Fifth Part
Q. What do you understand by capability approach?
A. Amartya Sen has put forward an influential approach to development which he calls the
'capability approach.' The capability approach to development sees human lives as a collection of 'doings' and 'becomings' which, are together called 'functioning'. Functioning denotes the achievement of a person, a persons state ,of what she is able to do . Capability captures the idea of the collection of various combinations of functioning that a person is able to achieve. The idea reflects a person's freedom to choose between different ways of conducting her life and the various opportunities she gets, the various freedoms she has, and to the extent that she is able to realize her potential.
Q. Explain the significance of human rights.
A. Human rights are important in the relationships that exist between individuals and the government that has power over them. The government exercises power over its people. However, human rights mean that this power is limited. States have to look after the basic needs of the people and protect some of their freedoms. Social scientists have looked at human rights in terms of their being guaranteed, and their possible violation by the state. Human rights are not merely matters of ethics.
They primarily involve the obligation of the state. The success of human rights depends upon
meeting of these obligations by the duty-holders namely the state. Human rights largely deal with oppression by the state. Human rights endow individuals with a legitimate claim against the state to enjoy an exist and thrive with proper dignity & honor . 'The primary thrust of human rights is on the empowerment of the society, particularly the most vulnerable groups in society, to lay legitimate claims to the institution of the state for a life with dignity and freedom and resources. Human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated.
Some of the human rights are enshrined in our constitution are right to life , right to freedom , right against exploitation , cultural and educational rights , safe environment , etc. Some of these are enforceable by law to provide environment for well being of the society .
Q. What’s the difference between human development and human rights.
A. Human development is concerned with the standard of living and quality of life, while human rights are derived from notions of civil liberties and individual freedom. However, if we look carefully, we find that development can be defined as expansion of people's capabilities and opportunities, and an increase in their freedom of choice to the lives they lead. Similarly human rights are also not merely limited to civil liberties; economic rights and right to development can be brought under this ambit.
Q. What are the approaches to social security measures?
A. Social security - Financial assistance provided for those who are unable to cover basic needs, such as food, clothing and housing, due to poverty or lack of income because of unemployment, sickness, disability, or caring for children. Social security is a set of basic public actions to reduce the vulnerability of affected people. Public action is not merely action by the state. It includes actions by the public for itself. During disasters, but also otherwise, the actions of NGOs, charitable and religious institutions must be mentioned here. In many traditional societies in India, the family, too, has acted as a provider of social security.
Governments can adopt two broad approaches to social security measures. The first way is to promote general economic growth and use the general benefits accruing from growth to help vulnerable sections of the population. The second approach is to take public action measures directly in terms of social sectors such as education and health and also promote better income distribution patterns, and generate employment. It is possible to argue that checking inflation also helps in mitigating adverse effects of prices on the vulnerable sections of the population.
Q. Explain Human security and human development.
A. Human security means freedom from pervasive threats to people's rights, their safety or even their lives. Human security as defined in the UNDP Report consisted of seven components and dimensions: economic , food, health, environmental, personal, community and political.
Human security has a international dimension, problems of international terrorism,drug trafficking, as well as problems of international migrants spill over comes under its ambit. Democracy and good governance are very important in promoting human security.
Human security provides an enabling environment for human development. Violence or the threat of violence as in cases of civil wars or riots makes meaningful progress on the development agenda impossible, thus ensuring safety for people is a prerequisite. By addressing inequalities that are often the root causes of violent conflict, strengthening governance structures, complementing political, economic, and legal initiatives, can enhance human security.
Q. Explain the concept of health security.
A. Health Security means having low exposure to disease and high and proper access to health services. Poor people are vulnerable to disease as they live in degraded areas and have poor access to health services or cannot afford medical care. For example, diarrhea because of-poor water and sanitation services is a major cause of death among children . Malaria and tuberculosis are other diseases that are widespread. In recent years, the threat of AIDS has gone up tremendously and is affecting large sections of the population. For health security, preventive strategies are very important and are closely related to provision of basic services of water supply, sanitation, aid education.
