25 May 2023 : The Indian Express

Editorial 1: How to meet a disaster

Context:

Recently, the G20 has announced its second meeting of the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRRWG).

State of Disaster Impact:

• In the current World Risk Index, four out of top 10 vulnerable countries are G20 nations.
• The combined estimated annual average loss in G20 nations is $218bn, equal to 9% of their total average annual infrastructure investment.
• India came in third place after USA and China among the top 50 nations most in danger from the effects of climate change in 2050, according to the XDI Assessment Report 2023.
• India is among the world’s most disaster-prone countries with 27 of its 29 states and seven union territories exposed to recurrent natural hazards such as cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, floods and droughts. As per statistics, India as a whole is vulnerable to 30 different types of disasters that will affect the economic, social, and human development potential.
• In five major natural disasters from 2000-2016 in India, some 17,671 children lost their lives. The 2015-2016 drought in ten states affected an estimated 330 million people, including 37 million children under age five.
• Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report of 2022 says India has witnessed a climate change-induced natural disaster almost every day in 2022.
  • These disasters have claimed about 2,755 lives, affected almost 1.8 million hectare of crop area, destroyed over 416,667 houses and killed close to 70,000 livestock. 
  • These include Amarnath floods, up Floods, Manipur Landslides, Cyclone Asani, Uttarkhanad Avalanche, etc.

Key Priority areas for G20 DRRWG:

• Early warning systems to all:
  • By treating such systems as global public goods like for cyclones, to help universalise the availability of such systems.
• Focus on disaster and climate resilient infrastructure:
  • Through differential strategies to deal with extensive risk and intensive risk.
    • Dispersed events like heatwaves, lightening, local floods and landslides cause extensive risk (risk of losses from frequent but moderate impacts) leading to massive losses.
    • Intensive risk includes risk of losses from low frequency and high impact events.
• Improving Financing frameworks for national DRR:
  • Innovative financing tools like reserve funds, dedicated lines of credit and tapping global resources, green financing
• Improving systems and capabilities for response to disasters:
  • By meaningful convergence of disaster risk reductions and climate change adaptation. Like food management structures will help both.
• Application of ecosystem-based approaches to disaster risk:
  • By treating disaster risk reduction as multi-tiered, multi sectoral effort and integrating the efforts vertically from local to sub-national, national and global and horizontally across sectors

Steps Taken:

At the International level

• G20’s Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group 2023: It focuses on encouraging collective work by the G20, undertaking multi-disciplinary research and exchanging best practices on disaster risk reduction.
• Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2022 (GP DRR 2022):  The outcome was summarised in the Bali Agenda for Resilience. Its theme was “From Risk to Resilience: Towards Sustainable Development For All in a Covid-19 Transformed World.” It focused on:
  • A whole-of-society approach to Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), ensuring no one is left behind.
  • To keep DRR at the core of development and finance policies, legislation and plans to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
  • Limiting greenhouse gas emission levels below mitigation capacity, to reduce frequency and intensity of catastrophic events.
  • Both DRR and climate change adaptation aim at reducing vulnerability and enhancing capacity as well as resilience.
• The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) 2016:
  • It is an international coalition of countries, United Nations (UN) agencies, multilateral development banks, the private sector, and academic institutions, that aims to promote disaster-resilient infrastructure. 
  • It was launched by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019.
  • CDRI's initial focus is on developing disaster-resilience in ecological, social, and economic infrastructure.
  • Its objective is to promote research and knowledge sharing in the fields of infrastructure risk management, standards, financing, and recovery mechanisms. 
  • It aims to achieve substantial changes in member countries' policy frameworks and future infrastructure investments, along with a major decrease in the economic losses suffered due to disasters.
• Sendai Framework 2015: It was adopted at the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held in 2015 in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. The Sendai Framework is the successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA).
  • The present Framework applies to the risk of small-scale and large-scale, frequent and infrequent, sudden and slow-onset disasters caused by natural or man-made hazards, as well as related environmental, technological and biological hazards and risks.
  • It aims to guide the multi hazard management of disaster risk in development at all levels as well as within and across all sectors.
• The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)
  • It is a global framework established within the United Nations for promoting action to decrease social vulnerability and natural hazards risks and related technological and environmental disasters.
  • The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction now in its current form is known as the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
  • It builds upon the experience gained during 1990 – 1999 which had been designated as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.
  • The UNDRR incorporates the principles which were adopted in the above-mentioned Decade including
    • Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World: Guidelines for Natural Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Mitigation and its Plan of Action
    • Geneva Mandate on Disaster Reduction.

