Content

• The key to India’s multi-domain deterrence, capabilities
• Should men get paternity leave in India?

The key to India’s multi-domain deterrence, capabilities

Introduction

• China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) poses a systemic military challenge to India, with widening gaps in technology, scale, and industrial capacity, necessitating a robust defence-industrial strategy.
• Rapid evolution of military technologies (AI, drones, cyber, space) outpaces doctrinal adaptation, making capability prioritisation and procurement choices increasingly complex and uncertain.
• India faces critical decisions on “what to buy vs what to build”, balancing strategic autonomy, cost efficiency, and deterrence effectiveness against a technologically superior adversary.

Relevance

GS II (Polity / Governance / IR)

• National security governance and institutional coordination (MoD, DRDO, armed forces)
• India–China relations and border management
• Defence reforms, procurement policies (DAP 2020)
• Role of executive in defence planning (Union List – Entry 1)

GS III (Security / Economy / S&T)

• Defence preparedness and deterrence strategy
• Defence industrial base, indigenisation, Atmanirbhar Bharat
• Emerging technologies: AI, drones, cyber, space warfare
• Internal security linkage: multi-domain warfare readiness
• Economic aspects: defence budget, R&D, industrial capacity

Practice Question

Q1.“India’s deterrence against China depends more on industrial capacity and multi-domain integration than on individual platforms.” Examine.(250 Words)

Static Background

• China’s military modernisation driven by civil-military fusion and large-scale industrial capacity enables rapid production of missiles, drones, and advanced platforms at scale.
• India’s defence ecosystem historically dominated by public sector undertakings (DPSUs) faces constraints in speed, innovation, and scale, limiting its response to evolving threats.

Constitutional And Legal Dimension

• Defence falls under Union List (Entry 1), giving Centre exclusive authority over armed forces, procurement, and national security policy.
• Policy frameworks like Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP 2020) and Atmanirbhar Bharat in Defence aim to enhance indigenisation and private sector participation.
• Lack of clear long-term defence industrial legislation leads to fragmented planning and weak alignment between military doctrine and industrial policy.

Governance And Administrative Dimension

• India faces three strategic options: bold technological leap, conservative integration, or middle-path hybrid approach, each involving trade-offs in risk, cost, and deterrence capability.
• Current procurement systems are often slow, bureaucratic, and risk-averse, limiting the military’s ability to adapt to rapidly evolving operational requirements.
• Need for institutional convergence between military, DRDO, private sector, and policymakers to create a unified deterrence vision and execution framework.

Economic Dimension

• China’s defence budget (~$225+ billion) far exceeds India’s (~$75 billion), creating disparities in R&D investment, industrial output, and technological capabilities.
• India’s defence-industrial base lacks scale and surge capacity, particularly in missiles, munitions, drones, and advanced electronics, creating vulnerabilities in prolonged conflicts.
• Increased defence spending must focus on efficiency and prioritisation, rather than incremental expansion, to maximise deterrence per rupee spent.

Security And Strategic Dimension

• India lacks a decisive “exquisite capability”, making deterrence dependent on layered capabilities rather than singular technological superiority.
• Strengthening deterrence requires altering China’s risk perception and military confidence, preventing assumptions of quick or decisive victory.
• Nuclear deterrence remains critical, especially given China’s nuclear capabilities, but cannot substitute for credible conventional deterrence.

Technology And Military Dimension

 Strategic Approaches

• Bold approach: Invest in next-generation technologies (AI, hypersonics, autonomous systems), but high risk of implementation failure and capability gaps.
• Conservative approach: Upgrade existing systems with digital integration, cyber, and electronic warfare, but limited impact on long-term balance of power.
• Middle path (optimal): Combine legacy platforms with enabling layers, enabling gradual transition towards multi-domain operations (MDO).

Enabling Layers For Deterrence

• C4ISR systems (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) are critical; dominance ensures information superiority and battlefield awareness.
• Need for low-cost, expendable ISR platforms (drones, satellites) to maintain surveillance despite losses, ensuring operational continuity in conflict scenarios.
• Integration of missiles, aircraft, and drones forms a deep-strike layer capable of disrupting adversary logistics and command structures.
• Close-battle layer involving tanks, artillery, and infantry remains essential for territorial defence and frontline engagements.
• Robust logistics and infrastructure layer critical for sustaining long-duration conflicts, especially in high-altitude terrains like Ladakh sector.

Industrial Dimension

• India’s key constraint lies not in technological capability, but in industrial capacity to produce at speed and scale, particularly in wartime scenarios.
• Urgent investments required in missiles, munitions, drones, C4ISR networks, and modernisation of legacy platforms.
• Greater role for private sector participation needed, as private firms often offer efficiency, innovation, and faster delivery timelines compared to DPSUs.

Challenges And Gaps

• Weak alignment between military requirements and industrial output, leading to delays, inefficiencies, and capability gaps.
• Lack of long-term contracts and budget stability discourages private investment and limits industrial scaling.
• Bureaucratic procurement processes constrain innovation, flexibility, and rapid adaptation to emerging technologies.
• China’s advantage in mass production and inventory depth (missiles, drones) creates asymmetry in prolonged conflict scenarios.
• Limited integration of cyber, space, and electronic warfare capabilities weakens India’s ability to operate in modern multi-domain battlefields.

Way Forward

• Prioritise development of enabling layers (C4ISR, strike systems, logistics) rather than focusing solely on platform-centric acquisitions.
• Expand defence-industrial base with private sector participation, supported by long-term contracts, policy stability, and reduced regulatory barriers.
• Adopt middle-path strategy, combining legacy systems with emerging technologies for gradual transition to multi-domain warfare capability.
• Increase investment in cyber, space, and electronic warfare, ensuring dominance in information and digital battlespaces.
• Reform procurement by emphasising speed, flexibility, and outcome-based planning, aligning acquisitions with evolving doctrinal needs.

