Why in news?

The Centre has launched ‘Prahaar’, India’s first comprehensive counter-terrorism policy. Built on a zero-tolerance approach, it emphasises intelligence-led prevention and coordinated responses to extremist violence.

The framework aims to dismantle terror networks by cutting off access to funding, weapons, and safe havens, both within India and abroad, targeting not just terrorists but also their financiers and supporters.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• India’s First Counter-Terrorism Policy: Prahaar
• Conclusion

India’s First Counter-Terrorism Policy: Prahaar

• The Centre has unveiled India’s first comprehensive counter-terrorism policy, “Prahaar”, aimed at strengthening the country’s fight against extremist violence through a coordinated, intelligence-driven approach.
• 
• Core Objective
  • Prahaar aims to:
    • Criminalise all terrorist acts.
    • Starve terrorists, their financiers and supporters of funding, weapons, safe havens and cyber resources.
    • Strengthen coordinated action among central and state agencies.
• Guiding Principles
  • Zero Tolerance: No justification for terrorism under any circumstances.
  • Victim-Centric Approach: India stands firmly with victims of terror.
  • No Religious Attribution: Terrorism is not associated with any religion, ethnicity, or civilisation.
  • Concern Over State Sponsorship: Notes that some countries in the region have used terrorism as an instrument of state policy.

• Seven Key Pillars of Prahaar: Each letter of the acronym represents a strategic pillar:
  • Prevention
    • Intelligence-led, proactive measures to stop attacks before they occur.
    • Continuous disruption of overground worker networks and cyber activities.
  • Responses
    • Swift, proportionate, and graded counter-terror responses.
    • Uniform anti-terror structures and standard operating procedures across levels of governance.
  • Aggregating Internal Capacities
    • Whole-of-government approach.
    • Modernisation of law enforcement agencies (LEAs) with advanced tools, technology, and weaponry.
    • Enhanced coordination in intelligence collection and investigation.
  • Human Rights and Rule of Law
    • Safeguarding due process with multiple levels of redressal and appeal.
    • Legal reforms in the counter-terror framework as required.
  • Attenuating Enabling Conditions
    • Graded police response to radicalisation.
    • Legal action based on degree of radicalisation.
    • Addressing socio-economic vulnerabilities of youth through education, engagement and de-radicalisation programmes.
  • Aligning International Efforts
    • Strengthening global cooperation.
    • Use of treaties, extradition and deportation under UN norms.
    • Collaboration to counter misuse of ICT by terrorists.
  • Recovery and Resilience
    • Whole-of-society approach to rebuilding and strengthening community resilience after terror incidents.
• Key Threat Perceptions
  • Cross-Border and State-Sponsored Terror
    • India has faced cross-border sponsored terrorism, including jihadist outfits and their frontal organisations.
    • Global terror groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS have attempted to incite violence through sleeper cells.
    • Terror handlers abroad have used drones and advanced technologies to facilitate attacks, especially in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir.
    • Terror groups increasingly collaborate with criminal networks for logistics and recruitment.
  • Technology-Driven Terrorism
    • Use of drones in Punjab and J&K.
    • Exploitation of encryption, dark web and cryptocurrencies for anonymity.
    • Use of social media and encrypted messaging apps for propaganda, recruitment, and funding.
    • Risks related to CBRNED materials (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive, digital).
    • Threats from misuse of drones, robotics, and cyberattacks by state and non-state actors.
  • Organised Crime Nexus
    • Terror groups leveraging criminal networks for logistics and recruitment.
    • Collaboration between foreign-based and local outfits for transnational attacks.

• Counter-Measures and De-Radicalisation
• Proactive disruption of online terror propaganda and recruitment networks.
• Strengthening intelligence and counter-terror operations.
• Community-based reintegration efforts involving doctors, psychologists, lawyers, NGOs, and religious leaders to prevent radicalisation and rehabilitate affected individuals.
• Strategic Way Forward
  • Greater collaboration among intelligence and security agencies.
  • Continuous capacity-building at the state level.
  • Investment in technology and partnerships with private enterprises.
  • Uniform structures and standard procedures across central, state and district levels.

