Context

• India is undergoing a profound demographic transition, marked by declining fertility rates, rising educational attainment, greater participation of women in higher education, and changing aspirations among young people.
• While concerns are often raised about fertility falling below the replacement level, the real issue is not a declining desire for families but the socio-economic conditions that shape family decisions.
• India's demographic future depends on creating an environment where young people can confidently pursue both careers and family life.

India's Changing Demographic Landscape

• India's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has declined to 2.0 children per woman, below the replacement level of 2.1.
• Rather than signalling a demographic crisis, this reflects decades of investment in girls' education, maternal healthcare, family planning, and expanded access to contraceptive services under programmes such as the National Health Mission.
• The decline in child marriage, with the proportion of women marrying before 18 years falling significantly, demonstrates steady social progress.
• These achievements indicate greater reproductive autonomy, improved healthcare access, and enhanced educational opportunities for women.
• Thus, declining fertility represents successful human development rather than population decline.

Youth Aspirations and Changing Family Choices

• Contrary to common assumptions, young Indians have not abandoned the institution of family.
• Most continue to prefer two-child families, reflecting continuity in social values. However, many postpone marriage or childbirth due to practical challenges rather than changing preferences.
• Major factors influencing family decisions include:
  • Financial insecurity
  • Rising housing costs
  • Lack of stable employment
  • High cost of raising children
  • Limited access to quality childcare

Gender Inequality and the Burden of Care

• Young women spend over five hours daily performing unpaid care work and household responsibilities, while men contribute only a fraction of that time.
• Simultaneously, women's labour force participation remains significantly lower than men's.
• This unequal distribution of caregiving forces many women to choose between professional aspirations and motherhood.
• The absence of adequate childcare facilities, flexible employment, and shared household responsibilities discourages early family formation.
• Creating gender-equal households is therefore essential not only for women's empowerment but also for ensuring sustainable demographic growth. 

Emerging Challenges: Climate Anxiety and Economic Uncertainty

• Growing climate change, environmental degradation, employment uncertainty, rising living costs, and increasing mental health concerns have created widespread anxiety about the future.
• Many young Indians worry about:
  • Climate risks
  • Economic instability
  • Youth unemployment
  • Mental health pressures
  • Global conflicts
• These uncertainties influence long-term decisions regarding marriage and parenthood.

Regional Variations in India's Demographic Transition

• India's demographic transition is far from uniform.
• States such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, and Sikkim have fertility rates well below replacement levels, reflecting advanced socio-economic development.
• Conversely, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand continue to record relatively higher fertility rates.
• These variations arise due to differences in:
  • Education levels
  • Healthcare access
  • Women's empowerment
  • Urbanisation
  • Economic development

Policy Priorities for Supporting Young Families

• Expanding Childcare Infrastructure
  • Affordable, high-quality childcare facilities can reduce the burden on working parents, particularly women.
• Promoting Gender Equality
  • Encouraging equal sharing of caregiving responsibilities, strengthening parental leave, and improving women's workforce participation can help balance career and family life.
• Creating Quality Employment
  • Stable, dignified jobs with social security provide the financial confidence necessary for family formation.
• Strengthening Mental Health Support
  • Mental health services should address stress arising from economic insecurity and climate anxiety, particularly among young adults.
• Encouraging Family-Friendly Workplaces
  • Flexible work arrangements, work-life balance policies, and supportive organisational cultures can enable young professionals to combine employment with caregiving responsibilities.
• Evidence-Based Policymaking
  • Reliable demographic data should guide policy formulation, ensuring that changing population dynamics are addressed proactively.

Way Forward

• India's demographic transition should be viewed as an opportunity rather than a crisis.
• Policies must shift from merely influencing fertility rates to expanding people's ability to make informed reproductive choices.
• Governments, employers, communities, and families must jointly create conditions that enable young people to pursue education, meaningful employment, financial security, and parenthood without sacrificing one for the other.
• A comprehensive approach integrating women's empowerment, employment generation, social protection, childcare, mental health, and climate resilience will strengthen both families and national development.

