Context:

Recently, the Bombay High Court sharply criticised the Maharashtra and Union governments for their extremely casual handling of the alarming rise in malnutrition-related infant deaths in Melghat, a tribal-dominated region in Amravati district.

A petitioner informed the court that 65 infants (0–6 months) had died due to malnutrition between June 2025 and now, and over 220 children were currently classified as Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) — with half at risk of dying without immediate intervention.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Melghat’s Persistent Malnutrition Crisis: Current Status
• Persistent Challenges Fueling Melghat’s Malnutrition and Infant Mortality Crisis
• Expert-Backed Solutions to Tackle Malnutrition in Melghat

Melghat’s Persistent Malnutrition Crisis: Current Status

• For over three decades, Melghat, home to predominantly Korku tribal communities, has struggled with chronic infant and maternal deaths linked to malnutrition and poor healthcare access.
• Despite multiple government schemes, malnutrition remains widespread due to:
  • Food insecurity
  • High infection rates
  • Poor access to healthcare
  • Severe anaemia
• Infant Deaths: Fluctuating but Persistently High
  • Melghat comprises Dharni and Chikhaldara talukas with 324 villages. Infant deaths remain worryingly high.
  • Officials argue deaths stem not only from malnutrition but also:
    • Anaemia
    • Sickle cell disease
    • Pneumonia
    • Delayed treatment due to poor connectivity
  • However, the petitioner maintains that malnutrition exacerbates these illnesses, making them fatal without timely care.
• Alarming Malnutrition Numbers
  • An affidavit submitted to the High Court shows:
    • 10,000 children identified with malnutrition (SAM) in November 2024
      • Dharni: 1,290 children
      • Chikhaldara: 788 children
  • The district administration claims interventions like:
  • Hot cooked food scheme (eggs & bananas 4 times a week)
  • Village Child Development Centres (VCDC)
  • But also acknowledges persistent “peripheral issues” like connectivity and healthcare delays.
• Statewide Malnutrition Landscape
  • According to Maharashtra's Women & Child Welfare Minister (Poshan Tracker data, Feb 2025):
    • 1.82 lakh malnourished children in the state
    • 30,800 Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)
    • 1,51,643 Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM)
  • IIPS Mumbai also reports Maharashtra’s poor nutrition indicators:
    • 35% stunted
    • 35% underweight
    • 26% wasted
  • These figures show systemic shortcomings beyond Melghat.

Persistent Challenges Fueling Melghat’s Malnutrition and Infant Mortality Crisis

• Melghat faces severe infrastructural deficits that delay urgent medical care:
  • Poor road conditions make reaching hospitals on time difficult.
  • Inadequate electricity supply affects homes and healthcare facilities.
  • Shortage of fully functional PHCs, forcing dependence on distant hospitals.
• These gaps contribute directly to preventable infant and maternal deaths.
• Fragmented Governance and Poor Coordination
  • Experts note that various government departments work in silos, leading to:
    • Irregular supply of nutrition supplements
    • Weak monitoring of malnutrition cases
    • Poor coordination in implementing policies
  • This fragmentation undermines even well-designed interventions.
• Severe Shortage of Doctors and High Absconding Rates
  • Melghat continues to struggle with recruiting and retaining medical professionals - High absenteeism among doctors.
  • Despite improved salaries and incentives, difficult working conditions deter medical staff.
• Cultural Preference for Traditional Healing
  • A large section of the tribal community still depends on bhoomkas (traditional healers).
  • Methods like damma (burning skin with hot iron tongs) delay scientific treatment and worsen conditions, particularly in sick infants.
• Intergenerational Malnutrition Cycle
  • Health challenges often begin before birth:
    • Many tribal women enter pregnancy underweight and anaemic
    • They give birth to low-birth-weight babies with weak immunity
    • Limited healthcare access means infections go untreated, raising mortality risks
  • This perpetuates a cycle of malnutrition across generations.

Expert-Backed Solutions to Tackle Malnutrition in Melghat

• Experts emphasise that eliminating malnutrition requires far more than food distribution. It demands a holistic, coordinated, and systems-based approach.
• Strengthen the Healthcare Ecosystem
  • Build a robust maternal and child healthcare system.
  • Ensure timely care for infections, anaemia, and other co-morbidities.
  • Upgrade civic and health infrastructure across Melghat.
• Empower ASHA Workers with Strong Training
  • Create a well-trained cadre of ASHA workers skilled in early identification of malnutrition.
  • Equip them to initiate timely referrals and follow-up interventions.
• Integrate Health and Nutrition Interventions
  • Combine nutrition support with treatment of associated illnesses.
  • Implement coordinated health–nutrition programmes rather than isolated initiatives.
• Promote Community-Centred Behaviour Change
  • Engage communities to shift harmful practices and strengthen trust in modern healthcare.
  • Encourage awareness on maternal health, child feeding, and hygiene.
• Ensure Interdepartmental Convergence
  • Experts stress that lasting solutions require all departments to work together:
    • Health, Women & Child Development, Rural Development, Tribal Welfare, Social Welfare, PWD
    • Coordinated action prevents gaps and improves service delivery.
• Fix Doctor Recruitment and Retention
  • Enforce due diligence during appointments.
  • Ensure doctors serve full tenures, backed by improved working conditions and monitoring.

Conclusion

• Melghat’s crisis is not just about food scarcity but a complex mix of poor infrastructure, healthcare gaps, cultural practices, and administrative weaknesses.
• Without systemic, coordinated reforms, infant deaths and malnutrition will persist.
• Ending malnutrition in Melghat requires a synchronised, multi-sector effort — strong healthcare systems, empowered frontline workers, integrated programmes, community engagement, and strict accountability in staffing.

Why in news?

A deadly blast near the Red Fort Metro Station in Delhi on November 10 killed 13 people and injured several others, likely caused by an improvised explosive device (IED). While official details are still emerging, experts explain that IEDs are dangerous, easily assembled weapons capable of causing mass harm.

They emphasise that IEDs reflect the darkest impulses of human intent and highlight the urgent need for a comprehensive national counter-IED strategy to prevent future attacks.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Why Terrorists Rely on IEDs?
• How IEDs Reveal the ‘Signature’ of the Terror Group?
• Declining Patterns in IED Attacks Across Conflict Zones
• Sources of Explosives: A Persistent Cat-and-Mouse Battle
• Toward a National Counter-IED Policy Framework

Why Terrorists Rely on IEDs?

• IEDs remain the preferred weapon for terrorists because they are low-risk, high-impact, and easy to assemble using widely available materials.
• An IED typically consists of a container, battery, detonator, switch, and explosives, with added fragments like ball bearings or nails to increase lethality.
• Except for the detonator, most components can be improvised from everyday items.
• While most groups use commercially made detonators for reliability, some extremists have experimented with unstable homemade versions.
• Overall, the ease of fabrication and devastating potential make IEDs a go-to tool for terror attacks.

How IEDs Reveal the ‘Signature’ of the Terror Group?

• IED components often carry identifiable patterns that help investigators trace the group behind an attack.
• The type of explosive used — military-grade like RDX/TNT, commercial explosives, or homemade mixtures such as ANFO (Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil) — offers key clues, since terror groups usually stick to familiar materials and methods.
• The triggering mechanism also narrows down suspects. Whether the device is command-operated, timer-based, or victim-operated (like suitcase or transistor bombs) reflects the group’s typical modus operandi.
• Additionally, the method of placement — vehicle-borne, suicide-borne, or person-borne — further refines the analysis.
• Together, these elements form a distinct “bomb signature,” enabling agencies to link an attack to likely perpetrators.
• The National Bomb Data Centre of the NSG maintains detailed blast records and provides expert assessments to support such investigations.

Declining Patterns in IED Attacks Across Conflict Zones

• IED attacks in India have shown a steady decline across major conflict areas, including Jammu & Kashmir, Naxal-affected regions, and the hinterland.
• In J&K, recent blasts have often used a mix of military-grade, commercial, and homemade explosives — as seen in the 2019 Pulwama attack, which combined RDX from Pakistan with locally sourced commercial explosives and fertiliser-based materials.
• Drone-dropped magnetic IEDs from Pakistan, once a concern in J&K and Punjab, have also reduced significantly.
• In Naxal-affected regions, IED incidents have sharply fallen, with most devices relying on commercially available explosives.
• In the rest of the country, only a few significant incidents have occurred, such as the 2024 Bengaluru Rameshwaram Café blast using low-grade explosives.
• Overall, jihadi groups now increasingly mix different explosive types to assemble devices, even as the overall frequency of attacks declines.

Sources of Explosives: A Persistent Cat-and-Mouse Battle

• Military-grade materials largely enter India through Pakistan-backed channels — via drones or human couriers.
• Despite stronger border surveillance, agencies must intercept every attempt, while handlers need only one success.
• This creates an unending cat-and-mouse dynamic requiring continuous technological upgrades and vigilance.
• Commercial Explosives: Pilferage from Licensed Supply Chains
  • Commercial explosives and detonators used in mining, construction and road projects are regulated by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO).
  • Although PESO enforces strong safety standards, its limited manpower leads to gaps at the last-mile.
  • In insurgency-prone zones, pilferage occurs through coercion or collusion with end-users, making enforcement a challenge.
• Homemade Explosives: Misuse of Precursor Chemicals
  • Terrorists often extract explosive material from precursor chemicals and commonly available substances such as fertilisers.
  • While Indian fertilisers include safeguards that make “cooking” difficult, the threat persists due to the wide availability of precursor items.
  • Experts recommend identifying such chemicals clearly and mandating vendors to report bulk purchases to local police.
  • This layered sourcing — border smuggling, local pilferage, and chemical extraction — underscores the need for tighter monitoring, inter-agency coordination, and proactive regulation.

Toward a National Counter-IED Policy Framework

• A comprehensive National Counter-IED Policy is urgently needed to unify strategy, clarify responsibilities, and strengthen coordination among all stakeholders involved in preventing and responding to explosive threats.
• The Red Fort blast appears to involve a nitrate-based mix, but speculating further is premature.
• The Nowgam police station explosion highlights critical gaps in safe handling.
  • Such blasts can occur either due to an embedded detonator accidentally triggering upon friction or because contaminated, confined ammonium nitrate detonates when exposed to sustained heat.
• The key lesson is clear: all recovered explosives, blast remnants, and devices must be “rendered safe” exclusively by trained Bomb Detection and Disposal Squads before any evidence collection begins.
• The account also underscores the exemplary actions of the Srinagar doctor-cop whose meticulous investigation dismantled a new terror module — a reminder of the critical role of skilled, alert personnel in counter-terror operations.

Context:

• The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasises Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) as the basis for all future learning.
• Through the NIPUN Bharat Mission, this vision has shifted from focusing on inputs to prioritising measurable learning outcomes.
• As a result, foundational learning — stagnant for years — is now showing notable improvement, as seen in both government and independent assessments.
• However, a significant challenge remains: numeracy is consistently weaker than literacy. ASER 2024 highlights this gap — while 48.7% of Class 5 students can read fluently, only 30.7% can solve a basic division problem.
• Importantly, no State in India reports higher numeracy scores than literacy. This persistent disparity makes strengthening numeracy essential for achieving comprehensive foundational learning.

Why Numeracy Lags Behind: The Cumulative Nature of Math

• Mathematics is hierarchical — each new concept depends on mastering earlier ones.
• If foundational ideas like place value are not understood in early grades, students struggle later with addition, decimals, and more complex operations.
• Unlike language, partial understanding doesn’t allow progress in math, so gaps expand over time.
• Curriculum Progression vs. Learning Levels
  • Traditional syllabus-driven teaching moves ahead regardless of whether students have understood earlier concepts.
  • Evidence from Teaching at the Right Level (Pratham) shows that instruction must match the child’s learning level, not the textbook.
  • Without such alignment, most learners fall behind, widening learning disparities.
• Real-Life Application Gap
  • Research reveals a disconnect between classroom math and everyday problem-solving.
  • Students who perform well on school math tests struggle with market-based calculations.
  • Children familiar with real-world arithmetic (e.g., shop work) often cannot transfer these skills to classroom-style math problems.
  • This two-way gap underscores the need for integrated, practical learning.

Consequences of Weak Numeracy

• Poor foundational numeracy leads to difficulties in math and science, both of which have higher failure rates in board exams.
• Many students drop out in middle or secondary school not due to lack of interest, but because learning gaps make classroom teaching incomprehensible.
• Fear of math blocks access to higher education for many who cannot clear Class 10 or leave school earlier.

