Category: Governance

In its ruling on November 16 in the infamous Kathua rape-murder case, the Supreme Court (SC) noted that India’s rising juvenile delinquency rate is a matter of concern and necessitates immediate attention.

The current strategy and its effects on juvenile crime

• Goal of reformation: There is a school of thought that firmly thinks that if the accused is a juvenile, he should be handled with with just one thing in mind, which is the goal of reformation, regardless of how horrific the crime may be, whether it be single rape, gangrape, drug dealing, or murder.
• The continuation of crime The school of thinking we are discussing regards reformation as the ideal end-state. We question whether the [Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children)] Act, 2015 has accomplished its purpose given how terrible and heinous crimes have been and are still being committed throughout time by juveniles.
• Without reformation, crime increases: We have begun to get the idea that the leniency with which minors are treated in the name of reformation is giving them more and more confidence to commit such horrible acts.

The issue of juvenile offenders’ maturity

• Help from experts to determine maturity: It is well established that the court, with the assistance of experts, is to determine whether or not an offender has attained sufficient maturity of understanding to judge the nature and consequences of his or her conduct. This is exemplified by Section 83 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.
• A person under the age of 18 who commits an offence cannot be tried or punished by a criminal court because they lack the maturity to understand the nature and repercussions of their actions, according to the JJ Act 2000. This encroachment on the judicial domain made the JJ Act 2000 unconstitutional.
• The 2015 JJ Act did not affect anything about maturity: With the exception of the age of criminal responsibility for serious offences being lowered to 16 years, the current JJ Act, 2015, has the same flaw.
• It has been forgotten that a juvenile offender who lacks such maturity should not be brought to a criminal court to be tried for the conduct of an offence, but rather should be committed to a correctional facility for reform and rehabilitation. This is the core basis of juvenile justice law.
• Juvenile who has reached adulthood must be punished. On the other hand, if the perpetrator has reached adulthood, he or she must be brought before a criminal court, tried, and, if found guilty, punished. Therefore, a juvenile offender’s age alone cannot support a general immunity from the criminal process; rather, the issue of such immunity must be determined case by case depending on the maturity of the offender.

Trying the mature juvenile as adult

• Adults are not the same as mature juveniles: In fact, Section 23 of the JJ Act, 2015 stipulates that “there shall be no joint proceedings of a child alleged to be in conflict with the law, with a person who is not a child,” regardless of anything stated in Section 223 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1973 or in any other law currently in effect.
• Separate care for older young people: The JJ Act, 2015 already includes provisions regarding how a child who has reached the age of 16 may be prosecuted and punished for a heinous crime.
• Considering the maturity of all juvenile offenders, regardless of age: Once the competent court determines that any such offender had sufficient maturity of understanding to judge the nature and consequences of his/her actions, the same provisions may be applied to all juvenile offenders, regardless of age or the type of crime.

Conclusion

Government should update the 2015 JJ Act. Such an amendment would go a long way toward achieving the goals both the juvenile justice system and the criminal justice system profess to have as well as the necessary balance between them.

Public health officials in the nation are concerned about a measles outbreak in Mumbai. In the last two months, the city has reported more than 200 cases, and at least 13 children have died as a result.

Measles

• Measles is a virus that is extremely contagious.
• The paramyxovirus family virus that causes measles often spreads through direct contact and the air.
• The respiratory tract becomes infected by the virus, which then spreads throughout the body.
• There is no evidence that measles affects animals; it is a human disease.

Signs and symptoms

• A high fever, runny nose, coughing, red and watery eyes, and little white patches within the cheeks can appear in the early stages of measles.
• Blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea and associated dehydration, ear infections, or severe respiratory infections including pneumonia are among the most significant side effects.

At risk

• Young children who have not received the measles vaccine are most susceptible to the disease and its fatal complications.
• Pregnant women who are not immunised are also at danger.
• Anyone who is non-immune (who has not received a vaccination or who received a vaccination but did not develop immunity) can contract the disease.

Transmission:

• Measles is one of the world’s most contagious diseases.
• It is spread by coughing and sneezing, close personal contact or direct contact with infected nasal or throat secretions.

