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Weekly Current Affairs – Nov 4th Week
1. Ayushman Bharat
2. CBI and CVC
3. Article 35A and 370
4. CRISPR-Cas9
5. Leprosy
6. Marijuana
7. Sentinelese tribes
8. Blank slate
9. Compassion fatigue
10. Scully effect
Ayushman Bharat
Introduction
A healthy population is a key contributor to the development of human capital, which, in
turn, is the primary ingredient for growth.
According to the World Bank, health expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic
product (GDP) in India was 3.8% in 2015. This was 16.8% for the United States and
9.9% for the world as a whole.
Fifteen percent of the Indian population is insured, and 94% of the health expenditure is
paid by individuals out of pocket.
Providing the poor with health insurance not only can improve the health of individuals,
but it has much bigger potential positive spillovers. It might be the key to driving families
out of the vicious cycle of poverty.
Against this backdrop, the Ayushman Bharat—National Health Protection Mission (AB-
NHPM), also known as Modicare, generated a lot of interest.
Some salient features of the Scheme
The scheme has two objectives - Creating a network of health and wellness infrastructure
across the nation (for primary health care services) and providing insurance cover to
minimum 40% of India’s total population (for secondary and tertiary health care services)
Beneficiaries of health insurance under the scheme will include 50 crore economically
weak citizens of India as defined in the social, economic and ethnic census 2011
database. It will cover both rural (8.03 crore) and urban (2.33 crore) families.
Ayushman Bharat will subsume the existing Rashtriya Sawasthya Bima Yojna, launched
in 2008 and the Senior Citizens Health Insurance Scheme.
It will provide a benefit cover of Rs 5 lakh/year/family.
Expenses incurred will be shared between Centre and States in 60:40 ratio.
The Government aims to open 5 lakh health and wellness centre by 2022 that will be
equipped to treat various diseases.
Ayushman Bharat will take care of secondary care and tertiary care procedures and also
cover pre and post-hospitalisation expenses.
Cashless benefits will be allowed from any public or private empanelled hospitals. Such
empanelled hospitals will have ‘Ayushman Mitra’ to assist patients.
Benefits can be availed from any place in India and no hospital can refuse treatment
under this scheme.
Guidelines have been given by the Government about families that can’t avail the
benefits under the scheme. For example- Families with credit card limit of over Rs
50,000, families where a member has a government job, etc.
Some facts before we analyse the scheme
Between 2008 and 2015, public health expenditure (Centre and State Governments
combined) remained constant at 3% of GDP.
It increased marginally to 1.4% in 2016-2017. But it is still low compared to world
average of 6%.
The deficient investment in public spending on health has resulted in poor infrastructure
and inadequate human resources.
About 70% healthcare services are provided by private sector.
About 80% of doctors and 75% of dispensaries are serving urban India, which makes up
only 28% of the country’s population, leaving the rest in dire need of basic health
facilities.
There are only 0.9 hospital beds per 1,000 population; whereas the figure is 6.5 per 1,000
population for developed countries. India had access to 0.6 doctors per 1,000 population
while the figure was around three for developed countries.
As per the World Bank, even in 2015, 15% of the children did not have access to basic
vaccines.
Analysis of the Scheme
One of the major departures from previous schemes like the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima
Yojana (RSBY) is that the AB-NHPM will also provide primary care assistance by
upgrading the government health centres.
The insurance amount has also been increased to ₹ 5 lakh from ₹ 30,000. There are also
plans of digitisation of the entire process, which would be largely borrowed from the
Rajiv Aarogyasri Health Insurance Scheme in Andhra Pradesh. The government aims to
cover 40% of the entire population.
One of the major issues with the scheme is how to make it sustainable. It will further add
to the fiscal burden. The government has claimed that it would be able to finance it
through the savings generated from direct benefit transfer (DBT) that amounts to ₹
90,000 crore. However, this money has already been taken into account in fiscal
calculations.
Also, since state governments have to bear 40% of the costs, this would further add to the
fiscal burden of the states and they might ask the central government for more resources.
This would be a problem particularly for poorer states with a large population of people
below the poverty line. Hence, this policy would be taxing the poorer states.