Way Forward

• Extend Foundational Interventions Beyond Class 3
  • The current FLN focus up to Class 3 is insufficient since 70% of Class 5 and over 50% of Class 8 students still cannot do basic division.
  • Extending interventions up to Class 8 — as successfully demonstrated in Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu — is essential to bridge learning gaps, especially after COVID-19 disruptions.
• Introduce FLN+ Skills for Higher Grades
  • Beyond foundational numeracy, upper primary children need fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and integers to succeed in board exams and progress academically.
  • With most Class 5 students unable to do division, they also lack these higher-level skills — making FLN+ indispensable.
• Reform Pedagogy to Match Learning Levels
  • Teaching must shift from rigid, grade-based syllabi to activity-based, child-friendly methods used in FLN.
  • Instruction should be aligned with students’ learning levels, not just the curriculum, especially at higher grades where gaps widen sharply.
• Integrate Real-Life Problem-Solving
  • Classrooms should embed numeracy and literacy in real-life contexts.
  • Connecting learning to everyday situations strengthens comprehension, improves transfer of skills, and increases student engagement.

Why This Matters: Urgency for India’s Future

• The numeracy gap deepens as students advance through school and leads to:
  • poor learning outcomes,
  • high board exam failure rates,
  • rising dropouts, and
  • weakened employability and equity.
• The NIPUN Bharat Mission has proven that large-scale improvement is possible.
• The next step is to expand this progress to upper primary classes and FLN+, ensuring continuity of learning and preparing students for future academic and economic opportunities.

 Why in the News?

• The Supreme Court has issued a significant advisory opinion under Article 143 of the Constitution, responding to a Presidential reference triggered by a two-judge Bench judgment from April 2025 related to delays in assent to State Bills.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Court’s Advisory (Background, Scope of Questions, Key Takeaways, Issues, Way Forward)

Background to the Presidential Reference

• The Presidential reference arose due to the Supreme Court’s April 2025 judgment in State of Tamil Nadu vs. Governor of Tamil Nadu, which:

• Mandated a three-month timeline for Governors and the President to act on Bills,
• Declared such decisions judicially reviewable,
• Exercised Article 142 powers to grant “deemed assent” to several pending Tamil Nadu Bills.

• This ruling generated constitutional uncertainty, prompting the Union government to seek clarification on:

• Whether courts can prescribe timelines?
• Whether presidential inaction is justiciable?
• Whether the Supreme Court’s Article 142 powers can override constitutional provisions?

Scope of Questions Raised in the Reference

• The reference placed 14 constitutional questions before a Constitution Bench, primarily relating to:

• Interpretation of Article 200 and Article 201 regarding assent to State Bills,
• Whether courts can intervene before a Bill becomes law,
• The justiciability of delays,
• The permissible boundaries of Article 142.

• These questions went to the heart of India’s federal structure and the functional relationship among State legislatures, Governors, and the Union.

Key Takeaways from the Supreme Court’s Advisory Opinion

• The five-judge Bench delivered a comprehensive opinion, which reshapes constitutional understanding on several fronts.
• Governor’s Options Under Article 200
  • The Court clarified that a Governor has three constitutionally recognised choices when presented with a Bill:

• Assent,
• Reserve the Bill for Presidential consideration,
• Withhold assent and return the Bill to the legislature with observations.
  These options are explicitly grounded in the constitutional text.

• Discretion of the Governor
  • The Court held that the Governor enjoys discretion in choosing among these options and is not bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers regarding assent-related decisions.
  • This interpretation marks a significant shift from earlier decisions such as Shamsher Singh (1974) and Nabam Rebia (2016), which emphasised the primacy of ministerial advice.
• Limited Justiciability

• Governor’s actions under Article 200 are generally not justiciable,
• However, in cases of “glaring prolonged and unexplained inaction”, courts may issue a limited mandamus directing the Governor to act,
• Courts cannot review the validity of the Governor/President’s decision before a Bill becomes law.

• No Judicial Timelines
  • A key reversal of the April 2025 judgment: the Court held that in the absence of constitutional timelines, the judiciary cannot prescribe time limits for Governors or the President to act on Bills.
• No ‘Deemed Assent’
  • The Court strongly rejected the concept of “deemed assent,” holding that the judiciary cannot substitute executive authority through Article 142. Assent-related decisions belong exclusively to the Governor or President.

Issues Arising from the Opinion

• Potential Undermining of Legislative Intent
  • The Court’s recognition of wide gubernatorial discretion contradicts earlier judicial positions and expert committee recommendations.
  • The Sarkaria Commission (1987) held that reserving Bills for the President should occur rarely, and only in cases of clear unconstitutionality.

• Earlier Supreme Court cases insisted that Governors act on ministerial advice, not independent discretion.
• The current opinion risks allowing Governors to delay or derail the legislative agenda of elected State governments.

• Concerns Over Lack of Timelines
  • The Punchhi Commission (2010) recommended a six-month limit for gubernatorial decisions.
  • The Supreme Court itself had earlier set non-textual timelines (e.g., in K.M. Singh, three months for Speakers to decide disqualification petitions).
  • Thus, critics argue that judicially crafted timelines can be constitutionally permissible when required to uphold democratic functioning.
  • The current advisory opinion rejects such purposive interpretation.

Way Forward

• While the Governor represents the Union and the ideal of national unity, federalism is a basic structure of the Constitution. Moving forward:

• Governors must exercise constitutional powers with responsible urgency,
• The Centre must ensure the office is not used to thwart State governments,
• Judicial oversight must remain available to prevent constitutional paralysis while respecting the separation of powers.

Context:

• India has replaced 29 fragmented labour laws with four consolidated Labour Codes—wages, social security, industrial relations, and occupational safety & health.
• The reform seeks to reduce regulatory complexity, encourage formalisation, and enhance ease of doing business, forming an institutional pillar for Viksit Bharat 2047.

Background and Rationale for Reform:

• Fragmented regulatory landscape:
  • Earlier labour regimes evolved without coordination, resulting in inconsistencies across definitions, thresholds, and state-level rules.
  • This generated ambiguity, compliance burden, and “interpretive fog”.
• Consolidation into four codes: Features of new labour codes -
  • Uniform definitions across states.
  • Written appointment letters mandatory.
  • Clearer rules for timely wage payments.
  • Recognition of gig and platform workers.
  • Updated health, safety, and working conditions.
  • National-level simplified compliance architecture.

Transforming the Business Environment:

• Closing the “Tax on Scale”:
  • Ambiguity earlier acted as a disincentive to growth.
  • Firms stayed small to avoid triggering new compliance thresholds, leading to “missing middle” phenomenon.
  • Uniform rules reduce uncertainty, enabling expansion across states.
• Enhancing ease of doing business:
  • Predictability matters more than subsidies.
  • Lower risk of accidental non-compliance will boost investor confidence.
  • Simplified registration, single licence, and unified national returns reduce administrative friction.

Promoting Formalisation and Labour-Market Efficiency:

• Strengthening formal employment:
  • Appointment letters and clear wage definitions discourage informal arrangements.
  • Improves worker retention, skill development, and productivity.
  • Better workforce planning for firms.
• Digital and platform economy inclusion:
  • Recognises gig and platform workers for the first time.
  • By opening pathways to social protection, the Codes reduce the disconnect between the structure of work and the structure of regulation.
  • This brings India in line with many OECD economies, better equipped to sustain innovation.
• Women’s labour-force participation: Relaxation of restrictions on night work with safety provisions, expanding economic opportunities and supporting inclusive growth.

Economic Logic - Lowering Transaction Costs:

• High transaction costs previously: Firms avoided hiring, formalisation, and expansion. Compliance complexity was a shadow tax on business.
• New compliance architecture: Clearer rules, online systems, and uniform standards reduce friction. Encourages formal economic behaviour and sustainable enterprise growth.

Institutional Importance:

• Earlier regime: Fragmented laws resulted in risk-averse, defensive firms.
• New regime: Coherent, predictable framework will lead to ambitious, growth-oriented behaviour.
• Institutions shape economic behaviour: Supports a modern, competitive labour market aligned with economic transformation goals.

Challenges Ahead:

• Implementation bottlenecks:
  • States must notify rules in harmony with the Centre.
  • Robust digital platforms required for registration and compliance.
  • Inspectorate reforms needed to prevent discretion-based enforcement.
  • Awareness gaps among MSMEs and workers.
• Transition management: Shift from legacy systems to new Codes may initially create confusion. Ensuring social protection coverage for gig/platform workers is a long-term challenge.

Way Forward:

• Strengthen state capacity to implement rules uniformly.
• Ensure seamless digital integration for registration, licensing, and compliance.
• Build awareness and training for MSMEs, start-ups, gig workers, and labour officers.
• Promote social security portability, especially for gig/platform workforce.
• Continuous feedback loops to refine Codes based on ground realities.
• Gender-sensitive infrastructure to support increased female labour participation.

Conclusion:

• India’s four Labour Codes mark a historic institutional shift, replacing outdated and fragmented statutes with a coherent, predictable, and modern labour framework.
• They promote formalisation, reduce compliance uncertainty, support women and gig workers, and strengthen the ease of doing business—key pillars for building a Viksit Bharat 2047.
• While successful implementation remains critical, the Codes lay a strong foundation for an inclusive, competitive, and resilient labour market that benefits both workers and entrepreneurs.

Context

• Walter Bagehot’s reminder that the British monarch has no veto and must even sign her own death-warrant underscores the democratic expectation that the nominal head of state functions without independent political will.
• This principle illuminates the contemporary debate over the role of the Indian Governor under Article 200, where ambiguity about discretion has repeatedly strained Centre–State relations.
• The Supreme Court’s recent advisory opinion attempts clarification, yet its implications reveal deeper tensions between constitutional design and political practice.

Historical Foundations and Constitutional Intent

• The Government of India Act, 1935 vested substantial discretionary power in Governors, including the ability to assent, withhold assent, or return Bills.
• The framers of the Indian Constitution consciously departed from this colonial model.
• During the evolution of draft Article 175, the Constituent Assembly removed references to discretion, signalling a commitment to a parliamentary system in which the Governor acts on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers.
• This intended transformation placed the Governor as a figurehead akin to Bagehot’s constitutional monarch, with no personal political mandate.
• Yet practice has never fully aligned with this vision.
• Shifts in political alliances, party discipline, and the potential for partisan interference have kept the question of gubernatorial authority unresolved and often contentious.

Judicial Interpretation and the Expansion of Discretion

• The Supreme Court recently considered whether the Governor possesses implied discretion under Article 200 and whether timelines can be imposed for decisions on Bills.
• The Court affirmed that discretion exists in assenting, withholding, or reserving Bills, and concluded that mandatory timelines cannot be judicially prescribed. Judicial review is limited to cases of prolonged, unexplained, or indefinite delay.
• This stance reintroduces discretionary space that the framers had consciously excluded. The Court argued that the anti-defection law and strict party whips ensure unified legislative action, making it unlikely that a Bill could pass without cabinet support.
• Therefore, the Governor may need discretion if advice is unconstitutional or contrary to the text.
• However, this reasoning overlooks politically plausible scenarios where coalitions shift, and a new ministry may legitimately reconsider a Bill passed under a previous alliance.
• Constitutional advisor N. Rau noted such situations, cautioning against assumptions of stable legislative intent.
• Moreover, safeguards already exist: a Governor confronted with blatantly unconstitutional advice may act under Article 356 without relying on ministerial recommendation.

Political Realities and Institutional Friction

• Expansive discretion becomes problematic in a political context where Governors are often perceived as extensions of the Union executive.
• Soli Sorabjee’s criticism of the office becoming a consolation prize for burnt-out politicians highlights concerns about impartiality.
• When different parties control the Union and the State, the Governor’s actions, particularly strategic delays or reservations of Bills, can escalate tensions.
• Historical evidence shows repeated misuse of delays. Former Karnataka Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde documented that 74 Bills awaited presidential assent for years, with some pending for six to seven years.
• Such delays amount to a de facto veto, despite the Constitution providing none.

Risks of Over-Broad Discretion: Toward Gubernatorial Governance?

• By affirming implied discretion and placing many actions beyond judicial review, the Court’s opinion risks enabling a form of gubernatorial governance where unelected officers influence legislative outcomes.
• This development contradicts the democratic architecture in which the legislature and its accountable executive should dominate policy-making.
• Doctrinal uncertainty also emerges. The advisory opinion diverges from reasoning in the earlier Tamil Nadu case, potentially encouraging broader assertions of discretion unless constitutional amendments define tighter boundaries.
• A system that permits significant delays or unilateral gubernatorial decisions threatens the federal balance and weakens the authority of elected State governments.

A Path Forward: Timelines and Reduced Discretion

• A stable federal structure requires clearer limits on gubernatorial authority.
• Introducing constitutional timelines for assent would prevent obstruction through delay and enhance transparency.
• Reinforcing the principle that discretion exists only in the narrow exceptions envisaged by the framers would restore alignment with parliamentary conventions.
• Additionally, revisiting the mode of appointment, as recommended by multiple commissions, would mitigate perceptions of partisanship and strengthen institutional legitimacy.