Treatment:

• For the measles virus, there is no specialised antiviral medication.
• Through supportive care that promotes healthy nutrition, appropriate fluid intake, and treatment of dehydration with the WHO-recommended oral rehydration solution, severe consequences from measles can be decreased.
• Two doses of vitamin A supplements should be given to every child who has been diagnosed with measles.

Prevention:

• Key public health measures to lower measles mortality worldwide include routine childhood vaccination against the disease and massive immunisation drives in nations with high case and death rates.
• Measles vaccination is frequently given along with the rubella and/or mumps shots.

Sudden outbreak of Measles in India

• Backsliding in the universal immunisation programme during the pandemic: According to all indications, the outbreak appears to have been brought on by a relapse in the universal immunisation programme during the pandemic.
• Data from the state government show that only 41% of Mumbai’s eligible children have received a measles vaccination.
• Parents are allegedly displaying reluctance to continue their children’s vaccination schedule after they were feverish after receiving the first shot.
• ASHA employees and other overworked public health officials have also had to deal with vaccine reluctance.

Efforts by Government

• Mission Indradhanush: The Mission Indradhanush effort of the Centre has increased immunisation coverage and decreased intershot intervals recently.
• Low coverage during the past two years: Research from WHO and UNICEF has revealed that immunisation programmes, particularly those focusing on DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus) and measles, have suffered over the previous two years in low- and middle-income countries, including India.
• At least 100,000 youngsters missed their vaccinations due to the movement restrictions early in the pandemic, according to data from the National Health Mission’s computer system.
• India has accelerated immunisation following the pandemic: According to anecdotal evidence, India’s campaign for universal immunisation increased toward the end of the pandemic. However, measles is a very contagious illness. Experts had previously issued a warning that even a 5% decline in vaccination rates can compromise herd immunity and cause an outbreak. Their fears are coming true, as evidenced by the disease’s resurgence in Mumbai.

Conclusion

Studies have indicated that during the epidemic, kid immunisation suffered as attention was diverted to adult vaccination. Governments must carefully assess at the local level how many children escaped the immunisation net during this time after the pandemic peaked and take corrective action.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recently unveiled the nation’s first national suicide prevention strategy, with the goal of reducing suicide mortality by 10% by 2030.

National Suicide Prevention Strategy

The plan is in keeping with the WHO’s South East Asia Region Suicide Prevention Strategy.

Objective:

The plan generally aims to establish,

• Suicide prevention strategies that are effective within the next three years.
• Within the next five years, create psychiatric outpatient clinics that will offer suicide prevention services through the District Mental Health Programme in every district.
• Within the next eight years, implement a mental health curriculum across all educational institutions.
• It includes creating standards for ethical media coverage of suicides as well as limiting access to suicide tools through multi-sectoral partnerships and time-bound action plans.
• Building community resilience and societal support for suicide prevention are priorities.

Significance

• The fact that the government has recognised suicide as a problem is crucial.
• We now have a well-thought-out strategy that involves multi-sectoral collaborations since only by integrating different sectors would a strategy be successful.
• The strategy should now be distributed to the States, who should then create action plans that are appropriate for their own local context before cascading to the district, primary health, and community levels.

Strategy in South-east Asian Region

Aims

• Improve governance, strong leadership, and advocacy for suicide prevention.
• To provide all-inclusive, responsive, and integrated social and mental health services in community-based settings to prevent suicides.
• To put into action plans to advance mental, social, and physical health and wellbeing with a view to preventing suicides
• To improve suicide research, evidence, and information systems.

Suicide rates in India

• The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report 2021 states that India’s suicide rate is rapidly rising.
• Delhi has the highest number of suicides (2,840).

Reasons

1. Family Issues, 33.2% (other than marriage-related problems)
2. 4.8%: Problems in marriage
3. 18.6%: Disease
4. 42,004 victims (25.6 percent of the total) were wage earners. One in four of the 1, 64,033 suicide victims who were reported in 2021 were wage earners.
5. The top groups of people who died by suicide in 2021 were self-employed people, the unemployed, and those working in the agricultural industry.
6. Suicides are undoubtedly identified in the study as a serious public health concern in India that warrants more epidemiological investigation.

