce to meet evolving market demands.
• Impact of Global Economic Shifts: In the event of global economic shifts necessitating the outsourcing of high-skill technological expertise, countries such as the US, China, the UK, Germany, and Singapore will be in the optimal position to meet this demand.
• India’s Growing Role in Global Consulting and R&D: Currently, India’s presence in global professional consulting is expanding, with engineering research and development comprising 56% of the nation’s total global capacity center revenues.

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Conclusion

The future of India’s IT and BPM sector lies in its ability to embrace technological advancements, foster innovation, and continuously invest in its human capital to meet the demands of a dynamic global market.

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Context

As general elections are being held in India, citizens need to demand more from their elected representatives.

Elected Representatives in Politics

• Representative Mandate: India’s vibrant democracy thrives on the idea that elected representatives embody the people’s mandate.
• Role of Elected Representatives: With 795 Members of Parliament, around 4,123 Members of Legislative Assemblies, and 31.8 lakh elected representatives in local governments, they collectively shape policies, oversee their execution at both central and state levels.
  • They voice constituents’ concerns in parliamentary, assembly, and council sessions, and address crucial matters through committee participation.

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Competencies of Elected Representatives

• Educational Qualifications: Educational qualifications provide critical skills for effective governance. 
• Behavioral Skills in Politics: Behavioral skills are at the heart of political competency, enabling politicians to engage effectively with various stakeholders. 
  • Representatives must excel in communication, verbal and writing, and public engagement. 
• Leadership and Negotiation Skills: Effective leadership and negotiation skills are vital in uniting diverse teams behind a shared vision and managing different stakeholders.
  • For example, the success of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was influenced by the involvement of women panchayati raj leaders, who promoted behavioral change at the grassroots.
• Functional Competencies: Beyond being people-oriented, representatives must deeply understand the rules and processes underpinning legislation and policy implementation.
  • This includes understanding their interventions in Parliament and State Assemblies, such as asking questions.
  • Initiating discussions, raising important policy matters, monitoring and evaluating policy implementation, providing suggestions, and ensuring efficient allocation of Union and State Budgets.
• Addressing Citizen’s Concerns: Elected Representatives must also be competent in translating citizen grievances and communicating those policy gaps to decision-makers. This will ensure that the voices of citizens are plugged into policy-making processes
  • Examples: In 2022, a Member of Parliament raised a matter in Zero Hour about unregulated advertising and promotion of tobacco use on OTT platforms, which prompted the Ministry of Health to mandate anti-tobacco warnings on such content.
  • A Private Member’s Bill introduced in 2014 advocating for transgender rights led to the formation of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
• Domain Expertise: Domain-based competencies are crucial for elected officials, and tailored to meet the specific needs of their constituencies and manage their unique portfolios effectively.
  • For example, a deep understanding of health-care policy would encompass public health management, health-care laws, insurance systems, and global health trends.
  • Insights into infrastructure and urban planning are also fundamental, where understanding effective urban planning, transportation systems, public works, and sustainable infrastructure development are critical
• Embracing Technological Advancements: Awareness of the latest technological advancements and their implications on public services and economic growth are essential, ensuring that policy decisions are forward-thinking and inclusive of technological progress.

Way Forward

• Avoiding the Competency Trap: As we advocate a competency-based approach, we must be careful about the competency trap, where an excessive focus on specific skills might suppress the innovation and creativity needed to solve complex problems.
• Fostering Innovation in Problem-Solving: Instead, we should foster an environment that promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills alongside technical expertise.
• Facilitating Collaborative Approaches: Encouraging cooperation among representatives from varied backgrounds and fields will facilitate a multi-disciplinary approach to addressing intricate issues. 
  • Envision a team comprising individuals skilled in rural development, economics, engineering, public health, and social justice collaborating to devise and execute improved policies.
• Karmayogi Competency Model: To effectively institutionalize the vision, it is crucial to align the competencies with their specific roles, incorporating the Karmayogi Competency Model from Mission Karmayogi. 
  • This process involves identifying existing skill gaps and evolving training needs through consultation with elected officials, citizens, and domain experts.
• Comprehensive Capacity-Building Strategy: The resulting needs analysis should inform a comprehensive capacity-building plan that includes orientation and induction programmes, online resources, workshops, peer learning opportunities, and mentorship programmes. 
  • Regular impact assessments, conducted annually, are essential.
• Collaborating with Government  Institutions: To facilitate this continuous learning, we can leverage existing resources from central and State training institutions such as Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies, National and State Institutes of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj
  • Engaging the Integrated Government Online Training platform and civil society organisations such as PRS Legislative Research, Participatory Research in Asia, Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini.  
• Access to Research Support: It is also essential to ensure that every elected representative from the local level onwards has access to necessary information and research support through dedicated research wings.
• Shifting Public Expectations in Politics: The success of competency-based politics also relies on a shift in public perception.  
  • Citizens need to demand more from their elected representatives, holding them accountable not just for their promises but also for their ability to deliver on those promises.

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Conclusion

As we move towards a Viksit Bharat, let us make competency a central pillar of political discourse, where effective leadership is not an exception but an expectation.

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