Content:

1. A belated admission
2. The educational landscape, its disconcerting shift
3. India’s rising e-waste, the need to recast its management

A belated admission

Context : Excess Deaths vs. Official Toll:

• Civil Registration System (CRS) data for 2021 shows 21.5 lakh excess deaths.
  • Officially reported COVID-19 deaths for 2021 were only 3.32 lakh.
  • Suggests gross under-reporting of COVID-19 deaths.

Relevance : GS2 (Governance), GS4 (Ethics – Accountability), GS3 (Disaster Management).

Practice Question: “Data delayed is data denied.” In light of the delayed release of civil registration data during COVID-19, critically examine the implications of data opacity on public health policy and democratic accountability in India.(250 Words)

• Independent Findings Validated:
  • RTI findings and surveys (notably by The Hindu) had earlier indicated millions of uncounted deaths.
  • These findings were initially dismissed by the government.

• High Under-reporting Multiples:
  • Excess death multiples vs. reported COVID deaths:
    • Gujarat: 44.2x
    • Madhya Pradesh: 19.5x
    • Uttar Pradesh: 19.5x
    • Telangana: 18.2x
  • Points to state-level data suppression or non-recognition of COVID deaths with comorbidities.

Governance and Accountability Concerns:

• Delayed Release of Data:
  • Registrar General’s report released nearly 4 years after the second wave.
  • Indicates a reluctance to acknowledge and assess the pandemic’s true toll.

• Failure to Utilize Improved Civil Registration System:
  • CRS has become more robust and widespread, with improved death reporting.
  • Yet, delay in publishing data undercuts progress and transparency.

• Lack of Medical Certification:
  • Cause of death certification remains low.
  • Weakens the ability to use mortality data for public health planning.

Implications:

• Public Health Policy Impact:
  • Delayed and inaccurate data leads to misinformed public health responses.
  • Hampers future pandemic preparedness and resilience.

• Erosion of Public Trust:
  • Undermines credibility of government statistics and damages public trust.
  • Highlights need for data transparency and accountability in crisis management.

Conclusion:

• The revelation of excess deaths serves as a belated but important admission.
• The government must ensure timely and accurate release of vital statistics.
• Emphasizes that data delayed is data denied, especially in a public health emergency.

The educational landscape, its disconcerting shift

Key Issues in the Evolving Educational Landscape

• Historical Role of Education: Traditionally, higher education nurtured critical thinking, dissent, and progress across disciplines. Universities were autonomous centres of intellectual inquiry and democratic engagement.
• Shift Toward Conformity: Modern universities are increasingly functioning under bureaucratic and ideological control, prioritising efficiency and market needs over academic freedom.

Relevance : GS2 (Governance , Education), GS4 (Ethics – Integrity in institutions).

Practice Question : Critically analyse how centralisation, marketisation, and ideological control are reshaping India’s higher education system. What steps can be taken to safeguard academic autonomy and foster critical thinking?(250 Words)

• Centralisation of Curricula:
  • Earlier, universities had autonomy to design context-specific syllabi.
  • Now, bodies like the UGC and policies like NEP impose standardised content, often reflecting political or economic agendas rather than academic merit.
  • This erodes academic autonomy and leads to a monolithic intellectual ecosystem devoid of diversity and innovation.

• Suppression of Dissent:
  • Critical voices, especially those citing thinkers like Chomsky or challenging dominant narratives, face reprimands or marginalisation.
  • Self-censorship among faculty and students is rising due to fear of professional or political backlash.

• Rise of Corporatisation:
  • Education is being reframed as a market commodity, prioritising revenue, branding, and investor interest.
  • Disciplines like technology and business receive disproportionate support, while humanities and social sciences are devalued.

• Metrics-Driven Evaluation:
  • Faculty are judged based on quantitative metrics (publications, rankings, ratings), not scholarly depth.
  • Global rankings push institutions to emulate Western models, sidelining local intellectual traditions.

• Dilution of Academic Governance:
  • Appointing leaders from non-academic or corporate backgrounds undermines scholarly priorities.
  • Increasing ideological influence in appointments risks converting leadership into tools of conformity.

• Conclusion:
  • The crisis in education is rooted in a crisis of imagination and purpose.
  • Preserving universities as spaces of free thought is essential not only for academic integrity but for sustaining democracy and public reasoning.

India’s rising e-waste, the need to recast its management

India’s E-Waste Explosion

• Rapid growth: E-waste increased by 151.03% from 7.08 lakh MT (2017-18) to 17.78 lakh MT (2023-24).
• Annual addition: ~1.69 lakh MT of e-waste is added each year.
• India ranks among the top global e-waste generators (with China, USA, Japan, Germany).

GS Paper: GS3 (Environment, Economy, Science & Tech).

Practice Question: India’s e-waste problem reflects a larger failure to transition towards a circular economy. Evaluate the role of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and floor pricing in enabling sustainable e-waste management in India.(250 Words)

 Consequences of Improper E-Waste Management

• Environmental loss:
  • Water pollution from cyanide & sulphuric acid.
  • Air pollution from lead fumes, plastic burning.
  • Soil contamination.

• Economic loss:
  • $10 billion annually in environmental damage.
  • ₹80,000 crore (~$9.6 billion) loss from undervalued critical metals.
  • $20 billion social loss due to unregulated informal sector.
  • ~$20 billion in tax losses due to unaccounted cash transactions.

• Human cost:
  • Informal recycling involves women and children.
  • Average lifespan <27 years due to toxic exposure.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Concept & Potential

• EPR shifts waste management responsibility to producers, importers & brand owners.
• Promotes:
  • Sustainable design,
  • Lifecycle accountability,
  • Environmental cost internalisation.
• Helps reduce burden on municipalities and curb informal recycling.

Significance of EPR Floor Price (As per 2022 Rules)

• Prevents market collapse like in plastic waste management.
• Encourages:
  • Formal recyclers to invest in advanced tech (gold, copper recovery).
  • Expansion of safe, certified recycling infrastructure.
• Aims to formalise the sector (which is 95% informal currently).
• Reduces health and environmental risks by discouraging hazardous informal recycling.

Towards a Circular Economy

• E-waste reimagined as a resource rather than a liability.
• Stable pricing fosters:
  • Material recovery over landfill disposal.
  • Investment in recycling innovation.
  • Compliance with EPR targets.
• Floor price can unlock sustainability and innovation without significantly raising product costs.

Balancing Concerns

• Critics fear consumer cost rise due to floor pricing.
• But:
  • Environmental and social costs of inaction far outweigh financial concerns.
  • Encourages product innovation and durability — key EPR goals.

Way Forward: A Recycling Vision for India

• Formalisation of e-waste sector is essential for:
  • Tax revenue,
  • Health safety,
  • Resource efficiency.
• A visionary floor pricing policy is the foundation for sustainable growth and global leadership.
• India must act decisively to convert a waste crisis into a green opportunity.