Non-government organizations and voluntary organizations along with government departments are quite active in the health field in developing nations like India. Their efforts have been remarkable in combating and building awareness about deadly diseases like AlDS and in the on-going pulse polio program in India to administer polio drops to children below five years of age to prevent polio.
Q. Explain food security.
A. "Food security, at the individual, household, national, regional and global levels [is
Achieved ] when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life".
Food security as a concept originated in the mid-1970s during World Food Conference of 1974, when the world faced a global food Crisis. Focus of attention was primarily on problems of food supply, of ensuring the availability and the price stability of basic food items at the national and international level. The issues of Famine, hunger and food crisis were also being extensively examined,following the events of the mid 1970s.
Q. 'What are the views of Swami Vivekananda on education?
A. Swami Vivekananda considered that education leads to the manifestation of the divine potential already existing in human beings. Thus the function of education is not merely to fill up an individual's mind with information but to draw out and develop the inherent potential.
Q. What is the importance of education for nurturing democracy?
A. Democracy is a form of governance that involves people right from the grass roots level. It makes the society egalitarian by providing the right of adult franchise to every citizen. It empowers the citizens and is rule by the people. It is synonymous with freedom and rights for the citizens.
Education develops tolerance for divergent views, respect for the life of individuals and liberate mind from the narrow beliefs of communalism , superstitions etc. the qualities that are the prerequisites of democracy. The abilities to think critically, objectively and in an unbiased manner are to be developed through education . The education imparted today determines the political set up of tomorrow. Dr. Radhakrishnan was of the opinion that democracy depends for its very existence on high standards of general, vocational and professional education. This makes the role of education clear for nurturing democracy.
Q. How can education develop 'International Understanding?
A. Education develops the right attitude necessary for peaceful co-existence and cooperation among nations. Awareness against racism, desire for peace, respect for world heritage, and world wise eradication of diseases, poverty and illiteracy can be achieved only through education.
The preamble to the Constitution of UNESCO declared that since war begins in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed. It implies that the thinking is to be shaped in such a way that there is desire for peace which is only possible through education.
Q. Name the schemes launched by government to eradicate illiteracy.
A. In the recent years, programmes like Operation Blackboard, District Primary Education Programme, Sarva Shiksha Ablhiyan, Lok Jumbish, Shiksha Karmi etc., have been initiated to achieve universalisation of education.
Q. Discuss the different roles of ICT.
A. ICT performs three major roles in the social sector These arc of knowledge provider ,
employment provider and education provider .
ICT as Knowledge provider -
ICT has come as a boon to the poor nations and less privileged people because world wide,
identical information can be accessed with in seconds. The information available on the Internet can be accessed from any part of the world. Even the best libraries in any region cannot afford to procure all the books published. Earlier there have been difficulties in accessing information. With the advent of Internet, now everyone can get identical and up-to-date information. As soon as a piece of information is uploaded on the Internet everyone gets access to it. It was a common complaint earlier that the most recent books could be afforded by only the most affluent, but with the coming of the Internet everyone is able to get the information.
ICT as Employment provider -
ICT has made it possible for people to work from one part of the world to employ from other parts of the world. We have often come across the term 'call centers' where people start work at late hours and finish working only during the early hours of the day.These offices undertake assignments from overseas and work for foreign countries.
ICT as education provider -
One of the major implications of ICT is witnessed in the field of education. Now a days, learners have started taking courses offered on-line. This means course contents are put on the Internet & learners access the site and study the course material on their own. Providing latest content is very easy through on-line courses as making changes in print- based courses not only requires a lot of resources but also immense efforts. ICT is very useful if updated information thus improving the quality of education. Traditional campus- based education requires learners to devote a substantial amount of time to the study of course material ,but in ICT based courses people can learn on their own by devoting time between working hours thus due to flexibility in learning hours , learning can become a habit for people .
