INDIA RATIFIED ILO’S CONVENTION | MAINS | GS – II | SOCIAL JUSTICE |THE HINDU

INDIA RATIFIED ILO’S CONVENTION | MAINS | GS – II | SOCIAL JUSTICE |THE HINDU

January 20, 2017 xaam orgCurrentAffair 0 Comments

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What did India ratify?

About 4.3 million children wake up to a day of labour and not school. Another 9.8 million are officially out-of-school.

Child labour perpetuates illiteracy and poverty. It is the root cause of organised crimes such as human trafficking, terror and drug mafia.

The Government of India decided last week to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labour and Convention 138 on Minimum Age of Employment.

This decision will have a path-breaking impact on the lives of those who are forced to remain on the margins of society and subject to exploitative conditions.

What are the bottlenecks?

The main bottleneck in the way of India ratifying Conventions 182 and 138 was addressing forced or compulsory recruitment of children and appropriately raising the age of employment in hazardous occupations from 14 to 18 years.

Consequent to the passing of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2016 by the Indian Parliament prohibiting the employment of children up to 14 years of age, and children up to 18 years of age in hazardous occupations, it was imperative that we ratified Conventions 182 and 138.

Moreover, our failure to ratify the two conventions, which are two of the eight core labour conventions, despite being a founder-member of the ILO, reflected poorly on us as a nation.

What measures Govt. may take?

As a matter of urgency, the government will take immediate and effective measures to prohibit and eliminate the worst forms of child labour: child slavery (including the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage, and forced recruitment for armed conflict), child prostitution and their use in pornography, use of children for illicit activities such as drug trafficking, and exposure to any hazardous work which is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.

Way ahead:

An ideal law guides the way and doesn’t dictate. Under the provisions of the ILO Conventions 182 and 138, India will not adhere to a fixed deadline by which the worst forms of child labour must be eliminated.

It will ultimately depend on the level of moral courage, public concern, social empathy, political will and the implementation of resources invested in the development and protection of children.

Category: Mains | GS – II | Social Justice

Source: The Hindu

NPPA Vs DoP | GS-II|

NPPA Vs DoP | GS-II|

Why in news?

The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has ruled in favour of drug companies, prohibiting the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) from reducing prices of medicines that are selling below the capped prices.

Why there is tussle between NPPA and DoP?

The pricing authority monitors prices of both scheduled drugs, the prices of which are capped by it, as well as non-scheduled drugs, which are allowed to hike prices annually on the basis of an increase in WPI.

The matter was taken up by the DoP after the Indian Pharmaceuticals Alliance (IPA) made a submission to against an order passed by the NPPA in March last year. The NPPA revises ceiling prices with effect from April 1 each year.

This issue had added to the increasing friction between the NPPA and the pharmaceutical industry, which has been fighting orders issued by the authority, including capping of prices of essential medicines under existing laws.

What IPA says?

IPA, in it’s appeal to the DoP had said the order, which directed manufacturers to reduce prices of drugs that were selling below capped prices, was “arbitrary and high handed and that such a directive by NPPA is in excess of the powers and authorities vested in it under DPCO, 2013,” the DoP order said.

What NPPA has contended?

The NPPA had contended last year that under the rules “all manufacturers are required to reduce Maximum Retail Price as per decline in WPI (wholesale price index).”

What DoP has contended?

The DoP, however, said the NPPA has “erred” in its interpretations of the rules.

“The companies already selling their scheduled formulations lower than the ceiling price may not be required to further lower the prices of their products by applicability of negative WPI,” the DoP has said in an order, taking away from of the teeth from an earlier order passed by the NPPA last year in March.

According to the DPCO, 2013, “In case of decline in wholesale price index, there shall be a corresponding reduction in the maximum retail price and in case of scheduled formulations produced or available in the market before the date of notification of revised ceiling price, the manufacturers shall ensure within a period of forty-five days of the date of such notification that the maximum retail price (MRP) of such scheduled formulation does not exceed the revised ceiling price (plus local taxes as applicable)…”

The DoP, however, has said the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy, 2012, stipulates a decrease in ceiling prices if there is a reduction in the WPI, and the NPPA is expected to take action against companies selling drugs over that cap.

As per DoP’s order, “It is the ceiling price that has to be changed in respect of a scheduled drug by NPPA, that is, those manufacturers selling their products above ceiling price are required to bring the price to the new level of ceiling price fixed by NPPA in the light of new WPI”.

Category: Mains| GS-II| Government Intervention

Source: Business Line

Source: xaam.in