Prelims Pointers

• C4ISR: Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance
• DAP 2020: Defence procurement framework
• PLA: China’s armed forces
• India defence budget: ~$75 billion vs China ~$225 billion
• Focus areas: drones, missiles, cyber, space warfare

Note: The views expressed are those of the newspaper editorial author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Legacy IAS Academy.

Should men get paternity leave in India?

Introduction

• The Supreme Court, in Hamsaanandini Nanduri case (2026), urged the Union government to examine a formal paternity leave law, recognising shared parenting as essential for child welfare.
• The Court highlighted that parenthood is not a solitary function, and excluding fathers from early childcare constitutes “a kind of injustice”, reinforcing gendered caregiving roles.
• Debate centres on balancing child development, gender equality, labour market realities, and economic feasibility within India’s predominantly informal workforce structure.

Relevance

GS Paper I (Indian Society)

• Gender roles, patriarchy, and division of unpaid work
• Changing family structures and urbanisation
• Women’s labour force participation

GS Paper II (Polity / Governance / Social Justice)

• Labour laws and social security framework
• Welfare policies: Maternity Benefit Act, parental leave debate
• Role of state in promoting gender equality (DPSP, Fundamental Rights)

Practice Question

Q1.“Paternity leave is not merely a labour policy issue but a tool for gender equality.” Discuss.(250 Words)

Static Background

• India currently lacks a statutory paternity leave law, though Central government employees receive ~15 days leave, and some private firms offer up to 3 months.
• Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 (amended 2017) provides 26 weeks paid leave, but applies mainly to the formal sector (~10% workforce).
• Global models like Sweden’s 480 days parental leave (with 90 days non-transferable for each parent) highlight progressive gender-equal frameworks.

Constitutional And Legal Dimension

• Linked to Article 14 (equality) and Article 15(3) enabling special provisions for women and children, extending logically to shared parental responsibilities.
• Supports Article 21 (right to life and dignity), including child’s right to care, development, and parental presence during formative years.
• Absence of statutory paternity leave reflects legal asymmetry, reinforcing gender stereotypes in caregiving roles and labour participation.

Governance And Administrative Dimension

• Implementation challenges arise due to labour market dualism, with 90% workforce in informal sector lacking access to statutory benefits.
• Small enterprise structure (90% firms employ 1–10 workers) limits feasibility of long leave policies due to operational and cost constraints.
• Labour Codes (2020) aim at formalisation, but transition remains gradual, delaying universal applicability of parental leave frameworks.

Economic Dimension

• Women’s labour force participation remains low (~20–25%), partly due to disproportionate childcare burden and lack of support systems.
• Time Use Survey shows women spend ~10 times more hours on unpaid domestic work than men, affecting productivity and economic inclusion.
• Employers may perceive maternity benefits as a cost burden, leading to hiring discrimination and “motherhood penalty” in wages and promotions.
• Extending parental leave without structural reforms may increase compliance costs for MSMEs, affecting employment generation and firm viability.

Social And Ethical Dimension

• Reinforces need to challenge patriarchal norms, where caregiving is seen as women’s responsibility and men as primary earners.
• Promotes shared parenting, improving child development outcomes and reducing gender bias in early socialisation.
• Addresses gender inequality in unpaid care work, enabling women greater participation in education, employment, and decision-making.
• However, risk exists that without behavioural change, leave may be underutilised or misused, failing to achieve intended social outcomes.

Labour And Structural Dimension

• Informal sector dominance (~90% workforce) limits reach of any statutory leave policy, excluding the most vulnerable workers from benefits.
• Gig economy workers face absence of social security and leave entitlements, leading to labour force exit during childbirth or caregiving phases.
• Small firm size and fragmented labour markets create structural barriers to universal parental leave implementation.

Comparative Perspective

• Scandinavian countries show that non-transferable paternity quotas increase male participation in childcare and improve female labour force participation.
• Evidence indicates positive correlation between paternity leave and gender equality, but contextual adaptation is necessary for India’s economic structure.

Challenges And Gaps

• Absence of universal legal framework for paternity leave creates inequality across sectors and employment types.
• Risk of reinforcing discrimination against women, as employers may avoid hiring women due to perceived higher costs of parental benefits.
• Cultural resistance due to deep-rooted patriarchal norms limits acceptance and effective utilisation of paternity leave.
• Economic constraints in MSMEs and informal sector make implementation financially and operationally difficult.
• Monitoring issues: subtle discrimination (promotion delays, role downgrading) difficult to prove under existing legal frameworks.

Way Forward

• Shift from maternity leave to gender-neutral parental leave, with non-transferable quota for fathers to ensure actual participation.
• Introduce phased implementation, starting with formal sector and gradually expanding through labour formalisation and social security frameworks.
• Provide government incentives/subsidies to MSMEs to offset cost burden and encourage compliance with parental leave policies.
• Promote behavioural change campaigns to address patriarchal norms and normalise shared caregiving responsibilities.
• Extend coverage to gig and informal workers through universal social security schemes and maternity benefit expansion models.

Prelims Pointers

• Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 (amended 2017): 26 weeks leave
• Informal workforce: ~90% of total employment
• Central govt paternity leave: ~15 days
• Sweden parental leave: 480 days (90 days reserved for each parent)
• Time Use Survey: women do ~10× unpaid work