| Topic: GS2 – Governance, GS2 – Social Justice – Health |
| Context |
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| What is the supreme court ruling? |
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Role of Domicile Quotas in State Healthcare Planning
- Domicile-based reservations help States retain doctors who are familiar with the local healthcare system, ensuring a steady supply of specialists.
- States spend a large amount of money on medical education with the expectation that these graduates will serve the local population.
- Unlike undergraduate courses that provide basic medical training, post-graduate programs are essential for creating specialists in various medical fields.
- The Court’s reliance on past legal cases does not recognize the difference between undergraduate and post-graduate medical education.
- Without domicile quotas, States will have to rely on hiring doctors from outside, which is often unpredictable and inefficient.
Effect on State Investment in Medical Education
- If States cannot ensure that their trained doctors will stay and serve locally, they may reduce their investment in medical colleges.
- Competitive federalism encourages States to improve their medical institutions, but this decision might weaken that motivation.
- Without domicile reservations, funding for medical colleges could decrease, leading to poor infrastructure and widening healthcare gaps.
Medical Education and Public Health Connection
- The right to life under Article 21 includes access to quality healthcare, which is closely linked to medical education.
- State medical colleges play a major role in public health, not just in education but also in providing healthcare services.
- States need the power to decide admission policies to ensure that healthcare needs are met.
- Too much central control over medical education can prevent States from effectively planning their healthcare systems.
Problems with a Strict Merit-Based System
- The ruling assumes a rigid merit-based system but does not address flaws in medical entrance exams.
- NEET-PG has structural issues, including cases where candidates with negative marks qualify due to percentile-based cutoffs.
- In 2023, qualifying percentiles for NEET-PG were reduced to zero to fill vacant seats, showing inconsistencies in assessing merit.
- Previous legal decisions have recognized that merit should consider social and regional factors, not just exam scores.
- Domicile-based reservations help provide healthcare to underserved areas by ensuring specialists remain in their home States.
Need for a More Balanced Approach
- The Court’s decision is based on older legal cases that do not reflect today’s urgent need for specialists, especially with rising diseases and past health crises.
- Instead of removing domicile quotas completely, a better approach would be to link these reservations with service obligations.
- Some States have already implemented policies where medical graduates must serve in public hospitals in exchange for reserved seats.
- This ruling increases central control over medical admissions, which may lead to reduced State investment and wider regional disparities.
- Over-centralization of medical education policies may harm the federal structure of healthcare.
- A strong and sustainable healthcare system needs policies that balance merit, State autonomy, and public health needs.
| Practice Question: How does the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dr. Tanvi Behl vs Shrey Goyal (2025) on domicile-based reservations in post-graduate medical admissions affect State healthcare planning? Discuss its impact on medical education and competitive federalism. (250 Words /15 marks) |
2. Who will apologise to the ‘Himalayans’?
| Topic: GS3 – Environment – Environmental pollution and degradation |
| Context |
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Norway’s Apology for Indigenous Assimilation Policies
- Norway’s Parliament has issued a formal apology for past policies that aimed to assimilate indigenous groups such as the Sami, Kven, and Forest Finn peoples.
- These policies, called Norwegianisation, were implemented between the 1850s and 1960s to suppress native languages and cultures.
- The government has proposed measures to address ongoing discrimination, including protecting indigenous languages and monitoring inclusion efforts from 2027.
- Despite these efforts, challenges remain, such as endangered Sami languages and inequalities in healthcare, education, and land rights.
Parallels Between Nordic and Himalayan Communities
- Similar to Nordic regions, the Himalayan region also faces environmental challenges and historical exploitation of resources.
- The Himalayan region spans 2,500 km from Afghanistan to northeast India, containing the world’s largest ice reserves after the poles.
- This region is home to 52 million people from various ethnic groups, including those in Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
- Many of these communities have experienced assimilation pressures through colonial rule, post-independence policies, and modern economic changes.
Impact of Colonial Rule on Himalayan Communities
- British colonial policies disrupted Himalayan trade and local economies.
- In the northeast, trade blockades and forced agreements affected goods like tea, gold, silk, and opium.
- In Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, forests were exploited for timber to build railway tracks, leading to large-scale deforestation.
- Between 1853 and 1910, over 80,000 km of railway tracks were laid, destroying vast forested areas in Garhwal and Kumaon.
Post-Independence Policies and Economic Changes
- In the early years after independence, policies aimed to respect tribal ways of life.
- However, by the 5th and 6th Five-Year Plans, resource exploitation intensified, disrupting local ecosystems and cultures.
- In the 1990s, economic changes forced Himalayan states to generate revenue, leading to reliance on tourism and hydropower.
Challenges of Hydropower Projects
- Hydropower projects were promoted as a way to generate state revenue and reduce financial dependence.
- Arunachal Pradesh was expected to meet 40% of India’s power demand after completing major hydropower projects.
- However, these projects often ignored local laws and customary land ownership, leading to displacement and cultural erosion.
- The involvement of bureaucrats, politicians, and corporations in large-scale land acquisitions led to environmental damage and loss of traditional practices.
Need for Recognition and Justice
- Norway’s apology for past injustices highlights the importance of acknowledging historical wrongs and committing to reconciliation.
- The Himalayan region has also faced resource exploitation and cultural erosion, but there has been no formal recognition of these issues.
- Sustainable and inclusive development is necessary to protect the cultural identity and environment of Himalayan communities.
- The question remains whether similar accountability and justice will be extended to the affected communities in the Himalayas.
| Practice Question: How have assimilation policies impacted indigenous communities globally? Compare Norway’s approach to reconciliation with the challenges faced by indigenous groups in the Himalayan region. (150 Words /10 marks) |
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