Context

• Over the years, India’s education system has undergone significant transformations, with the most profound changes occurring in the last decade.
• Critics argue that the system has deviated from its intended course under the Narendra Modi government, but evidence suggests otherwise.
• The reforms initiated through the National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020 mark a decisive break from past inefficiencies, redefining the sector to align with contemporary global trends.
• Therefore, it is important to examine the previous challenges in India’s education system, the transformative impact of the NEP 2020, and the broader implications for the country’s future.

Previous Challenges in India’s Education System

• Outdated Curriculum and Colonial Legacy
  • One of the primary issues plaguing India’s education system was its outdated curriculum, which failed to keep pace with the rapidly changing global landscape.
  • For decades, the curriculum remained rooted in rote learning, prioritising memorization over critical thinking and problem-solving.
  • This approach did little to prepare students for the modern workforce, which increasingly values creativity, analytical skills, and adaptability.
• Corruption and Governance Deficit
  • Corruption was a defining characteristic of India’s education system for many years.
  • Public universities were systematically starved of funds, while private institutions flourished without regulation.
  • The unchecked proliferation of private colleges led to the rise of degree mills, institutions that prioritised profits over education quality.
  • Many of these institutions operated without proper accreditation, handing out degrees that held little real value.
  • One of the most infamous examples of corruption was the Deemed University scandal of 2009, where 44 private institutions were granted university status without adequate evaluation.
  • Many of these institutions were later found guilty of financial irregularities, raising serious concerns about the credibility of the higher education system.
• Political Interference in Education
  • Political interference played a significant role in distorting India’s education system.
  • Leadership positions in universities were often awarded based on political loyalty rather than academic merit, compromising the integrity of higher education institutions.
  • Vice-chancellors and faculty appointments were frequently influenced by ruling parties, turning universities into ideological battlegrounds rather than centres of learning.
  • This interference extended to curriculum design, where historical narratives were selectively altered to serve political interests.
  • Key figures in India’s independence movement, such as Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, and Veer Savarkar, were downplayed in textbooks, while uncomfortable truths about foreign invasions were either omitted or diluted.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020: A Transformative Vision

• Recognising these challenges, the Modi government introduced the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, marking the first major overhaul of India’s education system in over three decades.
• Unlike past policies, which were designed with limited consultation, NEP 2020 emerged from the most extensive democratic discussions in India’s policy history.
• It is built on five key pillars: access, equity, quality, affordability, and accountability.
• These principles guide the policy’s objective of making education more inclusive, innovative, and globally competitive.

Transformative Impact of the NEP 2020

• Correcting Structural Inequities
  • A significant focus of NEP 2020 is correcting structural inequities.
  • The policy has led to a substantial increase in higher education enrolment among marginalised communities: Scheduled Castes (SC) enrolment rose by 50%, Scheduled Tribes (ST) by 75%, and Other Backward Classes (OBC) by 54% since 2014-15.
  • Women’s education has also seen remarkable progress, with female enrolment growing by 38.8% across all categories and PhD enrolment among women increasing by an astonishing 135%.
• Substantial Investments
  • The government has made substantial financial investments in education, with per-child government expenditure increasing by 130%, from ₹10,780 in 2013-14 to ₹25,043 in 2021-22.
  • This increase has enabled the upgrading of government schools with modern infrastructure, improved pedagogy, and better teacher-student ratios.
  • The emphasis on foundational learning, numeracy, and cognitive development aims to equip students with skills essential for the future.
• Technological Integration and Research Advancements
  • The NEP 2020 has also reimagined education through the integration of technology and skill-based learning.
  • It has introduced futuristic elements such as coding from middle school, multidisciplinary learning, and rural innovation hubs.
  • Over 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) have been established to nurture grassroots innovation, with plans to expand this initiative further.
  • These efforts ensure that students are not only academically competent but also equipped to tackle real-world challenges through innovation and creativity.

