Social Justice

Primary Topics : Hunger, Poverty, Health, Education

Poverty

Flow Chart
Concept
1. According to Amartya Sen, poverty refers to the deprivation of basic capabilities of life rather than merely the lowness of income
2. It should be visualised beyond the realm of survival and deal with contribution and participation in various aspects of social life
Natural Poverty v/s Social Poverty

Natural poverty was when man was dependent on nature for basic survival- food, clothing, shelter

However over a period of time, dependence on nature was no more present but fruits of socio-economic development were not reaped equally by all, thus leading to social poverty which is a social construct
Poverty - A Multidimensional Concept
1. Social Pathologies should be challenged
2. Poverty is a multidimensional concept and should not be seen only in the economic aspect. It consists of
  1. Economic Aspect
    
    Right to work, Right to safe working conditions, Right to minimum wage, Right to equal pay for equal work
  2. Political Aspect
    
    Right to freedom of thought, expression and association
  3. Social Aspect
    
    Access to healthcare infrastructure, education, skill development etc
  4. Cultural Aspect
    
    Ability to preserve our unique, cultural identity and actively participate in communities cultural life
3. State cannot always be blamed → If poverty is a direct consequence of the government policy or the result of the failure of the government to act, it will be treated as a violation of human rights as it is a direct attack on human dignity
  
  However, it will not be treated as a violation when it is a construct of your inaction
  
  For Example:
  
  You don't want to do a certain job because of caste structure
  
  you don't want to migrate in search of a job
  
  you don't allow your women to work due to patriarchy
  
  you prefer to remain unemployed unless you get a better job
  
  you seek immediate gratification in form of intoxication
Approaches to Poverty
1. Nutritional Approach
  1. Observed mainly in developing and underdeveloped countries
  2. Deals with minimal food intake for maintaining the working capacity of an individual
  3. Differentiates/ demarcates poor from non-poor
2. Relative Deprivation Approach
  1. Observed in developed countries
  2. It is with respect to social inequalities existing in society.
  3. It is perceived in terms of exclusion/deprivation of a class of population as against the privileged ones.
  4. It is also viewed as exclusion from participation in social life due to a lack of resources.
SDG 1
1. Goal
  
  End Poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. Targets
  1. Eradicate extreme poverty
  2. Reduce poverty by at least 50% as per the national definition by 2030
  3. Implement social protection system and measures, ensure equal rights to ownership, basic services, technology and economic resources
  4. Build resilience to environmental, economic and social disasters
3. Government Efforts
  1. The government accelerated the economic growth and broadened the social safety nets through National Social Assistance Programme(NSAP), MGNREGA
  2. Access to basic services through PM Aawas Yojana, Jan Aarogya Yojana, Jan Dhan Yojana
  3. Strengthening livelihood opportunities and skilled ecosystem through Startup India, Skill India initiatives, etc
4. Achievements
  1. Per capita income has improved
  2. The poverty rate has declined
  3. Poverty reduction in rural areas has outpaced that in urban areas
  Note : Don’t Put HDI from 129 to 131
5. Shortcomings & Way Forward
  1. Regional variation as much of India's poverty is concentrated in rural areas and low-income areas
    
    For Example: Chhattisgarh has 39.9% of people living below the poverty line whereas, in Andaman and Nicobar, it is 1%
  2. The feminisation of poverty especially in rural areas
  3. Rapid urbanisation has resulted in an increased demand-supply gap with respect to housing, infrastructure, employment opportunities, services, etc
  4. Education, employment and human resource development need to be refashioned.
- Practise Question: Briefly discuss SDG Goals related to poverty. To what extent we have been successful to achieve those goals (150 words / 10 marks)
Causes of Poverty
1. Economic Causes
  1. Agricultural distress, decline in Village industries
  2. Immobility of labour
  3. Globalisation leading to in formalisation of the labour market
  4. Lack of investment in human capital formation
  5. Lack of equitable development leads to denial of opportunities
  6. Lack of equal pay for equal work
  7. Failure to create opportunities in sectors that can readily absorb labour
  8. For example; Agriculture, Manufacturing, etc
  9. Jobless nature of growth
  10. Child labour.
2. Demographic causes
  1. Family size
  2. Depxendency ratio
  3. Health profile
3. Socio-cultural causes
  1. Education
  2. Caste system
  3. Patriarchy
  4. Joint family
  5. Social customs and practices
4. Climatic causes
  1. Includes both natural as well as man-made disasters like earthquakes, droughts, floods, etc
5. Politico- Administrative cause
  1. Son of soil
  2. War/Conflict
  3. Corruption
  4. Lack of proper implementation of the policies and programmes
  5. Development led displacement
Implications of Poverty

