Q.1) Anti-defection law has not been very effective in curbing the defections. Discuss the reasons and suggest the measures to make the law more effective. (15 marks - 250 words)
Why this question? - The Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) has approached the Supreme Court of India to win back its 6 MLAs, who have joined the ruling party in Rajasthan.
Introduction - A brief about the 10th schedule.
Body -
- Salient features of 10th sch and 91st Constitutional amendment.
- Issues associated with defection
- Challenges faced by the anti-defection law reducing its effectiveness.
Way forward - Highlight the recommendations of NCRWC, Law commission, Kihoto Hollohan etc.
Conclusion - Summarize based on above discussion.
Q.2) The COVID -19 pandemic has induced reverse migration from the Gulf region towards South Asia. Discuss. 15 marks (250 words)
Why this question:
The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic distress has considerably impacted the South Asian Migrant workers in the Gulf region.
Intro:
South Asians constitute the largest chunk of migration into Gulf region, with India occupying the numero uno position amongst south asian nations.
Body:
Can tell about some features of workers:
- Males dominate the workforce and are employed in construction sector
- Live in small room with multiple people for saving money
- Send huge remittances to their countries of origin
- Doesn’t have robust government security net like the natives of gulf region
Pandemic is inducing reverse migration:
- Shortage of food and other basic necessities
- Salary Cuts and Retrenchment (Most prominent in construction sector)
- Lack of access to medical services and medicines (Earlier Kerala Government was providing this but suspension of air travel halted the process)
- No safety net, welfare mechanisms, or labour rights
- COVID-19 spike in these labour camps
- Growing demand for nationalisation of labour in gulf region
Steps Taken for the Workers:
- The Indian Government has repatriated over 7 lakh NRIs from various destinations under the Vande Bharat mission and a similar move is followed by other south asian economies.
- It has also announced the SWADES initiative that focuses on skill mapping of citizens returning from abroad.
- The Kerala Government has announced Dream Kerala initiative to utilise the diverse skill sets of migrants.
- The Kerala High Court in July directed the Government to set up a mechanism to assist workers in seeking compensation from their immigrant country.
- The order was based on a petition filed by Lawyers Beyond Borders, an international network of legal experts.
- Bangladesh has announced a special package for the resettlement of return migrants which includes money on arrival, money to launch self-employment projects, and compensation for the families of those who died abroad from COVID-19.
- The Overseas Employment Corporation in Pakistan has come out with special programmes to upgrade the skills of returnees.
Way Ahead:
- The countries of origin are now faced with the challenge of rehabilitating, reintegrating, and resettling these migrant workers.
- The past three major crises in the Gulf – the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the global economic crisis, and Nitaqat in Saudi Arabia – had not triggered a massive return migration.
- The need of the hour is a comprehensive migration management system for countries that send workers as well as those that receive them. No South Asian country except Sri Lanka has an adequate migration policy.
- The pandemic has given us an opportunity to voice the rights of South Asian migrants and to bring the South Asia-Gulf migration corridor within the ambit of SAARC, the ILO, and UN conventions.
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