MAINS QUESTIONS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS
Q1. In the effort to achieve gender parity in the armed forces, the decision to induct females for permanent commission at the National Defence Academy is a move in the right direction that has been long overdue. Elaborate. (250 words)
Paper & Topic: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions
Model Answer:
Introduction:
- The Center notified the Supreme Court on September 8 that the National Defense Academy (NDA), which had previously been a military recruitment centre for men only, would now allow women. Women can begin training for a career in the military forces after Class 12 whenever this decision is stated in writing.
- The PM’s recent announcement that females will be admitted to Sainik School is a step in the right path for girls to be ready for equal responsibilities and military life.
Body:
Background:
- The option for female officers to convert their short service commission into a permanent commission must be equal to that of male officers, according to a ruling by the Supreme Court on March 17 of last year.
- Women have been denied equal access to the military for years, despite weak arguments. A few of these include the need to relax the requirements for female commanders, safeguarding women’s honour, and male troops’ lack of gender awareness.
- The Supreme Court dismissed all of this as being hogwash. When given the same opportunity as their male counterparts, women in the military have constantly demonstrated that they are just as capable.
- A female officer or cadet is also fully aware of the risks associated with her line of work. She must be protected, but only in a patriarchal sense.
- Given that women have long been subjected to patriarchal norms and serve in the military, the Centre and the services’ choice shows a much-needed shift in thinking.
When will there be gender equality in the military?
- In 1992, the Navy chose its first group of female officers. About 30 years had passed before women were given direct permanent commission.
- Women were first permitted to hold short-service commissions (SSC) in the Army, Air Force, and Navy in 1992.
- Now, women could work in occupations other than medical in the military.
- They received five-year commissions in their chosen fields, such as the Army Education Corps, Corps of Signals, Corps of Intelligence, and Corps of Engineers.
- In comparison to their male counterparts who were commissioned under the Short Service Commission (SSC) scheme, women Special Entry Scheme (WSES) recruits enjoyed a shorter pre-commission training period.
- The SSC system, which employed female officers, took the place of the WSES programme in 2006. They signed a 10-year contract with the option of a 14-year extension.
- Present WSES officers have the option of joining the new SSC programme or staying in the current WSES.
- However, fighters like infantry and armoured corps were excluded because they had to be limited to the aforementioned streams.
- When the Indian Air Force (IAF) decided to let women into the fighter stream in 2015, it was one of the pivotal occasions for women in the military.
- The Court emphasised the “substantial contribution” made by women since their entry into the army in 1992 in Secretary, Ministry of Defence vs. Babita Puniya & Ors.
- Giving female SSC officers permanent jobs is a step in the direction of achieving equality of opportunity in the army.
- After a hiatus of nearly 25 years, the Indian Navy started putting female officers back onto warships at the beginning of 2021.
- The first female sailors since the late 1990s have joined the fleet tanker INS Shakti and INS Vikramaditya, India’s sole aircraft carrier.
- Women were able to enlist in the military for the first time in the non-officer cadre when the Army inducted the first group of females into the Corps of Military Police in May 2021.
- Due to the current ban’s “gender discrimination”-related justification, the Supreme Court (SC) recently ruled that women may sit for the National Defense Academy (NDA) exam.
Conclusion:
- Because the prohibition against discrimination constitutes the rule’s spirit, the SC upheld the right to equality as guaranteed by the Constitution. Inequitable treatment and discrimination based on gender are unacceptable in any setting, including the armed forces. The highest levels of military and political leadership are in charge of putting the necessary adjustments into place regarding the culture, standards, and values of the Army’s rank and file.
Q2. What are the National Digital Communications Policy’s main goals and characteristics? Government intervention is therefore necessary if the telecom sector is to continue to be profitable for the operators and open to the general public. Comment. (250 words)
Paper & Topic: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions
Model Answer:
Introduction:
- To address the modern requirements of India’s digital communications sector, the Union Cabinet approved the National Digital Communications Policy-2018 (NDCP-2018). The National Telecom Policy-2012 has been replaced with a new telecom policy that aims to encourage India’s successful engagement in the global digital economy. The goal of the policy is to guarantee digital sovereignty and finish it by 2022.
