Content

1. Please Mind the Gap
2. Respect the health rights of India’s children

Please Mind the Gap

Context

• The Government of India is considering a policy to attract Indian-origin “star faculty” in STEM fields from abroad to work in Indian institutions.
• The move coincides with restrictive US immigration and funding policies (Trump-era tightening, continuing post-COVID).
• Objective: Strengthen India’s research ecosystem, reverse brain drain, and establish India as a global knowledge hub.

Relevance

• GS-2 (Governance): Administrative reforms, institutional capacity, public service efficiency.
• GS-3 (Science & Technology): R&D ecosystem, innovation policy, human capital, brain drain.
• GS-3 (Economy): Technological self-reliance, knowledge economy, global competitiveness.

Practice Question

• The Government’s plan to attract Indian-origin “star faculty” from abroad can help reverse India’s brain drain only if accompanied by deep institutional reforms. Discuss.(250 Words)

Background

• Over 3.32 lakh Indian students were enrolled in US universities in 2023–24 (IIE Open Doors Report, 2024).
• India is one of the largest source of STEM PhD talent in the US — ~12% of all foreign PhDs (NSF, 2023).
• The scheme seeks to convert this “brain drain” into “brain circulation”, offering return pathways with infrastructure and autonomy.

Objectives of the Scheme

• Long-term engagement (not short-term consultancies).
• Integration into premier institutions — IITs, IISc, IISERs, AIIMS, CSIR labs.
• Substantial set-up grants (potentially ₹5–10 crore per investigator, modeled on DST’s Swarnajayanti Fellowships).
• Foster collaborative innovation ecosystems between domestic and global research communities.

Major Challenges Identified

(a) Administrative & Bureaucratic Barriers

• India’s research process is heavily bureaucratic:
  • Scientists spend 20–30% of time on administrative tasks (DST internal audit, 2022).
• Example: Delays of 6–12 months in equipment tendering are common due to overlapping financial oversight.

(b) Institutional & Cultural Adjustment

• Returning scientists face a rigid hierarchy and lack of academic autonomy.
• Indian institutions have low international faculty ratio — only 0.5% (QS World Rankings, 2025).
• Sudden re-entry into bureaucratic culture contrasts with the performance-based, decentralized systems of US/Europe.

(c) Financial Disparities

• Average assistant professor salary:
  • India: ₹12–16 lakh/year
  • US: ₹90,000–$120,000/year (~₹75–100 lakh/year)
• Even adjusted for PPP (Purchasing Power Parity), India’s net advantage remains below 40%.
• Research funding per faculty:
  • IITs: ~$40,000/year
  • US R1 universities: ~$300,000/year (NSF, 2023).

(d) Social & Logistical Constraints

• Public services (housing, schooling, healthcare) often inadequate for global returnees.
• Limited international schooling in Tier-II research cities (IISER Bhopal, NISER Bhubaneswar, etc.).
• Frequent transfers, poor campus facilities, and red-tape in relocation deter long-term engagement.

Comparative Example – China’s “Thousand Talents Program”

• Launched: 2008; later expanded as “Overseas High-Level Talent Program.”
• Offers:
  • RMB 1–3 million (₹1–3 crore) in start-up grants,
  • Tax-free relocation benefits,
  • Housing subsidies, and
  • Guaranteed tenured positions.
• Result:
  • Over 7,000 top Chinese-origin researchers returned by 2020.
  • China’s GERD (Gross Expenditure on R&D) rose from 1.4% (2008) to 2.7% of GDP (2023).
  • Contributed to rise in Nature Index ranking — China now ranks #2 globally (after the US).
• Challenges: Native faculty resentment and occasional cases of “dual loyalty” scrutiny.

India’s Current R&D Landscape (Data-Driven Snapshot)

Policy Implications

• India’s brain drain costs ~0.5% of GDP annually in lost R&D productivity (World Bank, 2023).
• For “brain gain,” policies must integrate structural reform + ecosystem improvement, not just repatriation.
• Ease of Research Index (proposed by NITI Aayog, 2025) can help track administrative efficiency.
• Focus should be on research clusters — like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune — to ensure scale and collaboration.

Key Recommendations

1. Simplify procurement & fund utilization:
   1. Introduce single-window research portals (expand SERB’s PRISM and SPARK initiatives).
2. Long-term institutional autonomy:
   1. Replicate IISc’s self-governing model for other institutes.
3. Balanced privileges:
   1. Equal benefits to resident and returning scientists to prevent resentment.
4. R&D spending target:
   1. Raise to 1.5% of GDP by 2030, aligning with National R&D Policy (Draft 2023).
5. Diaspora collaboration hubs:
   1. Create Global Indian Research Network (GIRN) under DST for remote collaboration.
6. Socio-economic enablers:
   1. Provide schooling, housing, and spousal employment support to attract families sustainably.

Author’s Central Argument

• Mere financial incentives will fail if domestic research culture remains bureaucratic.
• India must first ensure a vibrant ecosystem for existing scientists before expecting NRIs to return.
• Without long-term autonomy, flexible funding, and respect for meritocracy — the “star faculty” initiative may repeat past failures.

Conclusion

• India stands at a crossroads: between brain drain and brain circulation.
• The proposed NRI scientist scheme can succeed only if backed by deep institutional reforms, sustained funding, and merit-based governance.
• If executed well, it could position India as a scientific powerhouse by 2047, aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.

Respect the health rights of India’s children

 Context

• Incident: Death of 25 children in Madhya Pradesh due to contaminated cough syrup in October 2025.
• Trigger: The syrup, banned by the Union Health Ministry (April 2025) for use in children below 4 years, continued to be prescribed.
• Scandal: The prescribing doctor reportedly earned a ₹2.54 commission per bottle — symbolizing systemic collapse and ethical failure.
• The tragedy underscores regulatory weaknesses in India’s drug oversight and the lack of paediatric pharmacovigilance infrastructure.

