Be Mains Ready

Approach / Explaination / Answer

Ans: 1

Approach

• Start with writing about the national monetisation pipeline (NMP) in brief and rationale for its launch.
• Discuss the advantages of the NMP.
• Discuss the challenges with the NMP.
• Suggest a way forward.

Answer

The National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), prepared by the NITI Aayog, aims to create a virtuous cycle of “develop, commission, monetise and invest” in national infrastructure.

It aims to unlock value in brownfield projects by engaging the private sector, transferring to them revenue rights and not ownership in the projects, and using the funds generated for infrastructure creation across the country.

Rationale For NMP

• India needs more infrastructure but the public sector simply doesn’t have the resources to build it. There are two possible responses.
• Building new infrastructure has two constraints for any country including India:
  
  • Access to patient, predictable and cheap capital; and
  • Execution capability, where government and private agencies can take up multiple marquee projects simultaneously.
  • Thus, NMP is devised to provide a stimulus to improve the infrastructure sector.

Advantages of NMP

• Generate Resource Augmentation: NMP will help the government get access to capital via interested private parties.
  
  • These investors will maintain and operate the monetised assets, generating cash flows, but also create technical and human resource capacity in the infrastructure sector.
• Government Maintains the Ownership of Asset: The existing brownfield, de-risked assets, which are part of the four-year monetisation pipeline, will help create execution capacities for new greenfield assets.
  
  • The government is monetising the rights to operate and maintain the assets, not their ownership.
• Fair Value Share: Contracts will be designed in a way that the government receives fair present value from the monetisation, while private parties get enough operational flexibility and regulatory visibility.
  
  • Moreover, given that the contract terms can be 25 years or even higher, the bidding interest shows investors are confident of long-term regulatory stability and certainty.
• Better Targeted: NMP introduces no new financial liability to the taxpayers and, in fact, represents a better targeted “user pays” structure.
  
  • Eg. If a stadium in Delhi is not monetised, taxpayers around the country as a whole will pay for its upkeep. But a monetised stadium is paid for only by those accessing the facilities in Delhi. This is a much better way to generate operational revenues.

Associated Challenges

• Realising Adequate Value: The First and foremost criticism is whether adequate value from the assets will be realised or not.
  
  • This depends on the quality of the bidding process and whether enough private players are attracted to bid.
• Execution Risk: There will be execution risk in such a large programme. However, this is exactly why NMP is not adopting a one-size-fits-all approach.
• Issue of Taxpayers’ Money: The taxpayers have already paid for these public assets — and, so, why should they pay again to a private party to use them.
• Suboptimal Contractual Enforcement: A criticism is born out of scepticism about a sub-optimal contractual and judicial framework to make such a plan a success.
• Monopolistic Outlook: A few business houses will corner the bulk of the assets offered under NMP.

Way Forward

• Dispute Resolution Mechanism: Strengthening the judicial processes can not be much emphasised. Efficient and effective dispute resolution mechanisms will naturally and automatically accrue to the design and execution of NMP too.
• Streamline PPP: Recent experience suggests that public-private partnerships (PPP) now involve transparent auctions, a clear understanding of the risks and payoffs, and an open field for any and all interested parties.
  
  • Thus, the utility of PPP in greenfield projects can not be neglected.
• Transparent Bidding: Transparent bidding is one of the most important parts of the NMP project. Thus, maintaining transparency is the key to adequate realisation of the asset value.

Ans: 2

Approach

• Briefly explain what is meant by the antimicrobial resistance.
• Discuss how it is one of the biggest challenges of modern medicine.
• Suggest some measures to deal with the issues of antimicrobial resistance.

Answer

Antimicrobial resistance is the resistance acquired by any microorganism (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasite, etc.) against antimicrobial drugs (such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials, and anthelmintics) that are used to treat infections.

As a result, standard treatments become ineffective, infections persist and may spread to others. Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as “superbugs”.

