26 December 2022

 DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

 Q1. Why is India such a hotbed of crimes against women? The government must review its rules and better coordinate its efforts if it is to create situations where women are safer. Analyse. (250 words)

 Paper & Topic: GS I – Women Empowerment

 Model Answer:

Introduction:

• The most current National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) numbers present a dismal picture of rape cases constantly rising. India reported 32,033 rape offences in 2019. This implies that at least 88 women were raped daily. In the preceding week, three horrendous atrocities against women were reported around the country.
• All of these horrible, unrelated incidents prove one thing: Women are still under risk in India. Even if the 2012 Delhi gang rape, which led to stricter legislation, is already a distant memory, shocking sexual assault reports still shock the country.

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 Crimes against women statistics:

• In 2019, 400,000 cases of crimes against women were reported, up from about 378,000 in 2018. Women are only involved in 10% of crimes against them. The conviction rate for rape cases is a horrifying 30%.

India has a tradition of victimising women:

• India has a strongly patriarchal culture. In order to “tame” and “teach” women a lesson, popular culture encourages men and boys to abuse, harass, and even rape them. Additionally, it links masculinity to sexual assault.
• Gender and caste violence manifests itself, for instance, in violence against Dalit women. A Dalit woman is raped with the intent to humiliate and punish her, as well as her family and community. The purpose is to draw attention to Dalit men’s and the larger Dalit community’s incapacity to protect “their” women.
• system of justice Sociological research has shown that the criminal justice system frequently just reorganises an illegal system. Rape survivors, for example, are frequently coerced into making an illegal “compromise” and turn combative in court; if they refuse, they run the possibility of being hurt or even killed.
• Victim humiliation: Instead of getting justice, victims were made to respond to a series of meaningless and embarrassing inquiries.
• Crime at home: Most crimes are still committed in private homes, and most victims are sexually assaulted by people they know well, such as friends or family members.
• Absence of protective measures: It is never brought up when a crime against a woman is mentioned how to stop similar crimes from occurring in the first place.

Changing the legislation to make it such that women are safer:

• Governments at the state level must identify areas with high crime rates and take additional safety measures there, while law enforcement must act fast to capture the criminals.
• Men and young boys must be considered in the conversation about eliminating patriarchy and the power structures that put the lives of women in jeopardy.
• Filling Gaps in the Delivery of Justice: One of the most fundamental flaws in the justice delivery system is the inability to file a police complaint. The steps of reporting, investigation, and victim-support mechanisms must therefore receive more attention in the criminal justice system than sentencing and punishment.

The following safety measures need to be followed in this circumstance:

• A victim will disclose a case without any fear.
• Police should conduct a comprehensive investigation.
• The victim’s safety during the trial.
• As soon and easily as feasible, facilitate testimony.
• Allocating resources and stepping up the law’s apparent enforcement
• Sensitisation At a Broader Level: Little has been done to fight prejudice in society despite the death penalty’s expanding applicability.
• To combat societal prejudices against sexual offences, court system staff must be made more sensitive, but society as a whole must also be made more sensitive.
• Victim protection: The victim must receive enough protection to ensure their safety during the proceedings.

Conclusion:

• Women have increasingly been the victims of crime in recent years. The safety of women must come first in all circumstances if civilization is to prosper. The level of violence against women in India is revolting, and it doesn’t appear to be getting any better. The community can establish laws that make violence illegal, but laws cannot force men to respect women on their own. Society has to adopt the principle that “stronger people don’t push others down; they lift them up.” 2012 saw a tremendous change in how the State and society viewed the epidemic of sexual violence, but India has a long way to go.

Q2. Examine how the recently implemented Production Linked Incentive (PLI) plan would affect the Indian textile industry’s ability to compete. (250 words)

 Paper & Topic: GS II  – Government Policies and Interventions

 Model Answer:

Introduction:

• The government started a Production Linked Incentive scheme to strengthen the textile industry’s competitiveness and export orientation. The programme was developed by the government with the intention of significantly advancing the technological textiles and man-made fibres sectors. It has a total planned outlay of 10,683 crore.

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Production-Linked Incentives Scheme: Features:

• The initiative intends to assist companies that invest money in the production of 64 certain commodities. The product lines include 40 clothes made of man-made fibres, 14 textiles made of man-made fibres, and 10 technical textile segments or items.
• After the first year of post-investment activity during the two-year investment term, the incentive will be offered for five years.
• Two different types of investments are included of the proposal. The first requires a facility to start operations with a minimum annual turnover of 600 crore and a minimum investment of 300 crore in plant, machinery, equipment, and civil works.
• The second is for at least 100 crore as long as the business brings in at least 200 crore in sales. As a result, both investment and turnover affect the reward.
• According to the government, the incentive would start at 15% of the turnover for the greater investment plan for the first year and at 11% for the lower turnover plan. The incentive for both programmes would gradually decline by 1% annually over the subsequent four years.
• Priority would also be given to investments in Tier-3 and Tier-4 municipalities, rural areas, and aspirational districts.

Positive effects of the PLI programme:

• Synthetic fibre apparel imports climbed by 39% over the previous year, while imports of yarn, textiles, and cosmetics increased by 16%.
• Recently, the government reduced the anti-dumping tax on viscose staple fibre and purified terephthalic acid, making the majority of man-made fibres available in India at prices that are competitive with those found outside.
• It is anticipated that Indian production of value-added products made of man-made fibres will increase with an incentive to invest in production as well, lowering imports, especially of man-made fibre clothing and fabric from countries like China and Bangladesh.
• The government claims that the scheme will help generate $19,000 crore in new investments and 7.5 lakh jobs.
• This is expected to motivate companies to expand their capacity and make new investments in a select number of product lines.
• Global retail corporations with presence in India who presently buy clothing made of man-made fibres from other countries are expected to start buying from India once the clothing is made accessible at prices that are competitive on the global market.

Critical analysis:

• This strategy does not take into account cotton fabric. Participants in the industry think that the programme may have had an impact because cotton shipments from India fell 18% in 2017.
• It normally rewards only significant players because the minimum investment is either Rs 100 crore or Rs 500 crore.
• Each PLI scheme will be overseen by a different ministry. Following that, it will transform into a bureaucracy with hydra heads.
• The market share of domestic companies is not promising. In such cases, this strategy may benefit international enterprises more than domestic ones.
• In India, numerous individuals participate in each industrial stage. In light of this, it would seem that the criteria of investing Rs 500 crore in greenfield projects would be extremely difficult to satisfy and should be relaxed, as it has been for many other businesses.
• It would be difficult to increase machinery investment and market penetration over time while yet maintaining a growth rate of 50% annually.

Conclusion:

• It would be intriguing to look at the items and the eligibility standards that are disclosed in the final plan in order to achieve actual growth for the industry, even though the government is carefully studying the various industry representations to guarantee the success of the scheme.