Q. What do you understand by digital divide?
A. ICT has divided the whole world into two parts -
first those who possess the wealth and so can afford the ICT gadgets and services and second group of those who do not have the required wealth to acquire/posses the gadgets and the services. As it would be apparent from above, the rich countries and the rich people even in the poor countries can
afford to make use of the ICT services and would be able to survive in the technological era but those who cannot afford would slowly lag behind in the race towards development. In other words, those who are wealthy would become wealthier and those who are poor would continue to become poorer. This will have implications on individuals, families, societies and even nations. It is generally believed that ICT may have created a new class of untouchables living in information poverty at one level & a new cadre of high technology entrepreneurs on the other. A report released by World Economic Forum (2002) concluded that India had the widest digital divide. According to the report, though the Internet was increasingly popular, there were only 4.5 million Internet users and 43 Internet service providers. Urban areas mainly have benefited by ICT. New Delhi, for example accounts for more than 70 per cent of India's Internet connections.
Q. What is the impact of ICT on traditional technologies?
A. The overemphasis on ICT can lead to its displacing low-cost traditional technological devices, which are still being used by the poor for their livelihoods. Wherever possible, modern ICT needs to be combined with traditional means of communication.
Q. What are the factors preventing effective functioning of the UN System in preserving
Peace?
A. The UN's success in management of conflicts has been limited and there are many
reasons for UN failure -
(a) the member states conflicting behavior among themselves and
(b) US'S creating obstacles to UN's functioning.
A serious reason is the USA's disrespect to, and withdrawal from the UN system so that it makes a point to the rest of the world about 'American exceptionalism’. Inconsistencies and selfcenterdness' is the America's approach towards UN bodies and other international regulatory instruments. As a signatory of the treaty of Organization of American States (OAS) in 1948, USA never observed the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of the states in that hemisphere. Internationally, it had propped up governments that were notorious for repression and systematic violation of human rights (Chile's Pinochet, Iran's Shah, Pakistan's repressive governments). Globalization and MNC’s are also indirectly responsible for sprucing up conflicts.
Q. How does globalization aid in conflict escalation?
A. Globalization has led to wealth inequality gaps rising within countries and within societies. Mnc’s have corrupted policy makers and exploited natural resources leaving large vulnerable communities in despair leading to social unrest. in the wake of globalisation which has set in during the 1980s. According to Larry Elliot, "the statistics today are alarming: more than 13 million children have died through diarrhea diseases in the past decade (1990s). Each year over half a million women, one for every minute of the day, die in pregnancy and child birth. More than 800 million suffer from
malnutrition." For many countries, the 1990s were a decade of despair. Some 54 countries are poorer now than in 1990. Countries such as the US, Norway, Japan, Germany and France have per capita GDPs which are 20 to more than 100 times greater than countries like Ethiopia, Malawi, Afghanistan and Bolivia. Whereas global population is a little over 6 billion, we have according to an estimate, 3 billion living under conditions of food insecurity, one billion without access to clean water, 2 billion without electricity and 2.5 billion with no sanitation . In India, the media periodically highlight how the poor starve as the surplus food grains rot in government godowns. 'The latest is the starvation deaths of Sahariya tribal population in the Baran district of Rajasthan, and the poor people of the Vidharbha region of Maharashtra. Despite this admission of facts, the World Bank insists that globalization promotes social justice.
Q. What are the effects of people's protests against globalization?
A. The US hegemony is now being protested by people affected in different countries, more so in Russia and few other former Soviet Republics in Central Asia and Eastern Europe and in South America as late as September and October 2004. It indicates that the US'S agenda of globalization is increasingly meeting with resistance from a wider section of people. Democracies are now forced to re-look at the reforms pursued and make it people-friendly, particularly those along the margins of the society socially and economically.