Concerns related to Antimicrobial resistance

• A threat to prevention and treatment of infections - medical procedures such as organ transplantation, cancer chemotherapy, diabetes management and major surgery (for example, caesarean sections or hip replacements) become very risky.
• Increases the cost of healthcare with lengthier stays in hospitals, additional tests and use of more expensive drugs.
• It is putting the gains of the Millennium Development Goals at risk and endangers achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• No new classes of antibiotics have made it to the market in the last three decades, largely on account of inadequate incentives for their development and production.
• Without urgent action, we are heading to antibiotic apocalypse – a future without antibiotics, with bacteria becoming completely resistant to treatment and when common infections and minor injuries could once again kill.

Steps to be taken

• Since microbes will inevitably continue to evolve and become resistant even to new antimicrobials, we need sustained investments and global coordination to detect and combat new resistant strains on an ongoing basis.
• Efforts to control prescription of antimicrobials should be accompanied by efforts to educate consumers to reduce inappropriate demand, issue standard treatment guidelines that would empower providers to stand up to such demands, as well as provide point-of-care diagnostics to aid clinical decision-making.
• To track the spread of resistance in microbes, surveillance measures to identify these organisms need to expand beyond hospitals and encompass livestock, wastewater and farm run-offs.
• Individuals should only use antibiotics when prescribed by a certified health professional.
• Policymakers can ensure a robust national action plan to tackle antibiotic resistance is in place. This plan should strive:
  
  • Improve surveillance of antibiotic-resistant infections
  • Strengthen policies, programmes, and implementation of infection prevention and control measures
  • Regulate and promote the appropriate use and disposal of quality medicines.
  • Make information available on the impact of antibiotic resistance.
  • Invest in research and development of new antibiotics, vaccines, diagnostics and other tools.

The world urgently needs to change the way it prescribes and uses antibiotics. Even if new medicines are developed, without behaviour change, antibiotic resistance will remain a major threat. Behaviour changes must also include actions to reduce the spread of infections through vaccination, hand washing, practising safer intercourse, and good food hygiene.

Ans: 3

Approach

• In the introduction start with writing about use of natural gas for achieving.
• Discuss the significance of using natural gas in the energy mix of India.
• Discuss challenges in adopting natural gas as the main fuel.
• Suggest some measures to deal with the challenges.

Answer

Several corporates and environmental NGOs in India are currently contemplating on the concept of “net zero carbon emissions” and the appropriate target year for achieving it.

In the effort to secure a global consensus around this target, India must first “green” its fossil fuel energy basket. This can be done by increasing the share of natural gas.

Significance of Natural Gas

• Versatility & Abundance: Natural gas has multiple uses and it is the “greenest” of all fossil fuels. Also, it is abundantly available in and within the Indian subcontinent.
• Easy Transition Energy Option: Natural gas is a feasible prospect because it will not generate the headwinds due to shutting down of coal mines.
  
  • Further, it will not require industries to invest heavily in retrofitting their systems.
• Excess Usage of Fossil Fuels: The average global share of fossil fuels in the energy basket is 84% which is even more for India.
  
  • According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), India is the world's third largest consumer of oil.
  • Dependence on coal and oil needs to be reduced and natural gas has to be replaced as much as possible

Challenges Associated With the Natural Gas Sector

• Pricing Distortions: The pricing of natural gas is based on multiple price formulae.
  
  • There is differential pricing for gas produced from domestic fields by the public sector companies and private companies.
  • Similarly, differential pricing for production from deep waters offshore under high temperature etc.
  • This creates problems in coming up with competitive pricing.
• Regressive Taxation System: It is a cascading structure so that the tax rates increase as the gas flows from one zone to another.
  
  • This means that customers located at a distance from the source of gas pay a higher price than those closer to the source. The result is the dampening of demand.
  • Moreover, gas is not under GST.
• Conflict-of-interest Situation: The Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) is currently engaged in the production, transportation and marketing of gas.
  
  • This allows GAIL to leverage its ownership of the bulk of the gas pipelines to deny its competitors access to the market.
  • Most countries have tackled this conflict-of-interest situation by separating the upstream (production/import) and downstream (marketing) interests from transportation.
• Centre-States Issue: Completion of a national pipeline grid gets affected due to clashes between Centre and state over issues like land acquisition, pipeline routing; and royalty payments.
  
  • Centre-state differences have also delayed the construction of import facilities and the creation of gas markets.