Conclusion

• The relationship between the legislature and the constitutional head in a parliamentary system demands clarity, restraint, and respect for democratic accountability.
• Gubernatorial authority under Article 200 remains one of the most significant unresolved constitutional challenges in India.
• Without reforms, especially defined timelines and narrowed discretion, the risk persists that an office intended to be ceremonial will continue to shape legislation in ways neither envisioned by the framers nor conducive to healthy federalism.

Context

• The contemporary world faces a convergence of crises, rising lifestyle diseases, ecological degradation, and social fragmentation, that challenge conventional models of health and development.
• In response, a global reorientation is underway, one that seeks to restore balance between individuals and the environment, progress and sustainability, and innovation and intuition.
• Central to this shift is the growing recognition of traditional medicine as a vital resource for holistic well-being.
• Far from being an antiquated practice, traditional medicine is increasingly supported by scientific research and global policy frameworks, positioning it as a key contributor to future health

The Philosophy of Holistic Health

• Health as Harmony
  • Traditional medicine systems across cultures share a foundational belief: true health emerges from harmony, within the body and between humans and nature.
  • Unlike purely biomedical models, which prioritise diagnosing and treating disease, traditional medicine emphasises prevention, balance, and lifestyle regulation.
• Rediscovering Ancient Knowledge
  • Although often framed as a modern innovation, the science of well-being is rooted in age-old practices.
  • Contemporary research increasingly validates traditional insights about the interconnections between physical, mental, and environmental health, reaffirming their relevance in today’s health landscape.

Global Relevance and Socioeconomic Value

• Widespread Use of Traditional Medicine
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that nearly 90% of its member states use traditional medicine in some form.
  • For billions of people, especially in low- and middle-income countries, these systems remain the first line of healthcare due to their accessibility, affordability, and cultural acceptance.
• Contributions Beyond Healthcare
  • Traditional medicine supports broader societal goals by contributing to:
    • Biodiversity conservation
    • Nutrition and food security
    • Livelihood generation
• This holistic impact demonstrates that traditional knowledge is not only a medical asset but also a pillar of sustainable development.

India as a Global Leader in Traditional Medicine

• Expanding the AYUSH Sector
  • India’s AYUSH sector, valued at approximately $43.4 billion, reflects a major shift from reactive health models to preventive, personalised, and integrative care.
  • The sector’s growth is driven by consumer demand, policy support, and increasing scientific legitimisation.
• Strengthening Standards and Research
  • India has taken significant steps to institutionalise and standardise traditional medicine:
    • Establishing a dedicated AYUSH department in the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
    • Contributing to global standard-setting through ISO/TC 249/SC 2
  • These initiatives aim to ensure safety, quality, and international acceptance of traditional medical systems.

WHO's Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC)

• Purpose and Vision
  • Located in Jamnagar, Gujarat and supported by the Government of India, the GTMC serves as a global hub for:
    • Evidence-based research
    • Data and analytics
    • Innovation and sustainability
  • Its mission is to optimise traditional medicine’s contribution to global health while respecting local cultures, resources, and rights.
• Evidence and Equity as Core Principles
  • The GTMC prioritises ethical, scientific, and inclusive approaches, ensuring that traditional medicine evolves responsibly and benefits all communities.

Global Collaboration and Policy Momentum

• The First WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine (2023)
  • Hosted in Gandhinagar alongside the G-20 Health Ministerial Meeting, the 2023 summit marked a milestone in global dialogue.
  • It united ministers, scientists, practitioners, and communities to strengthen political commitment and promote data-driven integration of traditional medicine.
  • The summit concluded with the Gujarat Declaration, which emphasised:
    • Biodiversity protection
    • Fair benefit-sharing
    • Digital innovation
    • Equitable access to traditional health knowledge
• The Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine (2025)
  • Building on the 2023 momentum, WHO and India will co-host the second Summit in New Delhi from December 17–19, 2025.
  • With the theme Restoring balance: The science and practice of health and well-being, the event will:
    • Advance multi-stakeholder collaboration
    • Support the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy (2025–2034)
    • Deepen scientific exploration and global innovation

Integrating Tradition, Technology, and Sustainability

• Traditional Medicine in the Future of Healthcare
  • As the world shifts toward holistic health models, traditional medicine offers valuable frameworks for preventive care and sustainable living.
  • Scientific validation and technological innovation are increasingly strengthening its credibility and application.
• India’s Integrative Approach
  • India demonstrates how ancient knowledge can coexist with modern science through:
  • Integration of research and community participation
  • Emphasis on sustainability
  • Technological advancements in health systems
  • This approach shows that traditional medicine is not opposed to modern healthcare but can enrich it.

Conclusion

• The global resurgence of interest in traditional medicine is more than a cultural revival, it is a strategic, evidence-backed response to modern health and environmental challenges.
• As nations seek holistic pathways to well-being, traditional medical knowledge offers valuable insights into balance, sustainability, and preventive care.
• India’s leadership, combined with WHO’s global initiatives, is shaping a future where traditional medicine stands validated by science, empowered by technology, and governed by ethics.

Context

• India’s vibrant food culture is shadowed today by a growing crisis of trust.
• A series of high-profile adulteration cases has intensified public concern, revealing deep-rooted problems in hygiene standards, especially within the informal food sector.
• The contrast between the appeal of street food and the growing dependence on packaged foods underscores the complexity of India’s food ecosystem.

The Crisis of Trust in Informal Food Systems

• Street food remains a powerful symbol of India’s cultural identity, yet concerns about safety and sanitation are increasingly overshadowing its charm.
• The July 2024 raids on 58 panipuri stalls in Chennai, where officials found contaminated water and unsafe handling practices, highlight a pattern witnessed across many cities.
• These incidents reflect a systemic regulatory gap, especially in monitoring small vendors scattered across densely populated urban spaces.
• The scale of the problem is immense. The Observer Research Foundation estimates 100 million food-borne illnesses and 1,20,000 deaths annually, much of it connected to contaminated food from informal sources.
• Common practices like the reuse of cooking oil not only degrade nutritional value but also produce harmful trans fats and toxic compounds.
• The use of adulterated or low-quality ingredients, driven by cost pressures, further heightens risk.
• Although the FSSAI is working to train, certify, and regulate street vendors, the informal sector’s vastness makes enforcement challenging.
• Initiatives such as vendor training modules, covering hygiene, safe storage, and waste disposal, represent progress, but meaningful reform requires sustained effort over many years.

Packaged Food: Structure, Science, and Reliability

• In contrast, the packaged food industry operates within a structured, science-driven system that inspires greater consumer confidence.
• While often seen as a convenience-driven sector, packaged foods reflect a well-defined regulatory framework established by the FSSAI.
• These guidelines regulate the entire production chain from raw material sourcing to final packaging, ensuring traceability, accountability, and consistent hygiene standards.
• Technologies such as pasteurisation, vacuum sealing, and aseptic packaging significantly reduce microbial contamination and extend shelf life.
• These innovations make packaged foods particularly suitable for varied climatic conditions and for meeting the needs of India’s expanding urban population.
• Another strength lies in transparency. Clear ingredient lists, allergen warnings, and expiry dates empower consumers, especially parents, elderly individuals, and health-conscious buyers, to make informed food choices.
• The industry is also responding to rising health awareness by offering healthier product lines, reducing harmful additives, and expanding nutrient-fortified foods to address widespread micronutrient deficiencies.
• These developments demonstrate a model in which commercial interests align with public health goals.

Reconciling Tradition with Safety

• Despite its risks, street food remains a cultural and economic pillar of India.
• Millions of livelihoods depend on it, and its flavours remain deeply rooted in the country’s identity.
• The objective, therefore, cannot be to marginalise street food but to raise its safety standards to acceptable levels.
• National programmes such as the Eat Right India movement and the Clean Street Food Hub (CSFH) are steps toward bridging this gap.
• By promoting hygiene training, certifying qualified vendors, and encouraging community-level improvements, these initiatives aim to bring the informal sector closer to regulatory compliance.
• Collaborative efforts, such as FSSAI’s training partnership with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, illustrate how targeted interventions can uplift safety practices without disrupting livelihoods.
• Yet the unorganised nature of the sector means progress will be gradual.
• Effective oversight requires regulatory support, community participation, and sustained behavioural change among both vendors and consumers.

Conclusion

• As India undergoes rapid modernisation and urbanisation, ensuring safe and hygienic food for all must become a national priority.
• While packaged foods benefit from scientific processing, structured oversight, and transparent labelling, street food’s cultural significance calls for thoughtful reform rather than displacement.
• Ultimately, the future of India’s food landscape must be shaped not by sentiment alone but by an unwavering commitment to safety, ensuring that tradition, innovation, and public health move forward together.

Why in News?

• The Union Home Ministry has clarified that the Central Government has no intention of introducing the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2025 in the Winter Session of Parliament to bring Chandigarh under Article 240.
• The proposal triggered sharp political backlash in Punjab, reviving long-standing tensions related to Chandigarh’s status, rooted in the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966.
• Chandigarh is a Union Territory (UT), but is also the shared capital of Punjab and Haryana. The Governor of Punjab currently holds additional charge as the Administrator of the UT of Chandigarh.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Proposed Change
• Centre’s Clarification
• Punjab Opposing the Move
• Key Constitutional and Administrative Issues
• Way Forward
• Conclusion

Proposed Change:

• Parliament bulletin:
  • Lok Sabha bulletin (Nov 21) listed the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2025 for introduction.
  • Objective: Include Chandigarh under Article 240, allowing the President to make regulations for the UT.
  • Effect: Enable appointment of an independent Administrator/Lieutenant Governor.
• Article 240:
  • Empowers the President to frame regulations for certain UTs - Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Puducherry (when Assembly is dissolved/suspended).
  • Presidential regulations can override Acts of Parliament applicable to that UT.
• If applied to Chandigarh:
  • Chandigarh would come under direct administrative control of the Centre, similar to other UTs without legislatures.
  • Punjab Governor would no longer serve as Administrator. 

Centre’s Clarification:

• Government’s statement:
  • Proposal only aimed at simplifying the Central government’s law-making process for Chandigarh.
  • However, no decision has been finalized yet. No change intended in the current governance structure. No Bill will be introduced in the 2025 Winter Session.
• Stakeholder consultation: Decision will be taken only after adequate consultations with Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh administration, other stakeholders.

Punjab Opposing the Move:

• Historical significance:
  • Post-partition: Lahore went to Pakistan in 1947. Chandigarh was envisioned as the modern capital of Punjab.
  • Planned city: Designed by Le Corbusier. Inaugurated by President Rajendra Prasad in 1953.
  • Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966: Creation of Haryana. Chandigarh made joint capital with property division in 60:40 ratio (Punjab:Haryana). Chandigarh became a UT under Centre’s control.
  • 1970: Centre declared that Chandigarh would go to Punjab. Announcement influenced by Punjabi Suba movement leader Fateh Singh.
  • Haryana’s temporary arrangement: Allowed to share secretariat and legislature buildings for five years. Given financial assistance to build new capital (₹10 crore grant + ₹10 crore loan). No separate capital built till date.
• Punjab’s current position: Views Chandigarh as its undisputed rightful capital. Asserts that the city was built by “uprooting Punjabi villages”. CM Bhagwant Mann (AAP) opposed the Bill, calling it a conspiracy to weaken Punjab’s claim.
• Political reactions: Opposition parties criticised the Centre’s move as “FAST approach — First Announce, Second Think.”

Key Constitutional and Administrative Issues:

• Sensitive federal question: Chandigarh’s status is historically linked to state reorganisation and linguistic federalism. High political stakes for both Punjab and Haryana.
• Administrative implications: Changing role of Administrator from Punjab Governor to LG shifts decision-making, Centre–State power dynamics, control over land, policing and administration.
• Inter-State power balance: Haryana continues to operate from Chandigarh without setting up its own capital.
• Political symbolism: Chandigarh represents Punjabi identity, legacy of reorganisation, incomplete implementation of 1970 promise.
• Historical commitments: Transfer promises made in 1970 remain unfulfilled, complicating any new move.
• Governance stability: Risk of administrative friction if the governance model is altered abruptly.
• Legal and constitutional complexity: Bringing Chandigarh under Article 240 may require nuanced constitutional interpretation.

Way Forward:

• Stakeholder consultation: Mandatory structured dialogue among Centre, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh UT administration.
• Federal consensus: A political–administrative consensus model on Chandigarh’s status is essential.
• Revisit past commitments: Review the 1970 declaration and explore realistic, time-bound solutions.
• Balanced administrative framework: Any law-making reform must protect local governance, federal balance, and the interests of both states.
• Transparent communication: Avoid ambiguity in legislative bulletins to prevent political escalation.

Conclusion:

• The controversy over including Chandigarh under Article 240 highlights the deep-rooted historical, political and constitutional sensitivities surrounding the city.
• The episode reflects the need for careful federal negotiation and respect for long-standing commitments made to Punjab and Haryana.
• A balanced, consultative approach remains essential to ensure administrative efficiency without disturbing the delicate inter-state equilibrium.