Conclusion

• India's declining fertility is not a sign of diminishing family values but evidence of social progress and expanding individual choice.
• Young Indians continue to aspire to marriage and parenthood but seek secure economic conditions, gender equality, and confidence in the future before making those commitments.
• By investing in human capital, promoting inclusive development, and supporting youth aspirations, India can successfully harness its demographic dividend while building a more equitable and prosperous society.

Why in news?

The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, is set to be introduced in the Rajya Sabha during the monsoon session.

The Bill seeks to amend the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, granting the national song, 'Vande Mataram', the same statutory protection currently reserved for the national anthem, 'Jana Gana Mana'.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• What Does the Bill Propose?
• Current Legal Status of the National Song
• Supreme Court's Response to the Guidelines
• How Courts Have Interpreted the Existing Anthem Law?

What Does the Bill Propose?

• Under Section 3 of the 1971 Act, intentionally preventing the singing of the national anthem, or causing a disturbance to any assembly engaged in such singing, is a criminal offence punishable with imprisonment of up to three years, a fine, or both.
• The Bill proposes to bring the national song within the scope of this same provision, effectively criminalising disruption of its singing as well.

Current Legal Status of the National Song

• Earlier this year, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines on the singing and playing of the national song.
• These "orders relating to the National Song of India":
  • Specified the authorised lyrics, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.
  • Identified occasions for mass singing, such as during the unfurling of the National Flag, cultural occasions, or ceremonial functions.
  • Stated that the audience must "stand to attention" whenever the official version is sung or played.
  • Suggested that school days could begin with community singing of the national song.

Supreme Court's Response to the Guidelines

• Following the government's order, a petition was filed challenging the directives, with the petitioner's counsel questioning whether people could be "compelled to sing the song in the garb of an advisory."
• A three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice of India dismissed the plea as "premature" and based on a "vague apprehension of discrimination."
• Crucially, the Court noted at the time that the government's directive was advisory in nature, with no penal consequences for non-compliance.
• If the new Bill is passed, however, it would introduce precisely the penal consequences that were absent when the Court made this observation.

How Courts Have Interpreted the Existing Anthem Law?

• Since Section 3 of the 1971 Act currently applies only to the national anthem, past judicial interpretation offers a guide to how the amended law might work.
• Salman v. State of Kerala (2014)
  • The Kerala High Court clarified what constitutes a "disturbance" under the Act.
  • It refused to quash an FIR against a petitioner accused of "making noise and hue and cry" during the singing of the national anthem.
  • It held that "causing obstruction or prevention... by making loud or contemptuous noise" falls within the offence defined under Section 3, warranting police investigation.
• The Right to Respectful Silence: A Key Precedent
  • A landmark distinction exists between actively disrupting the anthem's singing (an offence) and simply choosing not to sing (not an offence), established in Bijoe Emmanuel & Ors v. State of Kerala (1986).
  • The case: Three children belonging to the Jehovah's Witnesses Christian sect were expelled from school for refusing to sing the national anthem during morning assembly, despite standing respectfully in silence. Their refusal stemmed from religious belief that did not permit singing praises to anyone except in prayer to God.
  • The ruling: The Supreme Court ruled in favour of the students, holding that their expulsion violated:
    • Article 19(1)(a): Freedom of speech and expression
    • Article 25(1): Freedom of religion
  • The Court held there is no legal provision obliging anyone to sing the national anthem.
  • It stated: "Proper respect is shown to the National Anthem by standing up when the National Anthem is sung... It will not be right to say that disrespect is shown by not joining in the singing."
  • The bench also emphasised the constitutional value of religious freedom.
  • It also noted that "the real test of a true democracy is the ability of even an insignificant minority to find its identity under the country's Constitution," and concluded with the observation: "Our tradition teaches tolerance; our philosophy preaches tolerance; our constitution practices tolerance; let us not dilute it."

Conclusion

The proposed amendment marks a significant step in elevating 'Vande Mataram' to near-equal legal standing with the national anthem, criminalising deliberate disruption of its singing.