Under attack , The World Bank too has been considering a review of reforms for the benefit
of wider sections of the society. People in the rural areas in India, now benefited by the painstaking work of the NGOs and the media, have become articulate on questions of environmental degradation by the Transnational Corporations' dumping of hazardous wastes and people-to-people friendship across the boundaries.
Q. What do you understand by environment?
A. The world of human beings, the flora and the fauna, living in and around us are the natural resources, which constitute Panch Mahabhuta. These are the five elements of nature, land, water, fire, air and sky, which provide daily needs of life. As Gandhiji had observed, "Nature has enough to meet our needs but not our greed (which is always insatiable)." But unfortunately, exploitation of nature for commercial benefits has disturbed this precious balance which has held our humanity together. What passes off as "economic development" has largely been a consequence of ecological degradation which has been unequally caused all over the world. Actually, the main fuel which made industrial development possible during the last couple of centuries is fossil-based and that is also the major source of pollution of water and air. The benefits of such development, as we know, are reaped by the
rich and the industrially developed countries while the consequences of plollution are borne by the poor and the developing counties.
Q. List important environmental initiatives taken in India.
A. To safeguard the environment , Government took several initiatives. Some of them are -
1. 42nd amendment to constitution in 1976 as Arlticle 48-A in the Chapter on Directive Principles of State Policy, which reads as below:
Protection and improvement of Environment and Safeguarding of Forests and Wildlife -
The State shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests
and wildlife of the country.
2. Apart from this provision, a new provision in the form of "Fundamental Duties' as Article
51A which was also incorporated by the 42nd Constitution Amendment, it states - "It shall be
the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including
forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures."
3. The Wild life protection .act was followed by the water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, Forest (Conservation Act, 1980 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. There is no dearth of legal enactments to protect the environment, but the implementation of legislative provisions has either been slow or a non-starter.
4. It was the Bhopal Gas disaster of 3 December 1984 (in which over 3,500 people were killed and as many as 2 lakhs were injured and the victims are fighting till date for health care facilities and compensation) that precipitated the passage of the Environment (Protection) Act in 1986. Even this Act including other related ones) finds it difficult to provide relief to the affected people.
Q. Evaluate the post-Rio progress in meeting the environment challenges.
A. Two major steps have already been taken by the global community to preserve and
promote environment.
Firstly the UN system has realized the importance of clean environment. The UN Commission on Human Rights has for the first time in 2001 has clearly declared that every individual has a right to live in clean environment.
Secondly, environment sustainability has been accepted by the global community as one of the eight Millennium Development Goals to be specifically attended to by all the governments of the world on top priority.
Important -
Millennium Development Goals :- These have been adopted by the Millennium Declaration
of the UN General Assembly in 2000 to mark the coming of the second millennium and prepare a fresh strategic vision for the United Nations. All 19 1 United Nations Member states made a commitment to achieve these goals by 2015. These goals are to:
Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
Achieve universal primary education.
Promote gender equality and empower women.
Reduce child mortality.
Improve' maternal health.
Combat HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
Ensure environmental sustainability.
Important -
Washington Consensus : The term was coined by John Williamson in 1989 to refer to the policy advice given by the Washington-based institutions such as IMF, World Bank, US treasury, to latin American Countries. These policies included those relating to fiscal discipline, tax responses, trade liberalization, privatization, deregulation etc.
Important -
American Exceptionalism : America is above other countries in the world for reasons of its
excellence. Critics dub it as 'holier than thou' approach.
Important -
Structural Adjustment : During 1980s and 1990s, a need was felt for Program bringing about
structural changes in many countries to enable market forces play a key role. This comprises the reform measures promoted by IMF, World Bank, US Congress etc., that aimed to address the economic crises especially in Latin American countries. This program aimed to stabilize the economy through some structural measures in the areas of trade and finance by privatization and deregulation of domestic markets. The reforms were introduced to correct the balance of payments, government budgets, money supply etc.
