Editorial 1 : A silent epidemic stalks
Context: How our lifestyle is creating an epidemic of mental ill health?
Flip side of rapid economic growth
- India has the highest growth of ultra-processed food consumption among the youth, as well as low levels of exercise and adequate sleep.
- Cultural changes, including smartphones and a preponderance of English in schools, are weakening family relationships.
- There is a silent epidemic of mental ill-health in India.
Smartphones and Youth
- Studies have found that smartphones are ‘frying’ the brain.
- The early age of access to smartphones is associated with worse cognition and mental well-being as young adults.
- Analysis of recently collected data suggests that the earlier age of access to smartphones is associated with a lower likelihood of college completion.
- It is true that smartphones may have economic usefulness but there is no justification for their unhindered use among teenagers.
The rise and rise of ultra-processed foods
- India reports the highest growth in consumption of ultra-processed foods which are as addictive as smoking.
- There is a strong association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and poor mental well-being.
Physical Exercise: Benefits and Challenges
- The positive association between physical exercise and mental well-being is well established, particularly with respect to energy, the experience of pain, and the ability to focus.
- The challenge is to inculcate a habit of exercise in children and teenagers despite constraints of restricted play areas, the pressure of school exams, addictive lure of the smartphone, and student enrolment in coaching classes.
Family Dynamics and mental health
- Family closeness is strongly associated with better mental well-being, with improved mood and outlook, and the ability to relate to others.
- Teenagers responding to the surveys in the regional language report substantially stronger family bonds and a better ability to relate to others than their counterparts responding in English.
- As more schools move to a system where English becomes the medium of instruction even at younger ages, it is important to examine whether this push comes at the expense of weakening family bonds and mental well-being.
Money and Mental Health
- India’s quest for development has resulted, in rising income levels and, consequently, a lower percentage of the population now lives in poverty.
- Data suggests that mental well-being among the youth with family incomes less than Rs 1 lakh per year who exercise frequently, have close families, and/or rarely consume ultra-processed foods is better than the youth with family incomes greater than Rs 10 lakh per year who live sedentary lives, weakened family relationships, and frequently consume ultra-processed foods.
Need for intervention
- India’s economic growth is closely associated to its youth.
- Just two decades ago, adolescents reported high levels of mental well-being. Today adolescents report the lowest levels of mental well-being.
- Early-age use of smartphones, consumption of ultra-processed foods, and low levels of exercise are the main reasons behind this decline.
- The time to act is now. Policymakers have to act in coherence with schools, parents and medical associations.
- Private sector needs to understand that the spread to mental ill-health through their products and services will eventually hurt them due to shortage of qualified, capable and productive workers and the consequent insufficient demand for their products.
Conclusion: Urgent dominates the important in human affairs. But addressing the mental health epidemic is both urgent and important. If no significant steps are taken then the modern lifestyle (smartphones and processed foods) would severely dent India’s demographic dividend.
Editorial 2 : Facing East
Context: PM Modi’s Singapore visit
India’s engagements with countries in the east
- PM Modi recently visited Brunei and Singapore.
- President Droupadi Murmu travelled to Fiji and New Zealand last month.
- India hosted the prime ministers of Malaysia and Vietnam.
- These engagements demonstrate the extraordinary goodwill for Delhi in the region and the high expectations from India.
From Look East to Act East
- In 2014, the government rebranded India’s Look East Policy unveiled in the early 1990s as Act East Policy.
- At the diplomatic level, this culminated in the presence of ASEAN leaders as honoured guests at the Republic Day celebrations in January 2018.
- At the geopolitical level, the regional environment had become more complex with the sharpening US-China conflict and India’s own deepening troubles with China.
- India’s membership of the QUAD raised concerns in the region. In Singapore, the PM made it clear that India and the QUAD stand squarely behind ASEAN and its central role in the regional security architecture.
- Delhi’s efforts at reassuring ASEAN have shown a measure of success as the region opens up to more defence and security cooperation with India.
The trade hurdle
- Significant questions remain in the trade domain about India’s commitment in the region.
- Delhi’s decision to walk out of the regional negotiations on trade liberalisation (RCEP) at the eleventh hour had deeply disappointed many, especially Singapore.
- Despite recent calls from the region and the World Bank, India is unlikely to reconsider its rejection of RCEP.
- Instead, to plug this loophole India is looking to strengthen bilateral trade and investment arrangements with all major economies in the region.
Way Forward
- India is looking at new areas such as digitalisation, health, space technology and advanced manufacturing to strengthen regional ties.
- Example: Semiconductor diplomacy with Malaysia and Singapore, both of which have significant capabilities in semiconductor production.
- It is up to Indian government as to translate the agreements for semiconductor collaboration into ground reality and moving forward in this domain of diplomacy.