Editorial 1. Not so local government
Context:
- 2023 is the 30th anniversary of the passing of the 73rd and 74th Amendments. These amendments are made in the constitution in order to promote the democracy at grassroot level.
- But there is existence of centralized tendency in political system which compromise the vision of local government and idea of deepening democracy by creating structures of inclusive governance .
Hurdle to Idea of Decentralisation
- Despite performative obeisance to the idea by the state, decentralisation has always been hostage to a number of contradictory impulses.
- Initially, there was the presumption that centralised power would be required to break the power of local elites, never mind the fact that there is little evidence that the outcomes of decentralisation would have been worse than what we eventually got.
- The existing tiers of government, both central and state, wanted to hoard most of the resources.
- India has the lowest spending on local government as a proportion of resources. And the ideology of Gandhian decentralisation, oddly enough, militated against genuine political decentralisation.
What is decentralisation and its significance
- Decentralisation was not a devolution of power and resources. It was the creation of an idealistic imagined space that would be above politics; that would free it from the usual give and take and contests of politics.
- Local government would be held to a higher standard than other tiers of governance. For example, we take partisanship and competition to be central to politics elsewhere.
- But somehow, we expected panchayats to be this font of consensus (some states give incentives for election by consensus). And, it has to be said, there was no serious demand side push for decentralisation.
- The 73rd and 74th amendments did achieve a lot.
- In some areas, they led to the state acquiring a distinct presence on the ground;
- they gave millions of citizens identities as representatives;
- they provided a conduit for sharing power;
- they created deliberative spaces, led to the creation of new norms, especially around the participation of women and a churn in local elites
- . They slowly built up local capacities, and led to a wide range of functions being devolved to local government.
Issues with Local government
- Local level government is criticised as incompetent, while there is better state at the higher level.
- However, It is often the reverse: The state at local levels is competent, it is just constantly being let down by lack of support and investment from the top.
- Fiscal resources that local governments managed went up considerably, in part paradoxically through central schemes like NREGA, and increased finance commission awards.
- In some, the very pathologies associated with local elections were also a tribute to its success. The fact that local political competition became intense in many states, and in some cases, political spending in local elections acquired obscene proportions, was a backhanded tribute to the stakes in local governance.
- The local government as mere administrative conduits versus autonomous political actors,
- the constraints placed on them by a combination of bureaucratic control and deliberate underinvestment in capacity, and
- the lack of political pathways for successful panchayat performers to rise in their parties, limit their salience.
Certain issues which are highlighted by the proponents of decentralisation.
- first is that despite significant changes brought about by the 73rd and 74th amendments, has the needle on the demand side of decentralisation moved much?
- Which is the constituency or movement that will put its weight behind local governance? Or will any incremental reforms we get remain, like in 1993, a product of accidental conjunctures, easily blown away with the first whiff of resistance.
- And oddly enough, even in cases where local governments have the power, are they willing to exercise it?
- Secondly, the guiding philosophy behind decentralisation was a faith in institutions. These were meant to be the pathways to inclusive growth and active citizenship.
- As, there cannot be inclusive growth without inclusive governance, so went the mantra. It was part of a range of reforms that sought to redesign the architecture of the Indian state.
- The state would be better served by decentralisation than centralisation, transparency instead of opacity (hence the RTI Act), public reason instead of administrative discretion (hence independent regulators), local capacity instead of concentrated authority, active participation instead of subject status.
- This faith placed in the power of institutions seems naïve at this historical juncture; institutions cannot withstand concerted social and ideological forces.
Conclusion:
- As the 30 years of constitutional amendment for PRIs have passed and we will all tick off the world beating achievements of these amendments:
- The largest number of elected representatives, the biggest political affirmative action programme, the largest number of village assemblies and so forth.
- These achievements are real. But this talk will reveal much about our attitudes to democracy: We like the idea, we are exhilarated by it, but we will do the best we can to ensure that democracy becomes more and more a performance. The non-seriousness about the 73rd and 74th amendments is a lack of seriousness about democracy itself.
Editorial 2. H3N2: What is this virus and how can it be prevented from spreading
Recent Context:
- Recently India has recorded deaths of two people, one each in Karnataka and Haryana, due to the Influenza A subtype H3N2 virus, the government said on Friday.
- It added that around 90 cases of this virus have been reported across the country.
- The statement by the authorities has come just days after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) announced that the recent uptick in the cases of intense cough lasting for over a week coupled with fever, in several parts of India, can be linked to the Influenza A subtype H3N2 virus.
What is the H3N2 virus?
- Influenza viruses, which cause the infectious disease known as flu, are of four different types: A, B, C and D. Influenza A is further classified into different subtypes and one of them is the H3N2.
- According to the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), H3N2 caused the 1968 flu pandemic that led to the death of around one million people globally and about 100,000 in the US.
- A 2020 study, published in the journal Nature Communications, found that the strains of the virus have dramatically evolved in the past five decades as people born in the late 1960s and 1970s got infected by it as children.
What are the symptoms of H3N2?
- Its symptoms are similar to that of any other flu. They include cough, fever, body ache and headache, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose and extreme fatigue. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea have been seen in very few cases.
- According to the Indian Medical Association (IMA), an infection caused by H3N2 generally lasts for five to seven days and the fever starts going away after three days. However, the coughing can persist for up to three weeks.
Which age group is more vulnerable?
- As per the IMA, this virus usually preys on individuals below the age of 15 years or above 50 years of age. Children and those with co-morbidities like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, weakened immune systems and neurological or neurodevelopmental conditions are at a higher risk
How to prevent it from spreading?
- As per the virologist self-hygiene is the best way to thwart the spread of H3N2. Washing hands before eating or touching your face, nose or mouth, carrying pocket sanitiser, and avoiding people already infected with the virus or any other seasonal flu are some of the steps one can take to make sure they don’t fall sick due to the H3N2 infection.
- Moreover, a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables can also play a significant role in improving immunity. The doctor added that drinking a lot of fluids, and eating home-cooked, low-spice and low-fat food can also help.
Conclusion:
- There is need to strengthen the surveillance mechanism of virus transmission along with it people need to be aware about the diseases so that they can take preventive and curative measures.