India’s Initiatives:

• India has adopted the Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction and the first country to have drawn a national and local strategy with a short-term goal achievement target set for 2020.
• Disaster Risk Governance is rooted in the Disaster Management Act of 2005, the scope of legislative provisions was expanded by the implementation of the 2009 National Policy on Disaster Management, intended to enforce an enabling environment for all in recognition of the importance of State and District level authorities.
• In 2016, the National Disaster Management Plan was also released to further align the institutional frameworks and mechanisms with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR). The NDMP was further updated in 2019 with the intention to further coherence with the whole of post-2015 development agenda by integrating not only the SFDRR but also the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Paris Agreement.
• Formation of National Disaster Response Force(NDRF), which comprises 144 special teams trained in response for events originating from natural hazards, with 72 teams specializing in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear calamities.
  • In the event of a disaster, the Ministry-level Disaster Management Committee (MDMC) will direct Disaster Management Task Forces to carry out response and recovery-related activities, and the MDMC is also responsible over activating or deactivating urgent disaster response based on available information.
• Prime Minister’s Ten Point Agenda for DRR, social inclusion as a cross-cutting principle for all activities and mainstreaming DRR as a cornerstone of all development.
• To mainstream DRR into the education sector through structural and non-structural provisions. This includes the National School Safety Program, launched in 2011 by the NDMA, through a centralized approach.
• Checklist for Natural Disaster Impact Assessment which requires all new projects costing over one billion rupees to undergo an evaluation of both the estimated effects of hazards on the project alongside the risks of new hazard-related impacts as a result of the project.
  • This is further supported by the Ministry of Finance’s Guidelines (2009) which highlight the need for all projects that involve structural assets, including any changes to existing land-use plans, require additional costs to be allocated towards prevention or mitigation of natural and/or man-made hazards.
• For climate change concerns, the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) was established in 2008, it the intention to kickstart climate action at all levels in the country. It is guided by principles focusing on protecting those poor and most vulnerable, by achieving growth through sustainable development, by improving the use of technology in risk management, and by welcoming cross-agency, transboundary cooperation on related matters (Government of India, 2008).
  • The agenda was complemented by the Nationally Determined Commitments (NDC) submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2015, and the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change has been revived.
• National Disaster Response Fund, and mandated the formation of State Disaster Response Fund by the state and union territory authorities (Das, 2013). The National Disaster Response Fund can support States in largescale disaster recovery and reconstruction.
  • Additionally, National Disaster Mitigation Funds have been established for the purposes of DRR and risk mitigation activities, and they are to be replicated at each level of governance.
  • This may be supported by the setup of National and State Disaster Management Funds (N/SDMF) to strengthen local-level mitigation activities focused on mitigation (20 percent) and response (80 percent) as outlined in the 15th Finance Commission’s framework for sector-specific funds.
• Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure Society (CDRIS):
  • CDRI is a global partnership of national governments, United Nations agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and academic and research institutions.
  • It aims to increase the resilience of infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks, thereby ensuring sustainable development.

Way Forward

• Insurance: To boost resilience, insurance products that cover both house and household assets are needed for climate resilience.
  • The State may have to intervene to address the needs of those with the lowest purchasing power.
  • Housing insurance for the poor be launched on the lines of Agriculture insurance schemes.
• Minimising Response Time: Between exposure to climate risk and the accrual of benefit is necessary whether from the State or insurance firms.
  • The direct benefit transfer (DBT) architecture can be leveraged.
• Integrated Approach: 
  • Across six policy areas (social protection, public health, livelihood, housing, community infrastructure, and urban planning) at different scales (household, community, and city levels).
• Three enabling factors –
  • • capable, accountable, and responsive governance;
    • climate and urban data; 
    • climate and urban finance 
  • These need to be put in place to ensure that pro-poor climate resilience solutions to reduce vulnerability.
• Data Governance: Satellite imagery to identify flooded areas, and government databases to identify beneficiaries can be collaborated.
• Role of Local Governments: 
  • City governments are the drivers for addressing risks by providing basic services which are critical to improving the resilience of the urban poor.
  • City officials can build resilience by mainstreaming risk reduction into urban management.
• Public Participation: People are the first responders to any climate risk and their active support will enhance risk reduction before any major damage.
• Financial Independence and Higher financial support is needed through devolution of funds, functions and functionaries.