Challenges

• Underreporting of these occurrences out of fear of social stigma and occasionally to avoid going through the legal system
• A fear of legal action: Suicide is a crime under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The hesitation to seek assistance is frequently caused by the worry of being punished and the extra burden of dealing with the police and courts.
• Social stigma: As a result of the stigma attached to suicide, the NCRB drastically underreports the actual suicide rate. 

How to Prevent Suicide?

• Boost the economy’s foundation: Boosting household financial stability and implementing housing stabilisation measures.
• Strengthening the provision of suicide prevention services: Reduced provider shortages in marginalised areas; inclusion of mental health disorders in health insurance policies; safer suicide care through system change.
• Create safe settings by using the following strategies: – Organizational rules and culture and Community-based initiatives to curb excessive alcohol consumption
• Encourage connection through: Peer norm programmes; community engagement initiatives
• In still coping and problem-solving techniques by: courses in social and emotional learning and courses on family relationships and parenting techniques
• A few strategies to help those who are vulnerable to harm are gatekeeper training, crisis intervention, treatment for suicidal individuals, and treatment to stop re-attempts.

@the-end

• Holistic approach: It is essential to promote national and sectoral study into the causes of the rising suicide mortality as well as proposals for culturally and economically acceptable ways to assist address the issue.
• Mass media counselling: In times of adversity, the media must encourage health-seeking behaviour, provide accurate information, and refute any possible suicide myths.
• Evidence-based interventions: Keep in mind the needs of the most marginalised and vulnerable groups, such as women and young people, by providing the necessary support networks, which can lower the number of fatalities and create a more effective response system.

Source—https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/health-ministry-rolls-out-countrys-first-suicide-prevention-policy/article66166012.ece

The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022, was published by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on November 18.

Background

• When the Department of Personnel and Training started discussions on the Right to Privacy Bill, 2011, the path for a data protection law was opened.
• Goolam Vahanvati, the attorney general at the time, stated in an office memo dated September 29, 2011, that the Bill should specify the circumstances in which the government may engage in “interception of communication.”
• The group’s research stressed the need to assess how the government’s expanded collection of citizen data may affect the right to privacy. Since then, civil society organisations, attorneys, and politicians have repeatedly called for surveillance reform, emphasising that personal data protection requires significant regulation of the government’s ability to undertake citizen surveillance.

Revoked version

• Streamlines international data transfers while giving state authorities broad authority: The revised data privacy bill, which was published three months after the government withdrew an earlier draught, makes it easier to transfer data internationally and stiffens the penalty for violations. However, it grants the Centre a broad range of authority and stipulates relatively few protections.
• Delicate balancing act between limits and privacy: According to representatives of the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), the new draught strikes a delicate balance, takes into account lessons from other countries’ policies, and adheres to the Supreme Court’s decision that privacy is a fundamental right subject to reasonable limitations.
• Seven guiding ideas in the Bill: The seven principles the bill attempts to advance—including openness, purpose restriction, data reduction, and avoiding the unauthorised gathering of personal data—are further described in the explanatory note that is included with the bill.

The architecture of surveillance in India

• Section 69 of the Information Technology Act of 2000, Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885, and the procedural rules issued in accordance with those sections make up the bulk of India’s surveillance architecture.
• Lack of a clearly defined base No However, this architecture doesn’t actually define how or on what legal justifications monitoring may be carried out.
• No protections: Additionally, it lacks protections like independent ex-ante or ex-post reviews of interception orders.
• Lack of accountability: The executive’s concentration of power leads to a lack of responsibility and facilitates abuse. This is supported by evidence that includes both instances of political spying and the stray bits of transparency that telecom firms unintentionally release.
• Unreasonable data gathering requests are already a reality, as evidenced by submissions made by Airtel to the Telecommunications Department as part of the public consultation process for the Indian Telecommunication Bill. As the demand for surveillance from law enforcement agencies grows, Airtel has requested the government to help cover the costs.
• Unrestricted gathering and processing of citizen data for other objectives, such as digital governance, raises problems in addition to plain surveillance.