Broader Implications of NEP 2020

• Sustainable Revenue Models for Institutions
  • Higher education institutions are also benefiting from sustainable revenue models, reducing dependence on government resources.
  • As a result, India now has 11 universities ranked among the QS World Rankings top 500, a significant improvement from previous years.
  • Research publications have surged by 88% since 2015, propelling India’s ranking in the Global Innovation Index from 76 in 2014 to 39 in 2023.
  • The establishment of the Anusandhan-National Research Foundation fosters collaboration between academia and industry, further strengthening India’s research and innovation ecosystem.
• Reviving Indian Languages and Cultural Heritage
  • One of the most groundbreaking aspects of NEP 2020 is the emphasis on Indian languages and knowledge traditions.
  • For decades, an ‘English-first’ policy dominated Indian education, sidelining regional languages and indigenous knowledge systems.
  • The Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) initiative has been integrated into over 8,000 higher education institutions, promoting indigenous wisdom alongside modern disciplines.
  • The Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Yojana aims to publish 15,000 original and translated textbooks in 22 Indian languages, ensuring that students can learn and express themselves in their mother tongues.
• Commitment to Social Justice
  • The government’s commitment to social justice is reflected in the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act of 2019.
  • This legislation ensures fair representation of SC, ST, and OBC candidates in university faculty positions, rectifying past injustices where reservations were often bypassed through bureaucratic loopholes.
  • The abolition of the practice of rejecting marginalised candidates under the guise of “None Found Suitable” has made reservation policies more meaningful.

Conclusion

• The NEP 2020 has redefined education through inclusivity, technological integration, and the revival of India’s linguistic and cultural heritage.
• With increasing enrolment, enhanced research output, and improved infrastructure, India’s academic ecosystem is experiencing an unprecedented renaissance.
• These reforms go beyond mere policy adjustments, they represent intellectual decolonization, positioning India on the global stage as a knowledge powerhouse.
• As the nation continues to build on these foundations, it stands poised to realise its vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India), where education serves as the true force of empowerment and progress.

Why in news?

The GST Council of India introduced e-invoicing (electronic invoicing) in a phased manner to standardize business-to-business (B2B) invoice reporting to the GST portal.

There were no predefined formats. Hence, a uniform structure was developed in consultation with trade bodies and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Over time, several modifications have been made to the e-invoicing regulations to enhance compliance and efficiency.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• GST E-Invoicing: Overview & Process
• Advantages of GST E-Invoicing
• New GST E-Invoicing Rules from April 1, 2025

GST E-Invoicing: Overview & Process

• GST e-invoicing is a system where B2B and export invoices are reported to the Union Government’s e-invoice portal for validation.
• Each invoice receives a unique Invoice Reference Number (IRN).
• However, invoices are not generated by the government but are created by taxpayers in their own systems and then reported.
• The system enables seamless electronic data exchange through API integration.
• Approval & Rollout
  • Approved in the 37th GST Council meeting in September, 2019.
  • Rolled out in a phased manner starting October 2020 for businesses with an Annual Aggregate Turnover (AATO) above ₹500 crore.
  • Extended in January 2021 to businesses with AATO between ₹100 crore and ₹500 crore.
• Documents Required for IRN Generation
  • GST Invoices
  • Credit Notes
  • Debit Notes (for B2B supplies and exports)
• Exempted Businesses
  • Special Economic Zone (SEZ) units
  • Insurance and banking sectors, including NBFCs
  • Multiplex cinema admissions
  • Goods transport agencies (road transport)
  • Passenger transport services
• E-Invoicing Process
  • Taxpayers generate invoices using their own accounting/billing/ERP systems.
  • The invoices are reported to the Invoice Registration Portal (IRP).
  • The IRP validates the invoice and assigns a Unique Invoice Reference Number (IRN) along with a QR code.
  • A GST invoice is legally valid only if it contains a valid IRN.

Advantages of GST E-Invoicing

• Automation & Efficiency
  • Invoice details are auto-populated into GST return forms and e-way bills, reducing time and manual effort.
  • Minimizes disputes and processing costs by ensuring digital storage of all forms.
  • Improves payment cycles, enhancing overall business efficiency.
• Standardization & Interoperability
  • Uses a digitally verifiable e-invoice format based on international standards.
  • Ensures machine readability and uniform interpretation across different platforms.
  • Allows taxpayers to seamlessly switch between different portals.
• Fraud Prevention & Compliance
  • Reduces fraudulent transactions by providing real-time access to data for tax authorities.
  • Helps in curbing tax evasion and malpractice, leading to greater transparency.