Basic Information:

• What is a Disaster?
  • The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) (2009) defines Disaster as: A disaster is a serious problem occurring over a short or long period of time that causes widespread human, material, economic or environmental loss which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources.
  • As per the Disaster Management Act 2005, “Disaster” means a catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave
    occurrence in any area, arising from natural or manmadẹ causes, or by accident or negligence which results in substantial loss of life or human suffering or damage to, and destruction of, property, or damage to, or degradation of, environment, and is of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the coping capacity of the community of the affected area.

Disasters can be classified into the following categories:

The disaster can be of mainly two kinds i.e. Natural and Anthropogenic.

The widely accepted classification system classifies disasters arising from natural hazards into five major categories:

Editorial 2: 34% milestone

Context: Latest Civil Services Examination final results showed more than one third of recruits are women and achieved top four ranks. It is heartening as it was a jump from 25.8% last year.

Status and Potential of women representation:

At the international level

• According to World Bank report, global GDP could increase 26 percent by closing the gaps between women and men in the workforce, which would benefit both advanced and developing countries.
• A McKinsey Global Institute report finds that $12 trillion could be added to global GDP by 2025 by advancing women’s equality.
• International Parliamentary Union’s annual Women in Parliament report, which shows that the global proportion of MPs who are women is only 26.5 per cent.
• One fifth of major corporations have pledged to go Net Zero by 2050 but do not proactively include women at the board level.
• Young girls drop out of schools to support their mothers.
• Women have less than 20% ownership of land due to legal and cultural constraints, even lesser in North Africa and West Asia and Sub-saharan Africa.

At the National Level

• A McKinsey Global Institute report said India could add $700 billion of additional GDP in 2025, upping the country’s annual GDP growth by 1.4 percentage points.
• According to World Economic Forum, India’s GDP can rise by 27% if India achieves gender parity in labour force participation rates.
• Indian Parliament and state legislatures have just around 12-13% of representation of women, much below the global average of 25.5% (in lower chambers and unicameral legislative bodies). 
• As per Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women report, India ranks 148 out of 193 countries in the number of elected female representatives in parliament.
• Despite being almost 50% of the population, Indian Women in parliament have a share of meager 14.5%.
• Women over 25 with secondary education are only 41.8% as compared to Men at 53.6%.
• However, overall formal participation of Indian working women share in workforce has dropped from 32% in2005 to 25% in 2021 as per World Bank.

Achievements of Women:

• Paris Climate Agreement 2015 was successfully steered the global diplomatic effort under the leadership Christiana Figures of Costa Rica.
• Equator Initiative Award was won by Komala Pujari in 2003, from Odisha for conserving local varieties of paddy and promoting shifting to natural farming.
• Chipko movement by the women of Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district was a pioneer in environmental conservation in India.
• Many women have reached the top of their field. They have broken the shackles of gender stereotypes and stood to achieve their dreams and goals.

Issues of Concern:

