Topic- Social Issues:
Introduction:
The Supreme Court of India has come out heavily against archaic idea with patriarchal overtones by observing that rules which penalise women employees for getting married are unconstitutional. This has been termed as coarse case of gender discrimination and inequality at workplaces. Society and government need to work together to remove barriers for women in education and employment opportunities.
Body :
⦁ Status
⦁ Challenges in Work place
⦁ Socio-Cultural Challenges
⦁ Constitutional Provisions
⦁ Laws
Conclusion :
The women welfare schemes announced by the Central and State governments for girls and women will mean little on the ground if they have to abide by restrictive social and cultural norms. Workplaces need to be enabler and not a hurdle for women employees. The same thoughts were reverberated by Honorable Supreme Court in recent verdict.
UPSC Syllabus Social Issues:
Why was this question asked? What are the continued challenges for women in India against time and space?
(UPSC GS Main 2019)
Introduction
The Supreme Court of India has come out heavily against archaic idea with patriarchal overtones by observing that rules which penalise women employees for getting married are unconstitutional. This has been termed as coarse case of gender discrimination and inequality at workplaces. Society and government need to work together to remove barriers for women in education and employment opportunities.
Body Status :
⦁ Participation of women in the labour workforce in the latest Periodic Labour Force data (October-December 2023), is at an abysmal 19.9% for women of all ages.
⦁ The UN’s 2023 Gender Snapshot report highlights the need to accelerate progress towards gender equality by 2030.
⦁ Report also says that the labor and earnings gap between men and women remains high, with women earning only 51 cents for every dollar earned by men.
⦁ Women are underrepresented in senior managerial position and overrepresented in low paying jobs
Challenges in Work Place
⦁ Sexual harassment is an abominable reality for Indian women on a daily basis
⦁ Despite the increase in numbers, women are finding that their complaints are not being adequately addressed by their employers.
⦁ Employers are either uninformed of the law’s provisions or have only partially implemented them, and those that do set up internal panels have members who are poorly trained
⦁ Women suffer as a result of a lack of sufficient sanitation facilities in the workplace.
⦁ Women tend to lack access to informal networks that provide opportunities to work in high-profile projects, which include attending conferences abroad or on-the-job opportunities.
⦁ The assumption that women are only suitable for specific tasks leads to discrimination among those who work with them.
⦁ Pregnant women and women with young children are at a disadvantage throughout the recruitment process and when competing for job prospects.
Socio-cultural Challenges
⦁ Secondary Education for women is lower than man in majority of countries while this stands at less than 80% in India.
⦁ Social norms about household work are against women’s mobility and participation in paid work.
⦁ Childbirth and taking care of elderly parents or in-laws account for the subsequent points where women drop off the employment pipeline.
⦁ The cultural baggage about women working outside the home is so strong that in most traditional Indian families, quitting work is a necessary precondition to the wedding itself.
⦁ When increases in family incomes are there, due to the cultural factors, women leave the work to take care of the family and avoid the stigma of working outside.
Constitutional Provisions
⦁ Article 15 includes provisions for women, children, and individuals who are socially and educationally disadvantaged. These provisions are not discriminatory in any way. In matters of public employment,
⦁ Article 16 guarantees equal opportunity.
⦁ Women are guaranteed one-third seats in Panchayats under the 73rd Amendment Act of the Constitution, and one-third seats in Municipalities under the 74th Amendment Act.
Laws
⦁ The National Commission for Women Act, 1990 creates a National Commission for Women to review existing statutory protections for women, prepare periodic reports to the Central Government on matters relating to safeguards for women’s rights, investigate complaints of deprivation of these rights, and provide financial assistance in the litigation of issues affecting women.
⦁ The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 is a legislative act in India that seeks to protect women from sexual harassment at their place of work.
⦁ This statute superseded the Vishakha Guidelines for prevention of sexual harassment introduced by the Supreme Court of India.
⦁ The Bill lays down the definition of sexual harassment and seeks to provide a mechanism for redressing complaints.
⦁ It provides for the constitution of an ‘Internal Complaints Committee’ at the workplace and a ‘Local Complaints Committee’ at the district and block levels.
⦁ The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 – On March 9, 2017, the Indian Parliament passed a law offering women working in the organized sector compensated maternity leave of 26 weeks, up from the current 12 weeks, a decision that will benefit approximately 1.8 million women.
⦁ The law applies to all businesses with ten or more employees, and the benefit will be limited to the first two children.