Way Forward

• Deregulation of Pricing: A key aspect of ensuring market reforms to boost gas economy, would be deregulation of pricing for domestically produced gas.
  
  • It will allow freedom to price and market domestic gas and in turn boost domestic production, making it more viable for players to invest.
  • Moreover, market-determined and affordable pricing would also boost industrial growth and economic competitiveness.
• Boosting Infrastructure: These markets have greatly benefited from factors such as open access to infrastructure, system operator, unbundled marketing and transport functions and market-friendly transport access and tariff besides strong pipeline infrastructure.
  
  • Also, the institutional mechanism should be created to enable better coordination between the central and state governments.
• Freeing Gas Markets: Through ensuring price benchmarks, it will drive competition across the value chain and stimulate investments in exploration and production along with downstream infrastructure.
  
  • Moreover, factors such as inclusion under GST and an overarching regulatory framework will also play an important role in boosting the overall gas markets

Thus, the natural gas economy requires policy reforms cutting across all segments of the natural gas value chain from production to transportation to markets to commercial and regulatory issues.

Ans: 4

Approach

• Start with explaining about the menace of illegal migrants in India.
• Discuss how illegal migration is an internal security challenge.
• Discuss the existing legal framework to deal with the issues of illegal migration.
• Suggest a way forward.

Answer

• An illegal immigrant in India is a foreigner who has entered India either without valid documents or who initially had a valid document, but has overstayed beyond the permitted time, as per the general provisions of the Citizenship Act as amended in 2003.
• Such persons are not eligible for citizenship by registration or naturalisation. They are also liable to be imprisoned for 2–8 years and fined.

Illegal migration as an internal security challenge

• Threat to National Security: The continuance of the illegal immigration of Rohingyas into India and their continued stay in India is found to be having serious national security ramifications and poses serious security threats.
• Clash of Interests: It impacts the interests of local populations in the areas seeing large-scale influxes of illegal immigrants.
• Political Instability: It also increases the political instability when leaders start mobilising the perception of the citizens of the country against the migrants by the elites to grab political power.
• Rise of Militancy: The persistent attacks against the Muslims perceived as illegal migrants has given way to radicalisation.
• Human trafficking: In the recent decades, trafficking of women and human smuggling have become quite rampant across the borders.
• Disturbance in Law and Order: The rule of law and integrity of the country are undermined by the illegal migrants who are engaged in illegal and anti-national activities.

Existing Legal Framework

• Foreigners Act, 1946: The act empowered the government to take such steps as are necessary to prevent illegal migrants including the use of force.
  
  • The concept of ‘burden of proof’ lies with the person, and not with the authorities given by this act is still applicable in all States and Union Territories.
  • The act empowered the government to establish tribunals which would have powers similar to those of a civil court.
  • Recent amendments (2019) to the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964 empowered even district magistrates in all States and Union Territories to set up tribunals to decide whether a person staying illegally in India is a foreigner or not.
• The Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939: Registration under Foreigners Regional Registration Officer is a mandatory requirement under which all foreign nationals (excluding overseas citizens of India) visiting India on a long term visa (more than 180 days) are required to register themselves with a Registration Officer within 14 days of arriving in India..
• The Citizenship Act, 1955: It provides for the acquisition and determination of Indian citizenship.
  
  • Citizenship amendment act 2019 amends the 1955 Act to provide that the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, will not be treated as illegal migrants.

In spite of not being a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, India has been one of the largest recipients of refugees in the world.

However, if India had domestic legislation regarding refugees, it could have deterred any oppressive government in the neighborhood to persecute their population and make them flee to India.

Ans: 5

Approach

• Introduce by giving some examples of frequent disasters taking place in the region.
• Discuss the threat/ losses to the Himalayan ecology.
• Enumerate some of the steps taken to save the ecology and reduce the occurrence of frequent natural disasters.
• Conclude suitably.

Answer

The Himalayan landscape is susceptible to landslides and earthquakes. Formed due to the collision of Indian and Eurasian plates, the northward movement of the former puts continuous stress on the rocks, rendering them weak and prone to landslides and earthquakes.