Yet, as the Bijoe Emmanuel judgment reminds us, respect for national symbols coexists with constitutionally protected individual freedoms, and any new law will likely be tested against this delicate balance between national honour and personal liberty.

Why in news?

A dramatic image posted by the US Secretary of War showing the maritime control tower at Iran's Chabahar port collapsing after US military strikes has sparked fresh concern in India.

This comes even as New Delhi already grapples with the impact of US sanctions on the strategically vital port project, in which it has invested billions.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Was the Indian Terminal Damaged?
• India's Stakes in Chabahar
• History of US Sanctions on Chabahar
• Strategic Importance for India and Iran
• India's Investment So Far

Was the Indian Terminal Damaged?

• The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified that the terminal India operates at Chabahar Port, Shahid Beheshti, was not damaged in the US strikes.
• It stated that while there were reports of damage, the terminal itself remained unaffected.
• India reiterated its position that civilian infrastructure should not be targeted during conflicts.

India's Stakes in Chabahar

• Chabahar port has two main terminals, Shahid Beheshti and Shahid Kalantari, with India managing the former.
• It is operated by India Ports Global Ltd (IPGL), a wholly owned subsidiary of India Ports Global Chabahar Free Zone (IPGCFZ), under a 10-year renewable agreement with Iran's Ports and Maritime Organisation.
• Strategic rationale
  • Chabahar offers India an alternative trade route to Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan, which does not permit Indian goods transit through its territory.
  • For Iran, Chabahar is its only oceanic port with direct access to the Indian Ocean, bypassing the congested Strait of Hormuz.
• The 2024 contract
  • India and Iran signed a landmark 10-year contract in May 2024, replacing earlier short-term arrangements, to equip and operate the Shahid Beheshti terminal.
  • To avoid financial penalties from US sanctions, India prepaid its $120 million investment and transferred its operational stake at Shahid Beheshti to local entities.

History of US Sanctions on Chabahar

• American sanctions on Chabahar stem from Washington's broader economic and military measures against Tehran:
  • The Trump administration withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and imposed sanctions on dealing with Iran.
  • However, it simultaneously granted a targeted sanctions waiver for Chabahar to support humanitarian and economic efforts in Afghanistan, given the port's role in delivering Indian wheat and medical supplies there.
  • In September 2025, the US withdrew this waiver, then reinstated it through a six-month waiver in October, which officially expired on April 26.
• Following the waiver's expiry, India has been in discussions with "relevant stakeholders" on how to proceed, but is effectively losing direct operational control over the Chabahar project as a result.

Strategic Importance for India and Iran

• For India:
  • 
  • Chabahar provides secure, direct access to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
  • It serves as a counterweight to China's Gwadar Port in Pakistan, located just 140 km away.
  • It forms part of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multi-modal transport network connecting India with Iran, Russia, Europe, and Central Asia.
• For Iran:
  • Chabahar is a crucial economic hub for the Sistan-Baluchistan province, serving as a gateway connecting Iran to landlocked Central Asian states, Afghanistan, and Russia.

India's Investment So Far

• In 2021, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed Parliament that:
  • Grant assistance for equipment supply to Chabahar had been enhanced to $120 million.
  • India committed a Line of Credit of $250 million (in rupee equivalent) for the port's development.
  • Since 2018, the port had handled over 450 vessels, 1,34,082 TEUs of containerised cargo, and more than 8.7 million tonnes of bulk and general cargo.
  • India had already supplied port equipment worth about $24 million, with procurement of remaining equipment underway.

Future Hangs in the Balance

• Chabahar received an allocation of ₹400 crore in the previous financial year, but the Union Budget for 2026-27 made no allocation for the port, raising questions about the future of this strategic trade route to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
• Why this matters?
  • Without Chabahar, India loses its primary non-Pakistani corridor to landlocked markets, undoing decades of connectivity planning.
  • The port had reduced transit times by 40% and costs by nearly a third.
  • The situation raises strategic concerns for India if China, via the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Gwadar, expands its geopolitical footprint in Iran.
  • The lapse of the Chabahar waiver by default tilts the regional balance toward China and Pakistan.