The state of health infrastructure might prove to be a major problem. This is particularly
important in peripheral areas.
Lack of government health services would result in dependence on the private sector. It is
well known that in regions where the public health sector is well developed, the cost of
the private health facilities is lower. For example, in Tamil Nadu, the private hospitals
have to compete with the government health services and hence the costs are relatively
lower given the quality of services offered. In contrast, in the northern states, the costs in
private hospitals can really skyrocket.
There are no credible monitoring agencies watching out for medical malpractice in such
hospitals.
Monitoring of doctors in public hospitals is also required. It is common knowledge that
government doctors indulge in private practice, which is much more lucrative. Given the
fact that the health insurance covers private facilities, this might be an encouragement for
government doctors to go in for private practice or set up private nursing homes.
It might also encourage people to save less and indulge in more risky expenditure like on
cigarettes and tobacco.
We require monitoring agencies that will look into all these aspects. It is not clear if these
problems have been anticipated by the implementing agencies and whether they have
taken steps to curb these.
Conclusion
One can say that the AB-NHPM has a lot of potential, but it might turn into a nightmare
if not carefully implemented. These issues need to be kept in mind by the policymakers.
We also need better data so that the various dimensions can be analysed.
If implemented properly, the scheme will bring the nation closer to the Sustainable
Development Goal of Universal Health Coverage.
The healthcare services available in India need to be developed and their affordability for
its citizens has to be improved. As the public spending on these services are quite low
compared to the world average, schemes like Ayushman Bharat are a welcome step.
The Government and private hospitals need to cooperate so that a scenario of universal
health coverage in India may get closer and poor people are able to get better and
affordable health care services.
CBI and CVC
Why in news?
The present crisis started, when the central government divested the powers of the CBI
director Alok Verma and appointed Nageshwar Rao to take over as interim chief of CBI.
The Supreme Court ordered Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to complete its
ongoing inquiry against exiled CBI Director Alok Verma so that the CBI’s reputation is
not at stake. The CVC inquiry will be conducted under the supervision of Former Apex
Court judge, Justice A.K.Patnaik.
CBI
The CBI was established as the Special Police Establishment in 1941, to enquire into
cases of corruption in the procurement during the Second World War.
With time the Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption recommends the
establishment of CBI. The CBI was then established by a resolution of the Ministry of
Home Affairs. The Ministry of Personnel eventually took over the responsibility of CBI
and now it plays the role of an attached office.
The CBI is the premier investigating agency of the Central Government. It is not a
statutory body; it derives its powers from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act,
1946.
The important role of CBI is prevention of corruption and maintaining integrity in
administration. It works under the overall supervision of Central Vigilance Commission
in matters related to the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The CVC act provides for a security of two year tenure in office for CBI Director. The
CVC Act also provides the mechanism for the selection of the Director of CBI and other
officers of the rank of SP and above in the CBI.
Central government appoints The CBI director based on the recommendation of a
committee consisting of the Central Vigilance Commissioner as Chairperson, the
Vigilance Commissioners, the Secretary to the Government of India in-charge of the
Ministry of Home Affairs and the Secretary (Coordination and Public Grievances) in the
Cabinet Secretariat.
Section 4B(2) of the DSPE Act lays down guidelines for removal of CBI Director, which
mandates that the CBI Director cannot be “transferred” without the previous consent of a
high-power committee chaired by the Prime Minister.
All the major crimes in the country having National and International ramifications will
be investigated by CBI. It is also involved in collection of criminal intelligence pertaining
to three of its main areas of operation, viz., Special Crimes, Economic Crimes and Anti-
Corruption
Central Vigilance Commission (CVC)
In 1964 CVC was established with the aim of addressing corrupt practices within the
government.
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) works in coordination with the government
authorities for the betterment of the system.
It must be noted that Central Vigilance Commission is not an investigating agency. It
operates in coalition with the Departmental Chief Vigilance Officers or CBI.
Investigating Civil Works of the government through the Chief Technical Officer is the
only search that Central Vigilance Commission conducts.
All the investigations into corruption cases against government officials has to be
approved by the government. The Central Vigilance Commission also publishes list of
corrupt officials and recommends punitive action against them.
