THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 01 May 2020 (Religion and freedom: On India and communal violence(The Hindu))



Religion and freedom: On India and communal violence(The Hindu)



Mains Paper 1:Society 
Prelims level: Communal violence
Mains level: Communal violence and its effects on Indian democracy 

Context:

  • Religious freedom is of paramount importance, not because it is about religion, but because it is about freedom. 
  • The characterisation by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) of India as a country of particular concern.
  • In its annual report, is not entirely surprising, considering its dimand known views about sectarian violence and aggravatinggovernmental measures over the last year. 

Repudiation: 

  • The Indian government not only repudiatedthe report but also ridiculedthe USCIRF. The autonomous, bipartisancommission’s influence over any U.S. executive action is limited and occasional but its presumption of global authority appears amusingly expansive.
  • Whether or not the U.S. government acts on its recommendation to impose targeted sanctionson Indian government agencies and officials depends on American strategic interests. 
  • The U.S. has used arguments of freedom, democracy, tolerance, and transparency as tools in its strategic pursuits(tracking), but there is no proof of any uniform or predictable pattern of enforcement of such moral attributes.

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Embracing and rejecting:

  • The process can be selective and often arbitraryin spotlighting countries. Mirroring this pattern, India selectively approaches global opinions on itself, embracing and celebrating laudatoryones and rejecting inconvenient ones. 
  • The frantic, and relatively successful, efforts to raise its Ease of Doing Business ranking by the World Bank is a case in point. 
  • Many of these reports have a circulatory life — the USCIRF report quotes U.N. Special Rapporteurs to buttressits point on the discriminatory outcome of the National Register ofCitizens in Assam.
  • Overall, such reports contribute to the construction of an image of a country, and the Indian government is cognisantof this pattern. 
  • In March, the Indian government told Niti Aayog to track 32 global indices and engage with the bodies that measure them, to advance reform and growth. 

 Multi-religious democracy:

  • India advertises itself as a multi-religious democracy and as an adherentto global norms of rule of law. It also aspires to be on the table of global rule making. For a country with such stated ambitions, its record on religious freedom as reflected through events of the last one year is deeply disconcerting.
  • The catalogueof religious violence, incitementand wreckingof the rule of law in several parts of the country remains an unsettling fact. The partisannature of the ruling dispensationis also difficult to wish away.  

Conclusion:

  • Reputation is important for a country’s economic development and global standing but beyond that instrumental perspective, rule of law and communal harmony are essential for any functioning democracy. 
  • India must protect its freedoms, and come down heavilyreligious violence.

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General Studies Pre. Cum Mains Study Materials

Prelims Questions:

Q.1)With reference to the Remdesivir, consider the following statements:
1. It is a drug with antiviral properties that was manufactured by US-based biotechnology company in 2014, to treat Ebola cases.
2. Remdesivir is currently available in India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer.......................

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Mains Questions:
Q.1) Do you think the rise of communal violence is a threat for Indian democracy? Comment.