Why in the News?

• The 2025 National Conference of State Public Service Commissions (PSCs), hosted by the Telangana State PSC, has brought renewed focus on the longstanding challenges affecting State PSCs.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• PSCs in India (Evolution, Structural Differences, Procedural Challenges, Reform Measures, etc.)

Evolution of Public Service Commissions in India

• Public Service Commissions have their origins in India’s struggle for self-governance.
• According to the historical overview, the demand for merit-based entry into civil services was central to the early nationalist movement. This led to:

• The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, which proposed an independent office regulating service matters,
• Establishment of the first Public Service Commission in 1926,
• Provisions in the Government of India Act, 1935, mandating PSCs for each province, which the Constitution later retained; today, we have the UPSC and State PSCs.

Structural Differences Between UPSC and State PSCs

• UPSC’s Strong Governance Framework
  • The UPSC operates in a politically insulated environment, ensuring independence and professionalism. Members generally:
    • Are above 55 years of age,
    • Have rich experience in public administration,
    • Come from diverse zones of the country.
  • The Union government further institutionalised recruitment processes by creating the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (1985), enabling regular manpower planning and timely declaration of vacancies.
• State PSCs’ Politicised Environment
  • In contrast, State PSCs function in a “politically osmotic environment”, where:

• Appointments tend to reflect political proximity rather than experience,
• States lack dedicated personnel ministries,
• Vacancies are declared irregularly due to fiscal constraints,
• Exams are conducted infrequently, leading to widespread litigation and delays.

• These structural factors form the foundation of the credibility crisis facing State PSCs.

Procedural Challenges Undermining State PSC Efficiency

• Irregular Syllabus Updates and Academic Limitations
  • Unlike the UPSC, which periodically appoints committees of academicians, civil servants, and experts, State PSCs do not frequently update their syllabi. They also:

• Depend heavily on limited academic resources within the State,
• Struggle to ensure objective evaluation due to weak moderation mechanisms.

• Complex Reservation and Regional Quota Calculations
  • State PSCs face significant challenges in applying:

• Vertical reservations,
• Horizontal reservations,
• Regional (zonal) reservations are especially visible in States like Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. This often leads to errors and legal disputes.

• Recurring Examination Controversies
  • Paper leaks,

• Frequent judicial interventions,
• Errors in evaluation and translation,
• Lack of confidentiality protocols.

• As a result, aspirants increasingly claim they “have lost faith in State Commissions” and express a preference for UPSC-like centralised examinations.

Reform Measures to Strengthen State PSCs

• Institutional and Manpower Reforms
  • Institutionalise manpower planning,
  • Provide a five-year roadmap of vacancies,
  • Ensure predictable exam cycles.
• Constitutional Amendments for Professional Appointments
  • The 41^st Constitutional Amendment (1976) raised the PSC member age limit from 60 to 62. Experts suggest further modifications:

• Minimum age: 55 years,
• Maximum age: 65 years,
• Mandatory qualifications, e.g., former State Secretary for official members, 10 years’ professional experience for non-officials,
• Consultation with the Leader of the Opposition, ensuring bipartisan selection.
• Such criteria would help constitute panels of individuals with proven integrity, expertise, and independence.

• Exam Reforms for Fairness and Transparency

• Periodic syllabus revision with public consultation,
• Objective-type testing for State-specific subjects,
• Mixed question formats (objective + descriptive) in mains,
• Improved translation processes using technology plus human verification,
• Frequent changes in question patterns to reduce overreliance on AI tools by candidates.

• Strengthening Administrative Leadership
  • The Secretary of State PSC should be a senior officer with experience in school or intermediate education boards.
  • This would enhance oversight of examination processes and replicate UPSC’s emphasis on balanced confidentiality and transparency.

Why in news?

Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal for crimes against humanity committed during the 2024 student-led protests.

Living in India since her government collapsed in August 2024, Hasina was convicted for ordering the killing of 12 unarmed protesters in Dhaka and Ashulia on August 5, 2024. Five of the victims were burned after death, and one was allegedly burned alive.

She also received a life-term sentence for inciting violence, directing the use of lethal weapons, and authorising attacks using helicopters and drones.

The verdict has triggered intense political reactions across Bangladesh and is expected to shape the run-up to the February 2026 national elections.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• International Crimes Tribunal
• Hasina’s Fate: Exiled, Convicted, and Politically Isolated
• Yunus’s Rise: Interim PM and Symbol of Justice
• BNP’s Position: Seeking Political Revival
• Jamaat-e-Islami’s Unexpected Strategy
• India’s Calculated and Cautious Stand on the Hasina Verdict

International Crimes Tribunal

• The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is a special Bangladeshi court established in 2009 by then PM Sheikh Hasina to try individuals accused of committing atrocities during the 1971 Liberation War.
• Hasina had promised during the 2008 election campaign to bring “war criminals” — especially those who allegedly collaborated with Pakistan — to justice.
• Once set up, the ICT aggressively prosecuted many individuals, often from the Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamist political party.
• However, the tribunal faced strong criticism from international rights groups. Human Rights Watch, in 2012, described the trials as “deeply problematic”, raising concerns about political bias, judicial independence, and fairness.

Hasina’s Fate: Exiled, Convicted, and Politically Isolated

• Former PM Sheikh Hasina, now living in India since August 5, has dismissed her death sentence as politically motivated.
• The verdict, tied to her brutal 2024 protest crackdown that killed 1,400 people, seals her political future for now.
• Her return to Bangladesh appears impossible, effectively removing her from national politics.
• Awami League in Leadership Crisis
  • Hasina left Bangladesh without establishing a successor, creating deep uncertainty within the Awami League.
  • The party, currently banned from elections, is struggling without a clear strategy or leadership, and many leaders feel abandoned amid widespread public hostility.

Yunus’s Rise: Interim PM and Symbol of Justice

• Interim leader Muhammad Yunus, who returned during the 2024 chaos, has positioned himself as a reformist figure.
• He welcomed the verdict as a signal that “no one is above the law.”
• While the Army and political parties grow impatient over delayed elections, the ruling strengthens his image as a leader delivering justice and stabilising the nation.

BNP’s Position: Seeking Political Revival

• The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) hailed the verdict as justice served.
• After decades of political marginalisation and legal battles, BNP sees an opportunity to regain power in upcoming elections.
• However, internal challenges remain—particularly how Khaleda Zia will project her exiled son Tarique Rahman as the party’s PM candidate.

Jamaat-e-Islami’s Unexpected Strategy

• Jamaat-e-Islami, gaining momentum after major student union victories, has surprisingly demanded Hasina’s return from India—a move aimed at pressuring New Delhi and strengthening its nationalist credentials.
• The party aims to emerge as a powerful force in the 2026 election, either allying with BNP or becoming the primary opposition.

India’s Calculated and Cautious Stand on the Hasina Verdict

• New Delhi responded by saying it has “noted the verdict” issued by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh against former PM Sheikh Hasina.
• The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) refrained from condemning or endorsing the ruling, signalling a carefully calibrated position.
• Commitment to Bangladesh’s People — Not Its Current Regime
  • India emphasised its commitment to the “best interests of the people of Bangladesh” — focusing on peace, democracy, inclusion, and stability.
  • The wording is significant: India did not echo support for the Bangladesh government but referenced the broader population.
  • The term “inclusion” implicitly signals India’s preference for allowing the Awami League to participate in the coming elections.
• Shelter for Hasina, No Extradition Signals
  • India continues to shelter Sheikh Hasina — as it did earlier from 1975–1981 after Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s assassination.
  • Despite growing calls within Bangladesh for Hasina’s extradition, India has not yielded.
  • Delhi views the case as political and has legal grounds to deny extradition on concerns of fairness and the political nature of the charges.
• Non-Interference: Framing It as Bangladesh’s Internal Issue
  • While India sees Hasina as a long-time ally who curbed radicalism and supported strong bilateral ties, it does not want to intervene in Bangladesh’s domestic political battles.
  • The MEA’s restrained response signals that Delhi considers the developments an internal matter for Bangladesh.
• Strategic Calculus: No Gain in Sending Hasina Back
  • Delhi believes that extraditing Hasina would not improve its standing with Bangladesh’s current political establishment.
  • Therefore, turning her over offers no strategic benefit. Under these circumstances, India remains the safest refuge for her.

Why in news?

Mid-cap stocks continue to attract strong inflows as investors chase the high double-digit returns these stocks have generated in recent years.

The Nifty midcap indices recently hit record highs, supported by steady retail SIP inflows and robust earnings growth. Over the last two-and-a-half months, mid-caps have significantly outperformed the Nifty 50.

However, analysts are cautioning investors against excessive optimism, warning that stretched valuations and herd behaviour could lead to risks if the momentum reverses.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Mid-Cap Stocks
• Factors Driving Mid-Cap Stock Inflows
• Investor Sentiment: Bullish but Cautious

Mid-Cap Stocks

• Mid-cap stocks, as defined by SEBI, are companies ranked 101 to 250 by market capitalisation, typically valued between ₹5,000 crore and ₹20,000 crore.
• They offer higher return potential than large-cap stocks but come with greater risk.
• Investor interest in mid-caps remains strong, with Nifty Midcap 50, 100, and 150 hitting record highs in November 2025.
• Since the beginning of 2025, mid-cap indices have delivered 8–11% returns, outpacing the 6.5% return of the Nifty 50.
• Retail investors pumped ₹8,892 crore into mid-cap funds between September–October 2025, driving mid-cap AUM (assets under management) to ₹4.55 lakh crore, surpassing large-cap AUM at ₹4.1 lakh crore.
• This indicates a clear shift in preference toward mid-cap equities.

Factors Driving Mid-Cap Stock Inflows

• Mid-cap inflows are being fuelled by strong domestic institutional buying, especially through mutual funds and SIPs, alongside robust quarterly earnings from many mid-cap companies.
• Analysts note that overall market sentiment remains bullish, pushing investors to seek value outside large-caps, particularly as the Nifty trades near record highs.
• Several mid-cap stocks — including BSE, Federal Bank, Muthoot Finance, Biocon, NALCO, BHEL and Vodafone Idea — have attracted heavy buying due to positive news and improved financial performance.
• With mid-caps being more sensitive to earnings cycles, recent upgrades have triggered sharp price movements.
• A shift in investor behaviour is also driving inflows: after years of strong returns (2020–2024), retail investors expect the momentum to continue, leading to higher allocations towards mid-cap equities.
• Additionally, fund managers are rotating from large-caps to mid-caps in search of better growth opportunities.

Investor Sentiment: Bullish but Cautious

• Investor confidence in mid-cap stocks remains strong.
• As long as broader indices like the Nifty and Sensex trend positively, stock-specific buying in the mid-cap segment is expected to continue.
• Robust liquidity from domestic institutions is also sustaining long-term value buying.
• Elevated Valuations Raise Red Flags
  • Mid-cap valuations have become stretched.
  • The P/E ratio for mid- and small-caps is around 33, compared to 22 for large-caps, which traditionally command higher valuations due to safety and stability.
    • The P/E ratio, or price-to-earnings ratio, is a stock valuation metric that indicates how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of a company's earnings.
    • This ratio shows how a company's stock price compares to its earnings, helping investors determine if it is overvalued or undervalued.
  • Analysts warn of structural misallocation toward mid- and small-caps driven more by sentiment than fundamentals.
  • They call the current inflows “irrational exuberance”.
• Retail Investors Must Exercise Caution
  • Experts advise that retail investors should:
    • Be selective in stock picking
    • Enter positions gradually
    • Limit position sizes
    • Prefer high-quality stocks or professional active management
  • For most retail investors, especially beginners, the mutual fund route is considered safer for diversified exposure to mid-cap companies.

Why in news?

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) covers nearly 26 crore registered workers across 2.69 lakh gram panchayats. Over the past six months, around 15 lakh workers were removed from the database.

However, within just one month — from October 10 to November 14, 2025 — deletions spiked to 27 lakh, far exceeding the 10.5 lakh new additions during the same period.

This unprecedented rise in deletions coincides with the Union government’s intensified push for mandatory e-KYC verification to identify and remove ineligible or duplicate beneficiaries.

Concerns are growing that the verification drive may be excluding genuine workers who struggle with documentation or biometric-related issues.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Legal Provisions on Job Cards
• Government’s Rationale for e-KYC Push
• Methods of Worker Verification
• Link Between e-KYC Drive and MNREGA Worker Deletions

Legal Provisions on Job Cards

• Under Para 2 of Schedule II, Gram Panchayats must issue job cards within 15 days of receiving an application.
• Job cards must include a unique number, registration details, insurance details, and Aadhaar numbers (if any).
• As per Para 3 of Schedule II, job cards must be renewed every five years after proper verification.
• States, through Panchayati Raj Institutions, are responsible for issuance, verification, and renewal.

