Society

1. Women’s low BMI - main cause for large spatial variation in stunting
2. Women have a higher level of obesity prevalence than men
3. Stunting has declined globally
4. Shram Awards - Workers for outstanding contributions that enhance productivity,
innovation and indigenisation that saves foreign exchange - Contributions defined in
Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 (both public and private)
5. Women's Wall in Kerala - Sabarimala Temple Entry Case
6. United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children, 1989 has been ratified by
India
7. Parivarthana Programme for reforming jail inmates - Andhra Pradesh
8. World’s first channel dedicated to human rights - In London by the International
Observatory of Human Rights (web based channel)
9. Women Entrepreneurship Platform - NITI Aayog
10. Cybercrime.gov.in - To receive complaints regarding objectionable online content
like child pornography and sexual abuse
11. Highest number of deaths due to Manual Scavenging - Tamil Nadu
12. Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI) - AIIMS New Delhi as the National
Coordination Centre
13. Narasu Case - Personal law, religious customs, usages and beliefs are outside the
ambit of fundamental rights of equality
14. Maximum number of sex determination tests - Haryana
15. Savita Law - Ireland - legalise abortion
16. First state to give transgenders social welfare benefits - Odisha
17. India has not signed ILO’s convention on Domestic Workers
18. Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 has decriminalised suicide
19. Largest number of farmer suicides in Maharashtra
20. Nagarik Methodology - Employment generation by focusing on growth at
grassroots level

#WOMEN

Sexual Harassment at Workplace

Based on Vishaka guidelines

Defined sexual harassment and imposed three key parameters on the institutions
i.e., prohibition, prevention and redressal.
ICC in public or private companies, if no. of employees is > 10
A woman can be of any age, whether employed or not, who “alleges to have been
subjected to any act of sexual harassment” (can be a client, customer or domestic
worker)
Rights of all the women working or visiting any workplace, in any capacity, are
 protected under the Act
ICC has powers of a civil court
ICC must have membership from a NGO committed to the cause of women
After the recommendations of ICC, the aggrieved woman can appeal in Court
within 90 days
Covers concepts of Quid Pro Quo harassment and hostile work environment
Safeguards against false and malicious complaints
LCC in every district constituted by State Govt. - receive complaints from
organisations having less than 10 workers
Ministry of Corporate Affairs has amended the Companies Rules, 2014 and made
disclosure of compliance to SH Act mandatory in annual reports

Drawbacks

Does not cover agricultural workers and armed forces

Not gender neutral - protects only women
70% women don’t report SH against seniors due to repercussions
36% Indian companies and 25% MNCs have not constituted ICC
Act has no provisions to address anonymous complaints

Maternity Benefit Amendment Act, 2017

The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, applies to establishments employing 10 or more

Enhanced paid maternity leave from 12 to 26 weeks (more than ILO prescribed
14 weeks)
Applicable to all institutions with 10 or more employees
Mandatory for every organisation with 50 or more employees to have a crèche
Third child onwards - 12 weeks
Adoption/commissioning mother - 12 weeks
Mandatory for employers to educate women about maternity benefits at the time of
employment

New guidelines include

Creche at the workplace or within 500 metres of it - could also be in the

beneficiaries’ neighbourhood
Should be open for 8-10 hours and if the employees have a shift system the crèche
should also be run accordingly
Minimum space of 10-12 square feet per child - no unsafe places such as open
drains, pits, garbage bins near the centre
At least one guard, who should have undergone police verification
No outsiders such as plumbers, drivers, electricians be allowed inside the crèche
when children are present
Crèche monitoring committee with representations from among crèche workers,
 parents and administration should be formed
Grievance redressal committee for inquiring into instances of sexual abuse

Paternity Leave - Single male parents, 730 days during their service, announced by
DoPT

Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative

Effort aimed at helping 50 million women in the developing world get ahead
economically over the next six years.
Government wide project led by Ivanka Trump
Coordinate current programs and develop new ones to assist women in areas such
as job training, financial support, and legal or regulatory reforms

