Why in news?

• The Artemis II mission astronauts travelled about 406,771 km from Earth, setting a new record for the farthest human spaceflight.
• The Orion spacecraft reached this distance while looping around the far side of the Moon.
  • The previous record was set by Apollo 13 (1970), which went farther due to an emergency deviation.
• In contrast, Artemis II’s distance was planned, but it is not the main objective—rather a result of its mission trajectory.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Artemis II Flight Path: Free-Return Trajectory
• How the Free-Return Trajectory Works in Artemis II?
• Why the Free-Return Trajectory is Advantageous?
• Next Steps in the Artemis Programme

Artemis II Flight Path: Free-Return Trajectory

• Artemis II is a crewed lunar flyby mission, not a landing mission. Unlike earlier missions like Apollo 8, which used a circular lunar orbit, Orion follows an elliptical free-return trajectory.
• This path uses the Moon’s gravity to slingshot the spacecraft back to Earth, reducing the need for engine burns.
• The mission is designed to test the Orion spacecraft’s capabilities under controlled conditions.

How the Free-Return Trajectory Works in Artemis II?

• High Earth Orbit (HEO) Phase
  • The mission begins with Orion entering an elliptical orbit around Earth, extending to about 74,000 km.
  • This phase provides a 42-hour window for astronauts to test critical systems like environmental control and life support.
  • If any issue arises, the spacecraft remains within Earth’s gravity, allowing a quick abort and safe splashdown.
• Translunar Slingshot Phase
  • After system clearance, Orion is propelled toward the Moon, targeting a point about 10,300 km beyond the lunar far side.
  • The Moon’s gravity then captures and slingshots the spacecraft around it, directing it back toward Earth without requiring additional propulsion.

Why the Free-Return Trajectory is Advantageous?

• The flight path provides a built-in safety mechanism, ensuring the spacecraft can return to Earth even if engines fail, preventing astronauts from being stranded.
• It is highly fuel-efficient, as it avoids the heavy deceleration and acceleration burns required for a circular lunar orbit.
• By using the Moon’s gravity for direction change, the mission conserves propellant.
• Lower fuel needs also reduce launch weight and allow reserve fuel for emergencies.

Next Steps in the Artemis Programme

• The main goal of Artemis II is to test whether the Orion spacecraft and its systems can safely support human life in deep space conditions.
• The 10-day mission evaluates its ability to match Artemis I distances while ensuring crew safety.
• Orion’s return will provide critical data on performance and life-support systems for future missions.
• These insights will help prepare upcoming missions aimed at returning humans to the Moon and building a Moon Base.

Why in news?

• India’s revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement reflect a careful and measured approach to climate action.
• The government has chosen continuity and gradual progress, rather than major changes to earlier commitments.
• Despite challenges in energy and development, India is confident its targets are sufficient and aligned with its fair share of global climate responsibility.
• The approach is consistent with climate justice principles and India’s status as a developing country.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• India’s Updated NDCs: Three Key Climate Goals
• India’s Climate Policy: Structural Constraints and Evolving Priorities
• India’s Climate Action: Enthusiasm Amid Constraints
• The Cost of Going Green: Challenges in India’s Climate Transition
• Accounting for India’s Developmental Future in Climate Commitments

India’s Updated NDCs: Three Key Climate Goals

• Emissions intensity reduction: From 45% (by 2030) to 47% below 2005 levels by 2035.
• Clean energy capacity: 60% of installed power capacity from non-fossil fuels.
• Carbon sink expansion: Increase forest and tree cover to absorb 3.5–4 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent above 2005 levels.

India’s Climate Policy: Structural Constraints and Evolving Priorities

• India’s climate policy is shaped by its structural constraints as a lower middle-income country, which limit its choices.
• These constraints have remained largely unchanged, reinforcing India’s emphasis on the UNFCCC framework.
• At the same time, the Paris Agreement’s requirement of periodic updates has increased the role of short-term considerations.
• A worsening global climate environment has further influenced the formulation of recent commitments.

