📰 Records of freedom fighters to be digitised to mark 75 years of Independence: Minister
Precaution will be taken to save records during demolition for Central Vista project, says Kishan Reddy.
•Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Monday said the National Archives’ records related to freedom fighters would be digitised within a year as a part of the commemoration of 75 years of Independence next year.
•Mr. Reddy, who took over the Culture and Tourism Ministries after the Cabinet reshuffle last week, visited the National Archives on Monday morning. After his visit, he told media that the National Archives of India, which houses over 18 crore pages, 64,000 volumes and 1.2 lakh maps, had started the digitisation process, but it would take a long time to complete.
•“The records of the freedom movement and freedom fighters would be digitised in the coming year as a part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav,” he said, referring to the year-long series of activities leading up to Independence Day 2022.
•Mr. Reddy said he would review the digitisation project in general and that of the freedom fighters in particular soon to speed up the work.
•Asked about the safety of the records during the proposed demolition of the annexe building as part of the Central Vista redevelopment project, Mr. Reddy said “precaution will be taken for each page”.
•To a question about crowds gathering at tourist hotspots after the second wave of the pandemic abated, Mr. Reddy said it was the “State governments’ responsibility” to impose the protocol. He appealed to the public to cooperate.
•The RBI on Monday announced the unveiling of a scheme under which retail investors will be allowed to open retail direct gilt accounts (RDG) directly with the central bank.
•This account can be opened through a dedicated online portal, which will provide registered users access to primary issuance of government securities and to NDS-OM. “The date of commencement of the scheme will be announced at a later date,” the RBI said in a circular.
•The scheme is a one-stop solution to facilitate investment in government securities (G-secs) by individual investors, the regulator said. The facility was announced in the Statement of Developmental and Regulatory Policies dated February 5, RBI said.
📰 The power of scrutiny: SC verdict on Delhi Assembly’s Committee on Peace and Harmony
SC has struck a blow for inquisitorial powers of legislatures against social media companies
•The Supreme Court of India’s verdict last week, upholding the authority of a committee of the Delhi Assembly to summon a senior official of Facebook, is an extremely nuanced recognition of the extent of powers of State Assemblies in matters regulated by an Act of Parliament. The question mark about the powers arose in the first place because Facebook, whose India vice-president Ajit Mohan was repeatedly summoned by Delhi Assembly’s Committee on Peace and Harmony on the subject of the Delhi riots of 2020, argued before the Supreme Court that this was a case of overreach; and that Delhi’s law and order came under the central government. This was also the position taken by the central government, which argued that the Delhi Assembly had no jurisdiction in this matter. The social media platform also pointed out that it was governed by the IT Act of Parliament, and this is not therefore something that any State government can be concerned with. The Court, in upholding the summons, did not go merely by the legislative powers of a House. It rightly said, “The Assembly does not only perform the function of legislating; there are many other aspects of governance which can form part of the essential functions of the Legislative Assembly and consequently the committee.” Its point was that the “inquisitorial” and “recommendatory” powers of a House can be used for better governance. But it also cautioned the committee from “transgressing into any fields reserved for the Union Government”.
•Significantly, the verdict comes amid a long phase of discordance over legislative turf between the central government and the Delhi government, something that the Bench led by Justice S.K. Kaul did note amid discussions about the spirit of federalism. Not just that. It also comes at a time when social media intermediaries are legally fighting some aspects of the new IT rules that govern them. Their responsibility toward the many legislatures will only become more heightened because of this verdict. The Court refused to buy the argument that social media intermediaries are “merely a platform for exchange of ideas without performing any significant role themselves”. It then linked what happens in these platforms to the real world. Misinformation on social media, the Court said, has had “a direct impact on vast areas of subject matter which ultimately affect the governance of States”. Given the constraints of the powers of the Delhi Assembly vis-à-vis law and order, the very fact that the Court found that its committee still could summon the Facebook India official without encroaching upon the turf of the Centre now opens the gates for scrutiny of social media platforms by other States, which however have significantly more powers with respect to law and order. The stage is set for more scrutiny.
📰 Prioritising school reopening on the road to recovery
Children have long borne the costs of school closure and evidence-based decisions toward reopening are a necessity
•Most schools in India have been closed since the national lockdown started in March 2020. What are the costs of keeping schools closed? How do these costs compare against the risks of school reopening? We delve into these questions, as concerned parents with school-age children, as experienced teachers, and also as practising scientists who have followed data and publications on this topic over the last 15 months.