POCSO Act

Defines a child as anyone below 18 years of age

Defines different forms of sexual abuse - including penetrative and non-
penetrative assault
Survivors of child abuse can file a complaint after they become adults
Lays down the procedure for reporting a crime but doesn’t specify a time limit or
statute of limitation for reporting it
CrPC lays down different time-limits for crimes which carry a punishment of up to
three years, there is no time bar for crimes that would attract a jail term of more than
three years
Legal duty of the person aware of the offence to report it
State Govt. in consultation with CJ of HC shall designate a sessions court to be a
special court

Pre Conception and Pre Natal Diagnostics Techniques Act, 1994

Ban use of sex selection techniques before and after conception

Prevent misuse of pre-natal techniques for abortion
Appropriate authorities are given powers of a civil court for search, seizure and
sealing machinery

Juvenile Justice Act

Provisions for adoption of orphaned, abandoned and surrendered children

Also for adoption of children by relatives
All adoptions must be as per rules framed by CARA
Mandates State Govt to recognise one or more institutions in each district as
 specialised adoption agency

Adoption regulations, 2017

Defines the step parent legally

Allows birth certificate of adopted child to have their name on it

Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2016

Defines Child, Child Marriage, Minor etc.

Offence under this act is cognisable and non-bailable
State Govt. will appoint Child Marriage Prohibition Officers
Laws that provide protection to a child bride - POCSO Act, Domestic Violence
Act, Juvenile Justice Act

Nirbhaya Fund

To order to eradicate violence against women and girls, Central Government has
set up Nirbhaya Fund.
Administered by the DEA, Ministry of Finance
It can be utilized for projects for women safety and security
MoWCD is the nodal authority for appraising/recommendingthe
proposals/schemes to be funded under Nirbhaya fund
Central Victim Compensation Fund - under Nirbhaya, to support States/UTs in their
Victim Compensation Scheme

Emergency Response Support System

Himachal Pradesh - first state to launch pan-India single emergency number ‘112’
under ERSS.
It will connect to Police, Fire, Health and other helplines through an Emergency
Response Centre in the State.
“SHOUT” Feature - for safety of women
Money from Nirbhaya fund has been allocated for the implementation of ERSS
across the country

Hausla 2018 - MoWCD

National Festival for Children of Child Care Institutions (CCIs)

CCIs defined under Juvenile Justice Act
National platform for the children from CCIs across India to showcase their talent
International Women’s Day

Women's Day started in USA - labour movement which was started in 1908 where
15000 female employees went on strike in New York City to protest against poor
working conditions
Themes of 2019 - Balance for Better, More Powerful Together
On March 8, women in Soviet Russia gained the right to vote

Juvenile Justice Board

Created under JJ Act, 2000

JJB is a child-friendly space that should not be intimidating or overwhelming for the
child
JJB consists of judicial magistrate of the first class and two social workers, at least
one of whom should be a woman

#TRIBES

Largest tribal population - Madhya Pradesh

Sex Ratio - 990/1000
40% of tribals are BPL

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)

Criteria - Ministry of Home Affairs

A pre-agriculture level of technology

A stagnant or declining population
Extremely low literacy
A subsistence level of economy
Absence of written language

Dhebar Commission created PTGs as a separate category as they were less

developed among the tribal groups
Found in 17 states and 1 UT (Andaman and Nicobar)
Odisha has the largest number of PVTGs (Jiban Sampark initiative)
Andaman and Nicobar Tribal Research and Training institute (ANTRI)
Development of PVTGs scheme - Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Habitat rights have not been recognised for any (Forest Rights Act defines the
term 'habitat')
Sentinelese

Sentinelese (Negrito tribe) are connected to the Jarawa on the basis of physical, as
well as linguistic similarities.
Pre-Neolithic people, who have inhabited North Sentinel Island for an estimated
55,000 years, without contact with the outside World.
Hunter Gatherer subsistence
Sentinelese have no immunity or resistance to even the commonest of infections
Sentinelese and other aboriginal tribes are protected under the “Andaman and
Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation, 1956” - declared the traditional
 areas occupied by the tribes as reserves, and prohibited entry without
authorisation
“Eyes On and Hands Off Policy”
Various degrees of protection are in place for the indigenous people of A&N
Islands, but it is complete in the case of the Sentinelese
Large chunk of the population of the 10 Great Andamanese tribes was wiped out
after the indigenous peoples caught syphilis, measles, and influenza on an
epidemic scale following contact with the early settlers.
There are More than 100 uncontacted tribes - most of them are in Amazon and
New Guinea

