| Topic: GS2 – Social Justice – Education |
| Context |
| ● There is a global shortage of doctors, yet access to medical education remains restricted, leading to increased international mobility of students.
●This raises concerns about quality control and regulatory challenges in foreign medical education. |
Global Medical Education Trends
- There is a growing shortage of medical doctors worldwide.
- At the same time, governments and medical professionals often oppose increasing access to medical education.
- This has led to a rise in international mobility of medical students across countries.
- Medical education, once international, is now nationally regulated but is again becoming international due to health demands.
International Medical Students and Quality Concerns
- The exact number of students studying medicine abroad is unknown, but estimates suggest over 200,000.
- Many students are enrolled in medical schools with questionable education quality.
- Before the conflict, one country alone had around 24,000 foreign medical students, mainly from South Asia.
Medical Education Challenges in One Country
- A country in South Asia faces a shortage of doctors, leading to intense competition for medical seats.
- About 2.3 million students take the national medical entrance exam each year, but only one in 22 gets admission.
- Due to high demand, over 20,000 students go abroad to study medicine.
- The main reasons include limited government medical seats and high private tuition fees.
- Countries like Russia, Ukraine (before conflict), Kazakhstan, the Philippines, China, Mauritius, and Nepal are preferred destinations.
Indian-Controlled Foreign Medical Institutions
- Some medical institutions abroad are controlled by Indian education groups.
- Examples include a medical college in Nepal and a Caribbean medical school operated by an Indian group.
- These institutions cater mainly to Indian students and expand Indian educational influence abroad.
Challenges of Studying Abroad
- Students studying medicine abroad must clear a national licensing exam to practice at home.
- They must also complete a medical internship upon returning.
- Those wishing to practice abroad must meet licensing requirements of other countries.
- The variation in medical education quality worldwide has led to strict regulations by governments.
Recent Policy Developments
- A recent government budget speech highlighted achievements in medical education.
- The government has added 1.1 lakh undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats over the last decade, a 130% increase.
- Plans include adding 10,000 more seats in 2026 and 75,000 seats over five years to meet growing demand.
Medical Education Beyond the Global South
- The trend of students going abroad for medical education is seen worldwide.
- Western countries like France, Germany, and Norway face medical seat shortages, pushing students to study in neighboring nations.
- Many students from the United States study in Hungary, Poland, Ireland, the Caribbean, and the UK.
- Medical universities in central and eastern Europe offer English-medium programs to attract international students.
Conclusion
- Governments recognize the issue, but solutions are costly and face resistance from medical professionals.
- The growing aging population requires more qualified doctors.
- A large number of students going abroad highlights the demand, but many foreign institutions lack quality control.
- More attention is needed to ensure medical education meets high standards globally.
| Practice Question: Discuss the challenges and implications of Indian students pursuing medical education abroad. Suggest policy measures to enhance domestic medical education capacity and quality. (150 Words /10 marks) |
China’s dam project opens the floodgates of concern
| Topic: GS2 – International Relations |
| Context |
| ● China’s plan to construct a hydroelectric dam on the Yarlung Zangbo in Tibet raises concerns for India regarding water security, environmental risks, and bilateral relations.
● The absence of a formal water-sharing agreement between India and China complicates cooperation on transboundary river management. |
Introduction
- China is planning to build a massive hydroelectric dam on the lower section of the upper stream of the Yarlung Zangbo river in Tibet.
- The river, known as the Brahmaputra in India, is vital for millions of people in northeastern India and Bangladesh.
- This project is part of China’s strategy to shift from coal to renewable energy under its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025).
- While China’s transition to clean energy is positive, the dam raises concerns for India regarding environmental impact, water flow, and bilateral relations.
Legal Concerns in International Water Law
- The dam’s construction brings up legal issues under international water law.
- The UN Watercourses Convention (1997) stresses equitable and reasonable utilization, preventing significant harm, and cooperation in managing shared water resources.
- Neither China nor India is a signatory to this convention.
- China follows its own water management principles, claiming it is a cooperative upper riparian state.
- However, lower riparian states, including India, accuse China of using water as a geopolitical tool.
- India depends on rivers originating in Tibet for one-third of its river water supply, making it vulnerable to China’s unilateral actions.
- India has raised concerns about Chinese water projects, and previous water-sharing MoUs on the Sutlej and Brahmaputra rivers have expired.
- There is hope that improving India-China relations may lead to their renewal.
- The Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) continues to handle water-related matters between the two countries in the absence of a formal agreement.
Environmental Risks and Seismic Concerns
- The dam is being built in a seismically active region, increasing the risk of structural failure in case of an earthquake.
- A major earthquake in Tibet in January 2025 resulted in over 120 deaths and more than 150 injuries, highlighting the region’s vulnerability.
- Large-scale dam construction disrupts river ecosystems, affects sediment flow, threatens biodiversity, and increases riverbank erosion.
- The impact extends beyond India to Bangladesh, as the Brahmaputra flows into Bangladesh after passing through India.
Bangladesh’s Stance and Regional Implications
- Unlike India, Bangladesh has not raised significant concerns over the project.