• Under Representation: Women continue to remain underrepresented at political, economic and social leadership levels.
  • In the workforce, starting from entry-level jobs to high-paying roles, this underrepresentation gets worse in senior management positions.
  • Deloitte report 2023 says that 91% women at senior positions are unhappy with their organizations on gender diversity and gender support policies.
• Mental/Physical stress and harassment: About 30-70% of women in different kinds of jobs face unwelcome verbal, visual, non-verbal or physical harassment.
  • In India, Deloitte report 2023 indicated that 53% working women in India have high levels of stress and mental health issues.
• Unequal Pay: Research finds that the median salary for women is roughly 22 percent lower than the median salary for men.
  • In India, the Labour Bureau in India has found that in rural areas in the agricultural sector, the daily wage for men is ₹264.05 and ₹205.32 for women.
  • In non-agricultural sects, the average daily wage rate for men is ₹271.17, while for women it is ₹205.90.
• Unpaid Duties: Women are expected and forced to move in and out of employment, depending on their family’s needs. Reasons such as a mother’s responsibility, dividing time between household activities and office, issues created for going on business Tours/training, safety concerns, etc are the few family issues faced by women workforce.
• Glass Ceiling: Women not only in India but across the globe face a social barrier preventing women from being promoted to top jobs in management.
• Insufficient Maternity Leave: During child-rearing years, the unemployment is longer, they have a much harder time getting rehired.
  • Finland allows seven months of leave for employees, yet such countries are few.
  • Indian Maternity Benefit Act, does not apply to women who are self-employed, or at workplaces that have less than 10 employees. 
• Safety Concern: In India, despite of continuous efforts in the field of Safety, women are threatened by various acts via feticides, domestic violence, rape, trafficking, forced prostitution, honour killings, sexual harassment at workplace etc

Steps taken by the Government:

• Karnataka and UP have allowed factories to employ women on night shifts.
• 33% Reservation in Panchayats and Local Bodies through 73^rd and 74^th Amendments 1992.
• Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 mandates Sexual Harassment Committees to be formed in companies and firms, having at least one female member.
• Companies Act 2013 mandates at least one female in Company’s Board and one in Corporate Social Responsibility Committees within the company.
• Gender Budgeting– This concept was first introduced in Australia in mid 1980s & India incorporated this in its budget since 2005-06.
• India’s Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 has increased the duration of maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for two surviving children. 
• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme: It was launched on 22nd January 2015 with an aim to address declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of empowerment of girls and women over a life cycle continuum.
  • The objectives of the scheme are, to prevent gender biased sex selective elimination, to ensure survival and protection of the girl child and to ensure education and participation of the girl child.
• MUDRA Yojana (Micro Units Development and Refinance agency Ltd) 
  • It is one such scheme which was launched on 8 April 2015 in which loans upto Rs. 10 lakh are provided to women entrepreneurs, without any collateral.
  • For instance: A woman namely Kamla daily wage labourer from Panipat has taken a loan of Rs. 45,000 from State Bank of India in order to start work of beauty parlour and she is engaged in gainful employment with dignity now.
• Mission Shakti’ (Integrated Women Empowerment Programme): It aims for the safety, security and empowerment of women and launched for implementation during the 15th Finance Commission period 202l-22 to 2025-26. The norms of ‘Mission Shakti’ will be applicable with effect from April 2022.
  • It aims at strengthening interventions for women safety, security and empowerment. It seeks to realise the Government’s commitment for “women-led development‟ by addressing issues affecting women and by making them equal partners in nation-building.
• Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandana Yojana (PMMVY): Launched in 2017, it is a Centrally Sponsored Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme.
  • The maternity benefit under PMMVY is available to all Pregnant Women & Lactating Mothers (PW&LM), excluding PW&LM who are in regular employment with the Central Government or the State Governments or Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
  • Under the scheme Rs.5,000/- are provided to the eligible beneficiary in three installments during pregnancy and lactation in response to individual fulfilling certain nutrition and health seeking conditions.
  • The eligible beneficiary also receives the remaining cash incentive as per approved norms towards maternity benefit under Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) after institutional delivery so that on an average, a woman gets Rs.6,000/-.
• One Stop Centre Scheme: Launched in 2015, OSC is a sub-scheme of the National Mission for Empowerment of Women which also includes the Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahayog Yojana.
  • The scheme is funded by the Nirbhaya fund. The OSC scheme provide a range of integrated services under one roof including police facilitation, medical aid, legal aid and counselling, psycho-social counselling and temporary shelter to women affected by violence or in distress.
• NGO’s like Azad Foundation’s Women on Wheels program empowers impoverished women in India by providing them with a stable source of income and a safe environment where women can travel without fear of being harassed.

Conclusion:

• Achieving full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men and equal pay for equal work along with achieving gender equality and empower all women and girls will raise the GDP to help achieve India’s goal of becoming a $5Trillion economy by 2024. It will also help achieve Global Sustainable Development Goals like SDG 5 on Gender Equality and SDG 8 on Work.

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