Editorial 1: Predictable counter
Context
- The government of India rejected the recommendations of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) 2023 report, calling it biased and motivated.
Right to Freedom of Religion
The Constitution of India guarantees the right to freedom of religion to not only individuals but also religious groups in India. This is enshrined in Articles 25 to 28.
- Article 25: It guarantees the freedom of conscience, the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate religion to all citizens.
- Article 26: This Article provides that every religious denomination has the following rights, subject to morality, health, and public order.
- Article 27 : According to Article 27 of the Constitution, there can be no taxes, the proceeds of which are directly used for the promotion and/or maintenance of any particular religion/religious denomination.
- Article 28: This article permits educational institutions that are maintained by religious groups to disseminate religious instruction
USCIRF
- USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan US federal government commission, dedicated to defending the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad.
- It is an advisory body to the US Congress.
- It is Headquartered in Washington DC.
- Established by the US government after the inaction of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), 1998 the recommendations of USCIRF are non-binding on the state department.
- Traditionally, India does not recognize the view of USCIRF.
Concerns Raised About India
- Concerns About Certain Laws and Policies: The report highlights concern regarding certain laws and policies in the country that have been criticized for their potential to discriminate on the basis of religion.
- These include laws related to conversion, interfaith relationships, hijab, and cow slaughter, as well as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) All of these, it alleges, have not impacted minorities in a favorable way.
- Measures Affecting Freedom of Expression: It raises concerns about alleged measures that may have impacted critical voices, particularly those belonging to religious minorities.
- These include surveillance, harassment, property demolition, and detention under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967. Some Non-Governmental organizations (NGOs) have also been subject to scrutiny under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010.
- India as a CPC: It has criticized the US State Department for not having designated India as a Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) and has called for sanctions on Indian government agencies and officials.
Impact on India
- Since the recommendations of USCIRF are not completely binding on the State Department of the USA, it does not directly affect India. But it certainly maligns India’s image at international level regarding the religious freedom to its citizens.
- So far, the State Department of the USA has remained silent on such recommendations. India may face increased pressure as a result of its disagreement with the US on Russia's Ukraine Invasion and refusal to support US-backed UN resolutions against Russia.
Way ahead
- All the convergent opinions of the world run through Indian society - Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Secular, Stalinist, Liberal, Moist, Democratic, Socialist and Gandhian. India’s massive population is diverse as well as devout.
- Not only do most of the world’s Hindus, Jains and Sikhs live in India, but it also is home to one of the world’s largest Muslim populations and to millions of Christians and Buddhists.
- The role of the courts in India in determining the ambit of the right to freedom of religion is more active as compared to that in the United States.
- The multiplicity of religions in India warrants the need for an exhaustive enumeration of restrictions to the right to religion as compared to the United States where the society is comparatively less diverse.
- The government must find more comprehensive ways to repudiate any unfounded and incorrect challenges to India’s reputation, and remediate in the areas it is found wanting.
Editorial 2: Kerala: an exemplary story in palliative care
Context
- As India struggles with approximately 4% coverage for palliative care unevenly anchored around mega cities, Kerala’s palliative care model is a global exemplar in inclusive care infrastructure.
Defining Palliative care
- Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients (adults and children) and their families who are facing problems associated with life-threatening illness.
- It prevents and relieves suffering through the early identification, correct assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, whether physical, psychosocial or spiritual.
- Palliative care is required for a wide range of diseases. The majority of adults in need of palliative care have chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, AIDS and diabetes.
- Many other conditions may require palliative care, including kidney failure, chronic liver disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, neurological disease, dementia, congenital anomalies and drug-resistant tuberculosis.
Barriers to palliative care
- Each year an estimated 56.8 million people are in need of palliative care, most of whom live in low- and middle-income countries. For children, 98% of those needing palliative care live in low- and middle-income countries with almost half of them living in Africa.
- National health policies and systems often do not include palliative care at all.
- Training on palliative care for health professionals is often limited or non-existent.
- Lack of awareness among policy-makers, health professionals and the public about what palliative care is, and the benefits it can offer patients and health systems
- Cultural and social barriers, such as beliefs about death and dying;
- Misconceptions about palliative care, such as that it is only for patients with cancer, or for the last weeks of life; and
- Misconceptions that improving access to opioid analgesia will lead to increased substance abuse.
Kerala’s palliative care model
- The palliative care in the state of Kerala is unique, where almost universal access is evident. Kerala is evolved as a unique model in the service delivery of palliative care through the community-based approach.
- The services are provided through community-led projects at free of cost. The services are provided in a home care model.
- Moreover, the services provided are holistic, which cover different aspects of the care of patients and families, including physical care, psychosocial, spiritual, and economic support.
- The palliative care model in practice in the state of Kerala is ideally fit for the resource-poor setting like India due to its cost-effectiveness and community-based approach.
- Voluntary efforts with multidisciplinary teams mostly manage the palliative care services in Kerala.
- The Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance and WHO attributed community involvement and ownership as the attributes of sustainability of the palliative care model of Kerala.
- As the resources raised from the community itself, the Kerala model is highly sustainable. The resources for the day-to-day functioning of palliative care are mainly mobilized from the community as micro-donation, and the innovations in resource mobilization make the model sustainable.
Conclusion
- Finally, the Kerala story exemplifies how diverse groups of people — across religious, caste, and gender divides — forged solidarities to create care infrastructure. These community organisations are strong reminders of how people organise across differences.