- Political shifts, particularly after the fall of the government in August 2024, have altered Dhaka’s foreign policy priorities.
- Bangladesh’s growing relations with China have influenced its stance on the hydroproject.
- Other lower riparian states, including Nepal, Bhutan, and Pakistan, may also be affected by water-related activities in Tibet.
Challenges in Regional Water Cooperation
- South Asian countries lack a strong regional organization to collectively negotiate transboundary river management.
- Political tensions among India and its neighbors make forming a regional water alliance difficult.
- The water dispute between India and China is influenced by broader political relations between the two countries.
Way Forward
- Recent India-China diplomatic engagements raise hopes for restoring expired water-sharing MoUs.
- Improved trust and information-sharing on transboundary rivers can help address concerns.
- China has assured India that the dam will not impact water flow, but India remains cautious.
- The Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) serves as the best platform for continued discussions on water management.
| Practice Question: Discuss the strategic and environmental concerns for India arising from China’s hydroelectric projects on the Yarlung Zangbo. Suggest measures India can take to safeguard its interests. (250 Words /15 marks) |
Is appointing ad-hoc judges a viable means to reduce backlog?
| Topic: GS2 – Indian Polity – Judiciary |
| Context |
| ● The Supreme Court, on January 30, 2025, allowed High Courts to appoint retired judges on an ad-hoc basis to address the increasing backlog of cases.
● These judges will only hear criminal appeals as part of a bench led by a sitting judge. |
Significance of Ad-hoc Judge Appointments
- The Supreme Court had earlier supported ad-hoc judge appointments in a 2021 ruling but their implementation remained limited.
- As of January 25, 2025, High Courts had a backlog of 62 lakh cases, making this step crucial for judicial efficiency.
- The renewed focus on ad-hoc judges raises hopes for long-term reforms to reduce delays in the judicial system.
Challenges in Implementing Ad-hoc Appointments
- The Constitution permits ad-hoc appointments in both the Supreme Court and High Courts, but these require presidential approval.
- The appointment process depends on government cooperation, which can lead to delays.
- Since ad-hoc judges do not handle politically sensitive cases, their appointments may face fewer hurdles.
Issues with the Regular Appointment Process
- The backlog of cases has persisted for decades due to a lack of systematic reforms in the judicial appointment process.
- Many qualified judges have been overlooked for elevation, or their promotions have been delayed.
- The appointment of ad-hoc judges operates separately from the regular process and will not interfere with judicial promotions.
- Delayed justice affects common litigants the most, and judicial delays increase financial strain on the prison system due to overcrowding.
Simplifying the Appointment Process
- The process of appointing ad-hoc judges should be made simpler and faster.
- The Chief Justice of a High Court should directly recommend a candidate to the Supreme Court collegium after securing their consent.
- The collegium can then forward the recommendation to the government.
- The 2021 ruling in the Lok Prahari case set a three-month timeline for completing this process.
- Additional clearances, such as Intelligence Bureau checks, could discourage retired judges from returning to the bench and create unnecessary delays.
Impact on Career Progression of Sitting Judges
- Ad-hoc judges serve for a limited term of two to three years and do not compete with sitting judges for promotion.
- Their appointments do not affect the seniority of High Court judges or promotions within the district judiciary.
- As of February 1, 2025, High Courts had 367 vacancies against a sanctioned strength of 1,122 judges, making ad-hoc appointments essential to addressing judicial shortages.
Concerns Over Infrastructure and Resources
- High Courts lack basic infrastructure, and appointing ad-hoc judges could increase the strain on resources.
- Judges need stenographers, private secretaries, and court masters to function efficiently.
- The government must allocate additional funds and resources to ensure the success of this initiative.
- Many High Courts have sufficient space that can be repurposed for additional courtrooms.
Difficulties in Attracting Retired Judges
- Retired judges may be reluctant to return due to better financial opportunities in arbitration or independent legal practice.
- Senior lawyers may also hesitate to accept ad-hoc roles, as they are barred from practising in the same High Court after their tenure.
- The Supreme Court is already facing difficulties in filling tribunal vacancies, highlighting the challenge of attracting qualified candidates.
Judicial Independence and Ad-hoc Appointments
- Judicial independence is a matter of personal integrity rather than external factors.
- Ad-hoc judges are expected to maintain fairness, even if they later return to legal practice.
- Since ad-hoc judges have no aspirations for promotion, concerns regarding career incentives do not arise.
- The primary goal of this initiative is to ensure faster disposal of pending cases and improve the efficiency of the judiciary.
| PYQ: Critically examine the Supreme Court’s judgement on ‘National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, 2014’ with reference to appointment of judges of higher judiciary in India. (150 words/10m) (UPSC CSE (M) GS-2 2017) |
| Practice Question: The Supreme Court has permitted High Courts to appoint retired judges on an ad-hoc basis to address the backlog of criminal appeals. Critically examine the viability of this measure in reducing judicial pendency and its potential impact on judicial independence and infrastructure. (250 Words /15 marks) |