Functions and powers of CVC
To exercise superintendence over the functioning of the Delhi Special Police
Establishment (DSPE) with respect to investigation under the Prevention of Corruption
Act, 1988; or offence under CRPC for certain categories of public servants and to give
directions to the DSPE for purpose of discharging this responsibility;
To review the progress of investigations conducted by the DSPE into offences alleged to
have been committed under the PC Act;
To undertake an inquiry or cause an inquiry or investigation to be made into any
transaction in which a public servant working in any organisation, to which the executive
control of the Government of India extends, is suspected or alleged to have acted for an
improper purpose or in a corrupt manner;
To tender independent and impartial advice to the disciplinary and other authorities in
disciplinary cases, involving vigilance angle at different stages i.e. investigation, inquiry,
appeal, review etc.;
To exercise a general check and supervision over vigilance and anti-corruption work in
Ministries or Departments of the Govt. of India and other organisations to which the
executive power of the Union extends; and
To chair the Committee for selection of Director (CBI), Director (Enforcement
Directorate) and officers of the level of SP and above in DSPE.
To undertake or cause an inquiry into complaints received under the Public Interest
Disclosure and Protection of Informer and recommend appropriate action.
Problems associated with CBI
The agency is dependent on the home ministry for staffing, since many of its
investigators come from the Indian Police Service. The agency depends on the law
ministry for lawyers and also lacks functional autonomy to some extent.
The CBI, run by IPS officers on deputation, is also susceptible to the government’s
ability to manipulate the senior officers, because they are dependent on the Central
government for future postings.
Since police is a State subject under the Constitution, and the CBI acts as per the
procedure prescribed by the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which makes it a police
agency, the CBI needs the consent of the State government in question before it can make
its presence in that State. This can lead to certain cases not being investigated and seeing
a silent deadlock.
CBI which handles cases which are of national importance has been criticised for its
mishandling of several scams due to political pressure. It has also been criticized for
interfering in the investigation of prominent politicians, such as P. V. Narasimha Rao,
Jayalalithaa, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav; this tactic leads
to their acquittal or non-prosecution. Some of the examples in which CBI was misused
are Bofors scandal, Hawala scandal, 2G spectrum scam, coal scam, etc.
CBI Autonomy
In the Coalgate scam case the SC raised the question of CBI’s independence and said that
“The CBI has become the state’s parrot. Only screaming, repeating the master’s voice”
The SC had then asked the Centre to make the CBI impartial and said it needs to be
ensured that the CBI functions free of all external pressures.
SC over CBI’s autonomy: In the Vineet Narain case, 1997 The Supreme Court agreed
that the CBI had failed in its responsibility to investigate allegations of public corruption.
It laid down guidelines to ensure independence and autonomy of the CBI and ordered that
the CBI be placed under the supervision of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), an
independent governmental agency intended to be free from executive control or
interference.
CBI and RTI
CBI is placed in the second schedule section 24 of RTI act. Sec 24 states that act not to
apply to certain organizations.
It provides exception to obtaining information from intelligence and security
organisations specified in the second schedule to the RTI act or any information
furnished by them to the government.
What needs to be done?
The first measure is to make sure that CBI operates under a formal, legal framework in
the lines of contemporary investigative agencies. In order to ensure autonomy of CBI a
new CBI Act should be promulgated giving it a statutory backing.
The Lokpal Act prescribes for a three-member committee comprising of the prime
minister, the leader of the opposition and the chief justice of the Supreme Court to select
the director. Even after Lokpal act political interference has been the main hurdle in the
working of the CBI. In order to rectify, a new Act should be promulgated and it must
specify criminal culpability for government interference.
CBI should develop its own dedicated cadre of officers who are not bothered about
deputation and abrupt transfers. But all senior posts in the CBI are now held by Indian
Police Service (IPS) officers.
Along the lines of Comptroller and Auditor General, CBI should be made to be
accountable to Parliament. A more efficient parliamentary oversight over the CBI could
be a way forward to ensure better accountability, despite concerns regarding political
misuse of the oversight.