Concerns over the revoked version

• No reforms to surveillance have been proposed: Since the draught Personal Data Protection Bill of 2019, the draught Data Protection Bill of 2021, and the draught 2022 Bill, no ideas for reforming surveillance have been made in any revisions of the data protection legislation.
• Without consent, data processing: Even without the subject’s consent, personal data may be processed. general exemptions Clause 18(2) of the 2022 Bill permits the Union government to grant broad exclusions for particular government bodies, just like in earlier editions.
• However, this Bill is more egregious than earlier revisions since it allows exemption to private sector entities, which may include specific companies or a class of them, by evaluating the volume and form of personal data under Clause 18. (3).
• Exemptions from the scope of data protection: Under the new Bill in India, exempted state agencies and commercial companies won’t be under the scope of the Data Protection Board, the organisation in charge of enforcing sanctions when fiduciaries violate privacy.

@the-end

The 2022 Bill’s prologue declares that the goal is to preserve individual privacy rights and ensure that personal data is only processed for legitimate purposes. However, broad exemptions for both public and private organisations generate a host of issues that demand a warlike approach.

Source—https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a-data-protection-bill-that-protects-state-surveillance/article66169433.ece

• The indigenization of India’s military industries has increased, moving the country closer to the Atmanirbhar in terms of defence.
• However, Indian Air Force (IAF) doctrine has to be updated to address contemporary concerns because it is outdated.

Key challenges

• Weaponization of space: Given that space will likely play a significant part in future conflicts, it is important to evaluate the IAF’s involvement. It is necessary to combat the weaponization of space, with a focus on unmanned platforms and space assets.
• Capital: As artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning advance, technologies have grown (ML). As a result, incorporating these cutting-edge technology would demand wise investment, which would be difficult in the future.
• Integration: The new departments that need appropriate integration with the armed services, including the IAF, are the Department of Military Affairs and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The establishment of these two locations shouldn’t present the IAF with any difficulties.
• In addition, the IAF’s precision strike and airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities would need to be properly combined.
• Pakistan and China are India’s two main enemies. Therefore, it is necessary to engage in cooperative operations with friendly countries, including obligations to alliances like the Quad.
• Clashes: India needs to be prepared for potential conflicts with other emerging markets. India will demand raw materials from other nations in the future to meet its needs, which could be the cause of war with other global competitors.
• Technology: To achieve the national objectives, various technologies in all domains, including cyber, space, electromagnetic spectrum, etc., call for the right approach. IAF would therefore need to properly synchronise with these technologies.
• Human Resource: IAF staff should have proper training to manage new technologies, and they shouldn’t experience stress from the information provided by these technologies.
• Politics: As national defence is a national endeavour, the IAF’s new policy should emphasise keeping the IAF out of politics.
• Combat Enablers: It’s important to integrate the air force with combat enablers like aerial refueling, the Airborne Warning and Control System, transport and helicopter fleets, etc. India would suffer if they were neglected because they are necessary for effective military operations.

Necessity of Doctrinal Guidance

• It is currently questionable whether initiatives for indigenization or breakthroughs are being driven by long-term institutionalised planning and thought.
• Because doctrinal guidance is necessary for more lasting effects

Guidance need to include

• Ideas impacted by prior experience
• Current technological capabilities, and production capacity
• Availability of human resources
• An organisational climate that fosters independent thought
• Discussion of novel ideas. 

Why do we need it? 

• India’s 2012 airpower doctrine, which goes beyond just stating what airpower is in terms of its responsibilities and defines to a considerably larger extent what airpower is for, reflects the country’s intention to dominate conflict escalation.
• The 2012 version of the IAF doctrine draws a considerably more direct link between airpower and national security than did the previous IAF doctrine and, in fact, the majority of Western airpower theory.
• The IAF’s airpower philosophy does not go as far as some earlier British airpower doctrine, which implies that air superiority is a goal unto itself.
• To direct the future development and use of India’s air force, the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) 2012-era doctrine has to be evaluated and made available to the public. 

Space-related roles and functions

• The IAF’s roles and missions would need to be re-evaluated because space will play a significant role in future conflicts, if not take centre stage.
• Despite the Outer Space Treaty, the militarization of space must be accepted. 

Lessons from the USA

• After the Second World War, America’s nuclear asymmetry was lost when the USSR proved competitive.
• To combat this, the U.S. introduced the Revolution in Military Affairs, which was so clearly visible during the Gulf War of 1990–1991.
• To achieve this turnaround, committed scientific teams worked under programmes that were ongoing since 1965 and had political support during many presidential regimes. 