Q. What do you understand by capability approach?
A. Amartya Sen has put forward an influential approach to development which he calls the
'capability approach.' The capability approach to development sees human lives as a collection of 'doings' and 'becomings' which, are together called 'functioning'. Functioning denotes the achievement of a person, a persons state ,of what she is able to do . Capability captures the idea of the collection of various combinations of functioning that a person is able to achieve. The idea reflects a person's freedom to choose between different ways of conducting her life and the various opportunities she gets, the various freedoms she has, and to the extent that she is able to realize her potential.
Q. Explain the significance of human rights.
A. Human rights are important in the relationships that exist between individuals and the government that has power over them. The government exercises power over its people. However, human rights mean that this power is limited. States have to look after the basic needs of the people and protect some of their freedoms. Social scientists have looked at human rights in terms of their being guaranteed, and their possible violation by the state. Human rights are not merely matters of ethics.
They primarily involve the obligation of the state. The success of human rights depends upon
meeting of these obligations by the duty-holders namely the state. Human rights largely deal with oppression by the state. Human rights endow individuals with a legitimate claim against the state to enjoy an exist and thrive with proper dignity & honor . 'The primary thrust of human rights is on the empowerment of the society, particularly the most vulnerable groups in society, to lay legitimate claims to the institution of the state for a life with dignity and freedom and resources. Human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated.
Some of the human rights are enshrined in our constitution are right to life , right to freedom , right against exploitation , cultural and educational rights , safe environment , etc. Some of these are enforceable by law to provide environment for well being of the society .
Q. What’s the difference between human development and human rights.
A. Human development is concerned with the standard of living and quality of life, while human rights are derived from notions of civil liberties and individual freedom. However, if we look carefully, we find that development can be defined as expansion of people's capabilities and opportunities, and an increase in their freedom of choice to the lives they lead. Similarly human rights are also not merely limited to civil liberties; economic rights and right to development can be brought under this ambit.
Q. What are the approaches to social security measures?
A. Social security - Financial assistance provided for those who are unable to cover basic needs, such as food, clothing and housing, due to poverty or lack of income because of unemployment, sickness, disability, or caring for children. Social security is a set of basic public actions to reduce the vulnerability of affected people. Public action is not merely action by the state. It includes actions by the public for itself. During disasters, but also otherwise, the actions of NGOs, charitable and religious institutions must be mentioned here. In many traditional societies in India, the family, too, has acted as a provider of social security.
Governments can adopt two broad approaches to social security measures. The first way is to promote general economic growth and use the general benefits accruing from growth to help vulnerable sections of the population. The second approach is to take public action measures directly in terms of social sectors such as education and health and also promote better income distribution patterns, and generate employment. It is possible to argue that checking inflation also helps in mitigating adverse effects of prices on the vulnerable sections of the population.
Q. Explain Human security and human development.
A. Human security means freedom from pervasive threats to people's rights, their safety or even their lives. Human security as defined in the UNDP Report consisted of seven components and dimensions: economic , food, health, environmental, personal, community and political.
Human security has a international dimension, problems of international terrorism,drug trafficking, as well as problems of international migrants spill over comes under its ambit. Democracy and good governance are very important in promoting human security.
Human security provides an enabling environment for human development. Violence or the threat of violence as in cases of civil wars or riots makes meaningful progress on the development agenda impossible, thus ensuring safety for people is a prerequisite. By addressing inequalities that are often the root causes of violent conflict, strengthening governance structures, complementing political, economic, and legal initiatives, can enhance human security.
Q. Explain the concept of health security.
A. Health Security means having low exposure to disease and high and proper access to health services. Poor people are vulnerable to disease as they live in degraded areas and have poor access to health services or cannot afford medical care. For example, diarrhea because of-poor water and sanitation services is a major cause of death among children . Malaria and tuberculosis are other diseases that are widespread. In recent years, the threat of AIDS has gone up tremendously and is affecting large sections of the population. For health security, preventive strategies are very important and are closely related to provision of basic services of water supply, sanitation, aid education.