Conclusion

Prahaar institutionalises India’s counter-terror strategy as a doctrine rooted in proactive intelligence, coordinated governance, technological preparedness, legal safeguards and international cooperation, aimed at comprehensively dismantling terror networks and strengthening national security.

Context:

• India hosted the India AI Impact Summit 2026, the first global AI summit organised by a Global South country, signalling India’s ambition to shape the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance, infrastructure, and innovation.
• The summit brought together over 20 heads of state, 60 ministers, and over 500 AI leaders from over 100 countries, marking a major multilateral moment for AI policy.

Civilisational Inspiration:

• Drawing inspiration from India’s civilisational traditions of structured knowledge — from Panini’s grammar to Nalanda’s institutional scholarship — the summit emphasised the importance of structured, inclusive and sovereign AI systems.
• India presented an alternative vision to the technology-dominated models of advanced economies.

India’s Vision for AI Governance:

• The MANAV framework: The Indian Prime Minister outlined the MANAV vision as a guiding framework for AI governance -
  • M - Moral and Ethical System
  • A - Accountable Governance
  • N - National Sovereignty
  • A - Accessible and Inclusive
  • V - Valid and Legitimate
• Key principles of the vision: Ethical guardrails for responsible AI development, data sovereignty to prevent data exploitation, inclusive access ensuring benefits reach all citizens, democratic oversight, etc.
• The approach emphasises “AI with human control”, combining innovation with regulatory oversight.

Delhi Declaration - Global South AI Blueprint:

• The summit adopted the Delhi Declaration, considered the first major AI governance framework emerging from the Global South.
• Key features:
  • Development-oriented AI governance: Focus on development priorities rather than purely commercial interests. Flexible techno-legal regulatory approach. Avoidance of rigid compliance regimes.
  • Three-pillar framework:
    • People – Inclusive AI access
    • Planet – Sustainable technology use
    • Progress – Economic growth and innovation
  • Global initiatives proposed:
    • Population-scale AI solutions: BharatGen supporting 22 Indian languages.
    • Global compute bank: Modelled on subsidised GPU access in India (~₹65/hour).
    • Data sovereignty: Preventing AI extractivism (use of developing-country data to train proprietary models).

India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as Foundation:

• India’s AI strategy builds on its successful DPI ecosystem.
• Key achievements:
  • UPI processed 228 billion transactions in 2025 (~$3.4 trillion).
  • JAM Trinity enabled welfare savings of ₹3.48 lakh crore since 2015.
  • Integrated architecture: Digital identity, payments, welfare delivery.
• This infrastructure provides a base for population-scale AI deployment.

AI Infrastructure Expansion:

• Existing gap: Though India generates around 20% of global data, it hosts only about 3% of global data centre capacity. Bridging this gap is central to India’s AI strategy.
• Major investment announcements:
  • Global technology companies:
    • Microsoft: $50 billion Global South plan (including $17.5 billion for India).
    • Google: $15 billion America–India Connect initiative.
    • Amazon Web Services: $8.3 billion investment in Maharashtra.
  • Indian industry:
    • Adani Group: $100 billion renewable-powered AI data centres by 2035.
    • Yotta Data Services: Over $2 billion AI computing hub using advanced chips.
    • L&T–Nvidia partnership: For gigawatt-scale AI factory.
  • National AI infrastructure: The IndiaAI Mission’s national compute cluster has crossed 38,000 GPUs and is scaling to 58,000, available to startups at roughly one-third of global cost.
  • Investment target: $200 billion AI infrastructure investment in next two years.

Policy Support and Budgetary Measures:

• The Union Budget 2026–27 supports AI growth through key measures like -
  • Tax holiday until 2047 for foreign companies using Indian data centres.
  • $1.1 billion VC fund for AI and advanced manufacturing startups.
• National Critical Mineral Mission: Secures the lithium, cobalt, and rare earths that AI and semiconductor manufacturing depend on.

