About 41% of the beneficiaries of the government’s loan scheme for street vendors – PM SVANidhi (PM Street Vendors’ AtmaNirbhar Nidhi) - are women, but southern states fare much better than those in the north.

What is the PM SVANidhi Scheme?

Ø  It was launched in 2020 amid the pandemic by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).

Ø  It is a micro-credit facility that provides street vendors a collateral-free loan of Rs 10,000 with low rates of interest (below 12%) for a period of one year, aiding the vendors at getting back on their feet financially.

Ø  In the long term, it aims at —

Ø  Establishing a credit score for the vendors.

Ø  Creating a digital record of their socio-economic status.

Ø  This will enable street vendors to avail the Central government schemes later, formalise the informal sector of the economy and provide them safety nets and a means of availing loans in the future.

Need for the Scheme -

Ø  Many vendors belong to the informal economy, and often borrow from private lenders which charge them exorbitant rates of interest.

Ø  The COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide lockdown left daily wage workers and street vendors out of work.

Who is eligible for the loan?

Ø  All vendors who have been vending from or before (March 24, 2020) and with a certificate of vending can avail the loan.

Ø  As per the Street Vendors Act 2014, the Town Vending Committees (which comprises the local authorities and vendors from an area) issue a certificate of vending after a survey has been conducted of all the vendors.

Performance of the scheme -

Ø  In 10 states and UTs, almost all in the Southern and North-East region, women are the majority of the beneficiaries. Kerala is an exception, but this state has been a pioneer in fostering women’s empowerment through its own programmes like the Kudumbashree.

Ø  The social fabric of the regions has a part to play in women outnumbering men in the number of beneficiaries. For example, in the matrilineal societies of Meghalaya where the youngest daughter inherits property and women operate most enterprises.

Ø  In some states, the local authorities targeted women’s self-help groups (SHGs) as beneficiaries. For example, Andhra Pradesh’s MEPMA [Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas] was already working with SHGs.

Various challenges in implementing the scheme -

Uneven implementation of the Street Vendors Act across the states — The Act necessitates a survey of the vendors to issue a certificate of vending. However, many states and cities have not conducted the survey yet.

Some municipalities are also slow in issuing LORs — In the absence of the survey, the urban local bodies (ULBs) can provide a Letter of Recommendation (LOR), if the vendor is a member of a vendor association.

According to a report, ‘The theory of evolution and the periodic table’, have been dropped from science textbooks by National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). The alarmist news gained global attention, including from the noted scientific journal Nature.

It is, therefore, necessary to understand what led to the controversy and present the right perspective regarding the rationalisation of NCERT textbooks. 

Rationalisation of Textbooks by NCERT -

The NCERT was tasked with the rationalisation of textbooks across all classes and subjects.

The process accounted for five broad criteria —

Ø  Overlaps with similar content in other subjects within the same class

Ø  Similar content in a lower or higher class

Ø  The level of difficulty

Ø  Easily available content that does not require much assistance from teachers and can be undertaken through self or peer-learning.

Ø  Irrelevant content in the present context.

The rationale behind rationalisation of textbooks -

Ø  Regular Process — The updating process of textbooks is a regular process and the changes are not random.

Ø  Process reflects changing realities — The process includes the incorporation of content related to information technology and computers.

Ø  The textbooks are revised in accordance with the reforms in the country’s educational system.

Ø  Need-based exercise — To reduce content load because of the toll taken on the mental health of students during the pandemic.

Motivation behind current rationalisation of textbooks -

Ø  To Meet the Criteria Mentioned in NEP 2020 — The NEP 2020 emphasises reducing the content load and providing opportunities for experimental learning with a creative mindset.

To Dispel the Effects of the Pandemic on the Educational System —

Ø  There was a colossal loss of teaching time during the pandemic which led to loss of learning and increased the load on the students.

Ø  This was also a concern expressed by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education.

Ø  Therefore, the process of rationalisation was initiated to facilitate the speedy recovery in the learning continuum and compensating time loss of students. 

What led to the controversy?

Ø  The controversy was caused by misinformation and confusion.

Ø  The major confusion was due to the deletion of some parts (like the theory of evolution, periodic table) that the critics argued were not included in the notification of the rationalization process.

Ø  Unverified information not only had an adverse impact on the reputation of the NCERT but also created scepticism about the country’s education system.

The Right Perspective -

Ø  The periodic table has “not been removed from school education curriculum” but instead reassigned to Unit 3 in the Class 11 textbook.

Ø  Darwin’s theory of evolution is covered in “great detail” in chapter 6 of the Class 12 textbook.

Ø  This has nothing to do with some conspiracy but is representative of the regular process of reprinting where minor deletions are not notified to avoid unnecessary confusion.These textbooks are for this year alone.

Ø  Besides the larger synchronisation practice of textbooks to make them comply with the NEP 2020, the textbooks are supposed to be revised regularly by the Textbook Development Committee (constituted in 2005).

Ø  This committee is mandated to develop the syllabus in line with the 2005 National Curriculum Framework (NCF).

Ø  Each proposed change is first sent to the Textbook Committee, which is tasked to analyse and recommend them.

Ø  Moreover, these are not radical transformations since reprinting textbooks to take care of the suggestions of stakeholders is a process that takes place every year.

Ø  The missing reference to Maulana Azad from the class 11 political science is not a part of the current process of rationalisation. The reference was dropped from 2014-15 onwards. 