Conclusion

Chabahar embodies India's long-term vision of connectivity beyond Pakistan, but its fate remains entangled in the broader US-Iran standoff.

With sanctions waivers lapsed and budgetary support withdrawn, India risks losing not just an infrastructure investment, but strategic ground to China and Pakistan in a critical geopolitical space.

About e-Shram Portal:

• It was launched by the Ministry of Labour and Employment on 26th August 2021 to support and empower the unorganized workforce.
• It is designed to create a comprehensive National Database of Unorganised Workers (NDUW).
• It is the first-ever national database of unorganised workers including migrant workers, construction workers, gig and platform workers, etc.
• Objectives:
  • Establish a centralized database of unorganized workers for effective policy implementation.
  • Enhance access to social security schemes and benefits for workers in sectors such as agriculture, construction, domestic work, and street vending.
  • Facilitate job matching and skill development opportunities.
  • Strengthen labor market resilience by integrating unorganized workers into the formal economy.
  • Promote financial inclusion through direct benefit transfers and digital payments.
• Eligibility for Registering on e-SHRAM Portal:
  • An unorganised worker (UW).
  • Age should be between 16-59 years.
  • Not a member of EPFO/ESIC or NPS (Govt. funded)
  • Possess an Aadhaar card, a valid mobile number linked to Aadhaar, and a bank account.
• Features:
  • Universal Account Number (UAN): Registered workers receive a UAN linked to their Aadhaar, enabling seamless access to benefits.
  • Single Registration Process: The portal streamlines the registration process, requiring minimal documentation such as Aadhaar and bank account details. The ease of self-registration is also available to the beneficiaries.
  • Multilingual Support: Workers from diverse regions can access the portal in multiple Indian languages, ensuring inclusivity.
  • Grievance Redressal Mechanism: A dedicated helpline and support system address workers’ queries and grievances promptly.
  • Integration with Employment and Skill Opportunities: Registered workers can connect with employment opportunities, skilling, apprenticeship, pension schemes, digital skilling, and state-specific schemes through the portal.
  • Family Details for Migrant Workers: Family details for migrant workers are captured, aiding in the provision of child education and women-centric schemes for those who have migrated with their families.
  • Data Sharing with BOCW Welfare Boards: The data of construction workers registering on e-Shram is shared with the concerned Building and Other Construction Workers’ (BOCW) Welfare Boards, ensuring their registration with the respective boards and access to schemes meant for them.
  • Data Sharing Portal (DSP): A Data Sharing Portal has been launched to allow the secure sharing of e-Shram beneficiary data with State and Union Territory governments.

About QDENGA (TAK-003):

• It is a dengue vaccine developed by the Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda.
• It is the first dengue vaccine to be approved in India.
• The vaccine has been approved for the prevention of dengue in individuals aged four to 60.
• QDENGA is a live-attenuated (weakened) tetravalent vaccine designed to provide protection against all four dengue virus serotypes (DENV-1 to DENV-4).
• It is administered as a two-dose regimen, with doses given three months apart.
• The vaccine can be administered irrespective of whether an individual has had a previous dengue infection and does not require pre-vaccination screening.
• The vaccine has already been approved in more than 40 countries, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Indonesia, and Argentina.

What is Dengue?

• Dengue disease is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus, leading to mild, flu-like symptoms in most people.
• However, a small number of patients develop severe disease, with potentially fatal bleeding and organ damage.
• It poses a significant global public health threat, with prevalence in over 125 countries.
• India accounts for nearly one-third of the global dengue burden.

About Moldova:

• Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe.
• It is situated in the east of the Carpathian Mountains between the Prut and Dniester Rivers.
• It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south.
• History:
  • Formerly known as Bessarabia, this region was an integral part of the Romanian principality of Moldavia until 1812, when it was ceded to Russia by its suzerain, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
  • Bessarabia remained a province of the Russian Empire until after World War I, when it became a part of Greater Romania.
  • It reverted to Russian control in 1940–41.
  • Again after World War II, it was joined to a strip of formerly Ukrainian territory, the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, on the left bank of the Dniester River to form the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic.
  • Upon the collapse of the Soviet Union in August 1991, this republic declared its independence and took the name Moldova.
• Government: The government system is a republic; the chief of state is the president, and the head of government is the prime minister.
• Capital: Chișinău
• Currency: Moldovan Leu (MDL)
• Language:
  • Romanian is the official language.
  • Russian, Gagauze, and Ukrainian are the major minority languages spoken in the country.
• Economy: Moldova's economy is primarily agricultural, with wine production being a significant aspect of its identity, as the country is famous for its vineyards and winemaking traditions.

