MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS
Q1. Analyse the approach used to calculate unemployment in the nation and make recommendations for changes. Most unemployment in India is structural in character.
GS III – Indian Economy
Introduction:
- In essence, structural unemployment is defined as involuntary unemployment resulting from an economic shift in structure, such as the emergence of a new industry or technology, or from a mismatch in the skills held by the labour force and the jobs that are being offered in the market.
- India’s labour market rigidities, spatial mismatch, reliance on agriculture, infrastructure bottlenecks, and regulatory obstacles are the main causes of structural unemployment.
Techniques used to calculate the nation’s unemployment rate:
NSSO computation made with:
- Current Weekly Status (CWS): Under this, a week is used as the shorter reference period. People are considered employed if they have worked for one hour or more on one day in the seven days prior. For instance, the labour force participation rate for people aged 15 and older in CWS urban areas increased to 48.2 percent in the October–December quarter of 2022.
- Usual Principal and Subsidiary Status (UPSS): Based on the activity in which an individual spent the most time the year prior, this status is assigned.
- Current Daily Status: It shows how many people were unemployed for one or more days every week.
- Labour Bureau Surveys: The Labour Bureau conducts surveys, such as the All-India Quarterly Establishment-based Employment Survey (AQEES), to gather statistics on employment and unemployment in India.
The next step:
- An increase in survey frequency will help you better understand how employment patterns are evolving, therefore it’s critical to make sure the surveys are updated and conducted on time.
- Modernising Agriculture: By creating backward and forward connections, such as by encouraging cold storages, increased investment in agriculture may have a multiplier impact.
- Integration of the Informal Sector: Over 80% of the workforce is engaged in the informal sector, which requires integration into the official sector.
- Enhance seasonal adjustment methodologies to consider the influence of agricultural and additional seasonal employment patterns.
- In order to effectively address the issue of unemployment in India, it is imperative that we improve the methodology by utilising alternative data sources, solving skill mismatches, taking seasonal changes into account, addressing underemployment, and utilising technology to enable precise policy interventions.
Q2. Using pertinent constitutional provisions and case law as a guide, explain the constitutional perspectives on gender justice.
GS I – Indian Society
Introduction:
- India’s history demonstrates a profound understanding for gender sensitivity that reflected into its Constitution as well. Gender sensitivity and broad awareness about its significance in our society have come a long way since the inception of the feminist movement in the late 18th century.
Clauses in the constitution:
- According to Article 14, all citizens are treated equally under the law.
- Discrimination on a number of reasons, including “sex,” is forbidden by Article 15.
- Citizens have equal opportunities when it comes to employment under Article 16.
- The state’s commitment to gender parity in remuneration is mentioned in Article 39.
- In Article 42, the state is asked to guarantee maternity leave and fair and humane working conditions.
Case law:
- In Mary Roy v. State of Kerala, the court upheld the equality of men and women with regard to the succession of ancestral properties.
- The Supreme Court affirmed a girl’s unrestricted freedom to marry the person of her choosing in Lata Singh v. State of Uttar Pradesh.
- In the seminal ruling Shayara Bano v. Union of India, it was ruled that the practise of triple talaq violates Article 14 of the Constitution’s guarantee of equality since it denies a woman her voice and allows for a divorce to proceed without her agreement.
Way Forward:
- In order to provide gender justice for its people and equal opportunities, the Indian legal and judicial systems place a high value on gender equality.