Body:
Primary NDCP 2018 Objectives:
- Universal access to broadband is ensured, four million more jobs are generated in the digital communications industry, its GDP contribution rises from 6% to 8%, India moves up from 134 to 50 in the ITU’s ICT Development Index, it contributes more to international value chains, and digital sovereignty is ensured.
- By 2022, these goals must be achieved.
NDCP 2018 features include:
- All citizens should have access to 50 Mbps universal broadband;
- By 2020, all Gram Panchayats should have 1 Gbps connectivity, and by 2022, 10 Gbps;
- Check that every underdeveloped area is connected;
- encourage $100 billion in investments in the digital communications sector; educate 1 million people in new skills;
- There will be 5 billion connected gadgets in the Internet of Things ecosystem.
- enact a strict data protection regulation for online communications that protects people’s freedom of choice, independence, and privacy;
- India should be assisted in fully participating in the world’s digital economy;
- The establishment of suitable institutional frameworks is required to guarantee that citizens have access to secure digital communications infrastructure and services.
In order to keep the telecom sector open to the public and profitable for operators, government involvement has become essential:
- Up to five operators have closed their doors as a result of the company’s financial problems.
- The Supreme Court declared that, in addition to their primary telecom profits, telecom businesses must distribute to the government all revenues, including those from consumer advertising, asset sales, income from written-off bad debts, and dealer commissions.
- Analysts estimate that all telecom companies will have to pay an additional $22,000 crore annually.
- Due to pricey spectrum auctions and a rapid fall in cash flows, the remaining players today have a worrying amount of debt.
- In terms of service quality, telecom clients aren’t any better off today than they were twenty years ago. Unwanted telemarketing calls, patchy data connections, dropped calls, and dishonest business practises that raise rates for customers are all too common.
- The lack of a practical structure for managing complaints in a fair and trustworthy manner makes the issue even worse.
- A telecom monopoly or duopoly in India is possible.
- However, high labour expenses and bureaucracy in this field limit the public sector businesses.
- Concerns about India’s massive imports of telecom gadgets and equipment are at an all-time high as its trade deficit widens.
Moving ahead:
- Ease of payment of AGR: Based on the yield on a comparable sovereign bond at the time of issuance, the government should accept special zero-coupon bonds for the full amount due from telecom firms that have AGR funding issues at a discount from face value.
- The absence of immediate interest payments under the zero-coupon structure would relieve pressure on cash flows without the need for tariff rises.
- The government should select a fair panel of experts, led by a former Supreme Court justice, to determine the extra AGR dues that must be paid.
Government’s Function:
- Like in 1999, the government must step in and take action. They could offer interest- and penalty-free principle payments made in instalments to the operators.
- The government needs to invest in optical fibre to expand the network rather than spending more money on copper. To safeguard last-mile connections, this is necessary.
- The government must lay the foundation for simple right-of-way clearances and decrease right-of-way expenditures.
- If the government wishes to allow India to produce and even export hardware components like mobile phones, CCTV cameras, touch screen displays, etc., considerable R&D investments must be made.
- Use the Universal Service Obligation Fund wisely: The USOF was created with the intention of supporting initiatives that would improve connection in rural areas.
- To guarantee that the majority of citizens have access to reasonably priced communication services, the fund must be distributed effectively.
- Infrastructure sharing: Since the telecommunications industry relies significantly on capital expenditures, 40% to 60% of Capex is spent on constructing and maintaining the network infrastructure. To prevent a price war in the industry, predatory pricing should be outlawed and a minimum price set by the government. Operators can reduce their capital expenditures and concentrate on offering their users brand-new, cutting-edge services by pooling their infrastructure.
- Reduced License Fee The licence price is one of the highest in the world at 8% of Adjusted Gross Revenue plus 5% for Universal Service Levy (USL).
Conclusion:
- A healthy telecom sector is essential for economic growth, but during the past 10 years, an unsteady regulatory landscape has damaged investors. The NDCP seeks to get the nation and its people ready for the future. To deliver this national strategy and missions, a coalition made up of a number of significant stakeholders would need to be established in order to achieve these objectives. To realise the aspirations of the Indian people for digital empowerment and wellbeing, NDCP aims to unleash the revolutionary potential of digital communications networks. This is attempted by defining a variety of objectives, initiatives, strategies, and anticipated policy outcomes.
