Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Human Rights Day is observed annually on December 10, which commemorates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted in 1948. This year’s theme is Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now, which emphasizes the practical importance of human rights.

Significance of the UDHR

The UDHR asserts that all individuals are born free and equal, which guarantees rights to life, freedom, security, and equality before the law. It also upholds freedom of thought, conscience, religion, opinion, and expression. These principles are enshrined in India’s Constitution and the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.

NHRC’s Role in India

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India promotes and protects human rights. It was established to address civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. The NHRC engages with various stakeholders, including NGOs and government officials, to raise awareness and influence policies.

Focus Areas and Initiatives

The NHRC reviews laws and issues advisories on various human rights issues. It addresses child sexual abuse, environmental pollution, and the rights of vulnerable groups. Special Rapporteurs assess conditions in shelters and prisons.

The NHRC conducts training programs for All India Services officers. It raises awareness through workshops, moot court competitions, and internships for students. These initiatives aim to embed human rights education in various sectors.

Online Complaint System

The NHRC has streamlined the complaint process via its online portal. This system connects with state authorities and allows tracking of complaints. It links to over five lakh Common Service Centers, enhancing accessibility for the public.

GKToday Facts for Exams:
UDHR The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948. It asserts that all individuals are born free and equal, guaranteeing essential rights and freedoms globally.
NHRC The National Human Rights Commission of India was established to protect and promote human rights. It addresses civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights through various initiatives.
Mental Well-being Conference The National Conference on ‘Mental Well-being’ will address mental health challenges. It focuses on stress management across different life stages, promoting awareness and solutions for mental health issues.

Over 77% of Earth’s Land Became Drier in Last 30 Years: UN Report

The United Nations has reported over 77 percent of Earth’s land has become drier in the past three decades. This situation poses serious threats to agriculture, water resources, and wildlife, and urgent action is required to address these challenges.

Key Findings from the UN Report

The UN Science-Policy Interface conducted a comprehensive study, which indicates that increasing dryness is linked to desertification and climate change. The report marks the need for improved water management practices. Sustainable land use is essential for mitigating these effects.

Economic Impacts on Africa and Asia

Africa has been severely impacted by dryness. Between 1990 and 2015, the continent lost approximately 12 percent of its GDP. Projections suggest a further loss of 16 percent in the next five years. Asia is also at risk, with an expected GDP loss of about 7 percent due to similar conditions.

Crop Vulnerability

Certain crops are particularly vulnerable to drying trends. Maize in Kenya faces risks. If current trends persist, maize production could decrease by half by 2050. This decline would have dire consequences for food security in the region.

About Drylands

Drylands are defined as areas where most rainfall evaporates. These regions struggle to support plant life due to limited water availability. The report predicts that by mid-century, two-thirds of the world’s land will have reduced water storage.

Experts are advocating for immediate action, which emphasise the importance of combating desertification. Addressing climate change is crucial for safeguarding natural resources. Effective strategies must be implemented to protect vulnerable ecosystems and communities.

GKToday Facts for Exams:
UN Science-Policy Interface – This UN body bridges science and policy. It aims to inform decision-makers about sustainable practices. Its findings guide global responses to environmental challenges.
Drylands – Drylands are regions where rainfall evaporates rapidly. They face extreme water scarcity. These areas struggle to sustain vegetation, impacting agriculture and biodiversity .
African GDP Loss – Africa lost 12 percent of its GDP from 1990 to 2015 due to dryness. Future projections indicate a 16 percent loss within five years. This economic impact is alarming.

Public Spaces

Against the backdrop of many proactive urban missions launched by the Indian State over the last decade, it may be pertinent to reflect on the current ecosystem surrounding the planning of public space improvement, and public building works in cities undertaken by various state governments.

gainst the backdrop of many proactive urban missions launched by the Indian State over the last decade, it may be pertinent to reflect on the current ecosystem surrounding the planning of public space improvement, and public building works in cities undertaken by various state governments. It would also be pertinent to inquire if the state governments are hiring a larger pool of experts of the best quality from domains of architecture, urban planning, urban design, and related disciplines to produce well-planned and designed public projects.

Conversely, discussing whether architecture and allied professions in India are engaged well with public projects and the public realm is equally relevant. Over the last decade, urban corporations across India have undertaken public space improvement projects, albeit on a modest scale, under various national urban missions, and other state initiatives. However, among other aspects, uncertainties of short-lived life engulf most public projects due to political regime changes and resulting delays or haste in their implementation, which is fraught with ineffective spending of public monies and resources.

The paucity of funds and absence of sound long-term urban financing mechanisms add to the uncertain landscape. While planning public projects, urban corporations face internal challenges in integrating work between disparate government departments connected with city improvements. In turn, much-needed integrated and holistic planning action is affected. Rigid audit compliance and bureaucratic processes, intricate and opaque processes of procuring technical professional services often at the lowest cost, and complex eligibility requirements keep the prospect of engaging more professionals or firms to plan and design public space and building works at bay

In addition, most urban corporations have poor technical capacities, and only some individuals are at the helm of decision making, with little or no room for relevant technical or stakeholder perspectives. Understandably, such a complex ecosystem around the planning of public projects is unlikely to encourage a large pool of the best talent from architecture and allied professions to participate in such projects. Conversely, public projects need professional services and input from more experts. Despite this challenge, even as few architectural and planning practices strive to do public projects, the sustainability of their efforts is suspect due to the absence of a larger conducive ecosystem surrounding the planning of such projects.