New Doctrine should accommodate

• A nation that chooses to lose its air superiority will face catastrophe; the IAF’s doctrine must elaborate on this component as a priority notwithstanding the significant financial commitment needed.
• In order to express their thoughts freely, employees need to feel secure in order to foster the acceleration of original thought. While acknowledging that new technology will lead to an information overload that would actually increase stress in human resources, the IAF’s new doctrine must accept this.
• The paper must include a doctrinal alignment for expeditionary raw material movements.
• The IAF philosophy must stress that “national defence” is an endeavour of the entire country and should not be viewed through the lens of the political regime in power.
• A decision on the integration of air power’s precision attack, airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and niche strike capabilities would be crucial in the effort to achieve jointness.
• This should not cause Theatrisation to be slowed down or stopped.
• These combat support resources are essential for humanitarian aid and disaster relief, which are crucial cogs in military diplomacy and foreign policy as India tries to establish itself as a regional power of note.
• Ignoring them would be detrimental to India, especially as they are essential for maintaining kinetic power. 

Source—https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/yes-the-indian-air-force-needs-a-new-doctrine/article66154209.ece

Various constitutional bodies have recently been seen to be eroding their adherence to constitutional provisions, morals, and ethos. The Constitution and its restrictions have been made fun of by the actions of the governors of several states.

Debates – the Governor

• The Constitution should make it mandatory for the governor to exercise their power in accordance with the Constitution and the Law, that is, on the advice of their ministers as provided for in the subsequent clauses and other sections of the Constitution, according to Professor K.T. Shah in 1949 when discussing Article 130 (now Article 154) of the Constitution.
• President’s appointment of a governor: It was strongly contested whether or not the Governor should be chosen by the Indian President. Instead, the Assembly adopted nomination by the President out of concern that this might result in a rival State leadership.
• In spite of the relatively limited authority granted to him by the Constitution, G. Kher once observed that “a Governor can do a great deal of good if he is a good Governor and he may do a great deal of evil, if he is a bad Governor.”
• The governor’s friendly intervention: K. Sen questioned if the governor would support democracy by interfering or undermine it. It would essentially be a democratic surrender. The Governor will now serve as a constitutional head, as agreed upon. He would be the one to actually lubricate the machinery and make sure that everything ran smoothly without interfering, but rather because of his friendly intervention.
• Aid and counsel from the cabinet: According to R. Ambedkar, the Governor is obligated to follow the advise of his ministry in all areas under the tenets of the New Constitution. So instead of nomination or election, the true question before the House is what authority you want to give your Governor.
• If the governor is a strictly constitutional governor with no additional powers beyond those we clearly intend to grant him in the Act, he should be nominated rather than elected. Personally, I don’t see any very basic issues with the nomination principle.

Conduct of Governor’s duty

• In the case of Shamsher Singh v. State of Punjab, the Supreme Court rendered the following ruling in 1974: In accordance with Article 166 of the Constitution, the Governor “exercises all his rights and functions” through issuing regulations for the efficient conduct of State government activity. These are referred to as business rules.
• The Court said, “Wherever the constitution requires satisfaction of the President or the Governor for the exercise of any power or function by the President or the Governor, as the case may be, as in Articles 123, 213, 311(2) proviso (c), 317, 352(1), 356 and 360. Under the Cabinet form of government, the satisfaction needed by the Constitution is that of the President or the Governor in the constitutional sense.
• Governor cannot run a parallel government because it is not intended by the Constitution. The fundamental tenet is that the Council of Ministers alone represents a responsible form of administration in the States, and that in a democracy, the elected Ministers must assume accountability for every executive act.

@the-end

The governor’s job is to support the chief minister of state, not to cause problems for him or her. The governor shouldn’t behave in a way that devalues the authority of his or her constitutional position. While performing his duties, the governor is required to uphold constitutional morality.

• The G20/OECD presented a draught of their 2011 High-level Principles on Financial Consumer Protection earlier this year. India must set an example for others and adopt the updated principles as it assumes the G20 chair in December, especially given that the future of the world’s financial markets is bleak.
• The laws, rules, and institutional frameworks that protect consumers in the financial industry are together referred to as financial consumer protection. Tools for policymakers, regulators, development partners, and other specialists are included, as well as technical advice and country reports.