Nehru’s Tribal Panchsheel

People should develop along lines of their own genius and we should avoid
imposing anything on them
Encourage in every way their own traditional art and culture
Tribal right in land and forests should be respected
Train and build up a team of their own people to do the work of administration and
development
Some technical people from outside will be needed, especially in the beginning.
But avoid introducing too many outsiders into tribal territory
Should not over-administer these areas or overwhelm them with multiplicity of
schemes
Work through and not in rivalry to their own social and cultural instructions
Guide results not by statistics or the amount of money spend but by the quality of
human character that is involved

#EDUCATION

RTE amendment Bill

Amend the Right to Education (RTE) Act to abolish the “no-detention” policy in
schools (i.e. no student can be detained up to class VIII)
States to decide whether to continue the no-detention policy.
Regular examination in classes V and VIII - if a child fails, the amendment bill
grants a provision to give her or him additional opportunity to take a re-examination
within two months.
Such children will be provided with two-month remedial teaching to perform better
in the re-examinations. If the students still do not pass the exam, the state
government may decide to detain them
But no child shall be expelled
TSR Subramanian committee for formulation of the National Policy on Education
has suggested that ‘no detention’ policy should be discontinued after Class V
Geeta Bhukkal Committee - Recommended removing the No-Detention Policy
Recommended restoration of detention provision, remedial coaching and two extra
chances to each student such to move to a higher class
 Sub-committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education also recommended
a provisional detention clause at Classes V and VIII

#HEALTH

Infant mortality rate - Number of deaths of children less than 1 year old per 1,000
live births
Maternal mortality ratio - Number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births due
to causes related to pregnancy or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy,
regardless of the site or duration of pregnancy. Highest in Assam, Lowest in
Kerala
Child mortality rate - Number of deaths of children less than 5 years old per
1,000 live births
Neonatal mortality - Death within the first four weeks of life
Age Specific Fertility Rate - live births per 1000 women in a specific age group for
a specified area and time
Perinatal Mortality Rate - (Number of fatal deaths after 28 weeks of pregnancy +
death of infants under 7 days age) per 1000 live births
Natural Growth Rate - Difference between number of live births and deaths in a
year, divided by the mid-year population
Total Fertility Rate - Total number of women likely to be born to a woman in her
lifetime. Replacement Level Fertility = 2.1

Health Expenditure

WHO report - 3.2% of Indians would fall below the poverty line because of high Out-
of-pocket (OoP) health expenditure.
World Bank - 65% of health-care expenditure in India is “Out of Pocket” (OoP)

National Health Profile

Create a database of health information of India

Demographic, socio-economic, health status, health finance indicators
Prepared by Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (statutory body established
on recommendation of Mudaliar Committee)
Birth rate, growth rate and death rate are showing a decline
Fertility is declining, even among poor and illiterate
MMR is highest for Assam and lowest for Kerala (300 vs 61 per 100000 live births)
Huge gap in IMR between rural and urban areas (41 vs 25 per 1000 live births)

Integrated Health Information Platform

Creation of Electronic Health Records of citizens on a Pan India basis

 Real time reporting
Accessible at all levels

National Health Portal

Set up MoHFW, pursuant to decisions of National Knowledge Commission

Healthcare related information to citizens of India
Single point of access for consolidated health information

National Technical Board on Nutrition - Dr. Vinod Paul Committee

Make technical recommendations on policy relevant issues on Nutrition

Advisory role
Technical guidance on design of nutrition surveys

National Family Health Survey

Carried out in 1992-93, 1998-99, 2005-06, 2015-16 - 4 times

Under MoHFW
Nodal Agency - International Institute for Population Sciences
Most parameters showed improvement, but wasting has worsened