This, combined with steep slopes, rugged topography, high seismic vulnerability, and rainfall, makes the region one of the most disaster prone areas in the world.

• Nine tourists were killed and three others injured in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district when boulders fell on their vehicle during multiple landslides, triggered by heavy southwest monsoon rains.
• Heavy rain-triggered flash floods in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh swept away three people, buildings, and vehicles.
• Uttarakhand too has been affected with natural disasters with the massive flash flood in Chamoli in February 2021 that killed more than 80 people.

The Himalayan ecosystem is vulnerable and susceptible to the impacts and consequences of changes on account of causes resulting from developmental paradigms of modern society.

Threat To The Himalayan Ecology

• Unsustainable Exploitation: From the mega road expansion project in the name of national security (Char Dham Highway) to building cascading hydroelectric power projects, from unplanned expansion of towns to unsustainable tourism, the Indian States have ignored warnings about the fragile ecology.
  
  • Such an approach has also led to pollution, deforestation, and water and waste management crises.
• Threat of Development Activity: Mega hydropower, which is a significant source of “green” power that substitutes energy from fossil fuels, could alter several aspects of ecology, rendering it vulnerable to the effects of extreme events such as cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides and earthquakes.
  
  • An incompatible model of development in the hills, represented by big hydroelectric projects and large-scale construction activity involving destruction of forests and damming of rivers, is an invitation to harm.
• Impacts of Global warming on the Himalayan Ecology:
  
  • With the utter disregard for the fragile topography and climate-sensitive planning, the threat to ecology has increased many folds.
  • Glacier melting, resulting in an abrupt rise in water causes floods and impacts the local society.
  • Increased incidences of forest fire are also linked with warming of Himalayan region.
• Conversion of forest to agricultural land, and the exploitation of forests for timber, fodder and fuel wood are some of the main threats to biodiversity in this region.

Steps Can be taken

• Early Warning System: It is important to have early warning and better weather forecast systems in order to forecast the disaster and alert the local population and tourists.
• Regional Cooperation: There is a need for a trans-boundary coalition of Himalayan countries to share and disseminate knowledge about the mountains and preservation of the ecology there.
• Area Specific Sustainable Plan: What is most critical is to review the area’s present status and draw up a sustainable plan that respects the specific requirements of this fragile region and the impact of the climate crisis.
• Promote Ecotourism: Initiating a dialogue on adverse impacts of commercial tourism and promoting ecotourism.
• Sustainable Development: Government must strive for achieving sustainable development not only development that is against the ecology.
  
  • Detailed Project Reports (DPR), Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) are needed before implementing any project.

From the mega road expansion project in the name of national security to building cascading hydroelectric power projects, from unplanned expansion of towns to unsustainable tourism, the Indian State has ignored warnings about the fragile HImalayan ecology.

The need of the hour is that governments have a changing course to help preserve natural riches including human lives.

Ans: 6

Approach

• Describe corporate governance.
• Enlist the ethical issues with Corporate Governance in India.
• Suggest measures to improve Corporate Governance in India.
• Give a conclusion by underlining the significance of corporate governance.

Answer

Corporate governance essentially involves balancing the interests of a company's many stakeholders, such as shareholders, senior management executives, customers, suppliers, financiers, the government, and the community.

Ethical issues with Corporate Governance in India

• Conflict of Interest: The challenge of managers potentially enriching themselves at the cost of shareholders e.g. recent case of former ICICI bank head Chanda Kochar approved a loan to Videocon for a quid pro quo deal for her husband.
• Weak Board: Lack of diversity of experience and background represents a major area of weakness for these boards. There have been questions about the board performing in the larger interests of the shareholders. In the case of IL&FS, not a single red flag was raised by any board member.
• Separation of ownership and management: In case of family-run companies, the separation of ownership and management remains a key challenge in majority of companies including some of India’s top ones.
• Independent directors: Independent directors are partisan and are not able to check promoters unethical practices.
• Executive Compensation: Executive compensation is a contentious issue especially when subject to shareholder’s accountability. Executive compensation needs to stand the test of stakeholders' scrutiny.