Relevance

• GS-2 (Governance, Social Justice): Child welfare, Article 39(f), policy implementation.
• GS-3 (Science & Technology, Health): Drug regulation, pharmacovigilance, WHO standards.
• GS-4 (Ethics): Medical ethics, public accountability, duty of care.

Practice Question

• The recurring incidents of contaminated cough syrups highlight a deeper governance and ethical crisis in India’s pharmaceutical regulation. Discuss.(250 Words)

Constitutional & Policy Backdrop

• Article 39(f) (DPSP): Mandates the State to ensure children are given opportunities to develop in a healthy manner and are protected from exploitation and moral/material abandonment.
• Children’s share in population: 39% (Census projection, 2024 ≈ 520 million).
• Existing child-focused policies (13 major):
  • National Policy for Children, 1974; National Health Policy, 2017; Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, 2013; India Newborn Action Plan, 2014, etc.
• Key child-related legislations (10+):
  • PCPNDT Act, 1994; Juvenile Justice Act, 2015; RTE Act, 2009; POCSO Act, 2012; Aadhaar Act, 2016, etc.
• Gap: None directly regulate paediatric pharmaceuticals or establish child–specific drug safety frameworks.

The Regulatory Architecture

India has 10,500 licensed drug manufacturers, of which 70% are small-scale, often outside rigorous central oversight.

India’s Paediatric Pharmacovigilance Gap

• Children are not “small adults”; drug absorption, metabolism, and toxicity differ drastically.
• 90–95% of global drug trials are on adults (Lancet Global Health, 2023).
• In India, only 2–3% of drug trials involve paediatric subjects.
• Result: Dosage extrapolated from adult data, leading to off-label or unlicensed use.
• Termed by Dr. Harry Shirkey as “therapeutic orphans” — children’s medicine needs remain neglected.

International Best Practices

Contrast: India lacks a dedicated paediatric drug act, relying only on CDSCO advisories.
Even the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM 2022) updates adult formulations frequently, but the EMLc (India) remains under-reviewed since 2011.

Broader Public Health Dimension

• Over-the-Counter (OTC) drugs (esp. for cough, cold, fever) are widely available without prescription.
  • Estimated OTC market size: ₹38,000 crore (ASSOCHAM, 2024).
  • Urban misuse: 58% of parents self-medicate children for minor ailments (AIIMS Pediatric Study, 2023).
• Pharmacist compliance: Less than 40% read or communicate label warnings (FSSAI, 2023).
• Public sector shortfall: Only 1 pharmacist per 6,000 citizens (WHO recommends 1:2,000).

Global Context of Indian Cough Syrup Controversies

• Between 2022–2025, WHO issued multiple medical product alerts over Indian–madecoughsyrups linked to child deaths in:
  • Gambia (70 deaths, 2022) – Maiden Pharmaceuticals (Haryana)
  • Uzbekistan (65 deaths, 2022) – Marion Biotech (Noida)
  • Cameroon, Indonesia (2023–24) – diethylene glycol (DEG) and ethylene glycol contamination
• DEG contamination is lethal at 1 ml/kg; used improperly as a solvent substitute.
• These incidents tarnished India’s global image as the “Pharmacy of the Global South.”

Key Data on India’s Drug Regulation

Ethical, Social, and Legal Dimensions

• Violation of Child Rights: Using untested/off-label medicines breaches Article 39(f) and UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), ratified by India in 1992.
• Economic inequality: 63% of child deaths from drug toxicity occur in households below₹10,000/month income (NFHS-5 data extrapolation).
• Moral hazard: Low commissions and incentives drive unethical prescriptions — commercialization of care.

Policy Recommendations

1. Legislative Action
   1. Draft a Paediatric Drug Safety and Regulation Act (PDSRA) — akin to BPCA (US).
   1. Mandate Paediatric Investigation Plans (PIPs) before drug licensing.

• Data and Research
  • Establish a National Paediatric Pharmacovigilance Network (NPPN) under ICMR.
  • Fund child-specific drug trials using indigenous data.

• Essential Medicines Reform
  • Annual revision of India’s EMLc (Children).
  • Prioritize affordability and availability under Ayushman Bharat & Jan Aushadhi.

• Regulatory Strengthening
  • Expand drug inspectorate by 4×; digital track-and-trace for all paediatric drugs.
  • Zero tolerance for DEG/EG contamination; establish batch-level testing in exports.

• Public Awareness & Training
  • Pharmacist and caregiver education on child dosages and labelling.
  • Strict control of OTC sales; mandatory prescriptions for paediatric cough syrups.

• International Cooperation
  • Align with WHO’s Global Surveillance and Monitoring System (GSMS) for substandard medicines.
  • Build shared R&D with UNICEF and GAVI for safe paediatric formulations.

Author’s Core Argument

• India’s pharmacovigilance for children is fragmented, reactive, and under-institutionalized.
• Children remain therapeutic orphans, denied safe medicines due to adult-centric drug frameworks.
• India’s responsibility as a global pharma exporter must be matched with ethical and child-safe production standards.

Conclusion

• The Madhya Pradesh tragedy is not isolated — it is symptomatic of regulatory anemia, data vacuum, and ethical collapse.
• Paediatric drug safety requires legislation, infrastructure, and accountability.
• Protecting children’s right to safe medicine is not charity — it is a constitutional and fiduciary obligation under Article 39(f) and the UNCRC.
• India must shift from being the “Pharmacy of the Global South” to being the “Guardian of Safe Medicine.”