About White Rabbit Technology-based Indian Standard Time (IST) Dissemination Demonstration Network:

• It was commissioned at the Regional Reference Standard Laboratory (RRSL) in Bengaluru.
• It was developed jointly by the Department of Consumer Affairs, CSIR–National Physical Laboratory (CSIR–NPL) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• The system disseminates IST, traceable to national time-keeping authority UTC (NPLI), using Precision Time Protocol (PTP)-based White Rabbit technology.
• The system is designed to deliver highly accurate, secure and resilient time synchronisation for critical sectors, including banking, financial markets, telecommunications, power systems, transportation, digital governance and other strategic infrastructure.
• This network has already successfully verified the secure transmission of IST between RRSL Bengaluru and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in Chennai.

What is White Rabbit Technology?

• White Rabbit is an advanced networking protocol that allows devices connected via optical fibre to synchronise their internal clocks with an accuracy of less than one nanosecond (one-billionth of a second).
• Originally developed at CERN (the European Organisation for Nuclear Research), this technology acts as a high-precision upgrade to standard Ethernet networking.
• Its primary innovation is its ability to continuously monitor and compensate for signal delays across long distances.
• By doing so, it ensures that every node in a network remains perfectly aligned, effectively eliminating the "time drift" that occurs in conventional systems.

Why is this deployment critical for India?

• Currently, many of India’s digital systems—ranging from telecommunications to banking—rely on foreign satellite-based timing services such as the US-operated GPS.
• While these systems are functional, they are vulnerable to external risks.
• An indigenous time dissemination network will make these services more secure and resilient by reducing dependence on external sources.

About Pachycheles ravichandrani:

• It is a new species of porcelain crab.
  • While they look like true crabs, porcelain crabs are actually more closely related to squat lobsters, known for their fragile bodies, like porcelain, and tendency to lose limbs easily to escape predators.
• Pachycheles ravichandrani was found living in the shallow coral reefs of the Lakshadweep Islands, India.
• The tiny crustacean, which sports a striking deep-red colour, was found during a survey of the rocky shores of Agatti Island.
• It was found hiding among rock boulders covered in coralline algae at depths of less than one meter.
• It has a unique sub-circular shell and specialised hair-like structures, called setae, along its ridges.
• It has a distinct gap between the fingers of its smaller claw and a unique truncate cutting edge that is not seen in similar species.
• In its natural habitat, the crab is visually distinct, featuring a dark carmine red shell decorated with a white blotch down its back and white spots on its claws.
• Its walking legs are patterned with horizontal carmine stripes.

About Digital Local Pass System:

• It enables eligible commuters to purchase monthly toll passes digitally through the RajmargYatra mobile application without the need to visit a toll plaza.
• It has been rolled out initially at the Mundka-Bakkarwala Toll Plaza on Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II) in Delhi.
• Features of Digital Local Pass System:
  • Under the new system, residents living within a 20-kilometre radius of an eligible toll plaza can purchase a Local Pass through the app, allowing them unlimited travel through the respective toll plaza for one month.
  • It uses consent-based integration with government platforms such as DigiLocker and VAHAN to automatically retrieve verified information related to a commuter’s address, vehicle registration and linked FASTag.
  • Eligibility is further verified using GIS-based validation.

Key Facts about Rajmargyatra App

• It is a citizen-centric mobile App developed for smoother and better experience of citizens on highways, integrated with a web-based application for updating information and monitoring of complaint redressal.
• It provides information about the highway, toll plaza, nearby amenities such as petrol pumps, hospitals, charging stations, weather updates, etc.