Suggestions to improve Corporate Governance in India

• Implement the recommendations of Uday Kotak Panel, such as:
  
  • Minimum 6 directors to be on board of listed entities; every listed entity to have at least 1 independent woman director
  • More transparency on appointment of independent directors and should play a more active role on the boards.
  • Audit Committee must review use of loans/adv/investment by holding co in arm over Rs 100 crore.
• Diverse boards are better boards: In this context, ‘diverse’ is all-encompassing, including gender, ethnicity, skills and experience.
• Robust risk management policies: Adoption of effective and robust risk management policies for better decision making as it develops a deeper insight into the risk-reward trade-offs that all Corporations face.
• Effective governance infrastructure: Policies and procedures which guide ethical behaviour should form the base of any organizational behaviour. Ensure separation of the line of responsibility between board and management.
• Evaluation of the Board’s performance: The Board should consider addressing weaknesses uncovered in board evaluations, enhancing their governance processes.
• Communication: Facilitating shareholder communication with the board is key. There is a need to provide a contact person with whom shareholders may discuss any issue.

In a growing economy like India corporate governance is critical for attracting investment both from domestic and international sources.

Ans: 7

Approach

• Explain the difference between law and ethics with examples. Give the importance of ethical interpretation of laws for civil servants.
• In the second part, explain the conditions of ethical scrutiny of any action giving relevant examples.

Answer

A:

It is not necessary that something legal is obviously moral. Legal means allowed by the state. For eg.: capital punishment, abortion, etc. Hence, ethics and law are not always the same.

Action can be legally wrong but ethically correct. For example:

• In 20^th century India, social reformers urged citizens to disobey laws in order to protest what they regarded as immoral or unjust laws. Peaceful civil disobedience was an ethical way of expressing political viewpoints.
• Abortion may be regarded as legally wrong, but for a rape victim, it may be allowed on ethical grounds.

Similarly, actions can be ethically wrong but legally correct. For example:

• Slave trade was legal in America earlier. But it is an unethical act.
• While slum settlements are required to be cleared legally, the human right to housing and shelter makes it unethical to do without creating proper alternative arrangements first.

In a mixed-cultured society like ours, public servants need to take a balanced stand involving both legal and ethical factors so as to discharge his/her duties effectively and for the common good.

A bureaucrat’s duty is dynamic, which needs interpretation of laws. Thus, there is a need to inculcate ‘ethical sensitivity’ that is the identification of salient aspects of a situation that involves the "good" and the "bad" of public or society.

B :

A person may act in a different way in different situations. However, any action can be ethically scrutinized only if it meets certain preconditions like:

• If it is done by free will: If a person has multiple choices, and freedom to pick one within those choices, only then can we debate it on ethical grounds. For eg:
  
  • Elephants destroying crops in the fields resulting in man-animal conflict. Nature has designed elephants to act that way. Hence elephant’s action can’t be judged as ethical or immoral. He can’t/shouldn’t be punished for that.
• Knowledge of consequences: We cannot exercise ‘free will’ in an ethical/unethical manner, unless and until we have ‘knowledge’ of its consequences. For eg:
  
  • The train driver’s action of not stopping the train in the 2018 Punjab accident which killed more than 60 people who were trespassing the railway tracks during Dussehra, cannot be ethically scrutinized as he was given a green signal and was not aware of people standing on the track.
• Voluntary action: An action can only be scrutinized if it is done voluntarily without any external pressure or force. For eg:
  
  • Children’s action of begging on the streets forcefully should not be considered immoral as they are not voluntarily doing it. Although the practice of begging is unethical.
• Fear/Violence: Any action done under fear or injury to self cannot be ethically scrutinized. If someone tries to kill/loot you and you kill/injure him in self-defence, you’re acting under fear for your life. So, it’s subject to legal scrutiny but not ethical scrutiny.
• Habit/temperament: Actions which are done as a consequence of one’s own habit may or may not be ethical. For eg:
  
  • Since childhood, Japanese are trained to apologize profusely even for the slightest mistake or discomfort caused to another human. If an American executive working in Japan doesn't behave in a similar fashion, it can’t be termed as ‘unethical’. Because it is not in American habits.

Hence, a person may not always be held as unethical despite his actions appearing to be unethical or illegal.