Non-government organizations and voluntary organizations along with government departments are quite active in the health field in developing nations like India. Their efforts have been remarkable in combating and building awareness about deadly diseases like AlDS and in the on-going pulse polio program in India to administer polio drops to children below five years of age to prevent polio.
Q. Explain food security.
A. "Food security, at the individual, household, national, regional and global levels [is
Achieved ] when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life".
Food security as a concept originated in the mid-1970s during World Food Conference of 1974, when the world faced a global food Crisis. Focus of attention was primarily on problems of food supply, of ensuring the availability and the price stability of basic food items at the national and international level. The issues of Famine, hunger and food crisis were also being extensively examined,following the events of the mid 1970s.
Q. 'What are the views of Swami Vivekananda on education?
A. Swami Vivekananda considered that education leads to the manifestation of the divine potential already existing in human beings. Thus the function of education is not merely to fill up an individual's mind with information but to draw out and develop the inherent potential.
Q. What is the importance of education for nurturing democracy?
A. Democracy is a form of governance that involves people right from the grass roots level. It makes the society egalitarian by providing the right of adult franchise to every citizen. It empowers the citizens and is rule by the people. It is synonymous with freedom and rights for the citizens.
Education develops tolerance for divergent views, respect for the life of individuals and liberate mind from the narrow beliefs of communalism , superstitions etc. the qualities that are the prerequisites of democracy. The abilities to think critically, objectively and in an unbiased manner are to be developed through education . The education imparted today determines the political set up of tomorrow. Dr. Radhakrishnan was of the opinion that democracy depends for its very existence on high standards of general, vocational and professional education. This makes the role of education clear for nurturing democracy.
Q. How can education develop 'International Understanding?
A. Education develops the right attitude necessary for peaceful co-existence and cooperation among nations. Awareness against racism, desire for peace, respect for world heritage, and world wise eradication of diseases, poverty and illiteracy can be achieved only through education.
The preamble to the Constitution of UNESCO declared that since war begins in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed. It implies that the thinking is to be shaped in such a way that there is desire for peace which is only possible through education.
Q. Name the schemes launched by government to eradicate illiteracy.
A. In the recent years, programmes like Operation Blackboard, District Primary Education Programme, Sarva Shiksha Ablhiyan, Lok Jumbish, Shiksha Karmi etc., have been initiated to achieve universalisation of education.
Q. Discuss the different roles of ICT.
A. ICT performs three major roles in the social sector These arc of knowledge provider ,
employment provider and education provider .
ICT as Knowledge provider -
ICT has come as a boon to the poor nations and less privileged people because world wide,
identical information can be accessed with in seconds. The information available on the Internet can be accessed from any part of the world. Even the best libraries in any region cannot afford to procure all the books published. Earlier there have been difficulties in accessing information. With the advent of Internet, now everyone can get identical and up-to-date information. As soon as a piece of information is uploaded on the Internet everyone gets access to it. It was a common complaint earlier that the most recent books could be afforded by only the most affluent, but with the coming of the Internet everyone is able to get the information.
ICT as Employment provider -
ICT has made it possible for people to work from one part of the world to employ from other parts of the world. We have often come across the term 'call centers' where people start work at late hours and finish working only during the early hours of the day.These offices undertake assignments from overseas and work for foreign countries.
ICT as education provider -
One of the major implications of ICT is witnessed in the field of education. Now a days, learners have started taking courses offered on-line. This means course contents are put on the Internet & learners access the site and study the course material on their own. Providing latest content is very easy through on-line courses as making changes in print- based courses not only requires a lot of resources but also immense efforts. ICT is very useful if updated information thus improving the quality of education. Traditional campus- based education requires learners to devote a substantial amount of time to the study of course material ,but in ICT based courses people can learn on their own by devoting time between working hours thus due to flexibility in learning hours , learning can become a habit for people .