•Interestingly, various regions around the world which have been worse hit by the novel coronavirus pandemic than India, have kept their schools, especially primary schools, mostly open. This includes various European countries such as Portugal, France, the Netherlands, etc. The State of Florida (United States) opened schools for in-person classes in late September 2020, and they stayed open through their second wave. On the other hand in India, schools have mostly been shut even as other businesses have opened.
Impact of school closure
•The costs of school closure are immense. People make considerable investments in their childrens’ education, as a way toward a better future and a better living standard. Even prior to the pandemic, there was a huge attainment gap across students, especially in higher grades. The bottom half of children passing Class 10 are about two years behind in terms of skills. Prolonged school closure has already widened this gap. What will this do to their future? Does it not push the next generation deeper into poverty? Ironically, the poorest families living in dense urban slums, who bore the brunt of the first wave, and are now largely immune from the virus itself (as shown by serosurveys), are the ones suffering the most from school closures.
•A survey across 10 States in India in November 2020 estimated that nearly two-thirds of children in rural India may drop out of school, a staggering statistic which is likely to have worsened with continuing closure. Haryana has reported a 42% drop in student enrolment in private schools. Prolonged school shutdown has severely set back India’s fight against ills such as child labour and child marriage. Due to the shutdown of schools, mid-day meal schemes have been disrupted; even as early as June 2020, it was estimated that about 800,000 additional children would face underweight and wasting.
Health, well-being concerns
•Even in well-off urban India and in developed nations, extended school closure is having a severe impact on children’s mental health. In Las Vegas, U.S., a surge of student suicides forced schools to reopen in January 2021. The United Kingdom reported a 40% rise in the number of children taking antidepressants.
•Surely, life is more important than education. But as examples above show, schools are not merely about education. Given the costs of prolonged school shutdown, we must probe deeper into the risks of opening schools in the context of COVID-19.
Assessing the risk factor
•First, we must realise, and be grateful that the risk of COVID-19 for children is much lower than for adults, and is also much lower than other (already small) risks children face in daily life anyway. Based on a study of 137 million school-age children in the U.S. and Europe, Prof. Raj S. Bhopal (University of Edinburgh, U.K.) has observed that COVID-19 in this age group is less than half as risky as seasonal influenza, and over 20 times less risky than death by “unintentional injury”.
•A study among the nearly two million children in Sweden (where schools have been open throughout), found that there was not a single child death due to COVID-19. As per Mumbai’s dashboard data, the COVID-19 IFR (Infection Fatality Rate) for under-19 is minuscule: about 0.003% . In comparison, the infant mortality rate in India is about 3% (1,000 times greater) and the infant mortality rate in Japan (one of the lowest) is 0.18% (60 times greater). In other words, school-age children are at a negligibly lower risk from COVID-19 when compared to other threats which we consider normal.
•There has been a concern that a possible third wave involving newer variants could affect children. But a careful look at the data tells that the age-profiles of those affected in the second and first waves are similar. There is no scientific basis for this fear. Further, Public Health England’s June 2021 report shows that the newer variant Delta is much less dangerous (case fatality rate 0.1%) than the original (case fatality rate 1.9%), which is the expected evolutionary path of a virus.
Teachers as ‘essential’ staff
•The next question is: are teachers and parents at higher risk of catching COVID-19 if schools reopen? Over the last year there have been several careful scientific studies across various regions in Europe/U.S., measuring the role of in-person classes in COVID-19 spread. The overwhelming conclusion is that the risk of COVID-19 spread in schools is minimal compared to other locations. To further reduce the concern among teachers, the Government must treat them on a par with essential workers, and offer them prioritised vaccination.
•Despite this, it is likely that a “one-size-fits-all” approach may not be suitable, as each individual’s risk-benefit analysis could be different. For children who lack the resources, whose parents have to go out to work every day, in-person schooling is paramount. Parents who can afford to work from home have sufficient resources for their children and may choose to continue with partially or fully online classes for a few more months. It is high time to implement such differentiated options.
Vaccines for children
•There has recently been talk about tying school reopening to vaccines for children. Any medical intervention, especially for children, must be based on a careful risk-benefit analysis. It is pertinent to note that there are growing concerns in the U.S. of a potential link between heart inflammation and the mRNA vaccine, among adolescents. Further, scientists writing in The British Medical Journal (May 2021) note: “the rarity of severe Covid-19 outcomes for children means that trials cannot demonstrate that the balance of the benefits of vaccination against the potential adverse effects are favourable...”. It will likely take several years to establish such a balance. We cannot let our children suffer for that long, by further prolonging school closures.
•More than the virus, fear stands between our children and their education and normal life. Policymakers must make evidence-based decisions toward school reopening. This is the least the working class and the children of India deserve.