Ans: 8

Approach

• Define the given term.
• Give one or two examples to explain the meaning of the terms.
• Connect with the relevance of the term with the public service

Answer

Altruism

• Altruism or selflessness is the concern for the welfare of others. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures and a core aspect of various religious traditions and secular worldviews, though the concept of ‘others’ toward whom concern should be directed can vary among cultures and religions. Altruism or selflessness is the opposite of selfishness.
• The altruist dictum can be stated as: “An action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favourable than unfavourable to everyone except the agent.” Auguste Comte’s version of altruism calls for living for the sake of others
• In a way, utilitarianism can result in altruism. Utilitarianism recommends acts that maximise the good of society. As the rest of society will always outnumber the utilitarian, a utilitarian will practise some form of altruism.

Humility

• It is recognised as a virtue in all religions. Many other virtues spring from or gather lustre from it. Humility does not mean self debasement or denying one’s merits, talents and accomplishments.
• It means that we should not place ourselves on a higher pedestal than others –even when we far exceed them in talents and achievements.
• Even if one is rich and powerful, one should not feel a sense of superiority over the poor and weak. One should judge oneself in relation to one’s abilities, and consider whether one has utilized them in full measure.
• One should, from a religious point of view, try to utilize one’s abilities in performing duties towards God and fellow men. The fact that one has greater talents and means than others indicates that one has greater responsibilities towards them.
• Thinking about what we have done in relation to what we could have done serves as a corrective to pride and arrogance.
• Humility will enable political leaders and administrators to approach ordinary people in a polite and courteous manner. Unless public servants cultivate humility, they will be unable to show concern and consideration towards the problems of common people.
• Public servants should regard their duty as service to people. They should not regard themselves as rulers or bosses. They are trustees of power which ultimately is derived from people.

Power and Morality

• The term ‘political’ refers to all those practices and institutions which are concerned with government. Power is the ability to get others to do what you want. Power can take many forms, from brute force to subtle persuasion.
• Ex President Mukherjee has said politics without morality is no politics.
• Power invariably leads to corruption, abuse and oppression and morality is needed to restrain such issues.
• It is noteworthy that democracies control the likely dangers of misuse of power through institutional arrangements. It is hoped that politicians will become enlightened and pursue public interest. However, few people believe that such a change of heart will remove the tension between exercise of power and practice of morality. The answer has to be found in distributing power and placing checks on it.

Ans: 9

Approach

• Give in brief the significance of free media for democracy.
• Analyze (with merits and demerits) its crucial role in the prevention, monitoring and control of corruption.
• Conclude suitably.

Answer

• A free media acts as a disseminator of information and a channel of communication between people and the government. Its role in the policy process is worth appreciating. Media educates people by providing a wealth of information related to socio-cultural and politico-economic aspects of the society.
• In a democracy it has been entrusted with the task of educating the people about rights and creating awareness on various serious issues and problems concerning the society. It helps in bringing the marginalized sections of the society to the mainstream.

Crucial role of media in the prevention, monitoring and control of corruption:

• Exposes corruption: Media can inform and educate the public on corruption, expose corruption in government, private sector and civil society organizations and help monitor codes of conduct while policing itself against corruption. Media fights corruption by conducting debates, investigative journalism, RTI, sting operation, Opinion Polls.
• Transparency and accountability: With the help of free media information dissemination is possible and transparency in public sector can be achieved
• Investigative reporting by the media or reporting of instances of corruption as they occur can be a significant source of information on corruption. Timely action should be taken by the authorities to immediately respond to such reports, to appraise the correct facts, to take steps to bring the culprits to book and to keep the press and the public informed from time to time of the progress of such action.
• A large section of the population is ignorant and backward, it is the free media which disseminates information about corruption to them and their backwardness is removed so that they become part of the enlightened India.
• Media also tracks and updates on important policies and programmes of the government and critically analyses their impact which is possible only through an independent and neutral media.
• Media is sometimes also called the fourth pillar of democracy as it ensures participation in governance at all levels by acting as a crucial link between the governing and the governed.