Background

• 10 subject areas the 2011 principles comprised ten themes that reflected market and consumer challenges, such as disclosures and transparency, equitable and fair consumer treatment, and financial literacy.
• Included were the following two principles: These guidelines were approved at the fourth meeting of central bank governors and finance ministers in October. Two further guiding principles—access and inclusion and high-quality financial products—were added in 2022.
• The new principles also advocate regulator engagement in some high-risk products, the development of appropriate corporate cultures, and the application of behavioural insights to improve customer outcomes.

These principles deal with three cross-cutting themes

• Financial well-being,
• Digitalization and
• Sustainable finance.

Financial well-being

• Individual financial well-being is defined by the OECD as having control, feeling secure, and having flexibility over one’s own present and future financial situation.
• Consumer-friendly disclosure: Consumers must get adequate and simple-to-understand disclosures under a successful FCP framework. An information dump, especially in India where financial literacy is not widely practiced, defeats this goal.
• Risk profiling by service provider: Before offering their services, certain financial service providers are required by regulators like SEBI to determine the eligibility of their clients and carry out risk profiling.
• India does not currently recognise this theme. India does not currently recognise this notion. In the future, when faced with issues like economic hardship and financial illiteracy, it might be something to think about.

Digitization

• The number of digital channels used by customers to connect with financial products and services is growing, and FCP must take this into account as well as the effects of increased usage of artificial intelligence and other developing technologies.
• RBI’s guidelines for online lending: The RBI issued guidelines on digital lending in September, requiring businesses offering these services to establish a grievance officer, determine a borrower’s creditworthiness before giving credit, and permit borrowers to withdraw without incurring fees.
• Poor complaint resolution: In the UPI ecosystem, complaints against payment service providers are also a source of worry. FCP will remain important due to the increase of UPI transactions and the fact that cryptocurrencies are still largely unregulated.

Sustainable financing

• A multi-dimensional strategy Consumer desire for sustainable financial investments is rising. Environmental, social, and governance aspects are now being included into the operations, goods, and services of financial services firms.
• Transparency is essential, and FCP suggests enhancing it to aid consumers in making knowledgeable decisions.
• To encourage responsible corporate governance with regard to climate change, SEBI has changed “business responsibility reporting” to “business responsibility and sustainability reporting” (BRSR).
• A sustainability performance report is one of the disclosures that BRSR-eligible companies are required to publish. Investors can then decide with knowledge. It is necessary to implement comparable disclosures in other market segments.

@the-end

According to the RBI’s financial inclusion index, more people are participating in the financial system. FCP is essential to guaranteeing their persistence. Because of the sectoral and fragmented nature of the existing regulatory environment, regulatory arbitrage occurs, as was seen in the case of digital gold. To safeguard consumers, regulators must act in concert.

Source—https://www.oecd.org/finance/Financial-Consumer-Protection-Policy-Approaches-in-the-Digital-Age.pdf

Narco Test

• A psychopath suspected of raping and killing his live-in spouse has been subjected to a narco test by Delhi Police, which was approved by a Saket, New Delhi, court.
• A substance called sodium pentothal is injected into the body of the suspect during a “narco” or narcoanalysis test.
• This puts the defendant in a hypnotic or drugged state, which suppresses their imagination.
• The accused is believed to be incapable of lying during this hypnotic condition and is supposed to reveal only accurate information.
• A fast-acting, short-acting anaesthetic called sodium pentothal or sodium thiopental is used in higher doses to sedate patients during surgery.
• It is a member of the barbiturate family of drugs, which have depressant effects on the central nervous system.

History

• The medicine is frequently referred to as a “truth serum” since it is thought to make the individual less determined to lie.
• During World War II, it is rumoured that intelligence agents employed it.
• motives for using such tests
• The use of these tests in investigations has increased recently. They are sometimes viewed as a “softer alternative” to torture or the “third degree” for getting the truth out of suspects.
• However, neither approach has been empirically demonstrated to have a 100% success rate, and it is still debatable in the medical community.

