Daily Editorial Analysis 13 August 2025

Debunking the Myth of Job Creation

Context

• On July 1, 2025, the government approved the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme with an ambitious outlay of ₹99,446 crore, aiming to stimulate employment generation.
• While the scheme reflects a commitment to addressing India’s persistent labour market challenges, its design and focus raise critical concerns.
• In a labour market marked by deep capital-labour asymmetries, a formal–informal sector divide, and a chronic mismatch between employment opportunities and employability, the ELI risks reinforcing existing inequalities rather than resolving them.

Employer-Centric Design and Labour Market Mismatch

• At its core, the ELI Scheme adopts an employer-centric approach, providing fiscal incentives to employers, particularly in the manufacturing sector, to create jobs.
• However, this strategy overlooks the structural issue of skill mismatch.
• The Economic Survey 2024–25 reveals that only 8.25% of graduates secure jobs aligned with their qualifications, while over half are underemployed in semi-skilled or elementary roles.
• Wage data further highlights the disparity: nearly 46% of graduates in low-skill jobs earn less than ₹1 lakh per annum, while only 4.2% in specialised positions reach ₹4–8 lakh.
• With merely 4.9% of Indian youth receiving formal vocational training, industry demand and workforce preparedness remain deeply misaligned.
• In this context, subsidising employers to hire an under-skilled workforce does little to enhance productivity or worker well-being.
• Instead, it risks strengthening employers’ bargaining power, widening wage gaps, and perpetuating a cycle of low-skill, low-wage employment.

Concerns Surrounding Employment Linked Incentive

• Exclusion of the Informal Sector

  • The scheme’s reliance on Employee’s Provident Fund Organisation registration effectively limits its benefits to the formal sector, thereby excluding 90% of the workforce employed informally.
  • This exclusion not only sidelines workers without social security and formal contracts but also entrenches a dual labour market, one where the state invests heavily in the formal sector while leaving the informal sector unsupported.
  • Such a policy orientation channels public resources towards enterprises already better positioned, marginalising low-wage, unregistered workers who absorb most new labour market entrants.

• Risks of Disguised Unemployment and Sectoral Bias

  • Without safeguards, the ELI Scheme could inadvertently normalise disguised unemployment, situations where individuals appear employed but contribute minimally to output, common in agriculture and informal services.
  • Employers might also reclassify existing jobs as new employment to claim subsidies, undermining the policy’s intent.

• Marginalisation of Women and Youth

  • Moreover, the scheme’s emphasis on manufacturing reflects an outdated assumption about its job-creating potential.
  • Manufacturing now accounts for less than 13% of total employment, with agriculture and services together employing nearly 70% of the workforce.
  • Rising automation and capital intensity have reduced manufacturing’s employment elasticity, making it an increasingly limited avenue for large-scale job creation.
  • This sectoral bias risks further marginalising women, rural youth, and informal workers, many of whom find employment in low-skill services or agriculture.

The Path Forward: Towards a More Equitable Employment Strategy

• While the ELI Scheme signals political will to tackle unemployment, its current design risks deepening structural inequalities.
• A more effective approach would integrate robust skill development and education reforms, ensuring that low-skilled workers can meet industry needs and access better-quality jobs.
• Policy emphasis should shift from short-term headcount increases to long-term strategies that sustain employment, enhance productivity, and strengthen labour rights.

Conclusion

• True employment generation must extend beyond wage subsidies to employers.
• It requires addressing the roots of underemployment: inadequate skilling infrastructure, weak social security coverage, and sectoral imbalances in job creation.
• An equitable and sustainable employment strategy must recognise the realities of India’s diverse labour market, ensuring that both formal and informal workers can share in the gains of economic growth.

Debunking the Myth of Job Creation FAQs

Q1. What is the main objective of the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme?
Ans. The ELI Scheme aims to support employment generation by providing fiscal incentives to employers, particularly in the manufacturing sector.

Q2. Why is the scheme criticised for being employer-centric?
Ans. It is criticised for focusing on subsidising employers without addressing the skill mismatch between workers’ abilities and industry needs.

Q3. How does the ELI Scheme exclude most of India’s workforce?
Ans. The scheme applies mainly to firms registered with the Employee’s Provident Fund Organisation, excluding around 90% of workers in the informal sector.