Media while presenting information to the masses are expected to maintain ethical standards as their way of reporting directly or indirectly affects the lives of the masses. However, there remain some issues with the media ethics which are as follow–

• Sensationalism and trivialization has overtaken media ethics.
• Sometimes under pressure of competition does not verify allegations and information before putting them in the public domain.
• Lack of training given to journalists is another cause of concern, because along with a degree, skill also contributes to the personality development of media practitioners.
• Change in media structure and ownership, commercialization of media is among the several factors which has led to decline in ethical standards because unethical practice like paid news is not questioned
• Media’s focusing on trivial issues rather than on issues of concern
• Dividing communities and creating misunderstanding among them and engaging itself in obscurantist fetishes like astrology and supernatural rather than propagating rational and scientific thinking.
• There have also been instances of questionable media ethics such as paid news, revealing sensitive information on national security, disclosing personal details of rape victims etc.

Conclusion

• There is a need for media houses to follow Media ethics.
• Thus in the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “The sole aim of journalism should be service. The newspaper press is a great power; but just as an unchained torrent of water submerges the whole countryside and devastates crops, even so an uncontrolled pen serves but to destroy. If the control is from without, it proves more poisonous than want of control. It can be profitable only when exercised from within”.

Ans: 10

Approach

• Mention the stakeholders involved
• Enumerate the various issues involved in this case
• Give an appropriate approach to change the perception of people in the backdrop of spread of misinformation by the Naxalites

Answer

Stakeholders: Various stakeholders, in this case, are as following-

1. Villagers: Those who are suffering from anemia, pregnant women and also the general populace who is misled by the Naxalites.

2. Naxalites: They are using the misconceptions among the villagers for their own benefits and making it difficult for the government to reach to the public for solving the prevailing problems.

3. District Authorities: District authorities which find it difficult to help the villagers because of various issues at hand.

Development in India is marred by many factors e.g. Poverty, unemployment, illiteracy,malnutrition, etc. Naxalism is another dimension that adds fuel to such problems. The above case study is linked with the chain of the problems arising out of the conflict hit areas due to Naxalism. In this case, a “misconception” about the use of iron tablets has changed the belief of the locals and that has become worrisome for the district authority because Naxalites are also involved.

The issues involved in this case are:

A. The misconception of rice being the plastic rice: Villagers are suffering from anemia and to solve this problem, they were provided with fortified rice which they mistook as plastic rice.

B. The misconception of Iron tablet leading to delivery complications in pregnant women: Somehow villagers believe that the Iron tablet which is provided to the anemic population in the village is causing bulginess in the babies and it is causing complications in the delivery.

C. Naxalites using misconceptions to their advantage: Naxalites are misleading locals in various ways through ideological persuasion and social pressure.

Changing the perception of the people in the backdrop of spread of misinformation by the Naxalites: Misinformation must be replaced with ‘Right Information’. So, for providing the right information to the villagers about the benefits of fortified rice and Iron tablets following steps can be taken:

• Mass awareness campaign: For this, small camps can be organised at relevant places, video lectures can be provided publically or through social media etc. The use of Nukkad Natak can also be done for this purpose.
• Social persuasion: Persuasion must be picked as a tool to mend people's belief.
• Public private partnership: Different NGO and private players must be involved to spread awareness among people about the different policies of the government (e.g. National Nutrition Mission ).
• Educating school children: about the benefits of fortified rice and Iron tablets so that they can spread awareness in their own families and bring attitudinal change about its usage.
• Trust building mechanism: This could be perceived that there is a trust deficit between locals and state authority. Hence, it is important to fill the trust gap through constant contact,communication and interaction.
• Dealing with Naxalism overall will also contribute to helping the government. This can be achieved by modernising the Police force, proper enforcement of land ceiling laws, utilisation of the funds provided by the government to the maximum benefit of the Naxal affected areas.
• Small incentives in the form of extra food grains or monetary benefit can be provided to those who use the iron tablet and fortified rice which can also be an instant solution to deal with this problem

Apart from the above measures, support of local Panchayats, Aanganwadis, Self Help Groups, and tribal leaders can be taken to guide the locals in the right direction so that they can make the right choices in their life and grow individually and collectively and become free from such misconceptions in the long run.