Government’s Rationale for e-KYC Push

• The Union Ministry of Rural Development has stated that verifying MGNREGA workers is an ongoing exercise, and e-KYC is an additional step to enhance transparency and efficiency.
• According to the Ministry, the digital verification process is intended to improve service delivery and reduce inclusion errors.
• So far, over 56% of active workers have completed e-KYC across States, indicating steady progress in the verification drive.

Methods of Worker Verification

• Before the introduction of e-KYC, the government relied on multiple digital and Aadhaar-linked verification measures to prevent ineligible beneficiaries under MGNREGA:
  • Digital Attendance (NMMS App): After a year-long pilot from May 2022, workers’ attendance had to be captured via the National Mobile Monitoring System. Mates/supervisors uploaded geotagged photos twice daily from worksites.
  • Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS): Made mandatory in January 2023, ABPS required workers’ Aadhaar to be linked with job cards and bank accounts.
  • NPCI Mapping Requirements: Workers’ Aadhaar numbers and banks’ IINs had to be mapped with the NPCI database to enable Aadhaar-based payments.
• These steps aimed to tighten verification, reduce duplication, and ensure payments reached genuine workers.
• e-KYC Process
  • Under the e-KYC system integrated into the NMMS app, supervisors photograph each MNREGA worker at the worksite.
  • This image is then digitally matched with the worker’s Aadhaar database photo to verify identity instantly.
  • Since 99.67% of active workers have Aadhaar seeded, e-KYC provides a quick, accurate, and reliable verification method.

Link Between e-KYC Drive and MNREGA Worker Deletions

• Earlier digital measures — NMMS for attendance and Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS) — were introduced to improve transparency but instead caused widespread exclusion.
• Issues included poor network connectivity, limited digital literacy, and technical failures that prevented attendance capture, leading to wage loss.
• Aadhaar Seeding and Data Mismatch Problems
  • ABPS required perfect matching of Aadhaar details with job cards and bank accounts.
  • Minor spelling differences in names or demographic discrepancies frequently caused workers’ records to be rejected.
  • During ABPS rollout, deletions surged by 247% between 2021-22 and 2022-23.
• Failures in NMMS Implementation
  • NMMS did not deliver the intended transparency. Problems included:
    • Uploading irrelevant or fake photos
    • Photo-to-photo capturing instead of live images
    • Large mismatches between actual and recorded attendance
  • To fix this, the government introduced a multi-level verification system, with 100% verification at gram panchayat level and reduced checks at higher levels.
• Introduction of e-KYC Due to NMMS Shortcomings
  • e-KYC was introduced partly because NMMS verification was unreliable.
  • The new system seeks to validate identity using live photo matching with Aadhaar.
• Government Denies a Direct Link
  • The government claims deletions follow a strict SOP issued in January, ensuring transparency and allowing appeals before deletion.
  • It rejects claims that e-KYC itself is causing deletions.
  • Despite government denial, States with high e-KYC completion rates are reporting massive deletions:
    • Andhra Pradesh: 78.4% e-KYC done → 15.92 lakh deletions
    • Tamil Nadu: 67.6% → 30,529 deletions
    • Chhattisgarh: 66.6% → 1.04 lakh deletions
  • This raises questions about whether the e-KYC drive is indirectly contributing to exclusion.
• Overall Assurance
  • The Ministry affirms its dedication to:
    • Protecting the rights of every genuine MGNREGA worker
    • Ensuring uninterrupted wage employment
    • Maintaining transparency, accountability, and effectiveness in scheme implementation

Why in news?

Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) V. Anantha Nageswaran has raised red flags about the changing nature of India’s initial public offerings (IPO) market. He warned that IPOs are increasingly being used as exit routes for early-stage investors rather than for raising long-term productive capital.

His remarks come at a time when India’s primary market is witnessing a surge in IPO approvals and record fundraising plans, prompting concerns over overpricing and retail investors entering at inflated valuations.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• IPOs Tilt Toward Promoter Payouts Instead of Capital Raising
• OFS Dominates Recent IPO Structures
• Overpricing Becomes a Red Flag
• Promoter Exits: Sign of a Maturing Market
• Retail Investors at Risk in an Overheated IPO Market
• IPO Market at a Turning Point

IPOs Tilt Toward Promoter Payouts Instead of Capital Raising

• Recent IPO data shows a worrying shift: instead of raising fresh capital for business expansion, most new listings are being dominated by offers for sale (OFS) — allowing promoters and early investors to cash out.
  • OFS is a mechanism on the stock exchange that allows existing shareholders, such as promoters or large institutional investors, to sell their existing shares to the public. 
• Between SEBI-approved and pending applications, over 200+ companies are seeking to raise nearly ₹2.8 lakh crore, yet the structure of recent IPOs reveals that:
  • LG’s entire ₹11,000 crore IPO went to the Korean promoter.
  • Tata Capital’s IPO: Over ₹8,600 crore went to promoter Tata Sons and early investors.
  • Lenskart: More than ₹5,000 crore was cashed out by founders and pre-IPO shareholders.
  • WeWork India: The full ₹3,000 crore issue was an OFS by existing stakeholders.
• In short, the majority of recent IPOs have become monetisation events rather than instruments for raising long-term growth capital.

OFS Dominates Recent IPO Structures

• A major share of recent IPO issue sizes comprises Offer for Sale (OFS), where existing shareholders — mainly promoters and pre-IPO investors — sell their stakes.
• OFS proceeds do not benefit the company, as the money goes directly to the selling shareholders.
• OFS is not inherently problematic, but when it overshadows fresh issue components and valuations appear inflated, it raises serious concerns.

Overpricing Becomes a Red Flag

• Market experts warn that overpriced IPOs are becoming a new systemic risk.
• They note that hype-driven valuations, heavy anchor investor activity, and unrealistic growth assumptions are creating a dangerous disconnect between market prices and actual earnings potential — leaving retail investors exposed.
• Companies - with modest profits, short operating history, or uncertain future cash flows - are demanding valuations that exceed even those of well-established, profitable listed firms.
• These valuations are often justified using optimistic projections and aggressive accounting to project stronger growth ahead of listing.

Promoters and PE Funds Cashing Out at High Valuations

• Promoters and private equity investors — who understand the company’s real financial health — often acquired shares at very low valuations earlier.
• The IPO gives them a chance to exit at peak valuations, transferring nearly all the risk to public investors.
• The biggest concern associated with this the is information asymmetry:
  • Promoters and early investors know far more about the company’s weaknesses and risks.
  • When they sell aggressively at high valuations, it raises the question: if the future is so bright, why are insiders exiting now?
• This makes public investors wonder whether:
  • the company really needed fresh capital, or
  • the IPO was simply an opportunity to encash a favourable market sentiment.

Promoter Exits: Sign of a Maturing Market

• Some experts argue that high promoter and private equity exits through IPOs reflect market maturity rather than malfunction.
• They note that many IPOs criticised for high valuations have later become multibaggers, including several new-age tech companies that have delivered ~50% average returns since listing.
• They emphasised that early investors take significant risk in backing young companies.
• They deserve viable exit routes to recycle capital into new ventures—exactly how mature Western markets operate.
• Many IPOs do very well, but investors forget that early funds also invest in many companies that fail. So, they need exits to recover money and keep investing.

Retail Investors at Risk in an Overheated IPO Market

• Retail investors often rush into IPOs believing they guarantee quick profits.
• While some stocks list with a big pop, many fall or stagnate once excitement fades and prices adjust to real fundamentals.
• As a result, small investors end up holding overpriced shares while promoters and early investors walk away with huge gains.
• Not All IPOs Are Bad — But Caution Is Needed
  • Several good companies have used IPOs responsibly. However, the current trend of inflated valuations, heavy offers for sale (OFS), and aggressive marketing has made the IPO space riskier than before.
  • Experts say transparency on pricing, profitability, and peer comparisons is essential to protect retail investors.
• Why Retail Investors Are Vulnerable?
  • Even though regulators have tightened disclosure norms, pricing remains market-driven.
  • When liquidity is high and sentiment is bullish, promoters and investment bankers naturally push valuations beyond fundamentals, leaving small investors exposed.

IPO Market at a Turning Point

• If IPOs continue to be used mainly as exit avenues rather than genuine fundraising routes:
  • public trust will decline
  • retail participation will shrink
  • and the market may face a sharp correction
• For a healthy ecosystem, companies must price more realistically, investors must look beyond narratives, and regulators must strengthen oversight.
• The bottom line: too many IPOs channel money to promoters instead of funding new projects or capacity expansion.

Why in News?

• At the 2025 G-20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, the host South Africa achieved the adoption of the G-20 Leaders’ Declaration by consensus—despite the U.S. boycott and attempts to block the text.
• This was the first G-20 Summit held in Africa, marking an important moment for the Global South, African development, and the evolving global governance architecture.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Adoption of the Declaration
• Key Themes and Priorities in the G-20 Declaration
• South Africa’s Bilateral Balancing with the US
• India’s Priorities and Contributions
• Broader Geopolitical Backdrop
• Challenges Ahead
• Way Ahead
• Conclusion

Adoption of the Declaration:

• Unusual early adoption:
  • The Declaration was adopted at the start of the Summit, not at the end—an unprecedented step.
  • Negotiated and finalised by Sherpas, enabling early clearance.
• South Africa’s stand:
  • Declared the adoption an “affirmation of multilateralism.”
  • Asserted that the G20 cannot be paralysed due to the absence of any single country, including the U.S.
• US opposition: The U.S. did not participate and attempted to block the Declaration. Boycott due to deteriorating Washington–Pretoria ties.

Key Themes and Priorities in the G-20 Declaration:

• Multilateralism and global cooperation:
  • Reiterated commitment to the UN Charter, international law and peaceful settlement of disputes.
  • Emphasised the African philosophy Ubuntu: “I am because we are.”
• Weak position on conflicts:
  • Minimal references to Russia–Ukraine war, Gaza conflict, Middle East tensions.
  • Single-line condemnation of terrorism - “Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”
  • Still included a key line - states must refrain from use of force for territorial acquisition.
• Global South issues:
  • Strong emphasis on debt sustainability, development financing, inequality, African priorities.
  • India ensured Global South concerns, a continuation of India’s 2023 G20 presidency.
• UN Security Council (UNSC) reform: Called for “transformative reform” of UNSC. Sought increased representation for Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America & Caribbean.
• Women-led development: Reaffirmed commitment to empowerment of women and girls, removing socio-economic barriers, promoting women-led development, and recognising women as agents of peace.

South Africa’s Bilateral Balancing with the US:

• Balanced diplomacy: Acknowledged the economic importance of the U.S. which is South Africa’s second largest trading partner. Rejected U.S. claims of “genocide of white farmers” as baseless.
• Debt sustainability push: Highlighted issue of risk-parity - countries with same risk but higher interest rates.

India’s Priorities and Contributions:

• Reconsidering global parameters of growth:
  • The Indian PM argued current economic models have left many deprived of resources and caused over-exploitation of nature.
  • He stressed the need to rethink development, especially as Africa remains most affected.
• “Integral Humanism”:
  • The Indian PM promoted Deen Dayal Upadhyay’s Integral Humanism - holistic development of individuals and society through the integration of material and spiritual well-being.
  • It will provide an alternative to Western ideologies such as individualism, secularism, communism.
• Key initiatives proposed by India:
  • Global traditional knowledge repository: For sustainable, culturally rooted, eco-balanced lifestyles.
  • G20–Africa Skills Multiplier initiative: India to train 1 million Africans in skill sectors.
  • G20 Global Healthcare Response Team.
  • G20 Initiative on Countering the Drug–Terror nexus: Highlighted fentanyl, drug trafficking, and terror financing.
  • G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership: Sharing agriculture, fishing, disaster data.
  • Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative: Recycling, sustainable mining, strategic minerals.
• India’s diplomatic engagements: ACITI Partnership (Australia–Canada–India) launched for technology and innovation, AI, clean energy, supply chain resilience.

Broader Geopolitical Backdrop:

• Rising geopolitical fragmentation: Declaration notes trade wars (US tariff wars under Trump), geoeconomic competition, conflicts, inequalities, uncertainty in global economy.
• Absence of U.S.: First-ever G20 Summit boycotted by the U.S. Raises questions on global leadership transitions.

Challenges Ahead:

• Weak consensus on global conflicts: Almost no mention of Ukraine, Gaza. Makes it one of the weakest declarations in G20 history.
• Debt sustainability for developing nations: High interest rates for the same risk profile.
• Geopolitical fragmentation: US–South Africa tensions, rise of competing blocs.
• Inequality and resource deprivation: Current growth models unsustainable.
• Climate change: G20 responsible for the majority of emissions—yet slow collective action.