India’s Climate Action: Enthusiasm Amid Constraints

• India continues to show strong commitment to climate action despite structural constraints.
• Both central and state governments are actively promoting initiatives such as electric vehicles, energy efficiency, expansion of non-fossil fuel energy, green hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage, with significant public and private investment.
• However, given its current developmental stage, India considers it premature to convert all these efforts into stricter NDC commitments, which involve higher accountability and regular reporting through Biennial Transparency Reports to the UNFCCC.
• Debate Over Adequacy of Targets
  • India’s updated NDCs have sparked debate.
  • Some critics argue they are insufficient for achieving the 1.5°C global temperature goal, while others downplay them as easily achievable or suggest alternative metrics like renewable energy generation instead of installed capacity.
  • Even among supporters, there is uncertainty about whether the current commitments represent India’s maximum possible effort at this stage.

The Cost of Going Green: Challenges in India’s Climate Transition

• India’s reliance on coal means that reducing emissions is not a natural outcome of growth but requires deliberate policy choices.
• Expanding renewable energy involves costs such as reducing coal-based generation, even when it is cheaper or readily available, thereby increasing the overall cost of climate commitments.
• High Costs of Renewable Energy and Storage
  • While renewable energy and battery storage projects are expanding, scaling up storage capacity to meet future needs will require investments of several trillion rupees.
  • Much of this burden may fall on the government, diverting resources from other sectors.
  • Options like pumped hydropower are limited due to environmental, regulatory, and water-use constraints.
• Infrastructure and Grid Challenges
  • Renewable energy expansion faces significant challenges, including inadequate transmission capacity and grid balancing issues.
  • These hidden costs are often not accounted for when assessing the affordability of renewable energy.
• Operational Inefficiencies and Curtailment
  • Since coal remains essential for backup when solar and wind are unavailable, renewable energy use often has to be curtailed.
  • This cyclical operation increases maintenance and operational costs for thermal power plants, adding to the overall cost burden.
• Broader Economic Costs of Transition
  • India is also investing in energy efficiency, industrial emissions targets, and rapid adoption of electric vehicles, alongside stricter emission norms.
  • These measures represent significant economic costs that are often underestimated.
• Lack of Climate Finance and Cost Assessment
  • Despite substantial domestic investment in climate mitigation since COP26, there is limited international climate finance support.
  • Moreover, the total cost of India’s mitigation efforts so far has not been reliably estimated, creating a major knowledge gap.

Accounting for India’s Developmental Future in Climate Commitments

• Limits of Current Economic Extrapolation - India’s mitigation strategy cannot rely on simply extending current economic trends. Its future requires space for industrial growth, expanded services, and rapid urbanisation, which are still at early stages.
• Development vs Climate Expectations - Arguments that “India can do more” overlook the need to protect long-term development goals. Climate commitments must not constrain India’s ability to meet rising economic and social demands.
• Constraints of Global Climate Goals - India cannot align its NDCs strictly with the 1.5°C target, as it is increasingly unattainable and beyond India’s capacity to influence, given its low per capita emissions.
• Inequitable Distribution of Climate Efforts - Under the Paris framework, benefits of India’s emissions reductions largely accrue to major global emitters, especially when leading historical polluters reduce commitments or withdraw from climate action.
• Need for Strategic and Context-Based Commitments - India’s climate policy must remain strategic and cautious, with NDCs shaped by its national circumstances, balancing development needs with global climate responsibilities.

Context:

• The 1995 film Outbreak portrayed a fictional zoonotic virus caused by human activities like deforestation and wildlife trade, spreading rapidly across countries.
• Though fictional at the time, it foreshadowed the real-world COVID-19 pandemic decades later.
• The film also reflected early ideas of One Health, highlighting the link between human, animal, and environmental health.
• Today, One Health is widely recognised, but its implementation remains slow.
• This article highlights the growing relevance of the One Health approach in addressing global health challenges, linking human, animal, and environmental health while examining lessons from pandemics, climate change, and policy responses.

