15 July 2024

MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

Q1. Discuss the concerns brought up by the nation’s frequent abuse of preventative detention legislation. Does there exist any protections against the improper use of preventative detention?

GS II – Judiciary related issues

Introduction:

• Preventive detention is an administrative measure implemented when there is a reasonable suspicion that the individual in question may commit wrongdoing that could harm the state. It permits a person to be detained without a court trial or conviction. Preventive detention is covered in Article 22 of the constitution. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reports that the number of cases involving preventive detention increased by more than 23.7% in 2021 as compared to 2020.

Concerns about the nation’s widespread abuse of preventative detention laws include:

• Against individual liberties: Individual liberties are severely harmed by preventive detention. Even in times of peace, the practice of preventive detention is regarded as outdated.
• Contrary to International Standards: No one may be arbitrarily arrested or detained, as stated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). And in developed democracies (like the United States and Great Britain), there is no such statute in peacetime.
• Trivial grounds are used to justify preventative detention: In India, preventive detention has been used frequently, even for insignificant causes. For instance, in Telangana, a guy who sold inferior chilli seeds was arrested and labelled a “goonda.”
• It is ironic that the founders of the Constitution, who had previously been subject to rules against preventative detention, still decided to give the government the authority to enact legislation of this kind under the charter, which has a colonial past and grants arbitrary powers. The Supreme Court has noted that rules pertaining to preventative detention are remnants of colonialism and grant the government undue authority.
• Failure to follow procedural protections: The supreme court and High Courts have expressed worry about the administration’s disregard for procedural safeguards while handling detainees’ rights for a number of decades.
• For example: The majority of detentions are eventually overturned, and the most frequent cause for this is an inexplicable delay in the processing of the arguments that the detainees make to the authorities in opposition to their detention.
• Opposing the rule of law: The Indian Supreme Court ruled in Rekha v. State of Tamil Nadu that preventative imprisonment is typically incompatible with democratic principles and the rule of law.

The Indi0an Constitution’s Article 22 addresses the following protections and rights in the event of preventative detention:

• Communication of the Detention Reasons: In order to allow the Detenu to have the right to legal representation, the Detention Reasons must be communicated to the Detenu as soon as feasible. On the other hand, information deemed to be contrary to the public interest may be withheld by the state.
• The length of the custody: Unless an advisory board finds sufficient justification for an extended detention, no regulation pertaining to preventive detention may permit the imprisonment of an individual for a duration longer than three months. High court justices will make up the board.
• Detention without advisory board opinion was limited to two months under the 44th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1978, down from three months previously. This clause hasn’t been put into effect yet, though.
• Right to representation: The person in charge of the detention must provide the detainee as much time as possible to challenge the detention order.
• Additional protections: The Supreme Court ruled that preventative detention cannot be applied to situations involving regular law and order. It is a state “exceptional power” that must be used with caution.
• Preventive detention has been used more frequently and more easily throughout time, which makes it necessary to establish legislative safeguards to ensure a fair process when handling detention. According to recommendations made by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), preventive detention regulations should strike a balance between national security and individual liberties.

Q2. What are the different obstacles that India’s dairy industry faces? Enlist the main steps the government has made to increase the production of dairy products.

GS III – Agriculture and related issues

Introduction:

• Since the start of Operation Flood in the 1970s, the Indian dairy industry has made significant progress and has been operating efficiently. India is the world’s top producer of milk, accounting for 24 percent of global milk output in 2021–2022. In terms of milk production, India is basically self-sufficient now. But even with the dairy industry’s extraordinary expansion, there are still some issues that need to be resolved.

Principal difficulties the dairy industry faces:  

• Breeding system: The majority of Indian cattle breeds suffer from late maturity. Animal performance is becoming less efficient due to the increasing calving interval. In addition, shortages in vitamins, minerals, and hormones cause issues with fertility.
• The industry has become unprofitable: As a result of the combined effects of rising input costs and falling milk procurement prices, the dairy industry has virtually stopped providing farmers with profit.
• Disease outbreaks: Recurrent outbreaks of illnesses like influenza, Lumpy Skin Disease, Black Quarter Infection, and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) continue to harm cattle health and reduce milk yield.
• Lack of feed and fodder: An excessive number of infertile animals compete with dairy cattle that are productive for the limited supply of feed and fodder. The performance of dairy cattle is being limited by the growing disparity between the supply and demand for feeds and fodder.
• Difficulties at the supply chain level: Because dairy products are perishable, the supply network in this industry is extremely fragmented and has difficulties satisfying seasonal demand spikes.
• The issue is made worse by the intricate reasoning behind paying producers according to the amount of fat, solid non-fat (SNF), and milk quality they receive.
• Cold chain infrastructure: In order to prevent contamination and spoiling at the village level, there is not enough infrastructure in place to chill plants and offer bulk coolers.
• Cooperative-level issues: The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), well-known for its Amul model, is praised for its achievements. In contrast, there is a belief that cooperative organisations have not always succeeded in other regions of the nation.
• In contrast to cooperatives in other states that are weak representatives of farmers and are administered by civil servants, the GCMMF cooperatives act as authentic representatives of farmers and are overseen by professionally qualified management.

Governmental programmes to strengthen the dairy industry:

• The goal of the Dairy Processing and Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) programme is to give capital-stressed milk cooperatives subsidised loans so they can construct value-added product factories and replace their antiquated chilling and processing facilities.
• Through the state implementing agency or state cooperative dairy federation, the National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) seeks to establish the necessary infrastructure for the production of high-quality milk as well as for the acquisition, processing, and marketing of milk and milk products.
• Rashtriya Gokul Mission: The program’s objectives are to increase cow productivity and milk output in order to fulfil the nation’s expanding milk demand and to increase the profitability of dairying for the nation’s rural farmers.
• The goal of the Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme (DEDS) is to increase opportunities for self-employment in the dairy industry. The scheme is being implemented by NABARD.
• The Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan stimulus package established the Rs. 15000 crore Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF). Its goal is to provide funding for the establishment of new businesses in the meat processing, animal feed, and dairy processing industries, as well as related value-added infrastructure.
• Kisan Credit Card (KCC) for dairy farmers: A special initiative has been launched to give animal husbandry and dairy producers access to concessional credit via Kisan Credit Cards.
• The National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) seeks to eradicate foot and mouth disease (FMD) by 2030 and control the condition by vaccination by 2025. It also attempts to manage brucellosis in the nation’s livestock.
• The growth of India’s rural economy has been facilitated by the dairy industry. Moreover, the dairy industry may help India achieve its objective of building an economy worth USD 5 trillion. In order to capitalise on the current profitable prospects in sectors like value-added dairy products, organic/farm fresh milk, and exports, India needs a second white revolution.