Restrictions

• No self-incrimination: The Bench took into account the right against self-incrimination guaranteed by Article 20(3) of the Constitution, as well as international standards on human rights.
• Affirmation of the accused: In Selvi & Ors v. State of Karnataka & Anr (2010), a Supreme Court bench that included the then Chief Justice of India held that lie detector tests should only be used “with the accused’s agreement.” The court ruled that the subject’s consent must be documented in front of a judicial magistrate.
• Legal help for such convicts: Those who volunteer must have access to a lawyer, and the police and the lawyer must explain the test’s medical, emotional, and legal ramifications to them.
• regulations in effect: It stated that full adherence to the National Human Rights Commission’s 2000 publication, “Guidelines for the Administration of a Polygraph Test on an Accused,” was required.

Results of these tests: Can they be considered ‘Confessions’?

• Not a confession: Because those who have taken drugs to induce them cannot choose how they respond to queries.
• Assumed as evidence: Any information or material later found with the aid of such a willingly taken test, however, may be accepted as evidence.
• Encourages investigation During the test, it discloses the location of, instance, a tangible piece of evidence (which is frequently something similar to a murder weapon).

As home to 17% of all diabetes sufferers worldwide, India is frequently referred to as the “Diabetes Capital of the World.” In India, there are currently close to 80 million diabetics, and by the year 2045, that number is projected to rise to 135 million. The 14th of November is recognised as World Diabetes Day.

Diabetes

• A chronic (long-lasting) medical condition called diabetes alters how our bodies convert food into energy.
• A metabolic illness called diabetes is characterized by persistently elevated blood sugar levels in the body.

One type of diabetes is brought on by insufficient insulin.

• Type-1 Diabetes: This medical disorder is brought on by the pancreas’s insufficient production and secretion of the hormone insulin. It is believed that an autoimmune reaction is what causes type 1 diabetes (the body attacks itself by mistake). Your body’s production of insulin is stopped by this reaction. Type 1 diabetes affects 5–10% of people with diabetes.
• Type-2 diabetes: People with type 2 diabetes have poor insulin sensitivity and struggle to maintain normal blood sugar levels. The majority of diabetics (90–95%) are type 2.

Type-2 diabetes

• Long-term Condition: It is a long-lasting (chronic) condition that leads to high blood sugar levels and insulin resistance. Over time, cardiovascular, neurological, and immune system issues might result from excessive blood sugar levels. A disorder in the body’s ability to control and utilise sugar (glucose) as fuel is type 2 diabetes. It is an improper Insulin reaction.
• Commoner among adults: Although type 2 is more prevalent in older adults, type 2 cases have increased in younger people as a result of the rise in childhood obesity.
• Slow indications and symptoms: Type 2 diabetes symptoms frequently appear gradually. Increased hunger, frequent urination, increased thirst, unintended weight loss, fatigue, blurred eyesight, slowly healing wounds, and frequent infections are just a few of the symptoms. It takes years to develop, and adults are typically diagnosed with it (but more and more in children, teens, and young adults).
• Treating Type-2: Although there is no cure for type 2 diabetes, you can manage the condition by decreasing weight, eating healthfully, and exercising. You may also require diabetic drugs or insulin therapy to control your blood sugar if diet and exercise are insufficient.

Insulin

• The pancreas produces the hormone insulin.
• Sugar is controlled by insulin as it enters your cells.
• Insulin maintains tight control over blood glucose levels.
• When blood glucose levels rise (such as after eating), the pancreas releases insulin to bring them back to normal.

The prevalence of diabetes in India

• Indians with diabetes: It is estimated that 77 million Indians live with diabetes. Therefore, in India, one in ten adults has diabetes. One-half of people with high blood sugar levels are not aware of it. Only 50% of people with diabetes, even those with a diagnosis, have their blood sugar under control.
• Rapid growth in the younger population: According to an ICMR analysis, diabetes prevalence in India has risen by 64% in the last 25 years. Prevalence has risen by more than 10% among the younger population as well.
• Children affected more: It is concerning to note that diabetes affects a significant percentage of children in India. Because of the shift in diet to include more processed and fast foods, children are developing obesity and metabolic syndrome at an earlier age.
• greater impact on children: Alarmingly, diabetes affects a significant portion of children in India. Because of the shift in diet to include more processed and fast foods, children are developing obesity and metabolic syndrome at an earlier age.