Way Forward:

• Strengthen multilateral institutions: Reform UNSC, empower Global South.
• Sustainable development framework: Integrate traditional knowledge, eco-balanced growth, and integral humanism.
• Gender-inclusive development: Remove socio-economic barriers, promote women-led governance.
• Digital cooperation and technology partnerships: Example, ACITI partnership, Satellite data sharing, etc.
• Counter Drug–Terror nexus: Multilateral intelligence-sharing; regulation of fentanyl, synthetic opioids.
• Climate action: Promote critical mineral recycling, clean energy supply chains.

Conclusion:

• The 2025 Johannesburg G20 Declaration marks a pivotal moment in global governance, with Africa asserting leadership, the Global South shaping priorities, and the G20 adopting consensus despite U.S. boycott.
• While the declaration is symbolically strong on multilateralism, it is weak on major global conflicts and hard security issues.
• India played a crucial role in embedding developmental, gender, and sustainability priorities and propelled new initiatives aligned with integral humanism and South–South cooperation.

Why in the News?

• The 30^th UN Climate Conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, ended with a political agreement, known as the Global Mutirao Agreement, that commits nations to prepare two major roadmaps: one to halt and reverse deforestation, and another to “transition away” from fossil fuels.
• While the forest roadmap received broad support, the final text avoided binding commitments on fossil fuel phase-out, underscoring sharp geopolitical divisions.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• COP30 (Major Outcomes, Divisive Issues, Power Shift, Other Agreements, Significance, etc.)

Roadmap Focused on Ending Deforestation

• The centre-piece of the conference was a strong political push to address global deforestation.

• COP30 President announced a dedicated deforestation roadmap, which countries will develop over the coming year.
• This aligns with host country Brazil’s emphasis that climate action must prioritise forest protection, biodiversity conservation, and indigenous rights.

• The roadmap is expected to mobilise:

• Additional finance for forest conservation,
• Cross-border cooperation to curb illegal logging,
• Long-term strategies for restoring degraded landscapes,
• Support systems for forest and indigenous communities.

• With COP30 held in the heart of the Amazon biome, the emphasis on forest protection carried both symbolic and strategic significance.

Fossil Fuels: The Most Divisive Issue at COP30

• Demands for a Phase-Out
  • Over 80 countries, including the EU and small island nations, pushed for explicit language requiring a phase-out of fossil fuels, the world’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.
  • They sought a clear timeline and measurable commitments.
• Resistance from Developing Nations
  • Major developing economies, India, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, opposed binding phase-out language. Their arguments included:

• National energy needs and development priorities,
• Concerns over inadequate climate finance,
• Rejection of uniform global timelines that disregard domestic realities.
• India and several BRICS members insisted that energy transitions must be nationally determined, not externally imposed.

• Outcome: A Non-Binding ‘Transition Away’ Roadmap
  • As a compromise, COP30 adopted:

• A broad commitment to “transition away from fossil fuels”, but
• No timeline,
• No mandatory reduction pathway, and
• A separate voluntary roadmap, announced by the President, outside the formal COP text.
• This reflects a politically negotiated midpoint, with developing nations effectively shaping the narrative.

The Emerging Power Shift in Climate Diplomacy

• A COP Without the United States
  • For the first time in three decades, the United States did not send an official delegation.
  • This absence dramatically changed the negotiation landscape, weakening the bargaining influence of developed countries.
• BRICS’ Ascendance
  • In the US vacuum, BRICS countries emerged as a decisive bloc. They influenced:
    • The removal of fossil phase-out language,
    • The insertion of flexibility for developing nations,
    • Greater focus on equity and economic justice,
    • Attention to trade-related climate barriers, such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

• This marks a new era in climate governance, one where negotiating power is more distributed and multipolar.

Climate Finance: The Central Fault Line

• Finance remained one of the most contentious issues at COP30.
• A Two-Year Finance Work Programme
  • Countries agreed to launch a two-year programme to address global climate finance needs, including:

• Clearer methodologies for estimating finance gaps,
• Strengthening transparency on financial flows,
• Designing mechanisms for predictable and adequate funds.

• Adaptation Finance Commitments
  • COP30 highlighted the severe shortfall in adaptation finance and called for:

• Tripling global adaptation finance by 2035,
• Prioritising support to vulnerable nations.

• Paris Agreement Article 9.1 Reaffirmed
  • Developing countries secured a key recognition:

• Under Article 9.1, developed countries have a mandatory obligation to provide climate finance to developing countries, not voluntary or negotiated.

• This acknowledgement was a major diplomatic win for the Global South.

Other Agreements Adopted Under the Global Mutirao

• COP30 also adopted 10 thematic agreements, covering:

• Technology transfer,
• Loss and damage,
• Global Goal on Adaptation,
• Just energy transition and livelihood protection,
• Implementation and transparency frameworks.

• These agreements will shape negotiations leading to COP31.

Significance of COP30

• COP30 may not have delivered a dramatic breakthrough like a fossil fuel phase-out, but it represents an important political turning point.
• It rebalanced global climate negotiations, giving developing nations a stronger voice.
• It produced a realistic agreement centred on equity, rather than overly ambitious but unattainable targets.
• It reinforced the importance of forests, particularly the Amazon, in stabilising global climate systems.
• It highlighted deep divides on fossil fuels that will dominate future COP discussions.

Why in news?

India’s agricultural exports have grown significantly faster than its overall merchandise exports. In April–September 2025, farm exports rose by 8.8%, reaching $25.9 billion, compared to $23.8 billion in the same period of 2024. This growth far outstripped the 2.9% increase in total goods exports during the same period.

The trend is consistent with the previous financial year (2024–25), when agricultural exports increased by 6.4% (from $48.8 billion to $52 billion), while overall merchandise exports saw only a marginal 0.1% rise.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Key Drivers of India’s Export Growth
• Global Food Prices as the Main Driver
• Outlook for 2025–26: Prices and Tariffs to Shape Performance
• Rising Farm Imports Outpace Overall Import Growth

Key Drivers of India’s Export Growth

• Strong Performance by Major Agri-Export Segments - India’s agricultural export growth in 2025-26 has been led by non-basmati rice, buffalo meat, marine products, coffee, and fruits & vegetables — each surpassing or nearing previous record levels.
• Non-Basmati Rice: Growth After Lifting of Export Curbs - Export buoyancy is largely due to the removal of restrictions imposed in 2022–23 to contain food inflation. With good monsoons and high government stocks, non-basmati rice exports are on track to exceed the record $6.5 billion achieved last year.
• Buffalo Meat: Set to Break Decade-Old Record - Buffalo meat exports may surpass the 2014-15 peak of $4.8 billion, supported by rising demand in key markets.
• Marine Products: Rising Despite Trump Tariffs - Marine product exports rose 17.4% in April–September 2025 and could exceed the historic $8.1 billion (2022-23). Despite the 58% U.S. tariff, exports grew from $3.4 billion to $4 billion, as exporters diversified into China, Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, EU, and Canada.
• Coffee Exports: Driven by High Global Prices - Coffee exports more than doubled from $739 million (2019-20) to $1.8 billion (2024-25) and may exceed $2 billion this year. The rise is driven mainly by soaring global prices as ending stocks fall to a 25-year low, rather than higher volumes.
• Fruits & Vegetables: Consistent Growth in Fresh and Processed Form - Both fresh and processed fruits & vegetables continue steady export growth.

Global Food Prices as the Main Driver

• The FAO Food Price Index declined from 119.1 (2013-14) to 90 (2015-16), stayed below 100 until 2019-20, then shot up to 102.4, 133.1, and 140.6 in the next three years.
• As global prices softened afterward, India’s farm exports also dipped to $48.8 billion (2023-24) and $52 billion (2024-25).
• Export clampdowns on wheat, rice, sugar, onions, and de-oiled rice bran — imposed to control domestic inflation — further contributed to the fall in shipments.

Outlook for 2025–26: Prices and Tariffs to Shape Performance

• Export performance for the second half of 2025-26 will hinge on:
  • Global Commodity Prices
    • FAO index in October 2025 was 126.4, far below the 2022 post-Ukraine peak of 160.2.
    • Subindices for cereals (103.6) and sugar (94.1) hit multi-year lows.
    • Low global prices usually depress India’s agri-export value.
  • Trump Tariffs
    • US tariffs have begun to hurt: Marine products (26.9%); Spices (45.1%); Basmati rice (17.8%) (September YoY to the US)
• Signs of Improvement: Tariff Rollback and Possible Trade Deal
  • There are positive developments:
    • A potential India–US trade deal may materialise before year-end.
    • The US President has rolled back tariffs on several food products — including spices, coffee, tea, and fresh fruits — directly benefiting Indian exporters.

Rising Farm Imports Outpace Overall Import Growth

• India’s agricultural imports grew 5.9% in April–September 2025 (from $18.4 bn to $19.5 bn), outpacing overall imports, which rose 4.5% during the same period.
• Unlike exports, India’s farm imports are not diversified and remain dominated by just a few commodities, primarily:
  • Vegetable oils
  • Pulses
  • Fresh fruits
  • Raw cotton
• Vegetable Oils: India’s Top Import Item
  • Vegetable oil imports soared 13.5% in April–September 2025.
  • Imports are likely to approach the record $20.8 bn level of 2022–23.
  • This remains India’s single largest agricultural import.
• Pulses: Imports Decline After Previous Surge
  • Pulses imports hit an all-time high of $5.5 bn in 2024–25.
  • In 2025–26, they have fallen sharply due to:
    • A bumper domestic crop
    • Reimposition of import duties lifted earlier during high inflation.
• Fresh Fruit Imports Expand Rapidly
  • Fresh fruit imports crossed $3 bn in 2024–25.
  • April–September 2025 imports were $1.5 bn.
  • The US is now the dominant supplier, accounting for 50.4%, thanks to high demand for:
    • Almonds
    • Pistachios
    • Walnuts
    • Other dry fruits
• Raw Cotton: India Turns Net Importer
  • India has shifted from being a net exporter to a net importer of raw cotton.
  • Imports are expected to exceed $1.5 bn this fiscal.
  • The key reason: domestic yield stagnation due to the absence of new technologies post-Bt cotton.

Why in news?

The Union Government has appointed the CISF as the security regulator for more than 250 seaports to strengthen coastal security.

The move aims to bring private cargo-handling ports under a single, sovereign security framework and ensure a uniform, standardised security architecture across India’s maritime infrastructure.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Seaport Security in India: A Brief Overview
• Centre Brings All Seaports Under Uniform Security Oversight
• Why the Change Matters

Seaport Security in India: A Brief Overview

• Seaport security in India is a critical component of national security, economic stability, and international trade, particularly as the ports handle a vast majority of the country's international trade.
• Key Framework and Organisation
  • International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code: India's port security measures are largely compliant with the mandatory ISPS Code, a global framework established after 9/11 to safeguard ships and port facilities from terrorism and other threats.
  • Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) - The New Regulator: In a significant recent reform, the Government of India has designated CISF as the Recognised Security Organisation (RSO) for ports.
• Challenges to Port Security
  • The security environment in the maritime domain presents several ongoing challenges:
    • Non-standardised Security: Historically, security arrangements at many non-major ports lacked uniformity and expert oversight, which the new CISF mandate aims to address.
    • Transnational Threats: Ports remain vulnerable to non-traditional threats, including:
      • Maritime Terrorism
      • Smuggling and Drug Trafficking (Ports are often routes for large hauls of narcotics).
      • Cyberattacks on port IT infrastructure and systems.
    • Infrastructure Gaps: Ensuring uniform, high-quality infrastructure and sufficient skilled manpower across over 250 ports remains an operational challenge.

Centre Brings All Seaports Under Uniform Security Oversight

• To strengthen coastal security, the Union Government has appointed the CISF as the central security regulator for more than 250 seaports, including private cargo-handling ports. This brings all ports under a unified security architecture.
• In the first phase, 80 export-import (EXIM) ports will be placed under CISF control for access management, cargo screening, and waterfront patrolling.
• CISF will function as a “sovereign security force” at these sites.
• CISF to Conduct New Security Assessments
  • For all EXIM ports CISF will carry out:
    • Port Facility Security Assessments (PFSA)
    • Port Facility Security Plans (PFSP)
  • This will ensure compliance with global standards and eliminate vulnerabilities.
• Hybrid Security Model for Port Operations
  • A new multi-layered model has been proposed:
    • CISF → core security roles (access control, patrolling, screening)
    • State Police / SISF / Private Security → non-core duties (traffic, gate operations)
  • This ensures uniformity while optimising manpower across port ecosystems.
• Mandatory CISF-Led Training for Private Port Security
  • A structured training programme—modeled on aviation security—will be implemented.
  • CISF will train and certify all private security staff deployed at EXIM ports.
  • The government plans to create a specialised Port Security Training Institute to build long-term capacity, standardise certifications, and professionalise the port security workforce.

Why the Change Matters?