Democratisation of AI:

• India emphasised AI for social transformation, not only industrial competitiveness.
• Human capital initiatives:
  • 2.5 lakh students pledged responsible AI innovation.
  • 30 Data and AI Labs operational in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities (Target: 570 AI labs nationwide).
• Public AI infrastructure: AIKosh platform offers over 7,500 datasets and 273 models as shared public infrastructure.
• Education expansion: IITs increased from 16 in 2014 to 23 today.

Sovereign AI Capability:

• India is transitioning from an AI consumer to an AI producer.
• New sovereign AI models: Sarvam AI LLM, BharatGen Param2.
• India is now among countries building indigenous Large Language Models (LLMs).

Strategic Partnerships and Global Role:

• Co-building capacity: India is shifting from technology licensing to technology co-development.
• Key partnerships:
  • Tata–OpenAI: Beginning with 100 MW of AI-ready data centre capacity under the Stargate initiative and scaling to one gigawatt, signals that Indian industry is moving to the supply side of global intelligence.
  • Pax Silica Declaration: Places India in the US-led coalition, securing supply chains for AI, semiconductors, and critical minerals.
  • India–US AI Opportunity Partnership: Commits both nations to pro-innovation approaches on critical technologies.
  • India–France Year of Innovation 2026: Organised around joint skilling and measurable outcomes. 

Key Challenges and Way Forward:

• Infrastructure deficit: Limited data centre capacity relative to data generation.
  • Expand DPI 2.0 - AI integrated with DPI platforms.
• Technological dependence: Reliance on foreign chips and advanced AI hardware.
  • Strengthen sovereign AI ecosystem - Indigenous chips and models, domestic cloud infrastructure.
• Skill gaps: Shortage of AI researchers and advanced engineers.
  • Human capital development - AI education and research funding, skilling programmes in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
• Regulatory complexity: Balancing innovation and ethical safeguards.
  • Ethical and democratic governance - Transparent AI regulation, algorithmic accountability.
• Data governance issues: Implementing data sovereignty without restricting innovation.
  • Global South leadership - Build coalitions for equitable AI governance, promote development-oriented AI models.

Conclusion:

• The India AI Impact Summit 2026 marks a turning point in the global AI landscape, positioning India as a norm-setter rather than a rule-taker.
• By combining data sovereignty, DPI, sovereign AI models, and global partnerships, India is attempting to build a structured and inclusive AI ecosystem.
• If executed effectively, this approach could allow India not only to benefit from the AI revolution but also to shape a more equitable global technological order.

Why in the News?

• The Independence of the Election Commission has come under debate following allegations of irregularities in electoral roll revisions and a proposed motion to remove the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Elections (Importance of Free & Fair Elections, Election Commission, Appointments, Safeguards, Concerns, etc.)

Importance of Free and Fair Elections

• Free and fair elections form part of the Basic Structure of the Constitution, as recognised by the Supreme Court in Indira Gandhi vs. Raj Narain (1975).
• Adult franchise under Article 326 guarantees the right to vote to every citizen above 18 years of age, subject to reasonable restrictions.
• Recent controversies have revolved around alleged “vote theft” and manipulation of electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
• It has been claimed that lakhs of names were deleted from voter lists in certain States, raising concerns about procedural fairness and the sanctity of electoral democracy.
• Any perceived dilution in the electoral process directly impacts public trust in democratic institutions.

Constitutional Status of the Election Commission

• Article 324 of the Constitution provides for a permanent Election Commission of India (ECI) with powers of superintendence, direction, and control over elections to Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice-President.
• This constitutional status ensures:

• Institutional permanence
• Autonomy from routine executive interference
• Wide discretionary powers in conducting elections

• The Election Commission may consist of a Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners. Since 1993, it has functioned as a multi-member body, a structure upheld by the Supreme Court in T. N. Seshan vs. Union of India (1995).
• The CEC acts as the Chairperson of the Commission, and decisions are generally taken collectively.

