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21st July 2021
INEQUALITY REPORT 2021: INDIA’S UNEQUAL HEALTHCARE STORY
Recently, the Oxfam India has released the 2021 edition of the India Inequality Report.
Monuments at Nagarjunakonda
- It provides a comprehensive analysis of the health outcomes across different socioeconomic groups to gauge the level of health inequality that persists in the country.
- It stated that India’s low spending on public healthcare systems and focus on supporting private healthcare has led to serious inequalities in access to healthcare.
- It highlighted that the states that have for the past few years been reducing inequalities, such as inequalities to access to health between the general category and SC and ST populations, have less confirmed cases of COVID.
- It also highlighted that the states that have had higher GDP expenditure on health have higher recovery rates of COVID cases.
- It stated that those in higher income brackets, and with access to health infrastructure, had to face less visits to hospitals and Covid centres than those belonging to lower income groups.
- It found out that people belonging to lower income groups also faced five times more discrimination on being found Covid-positive than those in higher income groups.
- It highlighted that India’s low spending on public healthcare has left the poor and marginalized with two difficult options i.e. suboptimal and weak public healthcare or expensive private healthcare.
- The rate of immunization of girls continues to be below that of the male child.
- The immunization of children in urban areas is more than those in rural areas.
- The immunization of SCs and STs is behind that of other caste groups.
- The child immunization of the high-wealth quintile group is much higher than that of low-wealth quintile.
- The percentage of mothers who have received full antenatal care declined from 37 percent in 2005-06 to 21 percent in 2015-16.
- The full antenatal care for urban areas is close to two times that of rural areas, and immunization among Muslims the lowest i.e. lower than the SC/ST populations.
- The right to health should be enacted as a fundamental right that makes it obligatory for the government to ensure equal access to timely, acceptable, and affordable healthcare of appropriate quality.
- The free vaccine policy should adopt an inclusive model to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their gender, caste, religion or location i.e. people living in hard-to-reach areas, gets the vaccine without any delay.
- Increase health spending to 2.5 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to ensure a more equitable health system in the country.
- Regions with higher concentration of marginalized population should be identified and public health facilities should be established, equipped and made fully functional as per the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS).
- Institutionalize a centrally-sponsored scheme that earmarks funds for the provision of free essential drugs and diagnostics at all public health facilities.
- The RFP was issued to shortlisted Strategic Partners (SPs) or Indian Applicant Companies for the project viz, M/s Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and M/s Larsen & Tubro (L&T).
- The project cost is over Rs 40,000 crore.
- It is a follow-on of the Project 75 Kalvari-class submarine for the Indian Navy.
- The P-75 (I) contract will be awarded to MDL (Mazagon Docks Ltd) or Larsen &Toubro.
- It is part of a 30-year submarine building plan that ends in 2030.
- The ‘I’ symbolizes the attempt to give India the ability to design and produce submarines as part of a 30-year submarine building programme.
- The goal is to produce 24 conventional submarines by 2030 (now been reduced to 18).
- It offers a chance to stabilise the entire submarine line on an in-service platform, whether French, Russian or German.
- Under the Project 75 (I), the navy will operate six Scorpene submarines by 2023 which will be in service until 2050 and beyond.
- It envisages indigenous construction of six modern conventional submarines with contemporary equipment, weapons & sensors including Fuel-Cell based AIP (Air Independent Propulsion Plant).
- It would provide a major boost to the indigenous design and construction capability of submarines in India, in addition to bringing in the latest submarine design and technologies as part of the project.
- It would aid in boosting the core submarine/ship building industry.
- It would greatly enhance manufacturing/industrial sector, especially the MSME by development of an industrial eco-system for manufacture of associated spares/systems/equipment related to submarines.
- It aims to give the navy a fleet of modern conventional submarines with greater endurance and capabilities.
- The unspent balance with the State as on 1st April, 2021 was Rs. 258.26 crore, out of which the State has spent Rs.227.22 crore as on 15th July, 2021, leaving a balance of Rs. 31.04 crore with the State.
- It is a Central government scheme.
- It was launched as a one-time special intervention to provide rural connectivity, by way of a single all- weather road, to the eligible unconnected habitations of designated population size.
- It is 500+ in plain areas and 250+ in North-Eastern States, Himalayan States and Himalayan Union Territories as per 2001 census.
- The PMGSY- II was launched in the year 2013, with a target to upgrade 50,000 Kms of the existing rural road network to improve its overall efficiency.
- The PMGSY shall cover only the rural roads and the urban roads are excluded from the purview of this programme.