Drug Abuse

National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (2018-2023) - Ministry of Social
Justice

Address the problem of drug and substance abuse in the country, dumping a long-
pending draft policy on the matter
Employ a multi-pronged strategy involving education, de-addiction and rehabilitation
of affected individuals
Awareness generation through social, print, digital and online media
Increase community participation and public cooperation in the reduction of demand
by involving Panchayati Raj institutions, Urban Local Bodies, Nehru Yuva Kendra
Sangathan, etc.
Multi ministerial steering committee - Ministries of Home Affairs, Social Justice,
HRD, Skill, Health

Drug menace:

Located between two largest Opium producing regions of the world i.e. Golden
Crescent (Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan) and Golden Triangle (Laos, Vietnam,
 Thailand, Myanmar)
Most common drugs of abuse are ‘ganja’, ‘hashish’, ‘opium’ and ‘heroin’
Abuse of pharmaceutical preparations like ‘buprenorphine’, codeine based cough
syrups and painkillers like ‘proxivon’ has also assumed serious proportions
Severe social-economic problem affecting the vulnerable age groups
Narcotics Control Bureau - Seizure Information Management System (SIMS) -
create a complete online database of drug offences and offenders
National Drug Abuse Survey to measure trends of drug abuse in India through
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment with the help of National Drug
Dependence Treatment Centre of AIIMS

Other Provisions - DPSP (Article 47), UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotics and
Psychotrophic Substances,

Punjab suffers from 90% Heroin addiction

Buprenorphine - Opiod substitute given to drug addicts during rehabilitation

Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act

Primarily deals with supply reduction

Provisions for health care for drug dependent individuals
Central govt can establish, maintain and regulate treatment centres
Narcotics Control Bureau - Follow up to this Act, coordinates all activities for
enforcement of the Act
Death penalty was introduced in 1989

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

First international public health treaty negotiated under WHO

Provide framework for supply/demand control at regional, national and global levels
India is a party
Applicable to both chewing and smoking forms

Plain Packaging for Tobacco

Australia became the first country to introduce plain packaging following the WHO
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) guidelines
Plain packaging standardises the appearance of tobacco products - Other than
brand and product names displayed in a standard colour and font style, it prohibits
the use of logos, colours, brand images or promotional information
Besides increasing the effectiveness of health warnings, the idea is to reduce the
attractiveness of tobacco products, with no scope for using packaging to advertise
and promote consumption.
Is it going against WTO Rules? - NO

Tobacco industry was opposed to Australia’s plain packaging initiative

WTO panel rejected the notion that Australia had unjustifiably infringed tobacco
trademarks and violated intellectual property rights - plain packaging law led to
improving public health by reducing use of and exposure to tobacco products

Tobacco and ill effects in India

India increased the size of graphic pictorial warnings, by 85%, on the packaging of
tobacco products (both front and back) - direction of Rajasthan HC and
subsequently SC
Global Adult Tobacco Survey by WHO - Percentage of users in India who thought
of quitting because of such warning labels increased sharply to 62% (cigarette),
54% (bidi) and 46% (smokeless tobacco users)
India is the only SAARC country to have a quit-line number for tobacco users
Fourth country in Asia after Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore to have this
government helpline for those looking at quitting tobacco.

Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003

Prohibit advertisement of, and to provide for the regulation of trade and commerce
in tobacco products in India
Gives effect to 39th World Health Assembly resolution - provide non-smokers
protection from involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke
Tobacco products cannot be sold to person below the age of 18 years, and in
places within 100 metres of educational institutions
Warnings in both English and Hindi
E-Cigarettes are not under this Act - cannot extend 85% of pictorial warning
on packaging, or advertisement restrictions

KEVAT

Navigation programme for patient care

Initiated by TATA Memorial Centre (grant in aid institution under the DAE)

National Health Resource Repository

First registry in India of authentic, standardised and updated geo-spatial data of all
public and private healthcare - includes Hospitals, pharmacies, doctors
Conceptualised by CBHI
ISRO is the project technology partner for providing data security
 National Health Profile - Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (under MoHFW)
Coordination between Central and State Govt for optimisation of health resources
Decentralise decision making at district and state level
Promote convergence through interoperability
Collection of Statistics Act, 2008 - Healthcare establishments such as hospitals,
doctors, clinics, diagnostic labs, pharmacies, nursing homes

World Health Day 2019

Theme - Universal Health Coverage: Everyone, Everywhere

What is Universal health coverage?

