Editorial 1 : Quotas and equity
Introduction: The Bihar government is weighing its options after the Patna High Court struck down its decision to raise the quota cap from 50 per cent to 65 per cent. The judgement will have bearing on other similar demands being raised from other parts of the country.
What was the case about?
- The Nitish Kumar government’s move to increase the reservation ceiling in employment and entrance to educational institutions was based on the Bihar Survey Caste Report, which showed that OBC, EBC, SC and ST communities together comprised about 85 per cent of the state’s population.
- But in response to petitions against the hike, the HC’s two-judge bench has said that the “state proceeded on the mere population of different categories as against their numerical representation in government services and educational institutions”.
- The verdict aligns with the judiciary’s more or less consistent approach towards the 50 per cent ceiling.
The 50% ceiling and yearn for more reservation quota
- In 2022, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court upheld the EWS quota on the ground that the cap applied only to SC, ST and OBC communities.
- The apex court is also reviewing a challenge to the quota ceiling.
- At the same time, political parties, especially Congress, have demanded raising the reservation limit.
- The Bihar government has said that it will press for including the enhanced quota cap in the Ninth Schedule to obviate legal challenges.
- Removing entrenched inequalities will require multiple measures and the issue should be thoroughly debated.
- The political class will do well to be more creative, and not harp on a one-track approach of extending reservations.
Bihar’s impressive improvement in social indicators and a long gap to bridge
- In the past two decades, Bihar has shown appreciable improvement in both economic and socio-economic indicators.
- The state’s economy has grown faster than the national average and the Nitish Kumar government’s measures have resulted in the state closing the gap on welfare indicators — life expectancy, infant mortality, the sex ratio at birth, drinking water and sanitation, access to electricity.
- However, Bihar remains amongst the poorest in terms of per capita income.
- The average person in the state earns about a third of the national average.
- Data from the 2021 NITI Aayog’s Multidimensional Poverty Index shows that 51 per cent of Bihar’s population is poor, the highest among all the states.
- The state also has the country’s highest fertility rate.
- It is among the states with a high outmigration rate for low-paying jobs.
The challenge for the administration in Bihar
- About 50 per cent of Bihar’s workforce is involved in agriculture, which contributes less than 25 per cent of the state’s GDP.
- The big challenge for the state — like in several other parts of the country — is to reduce the dependency on farms by drawing investments in more productive sectors.
- It must also increase the educational pie, address skill deficits and bring Bihar’s fertility rate close to the national average.
- In doing so, the Nitin Kumar government should give special attention to marginalised and deprived communities.
Conclusion: The Patna High Court’s verdict should occasion discussions on more expansive approaches to end historical inequalities. Mere reservation extensions aren't enough. Bihar, despite economic and social development strides, still grapples with high poverty, low income, and a large under-educated population. The government must prioritize uplifting marginalized communities for a more equitable future.
Editorial 2 : Clean air for the young
Introduction: In yet another reminder of the severity of the problem, the State of Global Air (SoGA) Report 2024, released this week, shows that air pollution has become the second leading global risk factor for death. It has brought the stark warning of impact of air pollution on current and future generations.
About State of Global Air (SoGA) 2024
- It a collaborative assessment by the US-based Health Effects Institute (HEI) and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease (GBD) project.
- For the first time, this report has been produced in partnership with UNICEF.
- It has analysed approximately 200 countries.
- The objective of the report is to cut toxic emissions at source and also the greenhouse gas emissions to maximise the co-benefits of reducing public health risks and the warming impacts.
The findings of the report
- Most alarming is the finding, which drew on data from 2021, that air pollution is the second leading risk factor for death among children below the age of five, with 709,000 out of 8.1 million of those who died that year belonging to this demographic.
- For India, where 2.1 million died due to air pollution, according to the SoGA report, the statistics are sobering: With 1,69, 400 of those dying being children under five, the country recorded the highest total number of deaths in this category.
Most of the air pollution solutions are patchworks at best in India
- For over two decades now India’s air pollution has led to much hand-wringing, especially during the winter months when a thick layer of smog blankets a vast swathe of the country.
- Action, however, has mostly taken the form of piecemeal panic-induced measures, like spraying water to minimise dust on the roads and imposing the odd-even scheme for vehicles.
- Even with the adoption of clean air plans by most cities, the failure at the policy level to link pollution with public health has meant that the long-term damage it can cause has not received adequate attention.
Impact of air pollution on children’s health
- The heaviest price for this oversight is paid by the most vulnerable, especially, as is clear now, by children.
- They inhale more air per kilogram of body weight and absorb more pollutants compared to adults.
- With their lungs, brains and other organs still developing and their body’s defence mechanisms still relatively weak, exposure to pollution sets them up for ailments like asthma, upper respiratory tract infection, childhood leukaemia and high blood pressure.
The silver linings in the report
- The report notes that since 2000, the global death rate linked to air pollution, among children under five, has dropped by 53 per cent.
- This is mainly the result of expanding access to clean energy for cooking, improved healthcare access and nutrition as well as building awareness.
- The measurable impact of implementing stricter air quality policies and encouraging the shift to hybrid or electric vehicles in Africa, Latin America and Asia also holds lessons.
The frontline workers are mostly unaware of the dangers of air pollution
- With 42 out of the 50 most polluted cities in the world and where a 2022 study found that even municipal employees — who should be among the frontline workers driving the change — had little awareness of air pollution’s link to cancer and heart diseases, the challenge for India is steep.
Conclusion: The State of Global Air provides a grim picture of air pollution in India. It throws a lot of challenges to the policy makers in India. To face it, the health of its citizens, especially the young, must be at the heart of any solution. Any new policy regarding development must put the danger of air pollution to the heath at the forefront.