Editorials/Opinions Analysis For UPSC 25 October 2025

Content

1. Please Mind the Gap
2. Respect the health rights of India’s children

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Please Mind the Gap

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Context

• The Government of India is considering a policy to attract Indian-origin “star faculty” in STEM fields from abroad to work in Indian institutions.
• The move coincides with restrictive US immigration and funding policies (Trump-era tightening, continuing post-COVID).
• Objective: Strengthen India’s research ecosystem, reverse brain drain, and establish India as a global knowledge hub.

Relevance

• GS-2 (Governance): Administrative reforms, institutional capacity, public service efficiency.
• GS-3 (Science & Technology): R&D ecosystem, innovation policy, human capital, brain drain.
• GS-3 (Economy): Technological self-reliance, knowledge economy, global competitiveness.

Practice Question

• The Government’s plan to attract Indian-origin “star faculty” from abroad can help reverse India’s brain drain only if accompanied by deep institutional reforms. Discuss.(250 Words)

Background

• Over 3.32 lakh Indian students were enrolled in US universities in 2023–24 (IIE Open Doors Report, 2024).
• India is one of the largest source of STEM PhD talent in the US — ~12% of all foreign PhDs (NSF, 2023).
• The scheme seeks to convert this “brain drain” into “brain circulation”, offering return pathways with infrastructure and autonomy.

Objectives of the Scheme

• Long-term engagement (not short-term consultancies).
• Integration into premier institutions — IITs, IISc, IISERs, AIIMS, CSIR labs.
• Substantial set-up grants (potentially ₹5–10 crore per investigator, modeled on DST’s Swarnajayanti Fellowships).
• Foster collaborative innovation ecosystems between domestic and global research communities.

Major Challenges Identified

(a) Administrative & Bureaucratic Barriers

• India’s research process is heavily bureaucratic:
  • Scientists spend 20–30% of time on administrative tasks (DST internal audit, 2022).
• Example: Delays of 6–12 months in equipment tendering are common due to overlapping financial oversight.

(b) Institutional & Cultural Adjustment

• Returning scientists face a rigid hierarchy and lack of academic autonomy.
• Indian institutions have low international faculty ratio — only 0.5% (QS World Rankings, 2025).
• Sudden re-entry into bureaucratic culture contrasts with the performance-based, decentralized systems of US/Europe.

(c) Financial Disparities

• Average assistant professor salary:
  • India: ₹12–16 lakh/year
  • US: ₹90,000–$120,000/year (~₹75–100 lakh/year)
• Even adjusted for PPP (Purchasing Power Parity), India’s net advantage remains below 40%.
• Research funding per faculty:
  • IITs: ~$40,000/year
  • US R1 universities: ~$300,000/year (NSF, 2023).

(d) Social & Logistical Constraints

• Public services (housing, schooling, healthcare) often inadequate for global returnees.
• Limited international schooling in Tier-II research cities (IISER Bhopal, NISER Bhubaneswar, etc.).
• Frequent transfers, poor campus facilities, and red-tape in relocation deter long-term engagement.

Comparative Example – China’s “Thousand Talents Program”

• Launched: 2008; later expanded as “Overseas High-Level Talent Program.”
• Offers:
  • RMB 1–3 million (₹1–3 crore) in start-up grants,
  • Tax-free relocation benefits,
  • Housing subsidies, and
  • Guaranteed tenured positions.
• Result:
  • Over 7,000 top Chinese-origin researchers returned by 2020.
  • China’s GERD (Gross Expenditure on R&D) rose from 1.4% (2008) to 2.7% of GDP (2023).
  • Contributed to rise in Nature Index ranking — China now ranks #2 globally (after the US).
• Challenges: Native faculty resentment and occasional cases of “dual loyalty” scrutiny.

India’s Current R&D Landscape (Data-Driven Snapshot)

Indicator	India (2023–24)	Comparator
GERD (% of GDP)	0.7%	China: 2.7%, USA: 3.4%, Israel: 5.4%
Govt share of R&D	55%	OECD Avg: 25%
Private sector share	45%	OECD Avg: 75%
Researchers per million	262	Global Avg: 1,341
No. of publications (Scopus, 2024)	2.75 lakh	USA: 7.1 lakh
Patent filings (WIPO, 2024)	83,000	China: 17 lakh
Global Innovation Index (2024)	Rank 40	China: 12, USA: 3

Policy Implications

• India’s brain drain costs ~0.5% of GDP annually in lost R&D productivity (World Bank, 2023).
• For “brain gain,” policies must integrate structural reform + ecosystem improvement, not just repatriation.
• Ease of Research Index (proposed by NITI Aayog, 2025) can help track administrative efficiency.
• Focus should be on research clusters — like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune — to ensure scale and collaboration.

