07 October 2022

 MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

 Q1. Discuss some of the recent proposals released by the ECI on political manifesto.

 Paper & Topic: GS II Election-related issues

 Model Answer:

 Suggestions of the Election Commission:

• In its consultation document, the ECI suggests that political parties disclose the expenses related to the pledges they made to voters prior to local and federal elections. The parties would also have to disclose information about their financial situation.
• Voters have a right to form well-informed opinions, the commission concluded, even though it cannot prevent political parties from making pledges, particularly ones including freebies. Voters can assess the parties’ ideas and decide for themselves whether such pledges could be kept by using such information.
• The election watchdog invites political parties to support their claims because there is no legislative framework in place to define “welfare” and “freebies.”
• Depending on the election at hand, the commission has also advised that the state chief secretaries and the union finance secretary present information regarding taxes and expenditures in a specific format.
• The commission must receive input from political parties before making modifications to the MCC to take these suggestions into account.

What is the critique of the proposal?

• Political manifestos are being compared to initial public offerings in response to the ECI’s suggestion, which would encourage political parties to demand physical and monetary quantification of electoral pledges (IPOs). A company publishes a prospectus before going public on the stock market. It contains a wealth of data, such as earnings, profits, risk considerations, the intended use of money obtained from possible investors, etc.
• One interpretation of the latest proposal states that it deviates from the ECI’s position on election pledges. The ECI had already acknowledged the challenge of determining which poll promises count as reasonable, which pledges represent freebies, etc. due to the subjectivity of the matter.
• The commission has resisted participating in policymaking over the years, leaving it to the political parties and the general public. Even worse, it had chosen not to participate in the committee that the SC had suggested study the problem.
• The ECI is being criticised for putting aside its own reservations to take a “political dive” after the release of the most recent proposals, though. This is quite important, especially in light of the recent controversy about “revdi culture” among the major political parties.

Way Ahead/Conclusion:

• Manifestos from political parties are not IPO documents. There is more to democracy than merely a long list of promises with associated expenses.
• With both subjective and objective components, it serves as a vision statement. It makes it simpler to understand the party’s beliefs and the weight it gives to various topics.
• In this situation, it is debatable whether the ECI ought to have control over such a document. It is unclear whether the election watchdog has the authority to curb economic and political innovation, but it is also unclear whether the ECI has the authority to control promises that do not have a financial cost (such as questions about employment and education).
• Free and fair elections would suggest that parties seek to advance one idea over another and grab voters’ attention with their principles if democracy is seen as a “war of ideas.”
• The NITI Aayog, which consults with states on macroeconomic policies, the Finance Commission, which oversees the transfer of resources between the federal government and the states, and the RBI, which manages the market borrowings of the states and provides financial reporting, have all resisted issuing any guidelines on freebies.
• If the ECI decided to follow these suggestions, it might have to evaluate the proformas of the political parties. Before choosing whether to go that far, the commission needs to take its willingness and capability into account.
• The ECI has the authority to monitor, coordinate, and oversee elections under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution. The commission has grown in importance as a significant achievement in India’s democratic past.
• The ECI’s excellent reputation and high degree of trust are results of its acts and inactions, not only of what it has done. Understanding and upholding the boundaries in a complex democracy with both elected and unelected powers is essential to institutional credibility.
• The election watchdog has frequently taken caution when establishing the scope of its authority under Article 324. The current ideas, however, put ECI’s reputation as a fair and impartial organisation at jeopardy.
• However, the debate over freebies is an important topic that is best left up to the public’s judgement. The FRBM Act, a safety net, requires governments to exercise budgetary restraint.
• The ECI has no place in the discussion, despite the fact that it requests participation from the political domain’s stakeholders.

 Q2. How wide is the gender pay gap in India. Discuss some of the recent initiatives of the Government of India to reduce this irregularity.

 Paper & Topic: GS II Indian Economy

 Model Answer:

 What is the size of the gender pay gap in India?

• India is ranked 135th out of 146 nations in terms of gender parity by the World Economic Forum. Only 11 positions separate this from Taliban-era Afghanistan, when girls are not even permitted in classes. This is concerning considering that India was rated 87th only six years ago (2016).
• According to the WEF, closing the gender gap across the greater South Asian region could take up to 200 years.
• India has a significant gender wage difference when compared to other countries, however there has been great progress made in closing the gap. In 1993–1994 women made 48% less money than males did on average. According to data from the National Sample Survey Office’s labour force survey, this disparity was 28% in 2018–19.
• However, the pandemic calamity has undone years of advancement. According to early projections from the Periodic Labour Force Survey 2020–21, the gender wage gap widened by 7% between 2018–19 and 2020–21.
• The data indicate that women’s income declined more quickly than men’s pay did, which may have caused the discrepancy to expand. During the pandemic, women received disproportionately fewer wage raises and incentives.
• This growing disparity was recognised in the ILO’s Global Wage Report 2020–21. The outbreak was alleged to have considerably lowered pay, adversely affecting female workers disproportionately.

Some of the recent initiatives of the Government of India:

• the MGNREGS helped Indian women in rural regions and narrowed the gender wage gap. It also formalised the Minimum Wages Act of 1948 and the Equal Remuneration Act of 1976.
• By rewarding female employees who take part in the project directly.
• The MGNREGS-driven significant pay increase in rural and agricultural industries benefits women who work in agriculture indirectly.
• A 2017 amendment to the Maternity Benefit Act of 1961 raised the duration of paid maternity leave for women employed by companies with 10 or more employees from 12 to 26 weeks. Mothers who work in the formal economy and make median or high wages gain from this.
• Women can receive training in marketable skills through the Skill India Mission.
• By 2030, “full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, especially for young people and individuals with disabilities, and fair remuneration for labour of equal worth” must be accomplished, according to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 8. In reaction to this, the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) was established in 2017. This multi-stakeholder initiative involves the ILO, OECD, and UN Women.
• An international legal foundation for combating gender discrimination and attaining gender equality is provided by the CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women).

What should be done/Conclusion:

• A human-centered recovery approach is required to promote effective and equitable economic growth. Here, it would be advantageous to lessen the pay gap between men and women and to increase their employment opportunities.
• Eliminating the gender pay gap would take more than 70 years at the current rate. Swift and forceful action is required to stop the gender wage gap from widening and to finally close it.

The following steps could make it easier to close the gap:

• More women are getting jobs in numerous fields.
• Providing opportunities for employment might keep women in the workforce.
• Pay data by gender is frequently analysed in order to spot inconsistencies and potential biases, particularly at the top of the organisational hierarchy.