Appointment of the Election Commissioners

• The appointment process became controversial after the enactment of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Office and Terms of Office) Act, 2023.
• Under the 2023 Act:

• The CEC and Election Commissioners are appointed by the President.
• A Selection Committee comprising the Prime Minister, a Union Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition recommends names.

• Critics argue that the exclusion of the Chief Justice of India from the Selection Committee weakens institutional independence.
• This change followed the Supreme Court’s 2023 judgment in Anoop Baranwal vs. Union of India, which had temporarily mandated the inclusion of the CJI in the selection panel until Parliament enacted a law.
• The validity of the 2023 Act is currently under judicial scrutiny.

Safeguards for Independence

• The Constitution incorporates strong safeguards to protect the Election Commission from executive pressure.
• Removal of the CEC
  • Article 324(5) provides that the CEC can be removed only in the same manner and on the same grounds as a Supreme Court judge under Article 124(4). The grounds are:
    • Proved misbehaviour, Incapacity
  • The removal process is rigorous and quasi-judicial:

• A motion must be signed by at least 100 Lok Sabha members or 50 Rajya Sabha members.
• The Speaker or Chairman may admit the motion.
• A three-member inquiry committee is constituted, comprising:
• A Supreme Court judge
• A Chief Justice of a High Court
• A distinguished jurist
• The CEC is given the opportunity to defend themselves, ensuring adherence to principles of natural justice.
• Both Houses of Parliament must pass the motion by a special majority.

• Removal of Other Election Commissioners
  • Other Election Commissioners can be removed by the President on the recommendation of the CEC. However, the Supreme Court in Vineet Narain vs. Union of India (1997) clarified that such advice should not be arbitrary.
  • These mechanisms create a balance between executive oversight and institutional independence.

Special Intensive Revision and Electoral Concerns

• The recent controversy relates to the SIR of electoral rolls. Allegations include:

• Large-scale deletion of names from voter lists
• Targeting of specific demographic groups
• Rushed revision processes

• Since electoral rolls form the foundation of democratic participation, any irregularity in revision exercises can undermine public confidence.
• Challenges to such revisions have reached the Supreme Court.
• The issue highlights the delicate balance between administrative efficiency and constitutional guarantees of universal adult suffrage.

Context

• At India Energy Week (IEW) 2026, investment opportunities worth nearly $500 billion were announced in the energy sector, reflecting a transition from energy security to energy independence.
• The long-term success of this shift depends on affordable clean fuels, particularly green hydrogen and its derivative green ammonia.
• Owing to its practicality and scalability, green ammonia is emerging as a central component of India’s clean-energy pathway and a potential influence on global energy markets.

Understanding Green Ammonia

• What is Green Ammonia?
  • Green ammonia is produced by combining nitrogen with hydrogen generated using renewable electricity.
  • Unlike grey ammonia, which depends on fossil fuels, it is largely carbon-free and aligns with decarbonisation goals.
• Why It Matters and Its Application
  • Hydrogen faces challenges of storage and transport. Green ammonia resolves these constraints because it can be liquefied, stored, and shipped using existing infrastructure.
  • It therefore acts as a practical carrier of hydrogen energy. Green ammonia has multiple uses:
    • Fertiliser production
    • Marine fuel for shipping
    • Power generation
    • Industrial processes
  • Its versatility enables large-scale adoption of clean fuel systems.

Creating a Market: The Role of Procurement Mechanisms

• Energy transitions require functioning markets. Governments have introduced aggregated procurement systems to guarantee demand and reduce investor uncertainty.
• Major initiatives include the European Union’s H2Global programme, South Korea’s Clean Hydrogen Portfolio Standard, and India’s SIGHT (Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition) programme under the National Green Hydrogen Mission.
• These mechanisms encourage private participation by ensuring predictable demand and revenue streams.