Q. What do you understand by digital divide?
A. ICT has divided the whole world into two parts -
first those who possess the wealth and so can afford the ICT gadgets and services and second group of those who do not have the required wealth to acquire/posses the gadgets and the services. As it would be apparent from above, the rich countries and the rich people even in the poor countries can
afford to make use of the ICT services and would be able to survive in the technological era but those who cannot afford would slowly lag behind in the race towards development. In other words, those who are wealthy would become wealthier and those who are poor would continue to become poorer. This will have implications on individuals, families, societies and even nations. It is generally believed that ICT may have created a new class of untouchables living in information poverty at one level & a new cadre of high technology entrepreneurs on the other. A report released by World Economic Forum (2002) concluded that India had the widest digital divide. According to the report, though the Internet was increasingly popular, there were only 4.5 million Internet users and 43 Internet service providers. Urban areas mainly have benefited by ICT. New Delhi, for example accounts for more than 70 per cent of India's Internet connections.
Q. What is the impact of ICT on traditional technologies?
A. The overemphasis on ICT can lead to its displacing low-cost traditional technological devices, which are still being used by the poor for their livelihoods. Wherever possible, modern ICT needs to be combined with traditional means of communication.
Q. What are the factors preventing effective functioning of the UN System in preserving
Peace?
A. The UN's success in management of conflicts has been limited and there are many
reasons for UN failure -
(a) the member states conflicting behavior among themselves and
(b) US'S creating obstacles to UN's functioning.
A serious reason is the USA's disrespect to, and withdrawal from the UN system so that it makes a point to the rest of the world about 'American exceptionalism’. Inconsistencies and selfcenterdness' is the America's approach towards UN bodies and other international regulatory instruments. As a signatory of the treaty of Organization of American States (OAS) in 1948, USA never observed the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of the states in that hemisphere. Internationally, it had propped up governments that were notorious for repression and systematic violation of human rights (Chile's Pinochet, Iran's Shah, Pakistan's repressive governments). Globalization and MNC’s are also indirectly responsible for sprucing up conflicts.
Q. How does globalization aid in conflict escalation?
A. Globalization has led to wealth inequality gaps rising within countries and within societies. Mnc’s have corrupted policy makers and exploited natural resources leaving large vulnerable communities in despair leading to social unrest. in the wake of globalisation which has set in during the 1980s. According to Larry Elliot, "the statistics today are alarming: more than 13 million children have died through diarrhea diseases in the past decade (1990s). Each year over half a million women, one for every minute of the day, die in pregnancy and child birth. More than 800 million suffer from
malnutrition." For many countries, the 1990s were a decade of despair. Some 54 countries are poorer now than in 1990. Countries such as the US, Norway, Japan, Germany and France have per capita GDPs which are 20 to more than 100 times greater than countries like Ethiopia, Malawi, Afghanistan and Bolivia. Whereas global population is a little over 6 billion, we have according to an estimate, 3 billion living under conditions of food insecurity, one billion without access to clean water, 2 billion without electricity and 2.5 billion with no sanitation . In India, the media periodically highlight how the poor starve as the surplus food grains rot in government godowns. 'The latest is the starvation deaths of Sahariya tribal population in the Baran district of Rajasthan, and the poor people of the Vidharbha region of Maharashtra. Despite this admission of facts, the World Bank insists that globalization promotes social justice.
Q. What are the effects of people's protests against globalization?
A. The US hegemony is now being protested by people affected in different countries, more so in Russia and few other former Soviet Republics in Central Asia and Eastern Europe and in South America as late as September and October 2004. It indicates that the US'S agenda of globalization is increasingly meeting with resistance from a wider section of people. Democracies are now forced to re-look at the reforms pursued and make it people-friendly, particularly those along the margins of the society socially and economically.