New GST E-Invoicing Rules from April 1, 2025

• 
• Mandatory 30-Day Deadline for E-Invoice Reporting
  • Businesses with an Annual Aggregate Turnover (AATO) of ₹10 crore and above must report e-invoices to the Invoice Registration Portal (IRP) within 30 days of issuance.
  • Earlier, this rule applied only to businesses with AATO above ₹100 crore.
  • With the lower turnover threshold, many more businesses must now comply with this rule.
• Stricter Compliance & Penalties
  • Currently, businesses delay invoice uploads, causing discrepancies in Input Tax Credit (ITC) claims.
  • From April 1, IRPs will block invoice uploads beyond 30 days, rejecting late submissions.
  • Non-compliance may lead to penalties and financial consequences.
• Compulsory Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
  • From April 1, all taxpayers, regardless of turnover, must use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for e-invoice and e-way bill generation.

About Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) Lasers

• The first CO₂ laser was developed by Indian-American scientist C.K.N. Patel.
• It is a four-level molecular gas laser that operates using vibrational energy states of CO₂ molecules.
• Highly efficient, producing high-power continuous or pulsed output.
• Structure: A CO₂ molecule consists of one carbon atom at the center and two oxygen atoms on either side. It vibrates in three independent modes:
  • Symmetric Stretching Mode: Oxygen atoms move simultaneously towards or away from the fixed carbon atom.
  • Bending Mode: Carbon and oxygen atoms vibrate perpendicular to the molecular axis.
  • Asymmetric Stretching Mode: Oxygen atoms move in one direction, while the carbon atom moves in the opposite direction.
• Principle of CO₂ Laser: The laser transition occurs between vibrational energy states of CO₂ molecules. Energy is transferred from excited nitrogen (N₂) molecules to CO₂, achieving the population inversion necessary for laser action.

Characteristics of CO₂ Laser

• Type: Molecular gas, four-level laser.
• Active medium: Gas mixture of CO₂, N₂, and He.
• Pumping Method: Electrical discharge.
• Optical Resonator: Concave mirrors.
• Power Output: Up to 10 kW.
• Nature of Output: Continuous wave (CW) or pulsed wave.
• Wavelength: 9.6 μm & 10.6 μm (Infrared region).

How does the Detection Work?

• Radioactive decay and ionisation: When a material undergoes radioactive decay, it emits charged particles (alpha, beta, or gamma rays) that ionize the surrounding air, creating plasma.
• Avalanche effect: The free electrons in plasma gain energy and collide with other atoms, releasing more electrons. This self-sustaining process is called avalanche breakdown and leads to a chain reaction of ionization.
• Laser characteristics: Researchers used a carbon-dioxide (CO₂) laser emitting long-wave infrared (LWIR) radiation at 9.2 micrometres. The longer wavelength reduces unwanted ionization and improves sensitivity.
• Detection mechanism: The laser accelerates seed electrons in the plasma, creating microplasma balls. These microplasmas generate a measurable optical backscatter that can be detected and analyzed.
• Fluorescence imaging: Used to analyze the plasma formation dynamics and understand the distribution of seed electrons.
• Mathematical model: Developed to predict backscatter signals based on plasma seed densities.
  • Validation: The model accurately reproduced experimental results, confirming the reliability of the detection technique.

Advancements in Detection Range

• Alpha particles: Successfully detected from 10 meters away (10x improvement over previous methods).
• Gamma rays (Cs-137): Could potentially be detected from 100 meters away by scaling up laser optics.

About Polar Orbit

• A Polar Orbit (PO) is a type of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) that ranges between 200 km to 1,000 km in altitude.
• Unlike equatorial orbits, satellites in a polar orbit travel from one pole to the other rather than from west to east.
• A deviation of up to 10 degrees from the exact North-South trajectory is still classified as a polar orbit.
• Significance:
  • Polar orbits allow satellites to cover the entire Earth's surface over time as the planet rotates below them.
  • These orbits are widely used for Earth observation, climate monitoring, and reconnaissance missions.
  • The Fram2 mission is the first human spaceflight to use this trajectory, making it a groundbreaking event in space exploration.

Why is this Mission Significant?

• First human spaceflight in a polar orbit: Unlike traditional missions that follow an equatorial orbit, this mission will orbit Earth from pole to pole.
• Expanding commercial spaceflight: Fram2 is SpaceX’s sixth private astronaut mission, further solidifying its dominance in the global private spaceflight sector.
  • It highlights the growing role of private players in space exploration, reducing reliance on government agencies like NASA.
• Reusable spacecraft innovation: The mission uses the Crew Dragon capsule, a reusable spacecraft developed by SpaceX with NASA funding.
  • SpaceX has now conducted 16 crewed missions using this capsule, proving the success of reusability in reducing spaceflight costs.