Poverty can lead to and has a vicious cycle with
1. Illiteracy
2. Unemployment
3. Child labour
4. Hunger/malnourishment
5. Social conflict/mobilisation of masses based on primordial identities (caste, religion, race, etc)
6. Feminisation of poverty
7. Ruralisation of poverty
8. Regionalisation of poverty
9. High fertility rate
10. Increase in Disease burden
11. Lack of empowerment(political, economic, social)
12. Food insecurity
13. Relative deprivation
14. Skewed migration
15. Crime - Juvenile Delinquency
16. Child marriage
17. Disability
18. Inequality
Government Efforts
1. Five Year plans
2. Nationalisation of banks
3. 20 point programme during the Emergency
4. Wage employment schemes- MGNREGA
5. Self-employment schemes: Startup India / Standup India
6. Food security- NFSA, Mid-day meal scheme
7. Social security: PMJAY/Ayushman Bharat, Atal Pension Yojana
8. Miscellaneous: PM Gram Sadak Yojana
Why are we lagging behind despite so many efforts(Lacunae)
1. Poor identification of beneficiary
2. Centralised Top-Down Approach
3. One size fits all approach (opposite of this approach is Piecemeal Engineering Approach)
4. Lack of people's participation
5. Leakages → corruption, misappropriation of funds
6. Lack of awareness among people with respect to schemes
7. Poverty treated as an economic problem rather than as a social problem
8. Lack of robust infrastructure
9. Failure with respect to proper evaluation and plugging loopholes
10. Lack of credible data with respect to policymaking implementation and evaluation
11. Lack of Political Will & Laxity on the part of Administrators

Hunger

Flow Chart
Related Questions

Question 1 : In the context of the recent report of the Global Hunger Index. Discuss the factors responsible for the prevailing problem of hunger in the context of India

Question 2 : What do you mean by hidden hunger? Discuss the factors responsible and suggest some measures to address the problem

Question 3 : With respect to the problem of hunger. Critically analyse the government efforts taken to address this problem.
Hunger as a Concept- UnderNutrition & Malnutrition

It is defined as a situation of distress that is associated with a lack of food. It has various manifestations
- Undernutrition
  
  According to FAO, undernutrition is a situation when you are consuming less than 1800 kCal
- Malnutrition
  - Introduction to Malnutrition
    
    As per WHO, malnutrition is defined as any kind of deficiency, excess or imbalance with respect to a person's intake of nutrients/energy.
    
    It is also defined as a lack of ability of a body to perform an activity that is considered normal
    
    For Example : growing or fighting diseases
  - Types of Malnutrition
    1. Undernutrion
      1. stunting (height with respect to age)
      2. wasting (weight with respect to height)
      3. underweight (weight with respect to age)
    2. Micronutrient Deficiency → is also known as hidden hunger
    3. Diet Related Non-Communicable Diseases : Overweight, Lifestyle diseases
  - Causes of Malnutrition
  - Impact of Malnutrition
    
    Calculation of Disease Burden → DALY = YLL + YLD
    
    DALY - Diseases Adjusted Life Years
    
    YLL - Years of Life Lost
    
    YLD - Years Lived with Disability
  - Challenges in Tackling Malnourishment
SDG 2

Goal

End hunger, improve nutrition, ensure food security and promote sustainable agriculture

Target
1. Universal access to safe and nutritious food
2. End all forms of malnutrition
3. Double the productivity and income small scale food producers
4. Sustainable food production and resilient agricultural practices
5. Maintain the genetic diversity in food production
6. Prevent agricultural trade restrictions, market distortions, etc
Government Efforts