From Fiction to Reality: The Rise of the One Health Approach

• Global Recognition of One Health
  • The World Health Day theme highlights the need for a One Health approach and scientific collaboration.
  • Coordination challenges across governments and nations hinder effective crisis response.
• Evolution of One Health Concept
  • The term “One Health” emerged in 2003–04 during SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and gained importance with avian influenza (H5N1).
  • The Manhattan Principles (2004) recognised links between human, animal, and environmental health.
    • Manhattan Principles were derived at a 2004 Wildlife Conservation Society meeting.
• Drivers of Zoonotic Diseases
  • Most emerging diseases originate in animals due to:
    • Ecosystem changes and land use
    • Agricultural intensification
    • Urbanisation and global travel
• One Health Framework
• Defined as an integrated approach balancing the health of people, animals, and ecosystems.
• Requires multi-sectoral collaboration to address health and environmental challenges.
• Lessons from COVID-19
  • The pandemic highlighted both lack of coordination and benefits of global collaboration.
  • Initiatives like data sharing and vaccine development showcased the importance of cooperation.
  • The WHO Pandemic Agreement (2025) aims to strengthen global preparedness and equitable access.
• Institutional Efforts
  • Globally led by the Quadripartite (WHO, FAO, UNEP, WOAH - World Organisation for Animal Health) with a Joint Plan of Action (2022).
  • India launched the National One Health Mission to improve surveillance and pandemic preparedness.
• Climate Change and Health Link
  • Climate change is increasing stress on ecosystems, making integrated responses essential.
  • Continuous monitoring and mitigation efforts are needed.
• State-Level Initiatives in India
  • Examples include:
    • Odisha’s Climate Budget
    • Kerala’s carbon-neutral plan
    • Tamil Nadu’s Green Climate initiatives
  • These serve as models for broader implementation.

Coordinated Solutions: Advancing the One Health Approach

• Focus of the One Health Summit
  • The summit in Lyon addresses key drivers of disease, including:
    • Zoonotic diseases and vectors
    • Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
    • Food systems and pollution
• Aim of the Summit
  • To promote international and interdisciplinary dialogue.
  • To propose solutions for:
    • Stronger health systems
    • Better global coordination
    • Reformed institutional frameworks
• Growing Global Consensus
• Increasing political support for One Health as a practical and necessary approach.
• Recognised as important for public health, economic stability, and global cooperation.
• Core Message
  • In an interconnected world, effective solutions require integrated approaches that link human, animal, and environmental health.

Conclusion

• One Health offers a comprehensive framework for tackling interconnected health risks, but its success depends on stronger coordination, sustained political commitment, and effective implementation across sectors and nations.

Context

• The Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, also known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, marks a historic step in India’s democratic journey by mandating one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
• While the reform promises to address gender imbalance in political representation, its implementation raises significant questions regarding timing, methodology, and broader structural consequences.
• The intersection of women’s reservation with delimitation and seat expansion suggests a deeper transformation of India’s representative system.

Background and Delay in Implementation

• Although the Act has been passed, its implementation is contingent upon the completion of the next Census and a subsequent delimitation exercise.
• This has led to criticism from opposition parties and women’s rights groups, who argue that such conditionality unnecessarily delays a long-pending reform.
• The government initially defended this sequencing on the grounds of fairness and administrative feasibility, asserting that updated population data is essential for equitable representation.
• However, recent developments indicate a shift in this stance, with proposals to conduct delimitation based on the 2011 Census instead of waiting for new data.

Changing Strategy and Political Calculations

• Shift in Government Approach
  • The emerging plan to proceed with delimitation using older Census data suggests a deliberate change in strategy.
  • Alongside this, the proposal to expand the Lok Sabha from 543 to approximately 816 seats indicates a major restructuring of legislative representation.
• Electoral Implications
  • By advancing women’s reservation, the government positions itself as the enabler of a historic reform. This move is likely to:
    • Mobilise women voters in upcoming elections
    • Strengthen political support in the medium term
    • Serve as a key campaign narrative for future general elections
  • Thus, the reform is not only a social measure but also a strategic political tool.

Delimitation and Federal Concerns

• Population-Based Representation Debate
  • Delimitation raises a fundamental question: should representation be based solely on population, or should it also consider economic and social factors?
  • A strictly population-based approach would increase the representation of northern States with higher fertility rates, while reducing the relative influence of southern States that have stabilised population growth.
• North–South Divide
  • These dynamic risks intensifying the existing north–south divide, as southern States may feel penalised for successful population control.
  • Such an imbalance could strain India’s federal structure and disrupt the equilibrium of inter-State representation.

Seat Expansion and Its Implications

• Rationale and Concerns
  • The proposed 50% increase in legislative seats is intended to ease the transition and maintain proportional representation.
  • However, even with proportional expansion, more populous States would gain significantly in absolute terms.
• Impact on Political Balance
  • In a first-past-the-post system, numerical strength determines electoral outcomes.
  • As a result:
    • Northern States could gain disproportionate political influence.
    • Less populous regions may face structural disadvantages.
    • The balance of power within Parliament could shift significantly.