• India has over 250 seaports, including 80 EXIM ports that handle international trade through customs clearance, cargo movement, storage and logistics.
• Until now, security across non-major ports was fragmented and inconsistent.
• Many ports currently rely on private security agencies or local police, resulting in uneven security standards.
  • CISF already secures the 13 major ports across multiple coastal states.
• By expanding CISF’s mandate to regulation, assessment, planning and training, India aims to build secure, efficient and globally compliant EXIM gateways, boosting economic competitiveness and supporting its growing maritime footprint.

Context:

• At the 2025 Tianjin SCO Summit, a striking photo of Putin, Modi, and Xi engaged in an animated discussion signalled increasing alignment among major Asian powers — a dynamic often seen in G-7 meetings.
• A month later, at the Busan “G2” summit, a contrasting image of a visibly uneasy U.S. President Donald Trump beside a calm Xi Jinping further highlighted the shifting global balance toward Asia.
• Acknowledging this shift, the U.S. Secretary of State told the Senate that the 21st century will be shaped in Asia.
• Yet, U.S. priorities—articulated by Ambassador Sergio Gor—focused on pulling India closer to Washington and discouraging its cheap Russian oil imports.
• Prime Minister Modi later underscored that India’s decisions and future trajectory cannot be dictated by external powers.
• This article highlights India’s evolving foreign policy landscape at a time of major geopolitical shifts toward Asia.

A Critical Turning Point in India’s Foreign Policy

• India is at a foreign policy crossroads as it approaches major economic power status.
• At the same time, U.S. actions — weakening multilateralism and narrowing India’s strategic space — coincide with India’s improving ties with China and strengthened relations with Russia.
• Balancing China and Russia: A Non-Binary Choice
  • India should not fall into the U.S.-framed binary of choosing either Washington or Beijing.
  • With China, India should adopt a “trust but verify” approach as border negotiations in Ladakh progress, potentially influencing broader issues such as Kashmir and future investments.
  • Russia remains a long-standing, dependable partner, demonstrated recently through the role of the S-400 system in “Operation Sindoor.”
  • Western arguments that India must tilt fully toward the U.S. or China ignore India’s multi-vector interests.
• India’s Strategic Pivot Toward Asia
  • The emerging path for India lies in deeper engagement with Asia, whose combined market will soon surpass that of the U.S.
  • Asian integration is evolving on the basis of shared value-chain interests, not colonial legacies or fixed global rules.
  • Many regional powers seek closer ties with India due to its technological strength and economic weight capable of balancing China.
• Asia’s Centrality in Global Power
  • Asia, home to two-thirds of global population and wealth, is returning to the world’s centre stage.
  • Key regional groupings — BRICS, SCO, and ASEAN — will increasingly overlap and interlink.
  • India should also reconsider joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), where trade arrangements can be negotiated outside WTO constraints, including a pragmatic working arrangement with China to diversify markets away from the U.S.

India’s Shift Toward Hard Strategic Choices

• India has shed earlier hesitation and now behaves like an emerging power capable of making tough decisions.
• Growing U.S. pressure has also contributed to forming a new national consensus on strategic assertiveness.
• Redefining Strategic Autonomy for a Unique Dual Agenda
  • India’s strategic autonomy must reflect its distinctive position —
    • fastest-growing major economy
    • long-term demographic advantage
    • largest labour force; yet the highest number of poor.
  • India’s core sustainable development interests align with the Global South.
  • Therefore, partnerships must be shaped carefully so India strengthens value chains without being pulled into frameworks that dilute its priorities.
• New Global Rules Driven by Technology, Not Traditional Diplomacy
  • The future will not resemble the past where Europe dominated through military and economic leverage.
  • Technological interdependence now determines power — economic, political, and military.
  • Innovation capacity is becoming the key driver of influence.
  • For India, certain areas are non-negotiable:
    • protection of national data
    • domestic technological innovation
    • local defence manufacturing
    • inclusive growth
  • These must guide foreign, security, and technology policies.
• Cyber Warfare and Tech-Led Defence Must Take Centre Stage
  • Cyber warfare should become the backbone of India’s national security — not traditional theatre commands — because land-based threats have changed.

Geopolitical Shifts Influencing India’s Security Outlook

• China has scaled back from the CPEC; Pakistan is turning to expensive ADB loans.
• The U.S. has expanded its influence in Bangladesh and has a mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia.
• The U.S. is eyeing Afghanistan’s Bagram base again.
• India secured a six-month U.S. sanctions waiver for Chabahar Port, maintaining strategic access to Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and Russia.

Need for Defence Reorientation

• The changing neighbourhood and technological landscape require a national debate on reforming defence allocations:
  • Consider reducing army size
  • Limit large, imported platforms
  • Invest heavily in domestic AI, missiles, drones, air defence, and space technologies
• These sectors can drive both security strength and broader economic innovation.

India’s AI Sovereignty: The Next Big Imperative

• India must shape its own AI future to achieve sustained double-digit, inclusive growth.
• A Bernstein report warns that India’s ₹10,372-crore AI Mission risks becoming irrelevant globally, with U.S. companies poised to dominate the field.
• A Parliamentary Committee has stressed the urgent need for indigenous foundational AI research to secure sovereign capability.
• Experts argue that India must increase funding at least twenty-fold to build national AI collaboration networks, high-end computing infrastructure, proprietary models, and a strong talent ecosystem — all coordinated at the highest level.
• Achieving AI sovereignty is now essential for India to become a true global power by 2047.

Why in the News?

• The Union government has proposed new guidelines defining “obscenity” and other prohibited content for digital platforms under the Information Technology Rules, 2021.
• The proposal aims to introduce explicit definitions and expand the Code of Ethics to cover social media platforms, OTT streaming services, and digital news platforms.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Proposed Amendments (Background, Key Features, Criticism, Implications, etc.)

Background of the Proposed Amendment

• The Supreme Court, while hearing a case arising from a controversy surrounding comedian Samay Raina and content featuring an explicit joke, had asked the government to devise guidelines that balance free speech under Article 19(1)(a) with reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2).
• In response, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting submitted a detailed note proposing new regulatory measures.
• These proposals come amid rising concerns over sexual content, deepfakes, harmful speech, and digital misinformation, prompting the government to strengthen oversight of online platforms.

Key Features of the Proposed Obscenity Guidelines

• Introducing a New Definition of “Obscene Digital Content”
  • The amendment seeks to explicitly define obscenity for the first time within the IT Rules. The definition incorporates elements from:

• Section 67 of the IT Act,
• Cable TV Programme Code,
• Indian Penal Code (now Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita).
• This would mark one of the most sweeping shifts in online content regulation, extending traditional broadcast-like restrictions to digital spaces.

• Expansion of the Code of Ethics
  • The proposal adds a comprehensive “Obscenity” chapter under the Code of Ethics applicable to curated content (OTT platforms) and digital news platforms. Online platforms would be required to avoid content that:

• Offends “good taste or decency”,
• Depicts indecent, vulgar, suggestive, repulsive, or offensive themes,
• Presents criminality as appealing,
• Shows visuals or words reflecting a snobbish or slandering attitude toward regional, ethnic, or linguistic groups.
• A total of 17 such restrictions are proposed.

• Alignment with Cable Television Standards
  • Digital rights advocates note that the government has transposed the Cable TV Programme Code, originally meant for regulated broadcast TV, onto digital platforms.
• Requirement for OTT Compliance with the Cinematograph Act
  • OTT platforms may be required to ensure content is fit for “public exhibition”, similar to films certified under the Cinematograph Act, 1952.
  • Although officials claim this applies only to OTTs, the draft amendment does not explicitly make this distinction.
• Revival of IT Rules 9(1) and 9(3)
  • Rules 9(1) and 9(3), which enforce the Code of Ethics, were stayed by the Bombay High Court.
  • Despite this, the note seeks to revive and expand these rules, raising constitutional concerns.
• Application of the “Community Standards Test”
  • Supreme Court’s test from Aveek Sarkar v. State of West Bengal would be used to assess obscenity. Content would pass this test if:

• A reasonable person with contemporary community standards does not find that it appeals to lustful or voyeuristic interests, and
• The content has literary, scientific, artistic, or political value.
• Digital rights advocates, however, warn that the broad nature of the proposed rules could lead to overreach and arbitrary censorship.

Criticism

• Digital rights organisations have flagged several risks:

• Overbroad Definitions: The proposed language could classify a wide range of content as obscenity.
• Executive Overreach: Critics argue that the government is attempting to expand its regulatory powers through the IT Rules rather than parliamentary amendments.
• Impact on Free Speech: Ambiguous standards like “good taste” may violate free speech protections.
• Overlap with Pending Court Cases: Several parts of the IT Rules are already stayed or under judicial scrutiny.

Implications for Digital Platforms

• If approved by the Court:

• Platforms will need stricter content moderation and compliance processes.
• OTT platforms may face film-like certification requirements.
• Social media platforms may need to filter content deemed indecent, vulgar, or objectionable proactively.
• Digital publishers could face increased regulatory oversight affecting news and commentary.

• The amendment could sharply reshape India’s digital content ecosystem, bringing it closer to a broadcast-style regulatory framework.

Why in News?

• The Government of India notified all Four Labour Codes, consolidating 29 Central labour laws into a simplified, modern regulatory framework.
• This marks one of the most significant labour reforms since Independence, aimed at improving labour welfare, social security, workplace safety, and ease of doing business. 

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Background
• Key Features of the Four Labour Codes
• Stakeholder Responses
• Challenges and Concerns
• Way Forward
• Conclusion

Background:

• Four labour codes: Code on Wages, 2019; Industrial Relations (IR) Code, 2020; Code on Social Security, 2020; and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSHWC) Code, 2020.
• Pending implementation: These codes were pending implementation due to protests by Central Trade Unions (CTUs). Despite resistance, the Centre has now operationalised them
• Systemic reforms introduced:
  • Gender-neutral work policies
  • Uniform safety standards
  • Streamlined contract labour regulation
  • India-wide ESIC and EPFO coverage
  • National floor wages
  • Move towards formalisation of labour market

Key Features of the Four Labour Codes:

• Universal social security and expanded coverage:
  • First-time statutory recognition of gig workers, platform workers, and aggregators.
  • ESIC expanded to all districts, including hazardous units.
  • Aadhaar-linked Universal Account Number (UAN) - fully portable benefits for migrant workers.
  • Accident compensation extended to commuting accidents.
  • Social security contributions - aggregators to contribute 1–2% of annual turnover (capped at 5%).
• Wages, minimum pay and timely payment:
  • National Floor Wage
  • Mandatory timely wage payments across establishments.
  • Wage structure redefined to increase basic pay component, enhancing provident fund and gratuity provisioning.
• Women workers’ rights and safety:
  • Women allowed to work night shifts, underground mines, heavy machinery operations—with consent and safety conditions.
  • Equal pay for equal work
  • Free annual health check-up for workers aged over 40.
• Fixed term employment (FTE):
  • Workers can be hired for a fixed duration without compromising benefits.
  • FTE employees get - same wages as permanent workers; medical, leave, and social security benefits; and gratuity eligibility after one year (earlier 5 years).
• Simplifying compliance and improving Ease of Doing Business:
  • Single registration, licence and return system.
  • Inspector-cum-facilitator model for supportive compliance.
  • Two-member tribunals for faster dispute resolution.
  • National OSH Board to harmonise safety standards.

Stakeholder Responses:

• Government:
  • Most comprehensive labour-oriented reform since Independence.
  • Codes will formalise employment, ensure global alignment, and improve worker protections.
• Industry: CII welcomed the Codes as a “historic milestone," aiding a predictable labour regime and boosting economic growth.
• Trade unions (CTUs):
  • Termed the Codes: “Anti-worker, pro-employer”, “Declaration of war on working masses”
  • Concern areas - FTE misuse, restrictions on the right to strike, retrenchment norms.
  • Nationwide protests planned for 26 November.
• Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS): Partially supportive - backs Codes on Wages & Social Security but wants changes in OSHWC and IR Codes.

Challenges and Concerns:

• CTUs: Oppose curtailment of strike rights, retrenchment rules, and fear dilution of worker protections.
• Implementation capacity: Labour is a Concurrent Subject—requires State cooperation. Many States are still finalising rules; implementation asymmetry is likely.
• Risk of FTE misuse: Fear that employers may replace permanent jobs with fixed-term contracts.
• Gig worker social security: Turning provisions into effective schemes remains a challenge. Past initiatives like e-Shram saw poor follow-through.
• Clarity on wage floor: National Floor Wage requires new methodology and agreements across States.

Way Forward:

• Strengthening consultation mechanisms: Revive the Indian Labour Conference (ILC) for consensus-building. Continuous dialogue with unions, employers and States.
• Capacity building for States: Technical and financial support to implement new digital compliance systems.
• Clear scheme design for gig workers: Transparent rules for aggregator contribution. Seamless portability using UAN.
• Monitoring and preventing misuse of FTE: Strong checks to avoid replacing permanent jobs with FTE roles.
• Awareness campaigns: Workers, especially in informal sectors, need awareness of new rights.