Q4. What is one risk of focusing heavily on manufacturing under the scheme?
Ans. Manufacturing now contributes less than 13% to total employment, and increased automation has reduced its potential for large-scale job creation.

Q5. What alternative approach can be suggested for employment generation?
Ans. An alternate approach would include investing in skill development, improving job quality, and ensuring long-term, equitable, and sustainable employment opportunities.

Source: The Hindu

Recognise Organ Donation as a Lifeline

Context:

• Organ transplantation is a landmark medical achievement and the most effective treatment for terminal organ failure.
• However, India faces a severe shortage of donor organs, leading to over 500,000 preventable deaths annually.
• Despite an increase in transplants from 4,990 in 2013 to 18,378 in 2023, only 1,099 involved deceased donors.
• With an organ donation rate of just 0.8 per million people—far below Spain and the US (over 45 per million)—the gap between demand and supply remains critical, making many lives needlessly lost.
• This article highlights the urgent need to address India’s severe organ shortage by dispelling persistent myths, improving public trust, and implementing robust policies to boost donation rates.

Dispelling Myths to Encourage Organ Donation

• A major barrier to organ donation in India is the persistence of myths and fears among families of the deceased.
• Many believe that organ retrieval disfigures the body, making proper funeral rites impossible, or that it violates religious traditions.
• In truth, organ removal is performed respectfully, preserving the donor’s appearance for final ceremonies, and all major faiths regard it as a compassionate act aligned with spiritual values.
• Another false fear is that doctors may hastily declare brain death to obtain organs.
• The reality is that brain death certification is governed by the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, which mandates a strict, transparent, and legally binding process.
  • This involves multiple expert confirmations, clinical assessments at set intervals, and thorough documentation, ensuring ethical conduct and eliminating bias.
• Public education and awareness are essential to overcome these misconceptions and increase donation rates.

Breaking Age and Health Myths Around Organ Donation

• A common misconception is that only young accident victims can be organ donors.
• In reality, many organs and tissues—including kidneys, liver segments, lungs, corneas, bone, skin, and heart valves—can be donated by older individuals or those who die of natural causes.
• To address such myths, sustained awareness efforts are vital. Television, social media campaigns, and stories of real donor families and recipients can make the message relatable.
• Community workshops, led by trained counsellors, can directly tackle concerns about funeral rites, medical eligibility, and donation protocols.
• Integrating organ donation education into school and college curricula can instil a culture of giving early on, while peer-led programs can enhance empathy and understanding.
• Health-care professionals must also play a proactive role—through regular training—to initiate sensitive, informed conversations with families.
• Dedicated transplant coordination teams, such as those at Apollo Hospitals, provide compassionate guidance, ensuring families can make well-informed decisions.

Building Public Trust to Bridge the Organ Donation Gap

• Bridging India’s vast gap between organ demand and supply requires sustained national commitment, strong policy measures, and community involvement.
• One promising approach is the presumed consent model—successfully adopted in countries like Spain and Croatia—where every adult is considered a donor unless they opt out.
• For such a system to succeed, robust family support structures, transparent procedures, and grievance redress mechanisms must be in place to ensure ethical oversight and public trust.

Conclusion

• Organ donation is more than a medical intervention; it is a profound humanitarian act and a legacy of compassion.
• On World Organ Donation Day (August 13), the call is for every adult to register as a donor and every family to honour that choice.
• By dispelling myths, ensuring policy reforms, and fostering a culture of shared responsibility, India can work toward a future where no life is lost for want of an organ.

Recognise Organ Donation As a Lifeline FAQs

Q1. What is India’s current organ donation rate compared to leading countries?

Ans. India’s rate is 0.8 donors per million, far below Spain and the US, where rates exceed 45 donors per million

Q2. What legal safeguards ensure ethical brain death certification in India?

Ans. The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, mandates strict medical criteria, multiple expert confirmations, and thorough documentation

Q3. Can older individuals be organ donors?

Ans. Yes. Kidneys, liver segments, lungs, corneas, bone, skin, and heart valves can be donated by older donors or those dying of natural causes

Q4. What awareness strategies are recommended to counter myths about organ donation?