The Issue of Data

• Limitations of the 2011 Census
  • Using the 2011 Census as the basis for delimitation is problematic due to substantial demographic changes over the past decade, including:
    • Rapid urbanisation
    • Migration patterns
    • Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Relying on outdated data risks misrepresenting current population realities.
• Implications of the Upcoming Census
  • The forthcoming Census is expected to include caste data, which may intensify demands for:
    • Greater representation of backward classes
    • Sub-quotas within women’s reservation
  • By proceeding without this updated data, the government may be postponing rather than resolving these issues.

Operational Challenges in Women’s Reservation

• Rotation of Constituencies
  • A key unresolved issue is the mechanism for rotating reserved constituencies. This has significant implications for:
    • Political accountability
    • Continuity in governance
    • Constituency development
  • Frequent rotation could disrupt long-term representation, while limited rotation might create unequal advantages.
• Lack of Clarity
  • The Act provides only a broad framework, leaving critical operational details undefined.
  • This lack of clarity could affect the effectiveness of the reform.

The Need for Deliberation

• Scale of Structural Change
  • Women’s reservation, delimitation, and seat expansion are interconnected reforms that will collectively reshape India’s political landscape.
  • They will determine:
    • Who gets represented
    • From which regions
    • In what proportions
• Importance of a Thoughtful Approach
  • Given the magnitude of these changes, implementation must be based on:
    • Updated and reliable data
    • Transparent processes
    • Broad political consensus
  • Rushing the process risks undermining the very objectives of the reform.

Conclusion

• The introduction of women’s reservation is a necessary and long-overdue step toward gender equality in India’s political system.
• However, its linkage with delimitation and seat expansion transforms it into a far-reaching structural reform with significant implications for federal balance and democratic representation.
• As India stands on the brink of a major reconfiguration of its electoral framework, the challenge lies in ensuring that the pursuit of gender justice is aligned with principles of fairness, inclusivity, and institutional integrity.

Why in the News?

• Notices seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar were rejected due to a lack of evidence.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• About CEC (Appointment, Tenure, Powers & Functions, Removal)
• News Summary

Office of the Chief Election Commissioner

• The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) is the head of the Election Commission of India, a constitutional body established under Article 324 of the Constitution.
• The Commission is responsible for conducting free and fair elections to Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice-President.

Appointment of CEC

• The CEC is appointed by the President of India.
• As per the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, the appointment is made on the recommendation of a selection committee comprising:
  • Prime Minister,
  • Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and
  • One Union Cabinet Minister.
• This aims to bring transparency and balance in the selection process.

Tenure

• The CEC holds office for a term of six years or until the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
• The conditions of service cannot be varied to their disadvantage after appointment, ensuring independence.

Powers and Functions

• The Election Commission, headed by the CEC, enjoys wide-ranging powers under Article 324.
• These include:

• Superintendence, direction, and control of elections.
• Preparation and revision of electoral rolls.
• Conduct of free and fair elections.
• Monitoring election expenditure and enforcing the Model Code of Conduct.

• The Commission also has plenary powers to act in areas where laws are silent, ensuring the integrity of the electoral process.

Removal Process

• The removal of the CEC is similar to that of a Supreme Court judge.
• Under Article 324(5), the CEC can be removed only on grounds of proved misbehaviour or incapacity. The process requires:

• A motion passed in both Houses of Parliament.
• Special majority (majority of total membership and two-thirds of members present and voting).

• This high threshold ensures institutional independence and protects the office from arbitrary removal.

News Summary

• Rajya Sabha Chairman and Lok Sabha Speaker rejected notices submitted by Opposition MPs seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
• The presiding officers held that the Opposition failed to provide sufficient proof and that the allegations did not establish a prima facie case of “misbehaviour,” which is a constitutional requirement for removal.
• The notices were signed by 63 Rajya Sabha members and 130 Lok Sabha members and included seven charges against the CEC. These charges were examined in detail and subsequently rejected.
• The presiding officers stated that the allegations either lacked evidence, related to matters already adjudicated, or were currently under judicial consideration.
• They emphasised that such issues did not meet the “high constitutional bar” required to initiate removal proceedings under Articles 324(5) and 124(4).

Allegations Made Against the CEC

• Several specific allegations were addressed. Claims regarding the CEC’s appointment being “tainted” were dismissed, as the pendency of a legal challenge does not constitute misbehaviour.
• Similarly, allegations of bias or differential treatment between the government and the opposition lacked demonstrable evidence.
• The refusal to share electoral data or provide machine-readable electoral rolls was found to be consistent with legal provisions and Supreme Court directions, including considerations of privacy under the Puttaswamy judgment.
• Issues related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were also examined.