We have ensured food security through
1. NFSA (National Food Security Act)
2. One Nation One ration card
3. reform in PDS
4. 100% digitisation of ration cards
5. Antodaya Anna Yojana
6. Computerisation of supply chain management
7. Aadhaar seeding of ration cards (Fear of Exclusion Error)
8. Automation of fair price shops
9. Ensuring nutritional security through ICDS (INtegrated Child Development Scheme)
  
  Mid-day meal scheme, Poshan Abhiyan, Scheme for Adolscent Girls
10. Agricultural Productivity and farmer's income- Measures like doubling of farmers' income
Achievements
1. 97.6% of beneficiaries are covered under NFSA.
2. There have been 6 times increase in food production from 50 MT(1950-51) to 292 MT(2019-20)
3. By 2019 - 11.4 million hectares of land was brought under micro-irrigation
4. During 2013-14 to 2019-20, the productivity of fruits and vegetables have increased by 11%
5. 2.5 times increase in land under certified organic farming
Problems
1. Food wastage at different stages → Harvesting, post harvesting, storage, distribution, etc
2. Social structures determine the availability and accessibility of food
  
  For example : women
3. Persisting problems of stunting, wasting, anaemia (50% of our women in reproductve age group are anaemic)
4. Issues such as access to safe drinking water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) → Leading to lack of Absorption of Nutrients
5. Climate change - Global Hunger Index Highlighted that Climate, Conflict & Eco Shocks and Disasters which were further aggravated by Corona
Causes of Hunger
Implication of Hunger

Individual-level
1. Lack of cognitive and physical development
2. Poor learning outcomes
3. Lack of ability of absorption of skills
4. A high tendency to acquire disease
a+b+c+d leads to low productivity which results in poverty further leading to → Lack of Food, Lack of nutritious food, lack of absorption of nutrients by the body → again leading to hunger → Vicious Cycle

Family Level
1. It will create a burden on existing resources
2. The direct and indirect costs associated with hunger
3. The overall standard of living will remain low
National level
1. It deprives the nation of the opportunity to reap the benefits of demographic dividends
2. Loss of human capital
3. Will create a burden on the government and its resources
4. The population will act as a liability rather than as an asset.
Way Forward of Hunger

Concept of WASH (Water & Sanitation Hygiene)

Introduction, Status of WASH
Prospects of WASH
Challenges of WASH
Way Forward to WASH
Indian Steprs wrt WASH
Sample Question

What does WASH Strategy Adopted by WHO. Discuss the Efforts taken by Indian Government.

Indices

Reports

Human Capital Index
- Sample Question
  
  What do you mean by Human Capital. Briefly Analyse the efforts of the Government wrt Human Capital Formation.
Global Hunger Index

PS : Dont Quote Census. When ever you quote Data, Quote Source as well. Remember NFHS is always criticised
Human Development Index
- Introduction to HDI
- Trends & Data of Indian HDI
- Indian Peformance
- Tool to Measure HDI (Old) - PHDI & Anthropocene
- Tool to Measure HDI (New) - MPI & Anthropocene

