09 April 2025 Indian Express Editorial


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Editorial 1 : For United India, Freeze Lok Sabha

Context: Delimitation in India  

 

Constitutional Framework: Articles Governing Delimitation

  • Article 81(1)
    1. It caps Lok Sabha seats at 530 for states and 20 for Union Territories (Current total: 543).
    2. It requires seats to be allocated to states in proportion to their population and mandates uniformity in population-to-seat ratio across states as far as practicable.
  • Article 81(2): Allows significant deviations from population proportionality (e.g. Goa’s 2 MPs for 1.5 million population vs. Delhi’s 7 MPs for 33.8 million population).
  • Article 82: Requires seat readjustment after each Census, governed by the Delimitation Act, 2002.

 

Historical Context: Key Amendments

  • 42nd Amendment (1976)
    1. Froze seat allocation based on the 1971 Census until 2001.
    2. No rationale provided for the freeze.
  • 84th Amendment (2002)
    1. Extended the freeze until 2026 to incentivize population stabilization through family planning programs.
    2. Reason cited: Promote population control in states with higher growth rates.

 

Demographic Disparities

  • Regional Population Growth (2001–2026 Estimates)
    1. High-Growth States: The increase in the population of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand has been 55.33%, and 51.4% for Bihar and Jharkhand.
    2. Low-Growth States: The increase in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka has been 15.5%, 28% and 24.2% respectively.
  • Consequences of Current Freeze
    1. Southern states face reduced political representation if delimitation resumes (due to slower population growth).
    2. Northeastern states already enjoy disproportionate representation (e.g. smaller populations but higher MP count).

 

Arguments Against Expanding Parliamentary Seats

  • Functional Inefficacy
    1. Increasing Lok Sabha seats (e.g. to 700) would not improve legislative efficiency or lawmaking quality.
    2. Parliament’s dysfunction (e.g. frequent adjournments, poor debate quality) persists regardless of size.
  • Economic and Administrative Costs
    1. Financial Burden: Higher infrastructural costs of housing, salaries, pensions etc. with no tangible benefits.
    2. Cabinet Expansion
      • Article 75(1A) allows ministries to expand up to 15% of Lok Sabha strength (e.g. 100 ministers for 700 MPs).
      • Larger cabinets lead to bloated bureaucracy, not better governance.

 

Way Forward

  • Constitutional Reforms: Amend Articles 81 and 82
  1. Freeze Lok Sabha seats at 550 and state assembly seats at current levels.
  2. Abandon population proportionality as a criterion due to asymmetric demographic changes.
    • Political Pragmatism
  3. Avoid unrest in southern states by retaining current seat allocations.
  4. Prioritize national unity over numerical expansion of legislatures.

 

Conclusion: Delimitation based on population is unworkable due to uneven demographic trends. A constitutional cap on parliamentary seats and abandoning population-based allocation are necessary to prevent regional discord.

 

Editorial 2 : Unlocking Medical Data’s Value

Context: Giving people incentive to digitise medical data can help fill critical gaps in health information  

 

Introduction: Population & Health Data Potential

  • India’s 1.4 billion population exceeds the OECD bloc (38 countries).
  • Data generated by Indian citizens (adjusted for PPP) could soon match OECD nations’ value.
  • Policy Priority: Architects of India’s data governance must prioritize enabling this value creation.
  • Policy Challenge: Current policies conflate data as identity (personal/security focus) with data as property (economic asset). This confusion stifles value creation and innovation, especially in healthcare.

 

Current State of Healthcare Digitization

  • Fragmented Systems
    1. Private Hospitals: Data is digitized but is in siloes (bespoke systems).
    2. Government Hospitals: Basic digitization via National Health Mission (NHM).
    3. Small Clinics: Majority lack incentives to digitize, creating gaps in interoperable records.
  • Consequences
    1. No unified digital trail for patients.
    2. This creates a barrier for health insurers, clinical researchers and AI developers.

 

Efforts to Address the Gap: Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)

  • Framework
    1. Citizen Ownership: Patients own their health records.
    2. Interoperability: Accessible across registered facilities.
  • Implementation Challenges
    1. Lack of Incentives: Doctors/patients prioritize immediate care over future data value.
    2. Adoption Hurdles: Clinics and small providers resist digitization due to costs/complexity.

 

Western Models & Their Limitations for India

  • US: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
    1. Key Features
      • Patients can access records but cannot share them with third parties.
      • Anonymized Data Monetization: Hospitals/insurers profit from de-identified data; patients receive no share.
    2. Drawback: Corporatized model excludes citizens from economic benefits.
  • UK/EU Model: Statist Ownership
    1. Key Features
      • Healthcare institutions (e.g. NHS) own patient records.
      • Data usage is governed by institutional policies.
    2. Drawback: Centralized control clashes with India’s privatized, decentralized healthcare system.
  • Western Models Fail in India
    1. India’s healthcare is 80% private and fragmented.
    2. Neither corporatist (US) nor statist (UK/EU) models align with India’s structure.

 

Proposed Solution: Citizen-Centric Data Governance

  • Free Market for Data Sharing
    1. Principles
      • Treat health data as citizen-owned property and not just an identity.
      • Allow patients to share/sell data to commercial vendors.
    2. Expected Outcomes
      • Patients incentivize ABDM-compliant clinics creating a demand for digitization.
      • Emergence of data intermediaries and health information exchanges.
      • Innovation in health IT systems leading to better interfaces for doctors/patients.
  • Safeguards & Tools
    1. Privacy Protection
      • Digital public goods for removing personally identifiable information (PII).
      • Use of tools to preserve privacy.
    2. Regulatory Framework
      • Address information asymmetry via digital forensics tools.
      • Ensure transparency in data transactions.

 

Conclusion and Way Forward

  • There is a need to prioritize data as property to unlock economic value and empower citizens to control, monetize, and share health data.
  • Incentivize clinics to adopt ABDM through patient demand.
  • Invest in privacy-preserving technologies as public infrastructure.
  • Avoid importing Western frameworks. Government should tailor policies catering to India’s decentralized reality.