However, in the recent past, a silver lining can be seen in the capacity of a few prominent Indian architecture and planning firms to navigate governmental processes and design prominent public projects of civic scale. On the other hand, while a good number of architectural practices are doing commendable innovative work in a select periphery of operations, their capacities either do not align or are inadequate to engage with the complex environment of operations surrounding the planning and implementation of public projects undertaken by urban corporations.

Even as the nature of architectural design practice can range from being a small studio to a large corporate firm, exceptions notwithstanding, most architectural and allied design practices, due to circumstances and context surrounding their operations or by choice, thrive in niche practices mainly for a private clientele. Further, to a large extent, architecture and allied design professions are also qualified by internal conversations and validations with little room for patrons’ opinions or interactions with the public realm. In effect, it is a matter of reflection if these professional domains, to a certain extent, are estranged from addressing a broader spectrum of social needs and realities of Indian cities.

The academia in these professions, too, except a few eminent schools and institutions for planning and architecture, seems to be insulated from the needs of the industry and public realm. It seems to fall short of preparing professionals with adequate skill sets to deal with real ground challenges. The absence of robust and technically well-informed systems in the government for planning public projects, coupled with challenges within design and planning professions, underscores the urgent need for reforms on both sides.

On the government’s side, there is a pressing need to build appropriate systems for planning and designing public projects. Some of the needed reforms include corrections in government urban corporations related to building, unified planning actions, decision making systems informed by technical expertise, juries or boards, technical knowledge and awareness about disciplines associated with the urban. The aim should be to reform governmental processes to create an inclusive environment that fosters greater participation of experts and ease of working around planning and designing public projects. Further, systems must be in place to ensure the continuity of public projects across the changing landscape of elected governments.

On the other hand, design and planning professions and academia need to increase their engagement with public projects and the public realm and prepare professionals with the necessary skill sets. Behind the impressive imagery of well-designed, implemented, and maintained public projects in cities such as Paris, Singapore, Berlin, or Seoul are robust institutions, technically well-informed and integrated systems, and a palpable commitment of the State to excellence in planning and building well. If anything, studying and adapting these systems to the needs, thick realities, and complexities of Indian cities is a pertinent need waiting to be addressed by the government.

Further, given the scale of pending improvement work in cities, the government could consider setting up centres for urban transformation or the ilk equipped with highly skilled professionals to deal with public projects. Such centres could have a flexible framework of operations and become nodes for the planning and implementation of public projects not limited to being advisory entities. Developing a national technical cadre in architecture, urban design, planning, and allied disciplines could also be helpful. Independent India moved through the initial phases of nationalisation and state-initiated social and public building projects and five-year plans with the impetus for regional and rural planning and related projects.

Subsequently, much later, beginning with the IT revolution and the economic liberalisation phase, substantial flows of private capital and constructions transformed some parts of Indian cities into glittering work centres and enclaves. This phase also witnessed restrained engagement of the Indian State with public projects in cities. Against this backdrop, the current phase of urbanisation has seminal value, even as the Indian government is intent on improving cities of all tiers through its urban missions. Therefore, well-planned and designed public projects on a larger scale that meet excellent standards are the need of the hour as potent agents of urban transformation. However, addressing such a pertinent need is hinged on reforming the present ecosystem surrounding the planning and design of public spaces and public building works in Indian cities.

P VENUGOPAL

Source: The Statesman, 10/12/24

Wider reach: Editorial on Union law minister flagging poor social diversity among higher judiciary

It is paradoxical that the institution that upholds the rights of the underprivileged and the historically oppressed should itself lack in social diversity in its higher echelons

The poor social diversity among the higher judiciary has become a matter of concern among social activists and others who work for the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes. Based on the numbers given in writing in the Rajya Sabha by the Union law minister, the chairman of the National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations pointed out that 3% of judges are SC, 2% are ST and 12 % are OBC, which makes the higher judiciary into an “exclusive club” of the upper castes. The law minister’s account also said that there are only 37 minority judges and two women judges in the Supreme Court. That defines the exclusive club even more clearly, particularly its patriarchal character. The system of selecting judges has no scope for reservations. The names are sent up by a collegium and approved by the government. The law minister said that the government has been asking the collegium to give special attention to suitable candidates from SC, ST and OBC segments, but so far the selections imply that this may not have been the case. The NACDAOR chairman and the secretary of the All India Other Backward Classes Employees Federation feel that a law or an executive order should be enacted to create the desired social diversity among the upper judiciary, since the judiciary is not taking corrective action.

It is certainly paradoxical that the institution that upholds the rights of the underprivileged and the historically oppressed should itself lack in social diversity in its higher echelons. Those wishing for change feel that without adequate representation, the points of view of the weaker-voiced segments will not be fully understood. Besides, it is only fair that the courts too should have the social diversity that has been introduced in other institutions by law. Also, courts that establish the rights of women should have more women among judges; they should exemplify the gender equality that they pronounce on. None of this is to question the wisdom or fairness of the honourable judges, but it does emphasise the importance of perception for any public institution. Public perceptions of equality, diversity and transparency are valuable in the case of the justice system. Social diversity and gender equality are issues at the forefront of public discussion; it would be reassuring if courts exhibited them.

Source: The Telegraph, 11/12/24

Wednesday, December 04, 2024

Quote of the Day December 4, 2024

“You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her.”
Anonymous

“आप किसी से इसलिए प्रेम नहीं करते क्योंकि वे खूबसूरत हैं, बल्कि वे खूबसूरत हैं क्योंकि आप उनसे प्रेम करते हैं।”
अज्ञात

Followers