Surveyers

NFHS

Health

Flow Chart
Concept of Good Health - It’s Manifestations & Types
1. Health as a Social Good
  1. Social Good refers to any good which benefits the largest number of people in the largest possible way
  2. Health as a social good enables a society to become more egalitarian, tolerant, sustainable, etc
  3. It also helps in better absorption of social goods such as education, skills, etc
2. Health as a Political Good
  1. Political good refers to any good which ensures the participation of people in the political process
  2. It enables the political discourse of society to become more democratic accountable and decentralised
3. Health as an Economic Good
  1. It ensures better absorption of skills
  2. Better productivity of the workforce
  3. Better decision making, etc
  4. It also lowers the spending on health which reduces the economic burden
4. Health as an Ecological Good
  1. Health as an Ecological Good can enable sustainable developmnet, consumption, environment-friendly policymaking
3 Tiers of Health Care System (HCS)
- Primary Level - Primary Health Care System
  1. If Primary is good, then automatically pressure on secondary and tertiary will decrease
  2. It is the first point of contact between the individual and the health infrastructure
  3. According to Alma Ata Declaration, the purpose of primary healthcare includes - family planning, vaccination, awareness wrt nutrition, access to safe drinking water, etc
  4. The goal of primary healthcare is to
    1. reduce exclusion
    2. organise health services around the need of the people
    3. ensure community participation
    4. development of health workforce
    5. use appropriate technology
    6. development of the multi-sectoral approach
- Secondary Level - Secondary Health Care System
  1. It is the second tier of the healthcare system where the patients from primary care are referred
  2. It consists of District hospitals and Community Health Centres (CHCs)
- Tertiary Levels - Tertiary Health Care System
  1. It is the 3rd tier of the healthcare system where specialised consultative health care is provided on a referral basis
  2. It is provided by medical colleges, advanced medical research institutions, etc
SDG Goals for India in Health
1. Ensure good health and well-being for all
2. Targets - reduce maternal mortality and end all preventable death under the age of 5
3. Fight communicable diseases; reduce mortality from NCDs; promote & treat mental health
4. Prevent and treat substance abuse
5. Reduce road injuries and death. Example : Swedens Vision 0 program
6. Universal access to reproductive care, family planning and education
7. Achieve universal health coverage
8. Reduce illness and death from Hazardous chemicals and pollution
Govt Efforts & how much have we been successfull in achieving those targets
1. With respect to affordable health care
  1. Ayushman Bharat
2. With respect to reducing maternal mortality ratio
  1. RMNCH+A
  2. Jnanai Suraksha Yojana
3. With Respect to Neo-Natal and Under 5 Mortality
  1. Mission Indradhanush
  2. ICDS
  3. Poshan Abhiyan
4. Wrt Communicable Diseases
  1. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
  2. National AIDS Control programme
  3. National Programme for prevention & Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardio-vascular disease and stroke
Achievements of Health in India
Lacnuae / Issues with Health Care System in India
Way Forward

Universal Health Care System and Allied Facts
Secondary Health Care System in India

Sample Question : wrt recently released performance assement report by NITI Aayog, In Context of Secondary Health Care. Discuss the Challenges and also suggest few measures
Global Health Security Index
Ayushman Bharat Scheme
PM - JAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana)
Digitalisation of Health infrastructure and its Challenges
National Digital Health Mission

Question : wrt problem associated with accessibility and afforadability of healthcare to what extent digitalisation of health infrastrcuture is the solution
Vaccine Hesitancy and Premise
Mental Health Care
1. Premise and Issues
2. SDG -3
3. Government Effors on Health Care
4. Causes - discrimination, relative deprivation, FOMO, etc
5. The way forward - Awareness about mental health, remove the stigma
Covid 19 & Mental Health

Education

Introduction to Education

Flow Chart

Intelligence & Character should be the true goal of Education - Martin Luther King Jr

Education is the most powerful weapon which one can use to change the world - Nelson Mandela

Essay Topic PYQP : Destiny of Nation can be shaped in the Classroom
Difference between Education and Literacy
Significance of Education
1. Intelligence and character should be the true goal of education- Martin Luther King, Jr.
2. Education is the most powerful weapon that one can use to change the world- Nelson Mandela
Levels of Education
1. Individual level
  1. It provides an opportunity for social mobility
  2. Helps fight poverty and unemployment
  3. Builds rationality, and scientific temper
  4. Preventing cognitive dissonance
2. Society
  1. Inclusive society
  2. Peace and harmony
  3. Social capital
  4. Helps in preventing social strife
3. National
  1. It helps in realizing the demographic dividend
  2. Progress of the nation along with unity in diversity
  3. Enhance the status of the nation at the global level
  4. Will enhance innovation and creativity
  5. Morally virtuous nation

Quality Education

Question : With respect to the significance of good qualitative education, discuss the challenges in ensuring good education.
Significance of Quality Education
1. Crucial for the development of children especially the quality of Early Childhood Care and Education(ECCE) (as 90% of the brain grows by 5 years of age)
2. Low dropout: due to boring, irrelevant education 36% of students drop out of primary education
3. Education increases productivity levels with better employment, income levels leading to overall empowerment
Issues with Pre School Education & Action Needed
1. In the backdrop of rapid urbanization, the disintegration of joint families, rise in dual-career families, decline in the moral fabric of society, unfiltered access to the content on the internet, unaffordable nature of preschool education
  
  which has become a platform for admission into prestigious schools rather than the platform for learning
2. The lack of resources, one size fits all approach, and the significance of ECCE for the cognitive development of the child - offers a strong case for preschool education
3. The provisions of the National education policy are a significant & welcoming step

School Education System

Issues with respect to the School Education System
Way Forward on Issues with School Education System

Facts on Education System in India

States on Education Infra in India
GER - Gross Enrollment Ratio
DOR - Drop Out Ratio
ASER Report (It is only for Rural Areas)
Question : In the backdrop of the ASER report, it was found that children in rural areas have moved out of private to government schools across all the age groups, and discuss the factors responsible for this shift

Impact of Covid 19 on Education

Question : What have been the efforts taken by the government to minimize the adverse impact of the pandemic on the education system?