The CBI should recruit its officers along the lines of UPSC exam. This makes a case for a
fresh look at the service conditions for direct recruitment to the CBI.
Article 35A and 370
Context
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a fresh petition challenging Article
370, which gives special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir.
One of the main writ petitions pending is by NGO ‘We the Citizens’, which challenges
the validity of both Article 35A and Article 370.
It argues that four representatives from Kashmir were part of the Constituent Assembly
involved in the drafting of the Constitution and the State of Jammu and Kashmir was
never accorded any special status in the Constitution. Article 370 was only a ‘temporary
provision’ to help bring normalcy. The Constitution makers did not intend Article 370 to
be a tool to bring permanent amendments, like Article 35A, in the Constitution.
The petition said Article 35A is against the “very spirit of oneness of India”. Restricting
citizens from other States from getting employment or buying property in J&K is a
violation of their fundamental rights, it said.
What is Article 35A?
The heading of Article 35A reads: “saving of laws with respect to permanent residents
and their rights”.
The laws granting special rights to permanent residents would not be deemed a violation
of the fundamental rights of other citizens.
Arguments against Article 35A
The ‘classification’ created by Article 35A has to be tested on the principle of equality as
it treats non-permanent residents of J&K as ‘second-class’ citizens.
Such persons are not eligible for employment under the State government and are also
debarred from contesting elections.
Meritorious students are denied scholarships and they cannot even seek redress in any
court of law.
Further, the issues of refugees who migrated to J&K during Partition are still not treated
as ‘State subjects’ under the J&K Constitution.
It was inserted unconstitutionally, bypassing Article 368 which empowers only
Parliament to amend the Constitution.
The laws enacted in pursuance of Article 35A are ultra vires of the fundamental rights
conferred by Part III of the Constitution, especially, and not limited to, Articles 14 (right
to equality) and 21 (protection of life).
Arguments in favour of Legality of Article 35A
Article 370 (1) (d) empowers the President of India to extend with requisite exceptions
and modifications the other provisions of the Indian Constitution to J&K as may be
necessary.
The Delhi Agreement of 1952 followed Article 370. According to the Clause 2 of the
agreement, the State Legislature of J&K was given power to make laws for conferring
special rights and privileges on the ‘state subjects’.
Article 35A follows the Instrument of Accession and the guarantee given to the State of
J&K that the State’s autonomy will not be disturbed.
Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and such other states also have laws which say that
no outsider can buy land.
Article 370
Article 370 of the Indian constitution is an article that grants special autonomous status to
the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The article is drafted in Part XXI of the Constitution,
which relates to Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions.
The state’s constituent assembly was empowered to recommend the articles of the Indian
constitution to be applied to the state or to abrogate Article 370 altogether. After the state
constituent assembly has dissolved itself without recommending abrogation, Article 370
is deemed to have become a permanent feature of the Indian constitution.
In the case of Jammu and Kashmir, the representatives to the Constituent Assembly
requested that only those provisions of the Indian Constitution that corresponded to the
original Instrument of Accession should be applied to the State.
The Article 370 was incorporated into the Indian Constitution, which stipulated that the
other articles of the Constitution that gave powers to the Central Government would be
applied to Jammu and Kashmir only with the concurrence of the State’s constituent
assembly.
Important provisions under the article
According to this article, except for defence, foreign affairs, finance and
communications, Parliament needs the state government’s concurrence for applying all
other laws. Thus the state’s residents live under a separate set of laws, including those
related to citizenship, ownership of property, and fundamental rights, as compared to
other Indians.
Indian citizens from other states cannot purchase land or property in Jammu & Kashmir.
Under Article 370, the Centre has no power to declare financial emergency under Article
360 in the state. It can declare emergency in the state only in case of war or external
aggression. The Union government can therefore not declare emergency on grounds of
internal disturbance or imminent danger unless it is made at the request or with the
concurrence of the state government.
Under Article 370 the Indian Parliament cannot increase or reduce the borders of the
state.
CRISPR-Cas9 Technology
Context
Chinese health and medical ethics authorities started an investigation on Monday into
claims by a scientist who released videos on YouTube, saying he had altered the genes of
twins born earlier this month, creating the first gene edited babies.
