The Hindu Newspaper Analysis

Editorial Topic : Regressive Move: West Bengal’s Night Duty Guideline

 GS-2 Mains Exam : Polity

Revision Notes

Regressive Move: West Bengal’s Night Duty Guideline

Introduction

• West Bengal government issues guideline to minimize night duty for women.
• Aims to ensure safety at the workplace.

Concerns Faced by Women Due to Night Shifts

• Regressive Move:
  • May lead to removal of women from the workforce instead of addressing violence.
  • Labor Force Participation Rate for urban women in India is low (25.2% in April-June 2024).
• Duty of the Centre and States:
  • Ensure safe working conditions for women in various sectors (healthcare, gig work, factory work, etc.).
• Reducing Time at Work:
  • May lead to job loss and financial independence for women.
• Rattirer Shaathi (helpers of the night) guideline:
  • Includes measures like separate rest rooms, safe zones with CCTVs, and a mobile app.

The Supreme Court’s Activism

• Suo Moto Cognisance:
  • Supreme Court takes up Kolkata case to address safety of medical professionals.
  • Announces national task force to investigate the issue.
• Gender Violence:
  • A serious concern in all spheres, especially the informal sector where women are employed in large numbers.
• Tough Laws and Strict Punishments:
  • Harsher laws and stringent punishments introduced after the 2012 Delhi rape have not been sufficient.
• Crime Reports:
  • NCRB’s annual report shows a high number of crimes against women (4.45 lakh cases in 2022).

Conclusion

• Justice R. Banumathi emphasized the need for effective implementation of laws, societal mindset change, and awareness creation on gender justice.
• Campaigns like “reclaim the night” highlight the need for governments and society to take proactive steps to ensure women’s safety.
• Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud emphasized the importance of implementing protocols in practice.
• Society, administration, government, and judiciary must work together to address gender-based violence.

 

 

The Hindu Newspaper Analysis

Editorial Topic : East Asia Crisis Spells Tough Choices for China, Russia

 GS-2 Mains Exam : IR

Revision Notes

 

Introduction

• Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’s chief, has pushed Israel and Iran to the brink of war.
• Iran’s closest partners, Russia and China, have maintained a distance and ambiguity.

The Gaza War

• A regional flashpoint subsumed into a larger big-power competition.
• Iran plays a central role, providing military support to Russia and cheap oil to China.

The ‘Influence Architecture’

• Individualistic aims of Russia and China: Tehran getting bogged down may require help from Moscow and Beijing.
• Common Enemy: United States.
• Individual Aims: Russia and China have built their own influence architectures.
• China’s Diplomacy: Mediating between Saudi Arabia and Iran, hosting Palestinian factions.
• Beijing’s Palestinian Cause: Supports Palestinian cause due to western colonization and general support for Arab positions.
• Russian Scenario: Militarily involved in Syria since 2015, maintaining permanent bases.
• Iran safety measures: Safeguarded Assad regime and strengthened proxies across Syria.

The Issue of Iran’s Nuclearization

• China-Russia-Western Alignment: Against Iran’s potential nuclearization.
• Successful election of Masoud Pezeshkian: May raise hope for nuclear negotiations.
• China’s preference: An Iranian leader who maintains anti-West stance but does not prioritize nuclear weapons.

Regional Realities

• Russia-West differences: Russia is more aggressive in undermining western power compared to China.
• Global South relations: Russia has maintained a workable position regarding Ukraine.
• African presence: Russia has mobilized in western Africa to challenge American and European presence.
• West Asian Presence: Russia has intelligence presence in Yemen to support Houthis.
• US equations: US remains adamant in preserving its small deployments in Syria and Iraq.

Conclusion

• For China and Russia, it would be important for Iran not to get embroiled in a traditional war with Israel.
• However, Tehran may find it difficult to respond to Haniyeh’s killing due to domestic and regional pressures.