⦁ The entitlement for the third child will be 12 weeks.
Conclusion
The women welfare schemes announced by the Central and State governments for girls and women will mean little on the ground if they have to abide by restrictive social and cultural norms. Workplaces need to be enabler and not a hurdle for women employees. The same thoughts were reverberated by Honourable Supreme Court in recent verdict.
Topic- Ecology and Environment
Introduction
Rapid urbanisation has brought in fast expansion of housing and reality sector in India. However, there is need to critically analyse the potential trade-offs with quality of life and environmental concerns as a result of the rapid expansion of the housing sector, specially when focus is entirely on mass production rather than on thermal .
Body
⦁ Status
⦁ Boom in Housing sector
⦁ Mivan technology
⦁ Heat Stress
⦁ Initiatives
⦁ Challenge in implementation
Conclusion
Considering the growing significance of the building sector and its contribution to GHG emissions, the need to address the environmental impact of construction activities is imperative. An ecosystem change is needed across the entire value chain to encourage the adoption and rightful implementation of the building codes that help reduce emissions.
UPSC Syllabus Ecology and Environment
Why was this question asked?
Environmental Impact Assessment studies are increasingly undertaken before a project is cleared by the Government. Discuss the environmental impacts of coal-fired thermal plants located at coal pitheads.
[UPSC Main 2014]
Introduction:
Considering the growing significance of the building sector and its contribution to GHG emissions, the need to address the environmental impact of construction activities is imperative. An ecosystem change is needed across the entire value chain to encourage the adoption and rightful implementation of the building codes that help reduce emissions.
Body Status
⦁ In the interim Budget 2024, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the construction of two crore additional houses over the next five years under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G) and the introduction of a new housing scheme for the middle class.
⦁ The emphasis is on mass production, prioritising speed, cost, and ease of construction.
Boom in Housing sector
⦁ According to the United Nations, more than one-half of the world’s population lives in urban areas and almost all the countries in the world are becoming increasingly urbanized which leads to the growth of Real Estate as these people will require properties to reside in.
⦁ By 2050 the urban percentage population is expected to rise by 2.5 billion.
Mivan technology
⦁ Within the framework of the PMAY mission, Light House Projects (LHPs) are underway as part of the Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC), spanning six sites across six States.
⦁ These LHPs leverage modern technology and innovative processes so as to reduce construction time and build more resilient and affordable houses for the underprivileged.
⦁ Additionally, there are ongoing efforts to utilise alternative construction technologies such as Mivan.
⦁ This technology utilises advanced aluminium formwork, which is recyclable and reusable, to cast and construct various building elements.
⦁ This approach surpasses traditional construction methods in terms of speed and quality and has a relatively lower environmental impact due to reduced wastage in the construction phase.
Heat Stress
⦁ The extensive use of cement and steel in Mivan technology without proper insulation results in increased heat gain from the building envelope, causing thermal distress.
⦁ Consequently, occupants resort to increased use of cooling appliances such as air conditioners.
⦁ This reliance on cooling appliances triggers a surge in electricity consumption, thereby contributing to elevated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
⦁ Further, the predominant use of lower efficiency appliances (despite the availability of high efficiency appliances) owing to lower purchase costs leads to higher electricity consumption and resultant greenhouse gas emissions.
⦁ Therefore, to make vulnerable communities resilient to heat stress, it is imperative that building houses go beyond provisioning basic amenities by integrating passive design strategies for thermal comfort. Such steps would help align the ‘Housing for All’ vision with broader environmental and climate goals.
Initiatives
⦁ Eco Niwas Samhita- This framework directs attention towards refining building envelope characteristics pertaining to specific climate zones, thereby facilitating a thermally comfortable environment within built spaces.
⦁ The Smart Ghar III project in Rajkot, an affordable housing initiative under the PMAY Untenable Slum Redevelopment project, serves as a prime example of achieving indoor thermal comfort through passive design implementation.
Challenge in implementation
⦁ Multi-stakeholder nature of the building value chain- This involves architects, engineers, contractors, material suppliers, and end-users, each with their own priorities, constraints and levels of awareness regarding sustainable practices.
⦁ One major hurdle in promoting the adoption of passive designs is the lack of tangible benefits perceived by the end-users owing to a lack of awareness.
Conclusion
Considering the growing significance of the building sector and its contribution to GHG emissions, the need to address the environmental impact of construction activities is imperative. An ecosystem change is needed across the entire value chain to encourage the adoption and rightful implementation of the building codes that help reduce emissions.