Key Recommendations

1. Simplify procurement & fund utilization:
   1. Introduce single-window research portals (expand SERB’s PRISM and SPARK initiatives).
2. Long-term institutional autonomy:
   1. Replicate IISc’s self-governing model for other institutes.
3. Balanced privileges:
   1. Equal benefits to resident and returning scientists to prevent resentment.
4. R&D spending target:
   1. Raise to 1.5% of GDP by 2030, aligning with National R&D Policy (Draft 2023).
5. Diaspora collaboration hubs:
   1. Create Global Indian Research Network (GIRN) under DST for remote collaboration.
6. Socio-economic enablers:
   1. Provide schooling, housing, and spousal employment support to attract families sustainably.

Author’s Central Argument

• Mere financial incentives will fail if domestic research culture remains bureaucratic.
• India must first ensure a vibrant ecosystem for existing scientists before expecting NRIs to return.
• Without long-term autonomy, flexible funding, and respect for meritocracy — the “star faculty” initiative may repeat past failures.

Conclusion

• India stands at a crossroads: between brain drain and brain circulation.
• The proposed NRI scientist scheme can succeed only if backed by deep institutional reforms, sustained funding, and merit-based governance.
• If executed well, it could position India as a scientific powerhouse by 2047, aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.

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Respect the health rights of India’s children

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 Context

• Incident: Death of 25 children in Madhya Pradesh due to contaminated cough syrup in October 2025.
• Trigger: The syrup, banned by the Union Health Ministry (April 2025) for use in children below 4 years, continued to be prescribed.
• Scandal: The prescribing doctor reportedly earned a ₹2.54 commission per bottle — symbolizing systemic collapse and ethical failure.
• The tragedy underscores regulatory weaknesses in India’s drug oversight and the lack of paediatric pharmacovigilance infrastructure.

Relevance

• GS-2 (Governance, Social Justice): Child welfare, Article 39(f), policy implementation.
• GS-3 (Science & Technology, Health): Drug regulation, pharmacovigilance, WHO standards.
• GS-4 (Ethics): Medical ethics, public accountability, duty of care.

Practice Question

• The recurring incidents of contaminated cough syrups highlight a deeper governance and ethical crisis in India’s pharmaceutical regulation. Discuss.(250 Words)

Constitutional & Policy Backdrop

• Article 39(f) (DPSP): Mandates the State to ensure children are given opportunities to develop in a healthy manner and are protected from exploitation and moral/material abandonment.
• Children’s share in population: 39% (Census projection, 2024 ≈ 520 million).
• Existing child-focused policies (13 major):
  • National Policy for Children, 1974; National Health Policy, 2017; Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, 2013; India Newborn Action Plan, 2014, etc.
• Key child-related legislations (10+):
  • PCPNDT Act, 1994; Juvenile Justice Act, 2015; RTE Act, 2009; POCSO Act, 2012; Aadhaar Act, 2016, etc.
• Gap: None directly regulate paediatric pharmaceuticals or establish child–specific drug safety frameworks.

The Regulatory Architecture

Regulatory Body	Jurisdiction	Key Issues
CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation)	Large manufacturers, export approvals	Limited manpower (only ~1,800 officers nationwide)
State Drug Control Authorities	SMEs, retail distribution	Weak enforcement, fragmented coordination
Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI)	Adverse drug reaction reporting	Poor coverage for paediatric drugs
FSSAI (in OTC products)	Monitors nutraceutical syrups	Overlaps and confusion in jurisdiction

India has 10,500 licensed drug manufacturers, of which 70% are small-scale, often outside rigorous central oversight.

India’s Paediatric Pharmacovigilance Gap

• Children are not “small adults”; drug absorption, metabolism, and toxicity differ drastically.
• 90–95% of global drug trials are on adults (Lancet Global Health, 2023).
• In India, only 2–3% of drug trials involve paediatric subjects.
• Result: Dosage extrapolated from adult data, leading to off-label or unlicensed use.
• Termed by Dr. Harry Shirkey as “therapeutic orphans” — children’s medicine needs remain neglected.