- The main features of PMGSY are:
- Decentralized and evidence based planning;
- Standards and specifications as per Indian Road Congress (IRC) and Rural Roads Manual;
- Dedicated implementation mechanism at central, state and district level;
- Scrutiny of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) at multiple levels;
- Strong IT backbone for monitoring and implementation of the programme;
- Three-tier quality management system;
- Unbroken flow of funds;
- Inbuilt mechanism for consultation with public representatives at planning; and
- selection of roads and monitoring stages
- It aims to provide connectivity to unconnected Habitations as part of a poverty reduction strategy.
- The scheme provides all-weather rural road connectivity to all habitations with a population of 250 and above in 11 left-wing extremism-affected districts, known as ‘Integrated Action Plan (IAP) districts.
- All States and Union Territories would be eligible to participate under PMGSY-III.
- The States/UTs would be able to join only after sanction of 100% works of PMGSY-I and PMGSY-II, and award of 90% of length.
- The roads in the initial five year guarantee period (Defect Liability Period) and post five year guarantee period will be maintained by the States.
- The three monuments identified are:
- Monuments at Nagarjunakonda, District Guntur;
- Buddhist Remains at Salihundam, District Srikakulam; and
- Veerabhadra Temple at Lepakshi in District Anantapuram
- The Adarsh Smarak is aimed at providing additional facilities like Wi-Fi, Cafeteria, Interpretation centre, Brail signages, Illumination, etc.
Monuments at Nagarjunakonda
- It is the name of a big rocky hat-topped hill on the right bank of the Krishna River in the Palnad taluk.
- It is named after the renowned Buddhist Monk Nagarjuna (the famous Buddhist scholar and the contriver of Mahayana Buddhism).
- It is an important Buddhist learning centre, flora and fauna rich location and an archaeological paradise as well.
- It is flaunted with Stone Age tools, Buddhist Stupa, Statues, Pillars, Monasteries, Waterfalls, Forest, and Museum.
- It is known as one of the richest Buddhist Learning Centre and has many caves that exhibit Buddhist carvings.
- The Nagarjunasagar Dam is the tallest masonry dam in the world.
- The excavated remains of the Buddhist civilization were reconstructed and preserved at a museum on the island situated in the midst of the man-made Nagarjunasagar Lake.
- The main stupa of Nagarjunakonda named Mahachaitya is believed to contain the sacred relics of the Buddha.
- It is a site of impressive Buddhist monuments dating back to 2nd century AD.
- It is a historically renowned village lying atop the hill on the south bank of Vamsadhara River.
- There are numerous Buddhist stupas nestled on a hill amid the picturesque surroundings.
- Four stupas, Relic caskets and architectural shrines were discovered during digging performed by the state authorities.
- All of the remnants were built between 2nd century and 12th century reflecting different times of Buddhism - Mahayana, Theravada and Vajrayana.
- It is situated in Lepakshi, in the Anantpur District of Andhra Pradesh.
- The presiding deity worshipped here is Lord Veerabhadra Swamy, the fiery god created by Lord Shiva.
- It is famous for its sculptures and archaeological magnificence shaped by the artists of Vijayanagara Empire.
- The temple can be divided into three sections 'Mukha Mandapa', 'ArthaMandapa' and 'GarbhaGriha', and the 'Kalyana Mandapa'.
- The temple is thought by many to have been built between 1530 and 1545 by Virupanna and Veeranna.
- It has an open-air Kalyana Mandapam (wedding hall), where the wedding of Shiva and Parvati is believed to have taken place in the presence of other gods and goddesses.
- It is first-of-its-kind Oxygen rationing device.
- It supplies a required volume of oxygen to the patient during inhalation and trips when the patient exhales CO2.
- It can operate on both portable power supply (battery) as well as line supply (220V-50Hz).
- It has been developed by the Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar.
- It can be easily connected between oxygen supply line and the mask worn by the patient.
- It uses a sensor which senses and successfully detects inhalation and exhalation of the user in any environmental condition.
- It is a Central Sector Scheme launched by Ministry of Tourism for integrated development of theme based tourist circuits in the country in 2014-15.
- ECO Tourism being developed as part of “Niche Tourism”
- It is envisioned to synergise with other Government of India schemes like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Skill India, Make in India etc.
- The Scheme is 100% centrally funded and efforts are made to achieve convergence with other schemes of Central and State Governments.
- It is a joint venture by the Central Government and Ministry of Tourism.
