Context:

• Recent, Supreme Court judgement on disabled people.

Issue:

• Universities had allowed 10% relaxation in the minimum relaxation marks for SC/St and 5% concession for disabled people.
• Challenged in High Court

Delhi High Court Judgement in 2012:

• Discriminatory and arbitrary in nature.
• Logic: No meaningful enforcement of rights and no equal opportunities to the disabled without proper education in those suffering from disabilities.

Supreme Court Judgement:

• Persons suffering from disabilities are also socially backward and entitled to the same benefits of relaxation as Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe candidates in public employment and education.
• People suffering from disabilities are also socially backward.
• New academic courses should be crafted to specifically cater to the needs of intellectually disabled persons.

Significance of Decision:

• Recognised the difficulties faced by the disabled in accessing education or employment, regardless of their social status.
• Undertook recognition of under-privilege and underrepresented nature of disabled.
• Illiteracy among the disabled is higher than general population, hence makes sense to provide equal benefits as SC/ST.
• Illiteracy rate among disabled population is at 51% as per census 2011.
• Overall disabled population in India is at 2.2%.

Reference: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/for-equal-treatment-the-hindu-editorial-on-the-supreme-court-extending-benefits-to-the-disabled/article32106048.ece

 

Explained: What forecast of shrinking populations means for India and world

Analysis in Lancet:

• The world population will peak much earlier than previously estimated.
• Projected peak at 9.73 billion in 2064 than earlier projected estimates of 11 billion by 2100.
• Decline of global Total Fertility rate (TFR) from 2.37 in 2017 to 1.66 in 2100.

Estimates for India:

• Peak Population of 1.6 billion in 2048 compared to 1.38 billion in 2017.
• Decline to 1.09 billion by 2100.
• TFR already below to 2.1 in 2019.
• Will witness steep decline until 2040.
• Decline in working age individuals (20-64 years) from 748 million in 2017 to 578 million in 2100.
• From 2017 to 2100, India is projected to rise up the list of countries with the largest GDP, from 7th to 3rd.

Reasons behind it:

• Female empowerment
• Access to the contraceptives

Reference: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-what-forecast-of-shrinking-populations-means-for-india-and-world-6507785/