Indians more likely to develop Diabetes: Reasons

• Alterations in way of life: The main cause of the current exponential growth in diabetes cases in India is ascribed to changes in lifestyle. One of the main causes of the rise in prevalence is the quick shift in food habits, as well as inactivity, increased body weight, notably the buildup of belly fat, and increased body weight.
• Ethnically more susceptible: Although the exact processes are not well understood, Indians appear to be more ethnically susceptible to diabetes than Caucasians. Our cells do not react to the hormone insulin because we Indians have a higher level of insulin resistance. And when we eat carbohydrates, our blood insulin levels also tend to rise higher and last longer than they do in Europeans.
• Larger genetic predisposition: Studies on migrant and native Indians and the pandemic rise in diabetes in India clearly show that Indians have a higher propensity for the disease, which may be related to a greater genetic susceptibility to diabetes in Indians.
• Decrease in traditional diets: Our eating patterns have undergone a significant change as a result of growing “westernization,” particularly in metro areas and larger cities. Although Indian diets have traditionally been high in carbohydrates, the current emphasis on refined sweets, processed food in the form of fast food and cooking that requires little effort, and trans fatty acids is wreaking havoc.
• Mechanization of daily work: As more machines are available to perform our tasks, daily activities have significantly decreased.
• Eating foods high in calories and doing little exercise Due to physical inactivity, obesity, particularly central obesity and increased visceral fat, as well as diets high in calories, fat, and sugar become important contributing factors.
• Accelerated urbanization With rising urbanization, India is currently going through a rapid epidemiological shift. With particular regard to diabetes and coronary artery disease, the current urbanization rate in India is 35%, up from 15% in the 1950s, and this could have a significant impact on existing and future disease trends in the country.
• Migration from rural to urban regions, along with the stress it causes, has a big impact on how people live today.

Conclusion

With our nation having the largest percentage of diabetes patients in the globe, the sugar disease is currently our nation’s biggest health concern. A World Health Organization (WHO) fact sheet on diabetes states that elevated blood sugar is thought to be the cause of 3.4 million deaths worldwide.

The launch of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, with the goal of fusing the various and separate digital health systems already in existence into a National Digital Health Ecosystem, was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 27, 2021.

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)

• Currently, there are five primary parts of the ABDM:
• Account number for Ayushman Bharat Health (ABHA): a special identification code for health,
• Registrar of Healthcare Professionals (HPR) a database of medical experts from both conventional and innovative systems of care,
• Hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centres, and pharmacies are all listed in the Health Facility Registry (HFR), a database of both public and commercial healthcare facilities.
• UHI, or Unified Health Interface: An open protocol connecting patients and healthcare providers for digital health services,
• the ABHA mobile app a mobile application that enables the carrying of electronic health records.

Future of India’s healthcare system

• Government push for digitization: The Indian government has made significant efforts to promote the digitization of the healthcare sector in order to make health accessible, affordable, and fairly distributed. This is done in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and targets of universal health coverage.
• The two registers would allegedly produce a database of India’s healthcare facilities and professionals that citizens would be able to access. Doctors can also access the health registry.
• Digital health card: With the ABHA number and the accompanying application, people can carry their medical records to any healthcare facility and securely identify themselves.
• Finally, the UHI would promote improved access to and the provision of targeted healthcare services.
• Huge amounts of data will be generated as a result of all of this activity, and these data will be essential for research, innovation, and policymaking.

Importance of private sector in health sector

• India has a mixed healthcare system, which means that both public and private healthcare services are available there. The ABDM won’t be able to accomplish its goals without the private healthcare industry’s active involvement.
• 81% of doctors in India work for the private sector, which also supplies 81% of the country’s doctors. Private healthcare infrastructure makes up almost 62% of all of India’s health infrastructure.
• Preference for private healthcare: Indians in both urban and rural areas appear to prefer receiving care from the private sector. Only 33% of rural people and 26% of urban people rely on the public sector for healthcare.

@the-end

It is unclear whether the government plans to use mandates or incentives to encourage private sector engagement. Without either strategy, it appears that fewer smaller private healthcare providers will participate in the ABDM, however it is unclear how this will turn out.