In the videos, the scientist defended his work: “I understand my work will be
controversial, but I believe families need this technology. And I am willing to take the
criticism for them.”
Earlier, Mr. He said he was aiming to bestow on the gene edited babies “lifetime
protection” against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Mr. He said he began his work in the second half of 2017 and enrolled eight couples. All
of the potential fathers involved were HIV-positive. Five chose to implant embryos,
including the parents of the twin girls, identified only by the pseudonyms Mark and
Grace. The babies’ names are Lulu and Nana, He said in one video.
“If true, this experiment is monstrous,” said Julian Savulescu, director of the Oxford
Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford.
Cutting-and-pasting DNA
CRISPR-Cas9 is a technology that allows scientists to essentially cut-and-paste DNA,
raising hope of genetic fixes for disease. However, there are also concerns about its safety
and ethics.
CRISPR is a dynamic, versatile tool that allows us to target nearly any genomic location
and potentially repair broken genes. It can remove, add or alter specific DNA sequences
in the genome of higher organisms.
CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) are sections of
DNA and are sections of genetic code containing short repetitions of base sequences
followed by spacer DNA segments.
CAS-9 (CRISPR-associated protein 9) is an enzyme. It uses a synthetic guide RNA to
introduce a double strand break at a specific location within a strand of DNA. It is a
system used by bacterial cells to recognize and destroy viral DNA as a form of adaptive
immunity.
What are the pros of Gene editing?
CRISPR could be used to modify disease-causing genes in embryos brought to term,
removing the faulty script from the genetic code of that person’s future descendants as
well. Genome editing (Gene editing) could potentially decrease, or even eliminate, the
incidence of many serious genetic diseases, reducing human suffering worldwide.
It might also be possible to install genes that offer lifelong protection against infection.
What are the cons of Gene editing?
Making irreversible changes to every cell in the bodies of future children and all their
descendants would constitute extraordinarily risky human experimentation.
There are issues including off-target mutations (unintentional edits to the genome),
persistent editing effects, genetic mechanisms in embryonic and fetal development, and
longer-term health and safety consequences.
Some argue that we do not understand the operations of the genome enough to make
long-lasting changes to it. Altering one gene could have unforeseen and widespread
effects on other parts of the genome, which would then be passed down to future
generations.
Many consider genome alterations to be unethical, advocating that we should let nature
run its course.
Few argue that after permitting human germline gene editing for any reason would likely
lead to its ignorance of the regulatory limits, to the emergence of a market-based
eugenics that would exacerbate already existing discrimination, inequality, and conflict.
It will become a tool for selecting desired characteristics such as intelligence and
attractiveness.
Leprosy
Context
The World Health Organisation’s declaration of the elimination of leprosy as a public-
health concern in India in 2005 have reduced attention and funds, making life more
difficult for about 2,00, 000 people living in the colonies, the vast majority of whom do
not have the disease.
While the disease itself may be dying out in the colonies, a lingering, centuries-long
stigma still leads to discrimination.
“When the WHO made its declaration in 2005, government attention shifted away from
the disease and international funding also dried up. It diluted a very good mission, which
had created a lot of expertise… The rationale may not be wrong, but I do think it is
premature,” says Vineeta Shanker, executive director of the Sasakawa-India Leprosy
Foundation, which is working among the colonies.
What is Leprosy?
Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is a bacterial disease which affects the skin and
nerves which can lead to physical deformity and disability if left untreated.
Despite a centuries-long stigma, it is not hereditary, it is completely curable, and is only
mildly infectious – more than 85% of cases are non-infectious and over 95% of the
population has a natural immunity to the disease.
Initially, infections are without symptoms and typically remain this way for 5 to 20 years.
Symptoms that develop include granulomas of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and
eyes.
This may result in a lack of ability to feel pain, which can lead to the loss of parts of
extremities due to repeated injuries or infection due to unnoticed wounds. Weakness and
poor eyesight may also be present.
Leprosy is one of the World’s oldest diseases with India accounting to 60% of the annual
new cases.