Conclusion -

Today India is well placed in cross checking facts than before. Therefore, the speed with which controversy spread is concerning. The NCERT controversy shows how easy it is to spread misinformation but more importantly how important it is to counter misinformation.

Internal security has been among the top priorities of the Indian government. Since its independence, the country has faced several internal security challenges presented by terrorism, the insurgencies in Left Wing Extremist (LWE) zones and the Northeast, and the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. 

Left Wing Extremism (LWE) Theatre -

Ø  In April 2006, then PM Manmohan Singh called Naxalism “the single biggest internal security challenge ever faced” by India.

Status —

Ø  By 2014, Maoism had either been virtually finished or was on its last legs in states such as West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha.

Ø  Andhra had already pushed them out.

Ø  Government, after 2014, embarked on what it called “the final push” against the Maoists.

Ø  This involved intelligence-based operations in core Maoist areas, setting up of camps deep in the jungles etc.

Ø  This was coupled with the building of roads, setting up of mobile phone towers, and helping tate police forces to modernise and to train them to fight the Maoists.

Statistics —

Ø  The government has reduced the number of LWE-affected districts from 96 in 2010 to just 46 in 2021.

Ø  According to MHA data, deaths in this period dropped from 1,005 to 147, and violent actions by LWE actors fell from 2,213 to 509.

Conclusion —

Ø  In the LWE theatre, overall violence has reduced significantly over the past decade.

Ø  However, Chhattisgarh continues to remain a Maoist stronghold where security forces still suffer casualties.

The J&K theatre -

Steps taken in past nine years —

Ø  Announced Rs 80,000 crore package in 2015

Ø  Extended an olive branch to dissenting youngsters through an interlocutor

Ø  Bifurcated the state into two Union Territories and snatched away its special status by abolishing Article 370 (August 5, 2019) 

Status —

Ø  With an unprecedented number of security forces in Kashmir, and tough action taken by central agencies such as the NIA, incidents of stone-pelting in the Valley have virtually fallen to zero.

Ø  Also, the terrorist incidents have witnessed a decline. 

Statistics —

Ø  According to government data, acts of terrorism in J&K have declined by 32% since August, 2019 (up to June, 2022) as compared to the same period preceding those major decisions.

Ø  Deaths of security forces have seen a drop of 52%, and those of civilians, 14%.

Ø  A reduction of 14% has also been recorded in infiltration of terrorists from across the border. 

Spate of killings of civilians —

Ø  A spate of killings of civilians, particularly of Kashmiri Hindus and non-Kashmiri residents of the Valley, has exposed the fragility of Kashmir’s security scenario.

Ø  More than 50% of all civilians killed in the Valley since August 5, 2019, have been killed in the past eight months.

Ø  This has coincided with attempts by militants to attack Hindu-dominated areas in Jammu, which saw such attacks last in the early 2000s. 

Continued infiltration —

Ø  The Jammu border also saw frequent infiltration and gunfights with the Army, in which more than a dozen armed forces personnel were killed, even as the attackers remained elusive. 

Conclusion —

Ø  In J&K, the government has succeeded on the public order front.

Ø  However, the infiltration of foreign terrorists continues, civilians have been targeted, and there is a resurgence of terrorism in Jammu.

The Northeast theatre -

Steps taken —

Ø  The current government made its priorities regarding the Northeast clear in its initial years with the announcement of its “Act East” policy.

Ø  The government focused on signing peace agreements with insurgent groups and bringing them to the negotiating table.

Ø  It rolled out a comprehensive surrender and rehabilitation policy for militants. 

Border disputes among states of Northeast —

Ø  In the wake of the Assam-Mizoram border conflict of 2021 in which five Assam Police personnel were killed by Mizoram Police, the government speeded up boundary negotiations between various states in the Northeast.

Ø  Talks on the Assam-Arunachal boundary, pending since the 1970s, have been concluded.

Ø  The Assam-Meghalaya boundary dispute has been partially resolved. 

Statistics related to the violent incidents —

According to the government, there has been a decline of 68% in violent incidents, and a 60% decline in deaths of security forces and civilians in past 9 years. 

Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in NE —

Ø  While Tripura and Meghalaya are now completely free of AFSPA, 60% of Assam’s geographical area is not under the statute.

Ø  In Manipur, the government has removed AFSPA from 15 police stations of six districts, and in Nagaland it has been removed from 15 police stations of seven districts.

Ø  In Arunachal, AFSPA is in force in only three districts, and in two police stations of one district. 

Naga Peace Accord —

Ø  The government has failed to ink the most important Naga Peace Accord.

Ø  Despite announcing it way back in 2015, the government has failed to make any progress. 

Situation in Manipur —

Ø  Manipur continues to burn for over a month now — despite personal intervention by Home Minister. 

Jihadist terrorism -

Status —

Ø  The major Pak-sponsored group in mainland India, the Indian Mujahideen, had already been annihilated by the time Modi government came to power.

Ø  As the new phenomenon of Islamic State took shape with some young Muslims from India joining the outfit in Syria and Iraq, the government took the approach of prevention over cure.

Ø  Agencies mounted surveillance on social media activity discussing Islamic State ideology, and counselled potential recruits out of it. 

Steps taken —

Ø  The government amended the NIA Act and the UAPA to allow the government to designate even individuals as terrorists.

Ø  It banned the Popular Front of India (PFI).