Ensuring all people and communities have access to quality health services where
and when they need them, without suffering financial hardship
Includes the full spectrum of services needed throughout life - from health
promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care—and is best
based on a strong primary health care system
Achieving UHC is one of the key targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development

#LABOUR

Internal migration > External migration

1/3 population of India are internal migrants
75% youth of the country are migrants

Indian Labour Conference

Tripartite - Trade Union, Employer, Government

Ministry of Labour and Employment
Members - Central Trade Union Organisations, State/UT Govts, Ministries and
Departments
First ILC was held in 1942, to help in WWII allied efforts

Trafficking

Trafficking has been defined by UN Convention on Trans-national organised

crime (UNODC) - India ratified in 2011
Protocols - UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish trafficking in persons +
UN Protocol against smuggling of migrants by land, sea and air
UNODC established UN Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking
1/3 of registered trafficking cases are from West Bengal (National Crime Records
 Bureau Data)
3rd largest organised crime in the world

Trafficking of Persons Bill, 2018 - MoWCD

National Anti-Trafficking Bureau - coordinate, monitor and survey trafficking

cases
Anti-trafficking Relief and Rehabilitation Committees at national, state and district
levels
Anti Trafficking Units to deal with prevention, rescue and protection of victims
Relief and Rehabilitation Fund
Designated courts in each district for time-bound judgement
Protection and confidentiality to witness
Amendment to NIA Act will make NIA the nodal authority to probe cases into human
trafficking

Other provisions - Article 23, Ujjawala Scheme, Immoral Traffic Prevention Act, Bonded
Labour System Act

QUBRI (quasi-universal basic rural income)

Targeted only at poorer people in the rural areas

Exclude the not-so-poor in rural areas as morally it should. Political questions about
who should be included will have to be addressed.
Will not cover the masses of urban poor working for low and uncertain wages.
A simplistic UBI will not solve the fundamental problems of the economy

Universal Basic Capital

People own the wealth they generate as shareholders of their collective enterprises
e.g Amul, SEWA, Grameen
Propose a ‘dividend’ for all citizens, by providing them a share of initial public
offerings on the stock market, especially from companies that use ‘public assets’,
such as publicly funded research, or environmental resources

‘Vision Zero’ concept - Occupational Safety

Based on four fundamental principles viz. life is non-negotiable, humans are fallible,
tolerable limits are defined by human physical resistance, and people are entitled to
safe transport and safe workplaces
‘International Vision Zero Conference’ to Promote Occupational Safety and
Health - Directorate General Factory Advice and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI),
Ministry of Labour and Employment, German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV),
 IIT Bombay and International Social Security Association

Domestic Workers

Laws which provide some relief to domestic workers - Unorganised Workers Social
Security Act, SH at workplace Act
Minimum Wages Act, 1948 does not take wage workers into account (But some
states have included)
Mathadi Board - in Maharashtra, ensure fair wages are paid to workers
carrying loans
ILO’s Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers has NOT been
ratified by India

Shisht Bharat campaign

Launched by a NGO
Strengthen the moral character of Indian citizens by sensitizing them about values
of morality, civic sense, politeness, decorum and dignity
Engaging with schoolchildren, parents, youth, media persons, ordinary citizens and
advocacy with policy makers
Launched initially in Delhi NCR

Community Radio

Type of radio service that caters to the interests of a certain area, broadcasting
content that is popular to a local audience
Confined to a small geographical area
Serves a community which uses common resources for livelihood, has common
development issues and concerns, which are relatively localized, but connected to
national and regional development goals

Eligibility to apply for a Community Radio Station

Explicitly constituted as a ‘non-profit’ organisation

Should have a proven record of at least three years of service to the local
community
Should serve a specific well-defined local community.
Should only broadcast programmes that cater to the educational, developmental,
social and cultural needs of the community
The organization must be a Legal Entity
 Should be registered (under the registration of Societies Act or any other such act
relevant to the purpose).