In 2005, it was officially declared eliminated as a public health concern in India. This
was when the new cases fell to less than 1 per 10,000. Yet India accounts for the largest
number of leprosy affected people in the world.
Related Personality - Baba Amte (1914-2008)
Baba Amte, (Murlidhar Devidas Amte), Indian lawyer and social activist, devoted his life
to India’s lower-caste Dalits and especially to the care of those individuals who suffered
from leprosy (Hansen’s disease).
His work earned him numerous international awards, notably the 1971 Padma Shree, the
1988 UN Human Rights Prize, a share of the 1990 Templeton Prize, and the 1999 Gandhi
Peace Prize.
Amte was born into an affluent Brahmin family and acquired the nickname Baba as a
child. He trained as a barrister but, influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent fight for
justice, abandoned his legal career in the 1940s.
He settled with his wife in a labour ashram, then studied leprosy at the Calcutta (now
Kolkata) School of Tropical Medicine, and in 1951 founded Anandvan, an ashram
dedicated to the treatment and rehabilitation of leprosy patients. Amte, who suffered from
cancer, died at the Anandvan ashram and was given a Maharashtra state funeral.
Marijuana
Context
Three major science administrators in India — the Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research, the Indian Council for Medical Research and the Department of Biotechnolgy
— are getting together to promote research in herbal drugs, some of which involve
deriving new drugs from marijuana.
The researchers will test whether strains of marijuana grown at the CSIR-IIIM campus in
Jammu could be effective in the treatment of breast cancer, sickle-cell anaemia as well as
be “bio-equivalent” (similar in make-up and effect) to marijuana-derived drugs already
approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
What is Marijuana?
Marijuana is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant used for medical, recreational
& religious purposes.
Cannabis can be used by smoking, vaporization, within food, or as an extract.
It creates mental and physical effects, such as a "high" or "stoned" feeling, a general
change in perception, and an increase in appetite.
Short term side effects may include a decrease in short-term memory, dry mouth,
impaired motor skills, red eyes, and feelings of paranoia or anxiety.
Long term side effects may include addiction, decreased mental ability and behavioural
problems in children whose mothers used cannabis during pregnancy.
What is its historic significance in India?
Cannabis has been used since ancient times in India, dating back to 2000 BCE.
The cannabis plant has been mentioned as one of the five sacred plants in the Vedas.
Bhang, an edible preparation of cannabis, which is ‘consumed either in the form of a
drink or smoked’ is common during the Hindu festivals of Holi and Mahashivaratri.
What are its medicinal qualities?
There has been no rigorous scientific testing of the medicinal properties of cannabis due
to restrictive laws.
There is considerable evidence though, supporting its use in the treatment of
chemotherapy - induced nausea and vomiting, neuropathic pain, and multiple sclerosis.
Lower levels of evidence support its use for AIDS, wasting syndrome, epilepsy,
rheumatoid arthritis, and glaucoma.
What is its legal status?
Marijuana (or hemp), more formally parts of the cannabis super-family, is illegal for
commercial cultivation though it grows as weed in several parts of the country.
Uttarakhand, Jammu and — as of this month Uttar Pradesh — have allowed restricted
cultivation of the plant for medical research.
The possession, use, and sale of cannabis are illegal in most countries as a result of an
agreement in the ‘International Opium Convention’ (1925).
Indian government banned the use of cannabis by passing the Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substances Act-1985.
The rigour of restrictive laws & its implementation varies greatly across countries.
Canada, Belgium, Australia, the Netherlands, Spain, and several U.S. states are some
territories were medical use of cannabis is legal.
Netherlands (1976) & some US states (recently) have allowed for the recreational use of
marijuana.
What do the doctors say?
The opinion among medical practicners in India is divided.
Some are of the opinion that, it is a better alternative to alcohol & tobacco consumption.
While supporters claim that denying medical use of marijuana is a violation of ‘Right to
life’, others believe it is not all that important a drug for Palliative Care.
Most doctors advocate caution, as a wrongly worded policy could potentially aggrevate
substance abuse among youngsters.
Sentinelese tribes
Context
An American national was killed by members of a protected and reclusive tribe in the
Andamans, possibly with arrows, when he tried to enter the North Sentinel Island, the
police said on Wednesday.
