[UPSC World]

• Homelessness or houselessness is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing.
• Some of the reasons for homelessness are Extreme poverty, Inadequate affordable housing, High levels of inequality, Discrimination, Low wages, High rents, The soaring cost of living, etc.
• The 2011 census estimated Nearly 17.7 lakhs people as houseless, however, the census fails to capture the entire homeless population.

Challenges in addressing homelessness:

• Lack of record: There is an absence of official records enumerating deaths due to homelessness. It undermines the scale of the crisis in the era of statistics and showcases states apathy.
• Extreme poverty: Homelessness is one of the worst forms of marginalisation as most homeless individuals suffer from malnutrition and extreme poverty.
• Poor health condition: Access to healthcare facilities and their affordability is also a hurdle. Exorbitant conditions affect mental health in many cases.
• Vulnerability to violence: Moreover, these conditions also give rise to drug and alcohol consumption. It creates a conducive situation for substance abuse. Such circumstances increase an individual’s vulnerability to violence, especially in the case of women and children.
• Social castigation: Stigmatisation and social marginalisation compound their precarious situation. In a nutshell, homelessness strips a person from all human rights.

Addressing the issue of homelessness

• Responsibility of ULBs: The responsibility of accessing the homeless population rests with the urban local bodies. Local authorities need to conduct surveys to assess the homeless population.
• Decentralisation of funds: State governments must implement the 74th Constitutional Amendment in its true spirit. Its implementation will empower ULBs, which can then bring all the shelter homes under the ambit of SMCs and train them to manage local issues.
• Ensuring the benefits through ULBs: It can help them to secure benefits and guarantee the convergence of various government schemes, thus also addressing deep-rooted issues like violence and exclusion.

The Shelter for Urban Homeless (SUH) scheme seeks to provide shelter to the urban poor. SUH is a sub-scheme under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM).

[UPSC World]

• Currently, the main reason for the decline in India’s exports is weaker global demand.
• Global economic growth is slowing rapidly as a result of consistently high inflation in developed countries, which has resulted in a sharp tightening of monetary policy by almost all central banks.
• Going forward, the weakness in India’s exports is likely to sustain and in turn, will have a dampening effect on the growth of India’s gross domestic product (GDP).
• Did you know India exports nearly $400 bn worth of products but ranks poor 20th in total export by country?
• Its top export item is Refined petroleum.

[UPSC World]

Arguments for using Social Media by public Servants

1. Public interaction: Continuous connectivity between officers and citizens, which helps in quick problem-solving and hassle-free administration.
2. Accountability: Through Social Media, officers portray their life – thus there are chances of being scrutinized at every point.
3. To gather information and public help.

Arguments against using Social Media by public servants

1. Against Oath of Secrecy: Public servants take an oath of office allegiance before their assumption of duty because the government wants disciplined, loyal, honest and more like robotic (zombie) workers.
2. Against Anonymity: Civil Servants give advice to ministers. The advice they give needs to be given both freely and also without fear of adverse public or political reactions and without fear of future career damage.
3. Gain public support for personal purpose/fame.

[UPSC World]

She was wrong as:

• According to disciplinary rules, a government servant cannot become a member of a political organization, or any organization of such a nature, or express herself freely with regard to anything that has to do with the governance of the country.
• She is not a stakeholder in the decision-making process.

She may be not wrong:

• As a fundamental right cannot be curtailed except by a valid law made by a legislature.
• In Lipika Paul vs The State Of Tripura, the court said, a Government servant(the petitioner) is not devoid of her right of free speech, a fundamental right which can be curtailed only by a valid law.
• According to Kerala High Court, one cannot be prevented from expressing his views merely because he is an employee.

Rule 9 of Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules:

• No Government servant shall make any statement of fact or opinion, which has the effect of an adverse criticism of any current or recent policy or action of the Central Government or a State Government.

[UPSC World]

• Sarpanch pati is an elected member’s relative (mostly husband) of elected women who run the office in place of them.

Issues with ‘Sarpanch Pati’:

• Most of the women’s sarpanches do not attend meetings that take place at the district/block/village.
• Defeats the purpose of reservation for women in Panchayat
• Study says, more than 80 per cent of women sarpanches are proxy sarpanches even today.

• Punjab had implemented a 50 per cent reservation for women in Panchayati Raj institutions.

[UPSC World]

Did you know 17 people have been killed by lightning over the last two days in various parts of different states?

• Lightning is a very rapid and massive discharge of electrification in the atmosphere, some of which is directed toward the earth’s surface.

• The discharges are generated in giant moisture-bearing clouds that are 10-12 km tall and temperatures at the top of these clouds are in the range of -35° to-45°C.

[UPSC World]

• Tourism in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) has shown a persistent upward trend over many decades except during the pandemic (2020-21).
• IHR is spread across 2 Union Territories and 11 Indian States.

Impacts of tourism on IHR:

1. Environmental impacts such as pollution (land, soil, air, water), biodiversity loss, exploitation of natural resources, increased waste generation, etc.
2. Sprawling urbanization and traffic congestion
3. Loss of indigenous culture
4. Food insecurity etc.

Recently, the Ministry of Tourism has also launched a National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism.

• The strategy has identified the strategic pillars for the development of sustainable tourism like promoting environmental sustainability, protecting biodiversity, promoting economic sustainability, etc.
• Other Recommendations for sustainable tourism:

• Strengthening community-based tourism.
• Establishment of regulated tourism practices with the promotion of sustainable agendas.
• Levying a green tax on tourist vehicles, proper solid waste management systems, etc.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by  UPSC World.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by  UPSC World.

[UPSC World]

Issues with methane:

• Methane (CH4) accounts for a small portion of human-induced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to carbon dioxide (CO2), but it is 80 times more potent GHG than CO2.
• According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world must cut methane emissions by at least 30 % by 2030 to keep the 1.5°C temperature limit within reach.
  • It is also the goal of the Global Methane Pledge launched at COP (Conference of Parties) to catalyse action to reduce methane emissions.
  • It was led by the United States and the European Union. However, India is not part of it.