India’s Green Ammonia Auction Model

• The SECI Tender
  • The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) issued a tender in 2024 to procure 724,000 tonnes of green ammonia annually for 13 fertiliser plants.
  • Successful bidders received 10-year offtake agreements and initial production subsidies, creating strong investment certainty.
• Participation and Outcomes
  • Fifteen companies participated and seven secured thirteen contracts, including a large allocation of 370,000 tonnes annually to a single bidder.
  • Revisions to the tender addressed risk allocation, payment security, and pricing clarity, producing a balanced framework acceptable to both producers and buyers.

Economic Viability and Price Competitiveness

• Price Discovery
  • Prices ranged from ₹49.75–₹64.74 per kg (about $572–$744 per tonne). Conventional grey ammonia costs roughly $515 per tonne.
  • The gap narrowed significantly due to subsidies and long-term contracts, improving commercial feasibility.
• Global Significance
  • Auction prices were about 40–50% lower than some international benchmarks, establishing strong price competitiveness and demonstrating the economic practicality of clean fuels.

Logistics, Infrastructure, and Strategic Benefits

• Delivery and Transportation
  • Pre-identified delivery points were located near coastal fertiliser plants, enabling efficient shipping logistics and reduced transport costs.
• Economic and Strategic Impact
  • The contracted supply could replace nearly 30% of imports, lowering exposure to gas price volatility, currency fluctuations, and geopolitical risks.
  • In regions with higher production costs, green ammonia becomes particularly attractive for scaling.

India’s Global Leadership Potential

• India combines low renewable costs, a large domestic fertiliser market, effective contract design, and targeted incentives.
• Many countries seeking clean fuels for industry, power generation, and transport may rely on imports, positioning India as a major exporter and potential architect of a new clean-fuel trade network.

Challenges and Policy Requirements

• Responsibilities of Developers
  • Project developers must ensure technical due diligence, integrate hybrid renewable systems with storage, and maintain transparent monitoring for long-term reliability.
• Responsibilities of Policymakers
  • Authorities need stable regulatory frameworks, reliable grid access, clear energy banking rules, strengthened safety standards, and internationally aligned certification systems.
• Financial Support
  • Expansion requires blended finance, extended contracts, and risk-mitigation instruments to improve project bankability and attract private capital.

Conclusion

• India’s green ammonia initiative demonstrates that environmental sustainability and economic growth can progress together.
• By combining incentives, assured demand, and infrastructure planning, clean fuels are approaching commercial viability.
• Continued regulatory stability and financial support can help achieve energy independence while fostering a global clean-fuel market, positioning India as a significant leader in the twenty-first-century energy economy.

Context

• The deaths of three adolescent girls in Ghaziabad reveal a deeper structural problem rather than an isolated tragedy.
• India is confronting a growing crisis in child mental health and adolescent wellbeing, shaped by early psychological vulnerability, social stigma, academic pressure, and an increasingly unregulated digital environment.
• This convergence has created a public health emergency insufficiently addressed by families, schools, healthcare systems, and policy frameworks.

Early Vulnerability and Misunderstanding of Childhood Mental Health

• Mental illness is often perceived as an adult issue, yet emotional and behavioural disorders appear in early childhood, sometimes as early as four or five years.
• Anxiety, depression, and behavioural disorders emerge during critical developmental stages.
• Early trauma, neglect, and chronic stress interfere with emotional and cognitive growth, often resurfacing with greater intensity during adolescence.
• Childhood experiences accumulate rather than disappear. When early distress remains unrecognised, it later manifests in more severe psychological difficulties.
• Disorders have also become more complex. Increasingly, children experience comorbidity: ADHD accompanied by anxiety, depression linked with compulsive screen use, and learning disorders associated with emotional distress.
• Early warning signs, withdrawal, impulsivity, or sudden behavioural change, are frequently dismissed as misbehaviour, allowing long-term emotional harm to develop.

