✅ Q. "Necropolitics reflects the power of the state to decide who may live and who must die." Discuss in the context of governance and human rights. (250 words)

 

✅ Q. "Necropolitics reflects the power of the state to decide who may live and who must die." Discuss in the context of governance and human rights. (250 words)

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🔸Introduction (30–40 words)

• Define necropolitics briefly with attribution.

• Mention the growing relevance of the concept in global and Indian contexts.

Example:
Necropolitics, a term coined by Achille Mbembe, refers to the political power exercised by the state to determine who is allowed to live and who is exposed to death or abandonment. It has growing significance in governance, conflict, and human rights debates.

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🔸Body

📌1. Meaning & Theoretical Background (Biopolitics vs. Necropolitics)

• Biopolitics: Focuses on management of life (Foucault).

• Necropolitics: Focuses on management of death — who is expendable and structurally neglected.

Example: Biopolitics enables vaccination campaigns; necropolitics allows the state to let some communities die through inaction or design.

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📌2. Key Features of Necropolitics in Governance

Feature	Description	Example
Structural Violence	Marginalised groups systematically neglected	Migrant workers during India's COVID-19 lockdown
State of Exception	Suspension of law for “security”	Detentions under UAPA/AFSPA without trial
Weaponisation of Law	Use of policy to target specific communities	NRC-CAA concerns, targeting of Dalits/tribals
Disposability of Lives	Some lives viewed as less worthy	Gaza airstrikes, Rohingya refugee crisis
Administrative Violence	Bureaucratic decisions causing death or suffering	Denial of healthcare, starvation deaths due to lack of Aadhaar-linking

📌3. Impact on Human Rights and Democracy

• Weakening of Right to Life under Article 21

• Increase in discriminatory policies and surveillance

• Rise in social exclusion and alienation

• Undermining public trust in institutions

• Weakening of rule of law and access to justice

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📌4. Ethical Dimensions (GS IV angle)

• Utilitarian misuse: Sacrificing a few for so-called larger good

• Justice and Equality: Violation of Kantian ethics – treating some as mere means

• Moral Responsibility: Silence of the majority and failure of empathy

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🔸Conclusion (30–40 words)

• Call for rights-based, inclusive governance.

• Stress on ethical policymaking, accountability, and reform of legal mechanisms.

Example:
Necropolitics exposes the ethical failure and human cost of exclusionary governance. A responsive democracy must ensure that no life is treated as disposable and policies are rooted in dignity, equity, and justice.

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✍️ Tips for UPSC Mains Answer Writing:

• Always define the core term in the first line.

• Use examples from India (COVID lockdown, Kashmir, AFSPA, starvation deaths, etc.).

• Link with constitutional provisions, especially Article 14 (Equality) and Article 21 (Right to Life).

• For GS IV, use thinkers like Kant, John Rawls, and Gandhi.

• For GS II, connect with governance failures and international obligations.