Under attack , The World Bank too has been considering a review of reforms for the benefit
of wider sections of the society. People in the rural areas in India, now benefited by the painstaking work of the NGOs and the media, have become articulate on questions of environmental degradation by the Transnational Corporations' dumping of hazardous wastes and people-to-people friendship across the boundaries.
Q. What do you understand by environment?
A. The world of human beings, the flora and the fauna, living in and around us are the natural resources, which constitute Panch Mahabhuta. These are the five elements of nature, land, water, fire, air and sky, which provide daily needs of life. As Gandhiji had observed, "Nature has enough to meet our needs but not our greed (which is always insatiable)." But unfortunately, exploitation of nature for commercial benefits has disturbed this precious balance which has held our humanity together. What passes off as "economic development" has largely been a consequence of ecological degradation which has been unequally caused all over the world. Actually, the main fuel which made industrial development possible during the last couple of centuries is fossil-based and that is also the major source of pollution of water and air. The benefits of such development, as we know, are reaped by the
rich and the industrially developed countries while the consequences of plollution are borne by the poor and the developing counties.
Q. List important environmental initiatives taken in India.
A. To safeguard the environment , Government took several initiatives. Some of them are -
1. 42nd amendment to constitution in 1976 as Arlticle 48-A in the Chapter on Directive Principles of State Policy, which reads as below:
Protection and improvement of Environment and Safeguarding of Forests and Wildlife -
The State shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests
and wildlife of the country.
2. Apart from this provision, a new provision in the form of "Fundamental Duties' as Article
51A which was also incorporated by the 42nd Constitution Amendment, it states - "It shall be
the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including
forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures."
3. The Wild life protection .act was followed by the water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, Forest (Conservation Act, 1980 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. There is no dearth of legal enactments to protect the environment, but the implementation of legislative provisions has either been slow or a non-starter.
4. It was the Bhopal Gas disaster of 3 December 1984 (in which over 3,500 people were killed and as many as 2 lakhs were injured and the victims are fighting till date for health care facilities and compensation) that precipitated the passage of the Environment (Protection) Act in 1986. Even this Act including other related ones) finds it difficult to provide relief to the affected people.
Q. Evaluate the post-Rio progress in meeting the environment challenges.
A. Two major steps have already been taken by the global community to preserve and
promote environment.
Firstly the UN system has realized the importance of clean environment. The UN Commission on Human Rights has for the first time in 2001 has clearly declared that every individual has a right to live in clean environment.
Secondly, environment sustainability has been accepted by the global community as one of the eight Millennium Development Goals to be specifically attended to by all the governments of the world on top priority.
Important -
Millennium Development Goals :- These have been adopted by the Millennium Declaration
of the UN General Assembly in 2000 to mark the coming of the second millennium and prepare a fresh strategic vision for the United Nations. All 19 1 United Nations Member states made a commitment to achieve these goals by 2015. These goals are to:
Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
Achieve universal primary education.
Promote gender equality and empower women.
Reduce child mortality.
Improve' maternal health.
Combat HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
Ensure environmental sustainability.
Important -
Washington Consensus : The term was coined by John Williamson in 1989 to refer to the policy advice given by the Washington-based institutions such as IMF, World Bank, US treasury, to latin American Countries. These policies included those relating to fiscal discipline, tax responses, trade liberalization, privatization, deregulation etc.
Important -
American Exceptionalism : America is above other countries in the world for reasons of its
excellence. Critics dub it as 'holier than thou' approach.
Important -
Structural Adjustment : During 1980s and 1990s, a need was felt for Program bringing about
structural changes in many countries to enable market forces play a key role. This comprises the reform measures promoted by IMF, World Bank, US Congress etc., that aimed to address the economic crises especially in Latin American countries. This program aimed to stabilize the economy through some structural measures in the areas of trade and finance by privatization and deregulation of domestic markets. The reforms were introduced to correct the balance of payments, government budgets, money supply etc.
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