Why in the News?

• ISRO’s Earth observation satellite, CARTOSAT-3, captured high-resolution images of the destruction caused by the 7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, 2025.
• The post-disaster imagery (March 29) was compared with pre-event data (March 18) to assess the damage in Mandalay and Sagaing.

About CARTOSAT-3

• CARTOSAT-3 is a third-generation agile advanced Earth observation satellite developed by ISRO.
• It replaces the IRS (Indian Remote Sensing) series and has high-resolution imaging capabilities.
• Launched aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C47).

Key Features

Applications of CARTOSAT-3

• National Security & Defense:
  • Military applications: Used for strategic surveillance, border security, and defense planning.
  • Previous use: Cartosat-2 aided in 2016 surgical strikes across the LoC and 2015 Myanmar-Manipur operations.
• Disaster Management & Urban Planning:
  • Assessing natural disasters: Earthquake, floods, and landslide monitoring.
  • Urban & Rural Infrastructure Planning: Road networks, water distribution, and land-use regulation.
  • Coastal Land Use & Regulation: Monitoring environmental changes along the coastline.
• Cartography & Remote Sensing:
  • High-Resolution Mapping for geospatial applications.
  • Detecting Natural & Man-Made Changes in geographical features.

Cartosat Satellite Series

• Cartosat-1 to 3: High-resolution Earth observation, urban and rural planning.
• RISAT Series: Radar-based imaging for cloud-penetrating surveillance.
• Oceansat Series: Monitors Ocean parameters, weather forecasting, and marine studies.
• INSAT & Megha Tropiques: Atmospheric studies and climate research.

About the Arctic Council

• The Arctic is governed by the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental body formed in 1996 through the Ottawa Declaration.
• Member States (8):
  • Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States.
  • These countries control land territories and have rights over resources within their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).
• Permanent participants: Six Indigenous groups representing Arctic inhabitants.
• Observers (Including India):
  • Thirteen countries (e.g., India, China, Japan, UK, France).
  • Thirteen intergovernmental organisations.
  • Twelve non-governmental organisations.
• All decisions require the consensus of the eight Arctic States and consultation with permanent participants.

The Northeast Passage

• The Northeast Passage (also called the Northern Sea Route) runs along Russia’s Arctic coastline, connecting Europe and Asia.
• Potential Advantages:
  • Shortens shipping distances between China and Europe by up to 8,000 km.
  • Reduces dependency on the Suez Canal, which faces security risks.
  • Economic boost for Russia, as it controls access to the route.

Why is the Arctic Gaining Strategic Importance?

• Natural resources: The Arctic holds 13% of the world’s undiscovered oil and 30% of untapped natural gas. Rich in rare earth elements, phosphates, and copper.
• New trade routes: The Northeast Passage (Russia) and the Northwest Passage (Canada) are emerging as alternatives to the Suez Canal, reducing travel distances by thousands of kilometers.
• Geopolitical interests: Russia, the US, and China are increasing military activities in the region, leading to rivalry and potential conflicts.
• Climate change impact: Ice melting is opening previously inaccessible areas for exploration and trade.
• Lack of Legal Safeguards: Unlike Antarctica, which is protected by international treaties, the Arctic is primarily governed by UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea). This allows territorial claims and military presence.

About Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD):

• NAFLD, now known as Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is the term for a range of conditions caused by a build-up of fat in the liver.
• This buildup of fat is not caused by heavy alcohol use. When heavy alcohol use causes fat to build up in the liver, this condition is called alcohol-associated liver disease.
• Early-stage NAFLD does not usually cause any harm, but it can lead to serious liver damage, including cirrhosis, if it gets worse.
• Having high levels of fat in your liver is also associated with an increased risk of serious health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease.
• If you already have diabetes, NAFLD increases your chance of developing heart problems.
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are types of NAFLD.
  • NASH is the severe form, which can cause cirrhosis and liver failure. It can also cause liver cancer.
• Who is more likely to develop NAFLD?
  • NAFLD is more common in people who have certain diseases and conditions, including obesity, and conditions that may be related to obesity, such as type 2 diabetes.
  • NAFLD can affect people of any age, including children.
• Treatment:
  • There's currently no specific medication for NAFLD.
  • Doctors recommend weight loss to treat
  • Weight loss can reduce fat, inflammation, and fibrosis in the liver.
  • Treatment may also be recommended for associated conditions (high blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol) or complications.