International Best Practices

Country/Region	Key Law/Policy	Key Provisions
United States	Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA), 2002	Research incentives, FDA-mandated paediatric studies
European Union	Paediatric Use Marketing Authorisation (PUMA)	Requires paediatric investigation plans before approval
WHO (Global)	Essential Medicines List for Children (EMLc)	Defines safe, age-appropriate essential drugs

Contrast: India lacks a dedicated paediatric drug act, relying only on CDSCO advisories.
Even the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM 2022) updates adult formulations frequently, but the EMLc (India) remains under-reviewed since 2011.

Broader Public Health Dimension

• Over-the-Counter (OTC) drugs (esp. for cough, cold, fever) are widely available without prescription.
  • Estimated OTC market size: ₹38,000 crore (ASSOCHAM, 2024).
  • Urban misuse: 58% of parents self-medicate children for minor ailments (AIIMS Pediatric Study, 2023).
• Pharmacist compliance: Less than 40% read or communicate label warnings (FSSAI, 2023).
• Public sector shortfall: Only 1 pharmacist per 6,000 citizens (WHO recommends 1:2,000).

Global Context of Indian Cough Syrup Controversies

• Between 2022–2025, WHO issued multiple medical product alerts over Indian–madecoughsyrups linked to child deaths in:
  • Gambia (70 deaths, 2022) – Maiden Pharmaceuticals (Haryana)
  • Uzbekistan (65 deaths, 2022) – Marion Biotech (Noida)
  • Cameroon, Indonesia (2023–24) – diethylene glycol (DEG) and ethylene glycol contamination
• DEG contamination is lethal at 1 ml/kg; used improperly as a solvent substitute.
• These incidents tarnished India’s global image as the “Pharmacy of the Global South.”

Key Data on India’s Drug Regulation

Indicator	India (2025)	Comparator
Drug inspectors	~3,000 nationwide	Needed: 12,000 (Mashelkar Committee, 2003)
Manufacturing units	10,500	70% uninspected in last 3 years
Pharmacovigilance centers	650 (PvPI data, 2024)	Only 10% linked to child drug data
Testing labs	50 (Central + State)	Only 18 accredited to WHO-GMP
Export value of formulations	$28.4 billion (FY2024–25)	45% to Global South markets

Ethical, Social, and Legal Dimensions

• Violation of Child Rights: Using untested/off-label medicines breaches Article 39(f) and UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), ratified by India in 1992.
• Economic inequality: 63% of child deaths from drug toxicity occur in households below₹10,000/month income (NFHS-5 data extrapolation).
• Moral hazard: Low commissions and incentives drive unethical prescriptions — commercialization of care.

Policy Recommendations

1. Legislative Action
   1. Draft a Paediatric Drug Safety and Regulation Act (PDSRA) — akin to BPCA (US).
   1. Mandate Paediatric Investigation Plans (PIPs) before drug licensing.

• Data and Research
  • Establish a National Paediatric Pharmacovigilance Network (NPPN) under ICMR.
  • Fund child-specific drug trials using indigenous data.

• Essential Medicines Reform
  • Annual revision of India’s EMLc (Children).
  • Prioritize affordability and availability under Ayushman Bharat & Jan Aushadhi.

• Regulatory Strengthening
  • Expand drug inspectorate by 4×; digital track-and-trace for all paediatric drugs.
  • Zero tolerance for DEG/EG contamination; establish batch-level testing in exports.

• Public Awareness & Training
  • Pharmacist and caregiver education on child dosages and labelling.
  • Strict control of OTC sales; mandatory prescriptions for paediatric cough syrups.

• International Cooperation
  • Align with WHO’s Global Surveillance and Monitoring System (GSMS) for substandard medicines.
  • Build shared R&D with UNICEF and GAVI for safe paediatric formulations.

Author’s Core Argument

• India’s pharmacovigilance for children is fragmented, reactive, and under-institutionalized.
• Children remain therapeutic orphans, denied safe medicines due to adult-centric drug frameworks.
• India’s responsibility as a global pharma exporter must be matched with ethical and child-safe production standards.

Conclusion

• The Madhya Pradesh tragedy is not isolated — it is symptomatic of regulatory anemia, data vacuum, and ethical collapse.
• Paediatric drug safety requires legislation, infrastructure, and accountability.
• Protecting children’s right to safe medicine is not charity — it is a constitutional and fiduciary obligation under Article 39(f) and the UNCRC.
• India must shift from being the “Pharmacy of the Global South” to being the “Guardian of Safe Medicine.”

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