- To position tourism as a major engine of economic growth and job creation;
- Develop circuits having tourist potential in a planned and prioritized manner;
- Promote cultural and heritage value of the country to generate livelihoods in the identified regions;
- Enhancing the tourist attractiveness in a sustainable manner by developing world class infrastructure in the circuit /destinations;
- Follow community based development and pro-poor tourism approach;
- Creating awareness among the local communities about the importance of tourism for them in terms of increased sources of income, improved living standards and overall development of the area; and
- To create employment through active involvement of local communities;
- Harness tourism potential for its effects in employment generation and economic development;
- To make full use of the potential and advantages in terms of available infrastructure, national culture and characteristic strong points of each and every region throughout the country by development of theme based circuits; and
- Development of tourist facilitation services to enhance visitor experience/satisfaction
- The ruling came from a bench of Justices R F Nariman, K M Joseph and B R Gavai which upheld a 2013 Gujarat High Court verdict that struck down parts of the amendment.
- Justices Nariman and Gavai struck down only that part of Part IXB which dealt with cooperative societies confined to states.
- Justice Joseph in a separate judgment struck down the entire 97th constitutional amendment.
- It was passed by parliament in December 2011 and had come into effect from February 15, 2012.
- It introduced clauses dealing with the working of cooperative societies working within a state, saying the subject matter fell in the state list.
- The change in the constitution has amended Article 19(1)(c) to give protection to the cooperatives and inserted Article 43 B and Part IX B, relating to them.
- Article 19(1)(c) guarantees freedom to form association or unions or cooperative societies subject to certain restrictions.
- Article 43 B says that states shall endeavour to promote voluntary formation, autonomous functioning, democratic control and professional management of cooperative societies.
- The Part IX B of the constitution inserted by the 97th amendment deals with incorporation, terms of members of the board and its office bearers and effective management of cooperative societies.
- It belongs wholly and exclusively to the State legislatures to legislate upon and any change would require the ratification by at least one-half of the state legislatures as per Article 368(2) of the Constitution.
- The Centre has contended that the provision does not denude states of their power to enact laws with regard to cooperatives.
- The Attorney General stated that the 97th Constitution amendment is not a direct or substantial attack on states’ powers to enact a law with regard to cooperatives.
- The Centre has stated that the amendment was enacted to bring uniformity in the management of cooperative societies and it did not take away the powers of states.
- The apex court’s verdict came on the Centre’s plea challenging the Gujarat high court’s 2013 decision striking down certain provisions of the 97th constitutional amendment.
- The top court also examined the question of whether the provision denuded states of their exclusive power to enact laws to deal with the management of cooperative societies.
- The top court had said if the Centre wanted to achieve uniformity then the only way available was to take the recourse under Article 252 of the Constitution.
- It deals with the power of Parliament to legislate for two or more states by consent.
- It said that in effect what the government had done was that the power of States to enact laws with respect to cooperative society has been made no longer exclusive.
- The high court had held that certain provisions of the amendment pertaining to cooperative societies violated the basic structure of federalism.
- The PIL petitioner contended that as per the provisions of Article 368 of the Constitution:
- If Parliament intends to amend or delete any of the lists in the seventh schedule, such Amendment shall require to be ratified by the legislature of not less than one-half of the states by resolution to the effect passed by those legislatures before the bill making provisions for such amendment is presented to the President for Assent.
- Article 368 provides the power of Parliament to amend the Constitution and procedure therefore:
- Article 368(1): Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, Parliament may in exercise of its constituent power amend by way of addition, variation or repeal any provision of this Constitution in accordance with the procedure laid down in this article
- Article 368(2): An amendment of this Constitution may be initiated only by the introduction of a Bill for the purpose in either House of Parliament, and when the Bill is passed in each House by a majority of the total membership of that House present and voting, it shall be presented to the President who shall give his assent to the Bill and thereupon the Constitution shall stand amended in accordance with the terms of the Bill.
- It provided that if such amendment seeks to make any change in:
- Article 54, Article 55, Article 73, Article 162 or Article 241, or
- Chapter IV of Part V, Chapter V of Part VI, or Chapter I of Part XI, or
- Any of the Lists in the Seventh Schedule, or
- The representation of States in Parliament, or
- The provisions of this article, the amendment shall also require to be ratified by the Legislature of not less than one half of the States by resolution to that effect passed by those Legislatures before the Bill making provision for such amendment is presented to the President for assent
- It provided that if such amendment seeks to make any change in:
- Article 368(3): Nothing in Article 13 shall apply to any amendment made under this article
- Article 368(4): No amendment of this Constitution (including the provisions of Part III) made or purporting to have been made under this article whether before or after the commencement of Section 55 of the Constitution (Forty second Amendment) Act, 1976 shall be called in question in any court on any ground
- Article 368(5): For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that there shall be no limitation whatever on the constituent power of Parliament to amend by way of addition, variation or repeal the provisions of this Constitution under this article PART XXI TEMPORARY, TRANSITIONAL AND SPECIAL PROVISIONS
POSTED ON 21-07-2021 BY ADMIN
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