In a press release, Dependra Pathak, Director General of Police (DGP), Andaman and
Nicobar Police, said John Allen Chau, 27, had enlisted the help of local electronics
engineer Alexander and a water sports service provider and hired five fishermen to evade
the patrolling teams of the police, the Coast Guard and the Navy to reach the island. For
this, the fishermen were paid ₹25,000 by Mr. Chau.
The DGP said that access to North Sentinel Island and its buffer zone is strictly restricted
under the Protection of Aboriginal Tribe (Regulation), 1956 and Regulations under
Indian Forest Act, 1927.
Who are the Sentinelese?
The Sentinelese, a negrito tribe who live on the North Sentinel Island of the Andamans,
have not faced incursions and remain hostile to outsiders.
The inhabitants are connected to the Jarawa on the basis of physical, as well as linguistic
similarities, researchers say. Based on carbon dating of kitchen middens by the
Anthropological Survey of India, Sentinelese presence was confirmed in the islands to
2,000 years ago. Genome studies indicate that the Andaman tribes could have been on the
islands even 30,000 years ago.
How are they protected?
The Govt. of India issued the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal
Tribes) Regulation, 1956 to declare the traditional areas occupied by the tribes as
reserves, and prohibited entry of all persons except those with authorisation.
Photographing or filming the tribe members is also an offence. The rules were amended
later to enhance penalties. But restricted area permits were relaxed for some islands
recently.
Have they made contact?
The Sentinelese have been fiercely hostile to outside contact. But in 1991 they accepted
some coconuts from a team of Indian anthropologists and administrators.
Some researchers argue that the Sentinelese have been mostly left alone even from
colonial times, unlike other tribes such as the Onges, Jarawas and Great Andamanese,
because the land they occupy has little commercial attraction.
How many are there?
From 1901 to 1921 they were estimated to be 117 people. In 1931, the number dropped to
50, a figure used for the 1961 Census too. In 1991 their head count was put at 23. Census
2001 counted 39 inhabitants.
Related Concept - Tribal Panchsheel
Jawahar Lal Nehru gave his five fundamental principles for tribal development
1. People should develop along the lines of their own genius, and the imposition of alien
values should be avoided.
2. Tribal rights in land and forest should be respected.
3. Teams of tribal should be trained in the work of administration and development so that
introducing too many outsiders into tribal territory should be avoided.
4. Tribal areas should not be over administered or overwhelmed with a multiplicity of
schemes.
5. Results should be judged not by statistics or the amount of money spent, but by the
human character that is evolved.
Blank slate
Also known as tabula rasa, this refers to the idea that the mind of any newborn child is
equivalent to a blank slate that has nothing written over it.
Thus, the proponents of the blank slate theory strongly believe that the behaviour of an
adult human being is entirely the result of the various experiences to which she has been
exposed over her lifetime.
This is in contrast to the theory of biological determinism which states that human
character is inherited at birth and cannot be influenced by the environment.
The blank slate is an important idea in the controversial debate regarding whether it is
nature or nurture that determines human nature.
Compassion fatigue
Also known as secondary traumatic stress, this refers to a state of psychological fatigue
that is experienced by people who invest a lot of time and effort into charity and social
rescue activities.
Compassion fatigue can cause victims to slowly lose any feeling of compassion towards
people who may be in need of their assistance.
This happens because of repeated exposure to people in need of help, leading them to
develop a feeling of numbness.
Compassion fatigue is said to affect professional assistance providers like doctors, nurses,
firefighters and other emergency service personnel who are constantly exposed to people
who need help.
Scully effect
(Note to the students – This concept can be used as a part of Social influence and persuasion)
This refers to a social phenomenon wherein movie characters can surprisingly inspire
behavioural changes in people in the real world.
It is named after Dana Scully, a woman character in the American television series The
X-Files which was aired mostly in the 1990s.
Studies have found that the character, portrayed as a medical doctor and a special agent
successfully working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, inspired many women who
watched the series to take up education and careers in the fields of science, technology,
engineering and mathematics and with various law enforcement agencies.
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