Digitalisation of Education in India

Question : How have digital initiatives in India contributed to the functioning of the education system in the country? Elaborate on your answer. (UPSC Mains 2020)

Sample Structure of Answer
1. Accessibility : Swayam, Swayam Prabha
2. Learning Outcome : NEAT, SARANSH
3. Affordability : Cost Effective E-Learning
4. Quality of Education : DIKSHA
5. Quality of teachers : NISHTHA, DIKSHA
NDEAR : National Digital Education Architecture

Important Scheme on Education by Indian Government

Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan

Higher Education in India

Higher Education - All India Survey of Higher Education Report
Question : Explain the paradox where on one hand the enrolment of girls in higher education is increasing whereas, on the other hand, their labor force participation is declining.
Question : Given that India's higher education system is the third-largest in the world, briefly analyze the challenges with respect to the higher education system in India
Question : Analyse the challenges with respect to the higher education system in the backdrop of Covid
Recent Initiatives in Higher Education

New Education Policy

New Education Policy
SDG Goal 4 Targets and Allied Provisions of NEP 2020 - Primary, Secondary, Higher Education, Teachers & Other Major Provisions
Question : National Education Policy 2020 is in conformity with SDG 4. It intends to restructure and reorient the education system in India. Critically examine the statement. (UPSC Mains 2020)

Structure of Answer
1. SDG-4 Goal : Quality education and lifelong learning for all
  
  Targets
  1. Equal access to quality pre-primary education
  2. Free primary and secondary education
  3. Equal access to affordable, technical, vocational, and higher education
  4. Universal literacy and numeracy
  5. Education for sustainable development and global citizenship
  6. Increase the supply of qualitative teachers
2. Government efforts
  1. wrt Preschool: ICDS, Anganwadis and National Education Policy
  2. wrt Primary and Secondary: RTE Act, Mid-day meal, Samagra Siksha, Vidyanjali, etc
  3. wrt Higher Education: RUSA(Rashtriya Uchhatar Shiksha Abhiyan)
  4. wrt Skill Development: Skill India, PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana
  5. wrt Vocational Education - Earn While You Learn
  6. wrt Vulnerable Groups of Women : Kasturbha Gandhi Balika Yojana ( Residential School for Tribal & Backward Women)
3. Achievements
  1. Gender parity has improved at all three levels
  2. The proportion of trained teachers has increased
  3. School attendance of children with a disability has also increased
4. Challenges and way forward
  1. Regional disparity in literacy, numeracy, and levels of learning outcome
  2. The biased perception against government schooling
  3. Higher education has a very low Gross Enrolment Ratio
  4. Lower enrolment of girls in STEM
  5. The position of Indian Universities in global rankings is still low
  6. Privatization of education
  7. Digital Divide
  8. Technical and Vocation education
Question : Critically examine to what extent National Education Policy is a desirable step to make the education system qualitative and inclusive
Issues and Challenges of NEP
Way Forward & Future Prospects for NEP

E Learning in India

Introduction to E Learning
Disadvantage of E Learning
Challenges of E Learning
Way Forward to E Learning

Digital Divide in Education

Digital Divide in Education Sector
Covid 19 & Digital Divide in Indian Education System
Challenges in Bridging Digital Divide in India
Way Forward for Digital Divide in India

Private Sector Participation in Indian Education System

Premise of Pvt Sector Participation

Private sector steps in when the government has limited resources to provide universal access to education.
Challenges to Pvt Sector Participation

State of Education Report for India 2020

Report - Intro, Status, Prospect, Challenge
UPSC Sample Question : Earn while you learn scheme needs to be strengthened to make vocational education and skill training meaningful. Comment