The Structural Gap: Data, Resources, and Access to Care

• Survey data suggests that 7–10% of Indian adolescents have diagnosable mental health conditions, while 5–7% of school-aged children show symptoms of ADHD.
• Yet institutional capacity remains inadequate. India has fewer than 10,000 psychiatrists for over 1.4 billion people, and only a small proportion specialise in child psychiatry.
• The shortage of clinical psychologists, child specialists, and psychiatric social workers forces families to navigate fragmented care systems alone.
• This imbalance between demand and infrastructure leads to delayed diagnosis, untreated distress, and crisis-driven intervention.
• The issue therefore represents a wider public health failure rather than merely a clinical challenge.

The Digital Environment as an Intensifying Factor

• The expansion of smartphones and affordable internet access has transformed childhood.
• Hundreds of millions of children now interact daily with connected devices, a trend accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Education, communication, and entertainment occur on the same screen, blurring behavioural boundaries.
• Excessive exposure does not directly cause neurodevelopmental disorders, but it intensifies vulnerabilities.
• Internet addiction, marked by sleep disruption, irritability, and social withdrawal, has become common.
• Prolonged screen exposure weakens attention, emotional regulation, and sleep patterns while displacing essential human interaction during periods of neuroplasticity.
• Reduced real-world engagement undermines emotional development and delays recognition of underlying problems. 

Families, Schools, and Social Institutions

• Families function as the first protective layer. Trauma-informed parenting, attentive listening, and early help-seeking significantly improve outcomes.
• Parent and peer support groups reduce isolation and encourage resilience.
• Schools, however, remain a major weakness. Educational systems prioritise academic performance, examinations, and rankings over emotional wellbeing.
• Without emotional regulation and stress management, academic achievement becomes fragile.
• Teachers often lack training to identify warning signs, and healthcare consultations focus mainly on physical growth rather than psychological health.

Policy and Social Response

• Recent policy discussions acknowledge rising youth mental health concerns, and some regions are considering limits on adolescent social media exposure.
• Effective action requires prevention, education, and support rather than punishment.
• Key measures include school-based screening, teacher training, stronger referral networks, community counselling, and expansion of tele-mental health
• Clear digital-use guidelines and accessible care for low-income families are essential. Cultural barriers remain significant; fear of labelling discourages families from seeking help.
• Normalising conversations about mental wellbeing is therefore a national priority.

Reframing Childhood: A Cultural Argument

• Modern childhood has become intensely competitive. Success is increasingly measured by grades rather than wellbeing.
• Healthy development requires resilience, emotional security, and social connection alongside achievement.
• Neglecting psychological health produces long-term social and economic consequences, including reduced productivity and strained relationships.

Conclusion

• The Ghaziabad incident underscores interconnected causes: early vulnerability, institutional neglect, inadequate resources, digital overexposure, and social pressure.
• Families, schools, healthcare providers, and policymakers share responsibility. Early detection, supportive parenting, school reform, responsible technology use, and stigma reduction are essential.
• Protecting childhood wellbeing is not peripheral; it is central to national development and long-term societal stability.

About PRASHAD Scheme:

• The PRASHAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive) was launched in the year 2014-2015 under the Ministry of Tourism.
• It is a Central Sector Scheme with the objective of integrated development of identified pilgrimage destinations.
• The primary objective of the scheme is to develop tourism infrastructure at pilgrimage and heritage sites, ensuring a more enriching experience for pilgrims and heritage enthusiasts.
• Under the scheme, the ministry provides financial assistance to state governments and Union Territory administrations for the development of tourism infrastructure at these sites.
• The Central Government provides 100% funding for the project components undertaken for public funding.
• It also welcomes voluntary contributions made through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) AND Public Private Partnership (PPP).
• The Ministry of Tourism has set up a Mission Directorate for implementing the PRASAD scheme.
  • The Mission Directorate identifies projects in the identified cities and coordinates with the states/UTs and other stakeholders to implement this scheme.
• The scheme contributes to employment generation while also enhancing awareness and fostering skill and capacity development of the local communities.