At least 50% of content shall be generated with the participation of the local community
Programmes should preferably be in the local language and dialect(s)

CRS license thus given by the government entitled them to operate a 100-watt (Effective
Radiated Power) radio station, with a coverage area of approximately a 12-km radius
Maximum antenna height of 30 meters is allowed

Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016

State Advisory Boards on Disability are to be set up to serve as apex policy making
bodies at State level
The State Commissioners will act as regulatory bodies and Grievance Redressal
agencies and monitor implementation at state level
District level committees will be constituted by the State Governments to address
local concerns of PwDs
State Funds will be created to provide financial support to the persons with
disabilities
Special Courts will be designated in each district to handle cases concerning
violation of rights of PwDs

Triple Talaq Bill

Talaq-e-biddat refers to the practice under Muslim personal laws where

pronouncement of the word ‘talaq’ thrice in one sitting by a Muslim man to his wife
results in an instant and irrevocable divorce.
Supreme Court called instant triple talaq unconstitutional - violative of Article 14
and 21
All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told the SC that the issue of triple
talaq falls outside the judiciary’s realm

Key provisions

Bill makes all declaration of talaq, including in written or electronic form, to be void
(i.e. not enforceable in law) and illegal
Declaration of talaq a cognizable offence (A cognizable offence is one for which a
police officer may arrest an accused person without warrant)
The offence will be cognizable only if information relating to the offence is given by -
the married woman (against whom talaq has been declared), or any person
related to her by blood or marriage
Magistrate may grant bail to the accused - only after hearing the woman (against
whom talaq has been pronounced)
The offence may be compounded by the Magistrate upon the request of the woman
 (against whom talaq has been declared) - Compounding refers to the procedure
where the two sides agree to stop legal proceedings, and settle the dispute
Terms and conditions of the compounding of the offence will be determined by the
Magistrate.
Muslim woman against whom talaq has been declared, is entitled to seek
subsistence allowance from her husband for herself and for her dependent children
- amount determined by the Magistrate.

More than 20 Islamic countries have already banned the practice (including
Pakistan)

Mob Violence

‘Masuka’ - Manav Suraksha Kanoon (law to protect humans)

Presently, there is no law that criminalises mob violence as a separate crime
Lynching - Any act or series of acts of violence or aiding such acts by a mob,
whether spontaneous or planned
Excluded solitary hate crimes - requires that these hate crimes are undertaken by
the mobs, defined as a group of two or more individuals, assembled with a
common intention of lynching.
NCRB does not maintain specific data with respect to lynching incidents in the
country
Manipur became the first to pass a law against lynching

National Pension System (NPS)

Government-sponsored pension scheme

Initially for government employees, open to all sections in 2009
The scheme allows subscribers to contribute regularly in a pension account during
their working life. On retirement, subscribers can withdraw a part of the corpus in a
lumpsum and use the remaining corpus to buy an annuity to secure a regular
income after retirement.
Managed by PFRDA
Any Indian citizen between 18 and 60 years can join NPS. The only condition is that
the person must comply with KYC norms.
NRI can join NPS. But the account will be closed if there is a change in the
citizenship status of the NRI

Changes approved in the National Pension System

Mandatory contribution by the Central Government enhanced 10% to 14% under

NPS Tier-I
Central government employees will be provided with freedom of choice for selection
of Pension Funds and pattern of investment.
Payment of compensation for non-deposit or delayed deposit of NPS contributions
during 2004-2012
 Entire withdrawal will now be exempt from income tax as tax exemption limit for
lump sum withdrawal on exit has been enhanced to 60%

National Population Stabilisation Fund

Prerna - Discourage child marriage

Santushti