Basis of Rejection of the Allegations

• The presiding officers reiterated that the Election Commission has plenary powers under Article 324 and that the Supreme Court has affirmed its competence in such matters.
• Allegations of contempt of court and lack of institutional independence were rejected as either falling under judicial jurisdiction or being vague and unsupported by evidence.
• Overall, the decision reinforced the constitutional safeguards surrounding the office of the CEC and highlighted the stringent standards required for initiating removal proceedings.

Context:

• The bicentenary of Mahatma Jotirao Phule (April 11, 1827–1890) offers an opportunity to revisit his contributions.
• While widely known as a social reformer and educationist, his work can be more deeply understood as a “constitutional project” aimed at restructuring society on equality, dignity, and justice.

Phule’s Constitutional Imagination:

• Mahatma Phule did not draft a formal Constitution but reimagined the foundations of social order.
• His thought emphasized natural rights and civil rights, redistribution of power, and institutional reform for social justice.
• His work anticipated core constitutional values later embedded in the Indian Constitution, for instance, equality (Article 14), social justice, and welfare orientation of the State.

Intellectual Influences and Ideological Foundations:

• Influence of western liberal thought: Mahatma Phule’s exposure to English education introduced him to modern political ideas. A key influence was Thomas Paine and his work Rights of Man.
• Key ideas absorbed were - natural rights inherent by birth, and Constitution as a structure ensuring “general happiness”.
• These ideas enabled Mahatma Phule to critique caste hierarchy in universal terms of justice and rights.

Institutional and Social Interventions:

• Education as empowerment:
  • He established schools for women, lower castes, and advocated for compulsory primary education up to age 12, inclusive higher education, and targeted scholarships for marginalised communities.
  • He also advocated to focus on state responsibility in education.
• Social reform measures: Opened public wells for “untouchables”, advocated widow remarriage and criticised child marriage. Thus, he promoted gender justice and social inclusion.

Global and Comparative Constitutional Vision:

• His seminal work: In Gulamgiri (Slavery), 1873, he linked caste oppression with global struggles against slavery, by referencing abolition of slavery in the United States.
• He positioned caste as a form of structural oppression requiring systemic redress.
• Thus, he was among the earliest Indian thinkers to adopt a comparative constitutional perspective.

Agrarian Question and Economic Justice:

• In Shetkaryacha Asud (Cultivator’s Whipcord, 1883), he exposed how caste domination operates within the agrarian economy.
• He wrote that the Shudra farmer is so burdened by exploitation and deprivation that even the possibility of sending his children to school is foreclosed. Thus, poverty and social hierarchy restrict access to education and mobility.
• At the same time, he directed sharp criticism at colonial administrators, observing that White officers had neither the time nor the inclination to inquire into the conditions of the cultivators.

Key Insight - Interlinkages of Oppression:

• Mahatma Phule identified a critical structural reality, highlighting that social hierarchy, economic exploitation, and state indifference leads to systemic injustice.
• This anticipates modern concepts like intersectionality, structural inequality, and inclusive governance.

Influence on Indian Constitutionalism:

• Mahatma Phule’s ideas significantly influenced B R Ambedkar.
• His vision found concrete expression in the Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSPs), and the affirmative action policies.
• He laid the intellectual groundwork for a transformative Constitution. 

Contemporary Challenges and Way Ahead:

• Persistence of caste-based discrimination, educational inequality, and agrarian distress.
  • Strengthen inclusive education policies (National Education Policy 2020 implementation with equity lens).
  • Promote social justice through legal and institutional reforms.
  • Revive Phule’s emphasis on grassroots empowerment and dignity.
• Gaps in implementation of welfare policies, access to quality education for marginalised groups, and continuing state apathy in addressing structural inequalities.
  • Expand targeted welfare schemes for marginalised communities.
  • Ensure accountability and responsiveness of governance.

Conclusion:

• Mahatma Jotirao Phule’s legacy extends far beyond social reform—he was a visionary architect of a just social order grounded in constitutional values.
• His ideas anticipated the moral and philosophical foundations of modern Indian democracy.
• As India marks his bicentenary, the enduring relevance of his thought lies in its call to continuously challenge inequality and reorient the State towards the most vulnerable, ensuring that justice is not merely promised, but realised.