Ans. Campaigns on TV and social media, real donor stories, community workshops, school curriculum integration, and peer-led programs are recommended

Q5. What policy approach has proven effective internationally to increase organ donation?

Ans. Presumed consent, used in Spain and Croatia, where adults are considered donors unless they opt out, coupled with strong family support systems

Source: TH

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Supreme Court’s Order on Street Dogs in Delhi – Legal, Constitutional, and Governance Implications

Context:

• On 11 August, the Supreme Court of India (SC) ordered relocation of all street dogs in Delhi to shelters within eight weeks, following a rise in fatal attacks on infants.
• While the move addresses public safety concerns, it raises legal, constitutional, and governance issues—especially in the context of animal rights, judicial overreach, and municipal governance failure.

Background of the Case:

• Trigger: The apex court took suo motu cognisance of media reports on fatal street dog attacks.
• Concerns: Threat to infants, children, and elderly from unvaccinated street dogs.
• Historical context: Human–canine conflict has been a recurring issue in India, debated across courts and policy forums.

Key Issues with the Order:

• Violation of existing law:

  • It contradicts –
    • The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960.
    • The PCA (Animal Birth Control) Rules, 2023 – prohibit relocation, mandate scientific population control.
  • Implication: Undermines rule of law and sets a precedent for ignoring legal frameworks.

• Ignoring judicial precedent:

  • Violates the stare decisis principle (to stand by things decided).
  • The SC had already settled the matter in the Animal Welfare Board of India vs People for Elimination of Stray Troubles (2024).
  • Frequent reopening of settled issues erodes public faith in judiciary and diverts state resources from implementation.

• Violation of natural justice:

  • Principle of Audi alteram partem (hear the other side) breached.
  • Requests for impleadment by relevant parties ignored; suggestions from amicus curiae dismissed.
  • The order lacked evidence-based reasoning, scientific grounding, and feasibility assessment.

• Contradiction with fundamental duties:

  • Article 51A(g) of the Constitution: Citizens have a duty to show compassion to living creatures.
  • Threatening action against those opposing relocation undermines this constitutional duty.

Underlying Governance Failure – Failure of Local Authorities:

• Inadequate implementation of humane Animal Birth Control (ABC) and anti-rabies vaccination programmes.
• Ineffective euthanasia of confirmed rabid dogs.
• Poor solid waste management, contributing to rising stray dog numbers.

Critical Analysis of the Order:

• Judicial overreach: Court bypassed existing statutory mechanisms and municipal responsibilities.
• Short-term fix: The Court has not considered the impact of enforced dog sheltering on public health, public safety, and on the public exchequer. Relocation may worsen issues like overcrowded shelters.
• Root cause neglected: Villainising street dogs is a convenient smokescreen to hide the total failure of the state machinery (the third tier of government in particular) in performing their legal duties.

Way Forward:

• Strengthen local governance: Effective implementation of ABC Rules, 2023 and vaccination drives.
• Evidence-based judicial orders: Consider scientific studies and public health data.
• Public awareness: Promote responsible pet ownership and compassion towards animals.
• Multi-stakeholder approach: Collaboration between judiciary, executive, NGOs, and communities.
• Prevent polarisation: Avoid framing the issue as humans vs animals; focus on systemic failures.

Conclusion:

• In the future, addressing human–canine conflict will require data-driven, humane, and community-based interventions that align with constitutional duties, scientific evidence, and sustainable urban governance.
• By empowering the third tier of government and ensuring strict adherence to the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, India can move towards a balanced approach where public safety, animal welfare, and legal integrity coexist in harmony.

Supreme Court’s Order on Street Dogs in Delhi FAQs

Q1. What laws and constitutional provisions does the August 11 SC order violate?

Ans. PCA Act, 1960; ABC Rules, 2023; Article 51A(g); principle of stare decisis.

Q2. How does the order show judicial overreach?

Ans. By bypassing statutory provisions and executive responsibilities.

Q3. What governance failures fuel human–canine conflict?

Ans. Weak ABC and vaccination drives, poor euthanasia, bad waste management.

Q4. What ethical issue arises from street dog relocation?

Ans. Undermines compassion for animals under Article 51A(g).

Q5. What sustainable steps can address human–canine conflict?

Ans. Strong local governance, scientific ABC, better waste management, public awareness.

Source: IE