11 August 2023

MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

Q1. India’s economy is among the fastest-growing in the world, but this growth hasn’t translated into a corresponding increase in the HDI for the nation. Provide support for this claim and suggestions for corrective action.

GS II – Social Issues

Introduction:  

• The Human Development Index (HDI), a composite statistical measure, was developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to evaluate and compare the level of human development in various regions of the world. As of 2021–2022, India is rated 132 out of 191 countries in the Human Development Report.

The following causes contribute to India’s lack of human development:

• The wealth of India has been divided unevenly, with the richest 10% of Indians controlling more than 77% of the nation’s wealth. This has led to large disparities in access to needs like healthcare and education.
• Regional Disparities: While some states have made tremendous progress, others are still experiencing trouble, as shown by the subnational HDI. For instance, Gujarat and Haryana, two big states with the highest SGDP per capita, haven’t been able to take advantage of this advantage and currently rank 21 and 10, respectively, in terms of human development.
• Transfer programmes known as socioeconomic safety nets prevent the impoverished or those who are at risk of falling into poverty from falling below a predetermined level of poverty. It follows that there are no such schemes in their absence. One of the factors in India’s low HDI score is the absence of these safety nets.
• India has made significant progress in reducing poverty and increasing access to healthcare and education, but concerns remain about the level of these services.
• Historical factors: Due to India’s caste system, many people have less favourable circumstances, including low incomes, inadequate levels of education, and poor health. For instance, the 2011 Census found that just 66.1 percent of those belonging to the scheduled caste are literate, compared to 73% of Indians as a whole.
• Growth of the unemployed: In India, GDP growth has outpaced growth of the labour force. Only 40% of people who are able to work are either employed or looking for work.

To improve human growth, the following things should be taken:

• Education Sector: The focus of educational policy should shift from boosting student enrolment to improving school performance and raising the bar for educational outcomes.
• It is important to implement the New Education Policy 2020 methodically.
• Health Sector: diverse initiatives from diverse sectors must join together in order to develop effective public health policies.
• The focus should be on certain other factors that affect healthcare, like increased nutrition, access to safe drinking water, and hygienic circumstances.
• To benefit from the demographic dividend, investments in job creation and skill development must be emphasised.
• It is crucial to invest in and develop the unorganised sector since it has an effect on the organised industry.
• Regardless matter whether the differences are rural-urban or regional, social protection measures are required to achieve a better degree of economic development.
• In order to do this, it is necessary to address the social protection needs of specific groups, such as migrant workers, senior citizens, those with disabilities, and tribal people.
• Gender equality: It is important to recognise that women have a significant role in creating long-term socioeconomic change and growth. This calls for a focus on empowering women and narrowing gender gaps, both of which would have a significant impact on reducing poverty and inequality.
• Measures of governance: ‘Outward accountability’ is essential for enabling increased responsiveness to the requirements of the public and, as a result, increasing service quality.
• Participatory governance can provide beneficial results through involving the civil society, social audits, and organisations of marginalised people.
• Plans should be established to create the necessary hardware and software infrastructure, including trainers, pedagogy, healthcare facilities, training programmes, electricity, and the internet.
• According to the UNDP study on human development, states should prioritise The 3Is—Investment, Insurance, and Innovation. A diverse approach is necessary for both development and economic advancement. With the aid of policies that give the three Is top priority, India can thrive in the face of unpredictability and fresh challenges.

Q2. A multi-layered approach is needed to address the numerous problems that false information and fake news bring to Indian society. Analyse.

GS II – Social Issues

• Fake news is defined as information that is false or misleading but is presented as news and typically designed to hurt the reputation of a person or organisation or to make money through advertising. According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau, the incidence of spreading rumours and false information increased by about three times in 2020 compared to 2019. A total of 1,527 incidents of fake news were reported in 2020, which is a significant increase from the 486 occurrences in 2019 and the 280 cases in 2018. Undoubtedly, fake news and misinformation pose a growing concern in India.

False information issues include the following:

• Social unrest: Propaganda, incorrect information, and fake news have the ability to polarise the populace and promote violent extremism and hate speech. For instance, the dissemination of misleading information led to the recent migration situation in Tamil Nadu.
• Election-related disinformation: False news reports are published on purpose to manipulate public opinion and further business objectives.
• During and during the 2016 presidential election, Russian agents used social media accounts to spread fake material that stirred unrest and backed Donald Trump while defaming Hillary Clinton and her supporters. This is an example of how foreign agents utilise social media as a weapon of war.
• Internal security concerns: To boost TRPs and viewership, media companies push sensational news and misleading headlines. One such instance is the dissemination of bogus films that claim to depict atrocious attacks on the Army in the Kashmir Valley.
• Economic Challenges: People who are not digitally literate are frequently misled by fake news. For instance, tremendous confusion was caused by bogus rumours that electronic chips were concealed inside 2000-rupee notes following demonetisation.

India struggles to battle fake news:

• Although the country has 22 official languages, barely 10.67% of the population speaks English. The current methods of spotting fake news are effective for English, but they might not be able to recognise and process information in other languages.
• Platform for instant messaging: Because internet messaging applications utilise end-to-end encryption, it is only possible to identify and correct false information with the aid of users.
• Digital illiteracy: More than 600 million Indians currently access the internet, up from 137 million in 2012. As a result of the rise in Internet usage and digital illiteracy, online fake news has grown more common.

Taking measures to combat the issue of fake news, which is growing:

• Learning from international best practises: While the European Union (EU) has published the Code of Practise on Disinformation 2022, the UK has proposed introducing an online safety bill that would oblige social media corporations to actively monitor problematic content. India should also make public a robust mechanism to address the root causes of disinformation.
• Public education and awareness-raising: It’s critical to teach the public of the reality of fake news and propaganda.
• Imposing disclosure requirements for targeted advertising: Fake news is typically disseminated through adverts that highlight polarising issues, highlighting already-existing societal differences and partisan rivalry. As a result, it is essential that the advertising disclosure regulations cover all issue-based advertising, including advertisements for political candidates or campaigns.
• Verifying influential accounts and pages: False information can spread widely due to the issue of fake accounts and pages. Verification can help with this issue’s resolution.
• Establishing a cyber ombudsman who can address complaints about incorrect information as well as questions about the credibility of news sources.
• Using technology: Tech companies should invest in technology to help people spot fake news using crowdsourcing and algorithms.
• Every aspect of society suffers as a result of fake news. Therefore, combating the epidemic of incorrect information and deception is everyone’s responsibility. Raising digital literacy among the general people and reducing financial incentives for disseminating incorrect information are two examples of this.