Conclusion:

• The implementation of the Four Labour Codes represents a historic restructuring of India’s labour governance framework.
• By consolidating 29 outdated laws, the Codes aim to create a future-ready labour ecosystem that promotes worker welfare, social security, gender equality, and ease of doing business.
• However, implementation challenges, trade union resistance, and risks of misapplication remain significant.
• Effective stakeholder engagement and transparent rule-making will be crucial for the Codes to fulfil their objective of creating an inclusive, formalised, and equitable labour market in India.

Context

• Globally, efforts to ease industrial norms have increasingly targeted one of the most visible indicators of environmental responsibility, green cover within industrial estates.
• These relaxations, often framed as measures to promote ease of doing business, are frequently justified through international comparisons, where green-cover mandates appear lower.
• Yet such reasoning rarely accounts for ecological context.
• While reduced requirements may simplify compliance and enhance land-use flexibility, they raise a critical question: Are we mistaking administrative convenience for sustainability?

The Limits of On-Site Green Belts

• Industrial development inevitably alters ecosystems by clearing vegetation and disrupting habitats.
• Green belts within industrial premises are typically viewed as compensatory measures, but their functions are inherently mitigative rather than restorative.
• Empirical studies show that well-designed plantations can reduce total suspended particulate matter by up to 65% and reduce noise by 10–17 decibels, offering benefits such as dust suppression, thermal comfort, and microclimate regulation.
• However, these gains are spatially limited.
• Internal green belts cannot replicate the multifaceted ecological services that natural systems provide, carbon sequestration, hydrological regulation, soil formation, biodiversity support, and habitat connectivity.
• Industrial plantations tend to be narrow, monocultural, and prone to degradation over time.
• They buffer immediate environmental impacts but cannot offset the ecological costs of large-scale land conversion.
• Thus, while on-site greening remains important, it cannot be mistaken for ecological restoration.

Why International Comparisons Fall Short?

• Policymakers often refer to countries with lower industrial greening ratios to justify local relaxations.
• Yet such comparisons are misleading without considering differences in population density, ecological resilience, industrial intensity, and land availability.
• Nations with extensive open spaces and low population pressure can afford smaller on-site green requirements because surrounding natural landscapes still provide ecological buffering.
• In densely populated, industrially stressed regions, green cover plays a far more critical role in maintaining environmental quality and public health.
• Applying uniform percentages across diverse geographies is akin to prescribing the same diet to people with different health needs.
• Effective policy transfer requires ecological calibration, not numerical imitation.
• Borrowing green-cover norms from elsewhere without considering local environmental stress, climate conditions, and landscape fragmentation undermines evidence-based policymaking.

The Path Forward

• Toward a Balanced, Landscape-Level Approach
  • Rather than merely reducing green-cover requirements within industrial plots, especially when inconsistent mandates create confusion, a more sustainable approach lies in integrating industrial growth with landscape-scale greening.
  • This involves allowing partial relaxation of on-site requirements while mandating off-site ecological commitments that contribute to regional environmental resilience.
  • Such commitments may include:
    • Developing State- or region-level green reserves linked to industrial clusters
    • Restoring degraded lands, river basins, and buffer zones around protected areas
    • Enhancing habitat connectivity through ecological corridors
    • Integrating industrial greening into green credit or carbon offset programmes
• Industries as Partners in Ecological Stewardship
  • Industries drive national progress and elevate living standards, yet their ecological footprint remains substantial.
  • Historically, stewardship responsibilities rested with communities through forestry and local conservation programmes, while industries were regulated and penalised.
  • Today’s sustainability paradigm reframes this dynamic: industries can become essential contributors to ecological well-being.
  • Through calibrated reductions in on-site greening paired with compensatory ecological duties, including biodiversity offsets and circular practices, industries can participate meaningfully in environmental regeneration.
  • Citizen participation further strengthens this blended approach, fostering a practical balance between development and protection.

Conclusion

• Green belts within industrial premises function like medicine applied to a wound, immediate and local.
• Expanding natural green cover around industrial clusters, however, strengthens the entire ecological system, preventive, long-term, and indispensable.
• The future of sustainable industrial development will depend not on the number of trees inside factory gates, but on how deeply industries root themselves in the health of surrounding landscapes.
• Only by linking industrial progress with ecological regeneration can growth and nature truly thrive together.

Context

• On a scorching afternoon in rural Punjab, a farmer draws water from a well that has served his family for generations.
• To the naked eye, the water glistens with the promise of life. Yet laboratory tests reveal a bitter truth: uranium levels far above the permissible limit.
• In nearby villages, children limp under the weight of skeletal deformities caused by fluoride-contaminated groundwater, while families spend their meagre income on medical care.
• These scenes, repeated across the country, illustrate a crisis that is both a profound public health emergency and a deepening economic disaster, one unfolding invisibly beneath the soil.

The Scale of Groundwater Contamination

• The Annual Groundwater Quality Report (2024) offers sobering evidence of the scale of the problem.
• Nearly one-fifth of groundwater samples from over 440 districts exceed safe contamination limits.
• Punjab is particularly afflicted, with almost one-third of samples showing excessive uranium, alongside elevated fluoride, nitrate, and arsenic levels.
• This would be alarming in any context, but in India, where 600 million people depend on groundwater for drinking and where agriculture relies heavily on aquifers—it amounts to a national emergency.
• Environmental degradation already costs India an estimated $80 billion annually, nearly 6% of GDP, according to the World Bank.

Implications of Groundwater Contamination

• Human Capital at Risk
  • Groundwater contamination is not merely an environmental issue; it is an assault on human capital.
  • In Mehsana district of Gujarat, fluorosis has been disabling workers, lowering their productivity, and dragging families into cycles of wage loss and medical expenses.
  • Nationwide, preventable diarrhoeal diseases continue to claim the lives of hundreds of thousands of children under five.
  • These tragedies represent more than isolated health failures, they weaken India’s long-term development prospects by impairing physical health, cognitive growth, educational attainment, and workforce capacity.
• Rise in Inequality
  • Inequality deepens as contamination spreads. Wealthier families may purchase bottled water or home filtration systems, but poorer households remain trapped, consuming toxic water because they have no alternative.
  • Out-of-pocket medical spending, already one of the highest in the world relative to income, worsens the vulnerability of rural families.
  • Children exposed to arsenic and fluoride often suffer long-term cognitive impairments, reducing future earning potential and perpetuating generational disadvantage.
• Agriculture Under Siege
  • The crisis also imperils India’s agricultural backbone, which employs over 40% of the population.
  • Nearly a third of India’s land suffers from soil degradation, and polluted groundwater accelerates this decline.
  • Heavy metals and chemical residues absorbed by crops lower yields and contaminate food chains.
  • Farms near polluted water bodies face measurable reductions in productivity and income, creating economic ripples that extend beyond rural villages.

The Path Forward

• Build a nationwide, real-time monitoring system
  • Transparent, accessible data on water quality is essential for community awareness and policymaking.
  • Monitoring systems must cover both rural and urban areas and be linked to public dashboards.
  • Strengthen environmental regulation
  • Industries and municipalities must be held accountable for the discharge of effluents and untreated sewage.
  • The current regulatory framework is weak, allowing private actors to externalise environmental and health costs onto society at large.
• Reform agricultural policy
  • Input subsidies that encourage chemical overuse must give way to incentives for crop diversification, organic practices, and micro-irrigation.
  • Pilot programmes in Punjab and Haryana show that replacing water-intensive paddy with pulses and maize can reduce groundwater pressure without harming farmer incomes.
• Deploy decentralised treatment systems
  • Community water purification units and affordable filtration technologies can provide immediate relief.
  • Success stories, such as the drop in fluorosis cases following the installation of purification units in Telangana’s Nalgonda district, demonstrate the efficacy of local interventions.
• Protect agricultural exports
  • Strengthening quality checks, educating farmers on contamination risks, and improving traceability systems can safeguard India’s global market position. 

Conclusion

• Groundwater contamination is not an episodic or peripheral problem; it is a silent, accumulating debt that India is paying with its health, productivity, and economic potential.
• Unlike water scarcity, which can sometimes be reversed, contamination is often irreversible.
• The choice before India is stark: continue ignoring the poison beneath our feet and incur massive long-term losses, or confront the crisis with bold, coordinated action.
• To protect its people, its economy, and its future, India must recognise groundwater contamination as one of its most urgent national challenges, and act before the damage becomes permanent.

Context

• Fisheries and aquaculture are among India’s most rapidly expanding food-producing sectors, supporting millions of livelihoods and contributing significantly to national nutrition and trade.
• In recent decades, the country has undergone a striking transformation in aquatic food production, fuelled by technological advancements, robust institutions, and forward-looking policy initiatives.
• As India marks World Fisheries Day 2025 under the theme India’s Blue Transformation: Strengthening Value Addition in Seafood Exports, the occasion highlights both achievements and the need for renewed commitment to sustainable growth.

Dramatic Growth, Major Factor Driving the Growth and Structural Transformation

• Dramatic Growth
  • The FAO’s State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024 reports global aquaculture production at 130.9 million tonnes and global capture fisheries at 92.3 million tonnes in 2022.
  • India contributed 10.23 million tonnes to global aquaculture, making it the world’s second-largest producer.
  • National aquatic output has increased from 2.44 million tonnes in the 1980s to 17.54 million tonnes in 2022–23, reflecting long-term structural change.
• Major Factor Driving the Growth
  • This growth has been driven by the modernization of inland, coastal, and brackish-water aquaculture.
  • Agencies such as ICAR fisheries institutes, the Marine Products Export Development Authority, and the National Fisheries Development Board have promoted advancements in breeding, disease management, and post-harvest practices.
  • The Coastal Aquaculture Authority has strengthened environmental compliance, while private-sector investments across hatcheries, processing, and exports have enhanced value chain efficiency.
• Structural Transformation
  • Policy reforms over the past decade have accelerated this momentum.
  • The Blue Revolution and the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) have expanded infrastructure, strengthened fisher safety, and supported digital and financial inclusion through initiatives such as vessel transponders, the Kisan Credit Card, and Matsya Seva Kendras.
  • Programmes for climate-resilient coastal villages and the draft National Fisheries Policy 2020 reflect India’s increasing focus on sustainability and resilience.

Enduring Challenges and Emerging Pressures

• Overfishing, habitat degradation, water pollution, and the impacts of climate change threaten aquatic ecosystems and the livelihoods dependent on them.
• These environmental pressures risk undermining long-term productivity and ecological stability.
• Socio-economic barriers further complicate progress. Small-scale fishers and farmers often lack access to capital, modern technologies, and remunerative markets.
• Weak traceability systems and inadequate post-harvest infrastructure limit India’s ability to realize the full potential of global and domestic market opportunities.
• These gaps also affect food safety and nutritional security, underscoring the need for systemic improvements in value chain governance.

FAO’s Partnership in India’s Blue Journey

• FAO’s Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME) project advanced ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management, promoted science-based stock assessments, and strengthened India’s efforts to combat Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
• These initiatives have helped balance conservation with sustainable utilization of marine resources.
• To support India’s expanding aquaculture sector, FAO is implementing a Global Environment Facility–funded project in Andhra Pradesh aimed at promoting climate-resilient, environmentally responsible aquaculture aligned with global sustainability guidelines.
• Additionally, a Technical Cooperation Programme is improving the environmental, social, and economic performance of Indian fishing ports, with pilot interventions in Vanakbara and Jakhau.
• These efforts collectively enhance institutional capacity and strengthen India’s aquatic value chain.

The Way Forward: Toward a Sustainable and Inclusive Blue Transformation

• As India deepens its Blue Transformation, sustainability must remain the guiding principle.
• Science-based stock assessments, ecosystem-based approaches in fisheries and aquaculture, and strengthened Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance systems are essential to safeguarding aquatic resources.
• Enhancing certification, traceability, and digital tools will improve the competitiveness of India’s seafood exports.
• Equally critical is empowering small-scale fishers and farmers by improving access to credit, technology, and markets.
• Their inclusion is vital for building a resilient and equitable aquatic food system.

Conclusion

• India stands at a pivotal moment in its fisheries and aquaculture development.
• With strong institutional support, transformative policies, and enduring collaboration with FAO, the country is well positioned to lead global efforts toward sustainable aquatic food production.
• By placing sustainability and inclusivity at the heart of its Blue Transformation, India can secure ecological health, economic opportunity, and food and nutritional security for future generations.

Why in the News?

• A first-of-its-kind study by the India Justice Report (IJR) has revealed that more than 55% of cases before India’s Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) were pending as of October 31, 2023, highlighting systemic gaps in staffing, data management, and infrastructure.
• The findings, based on over 250 RTI responses from 21 States, show that JJBs have disposed of less than half of 1,00,904 cases filed before them.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Juvenile Justice Board (Status, Findings from the Report, Structural Gaps, Way Forward)

Status of Juvenile Justice Boards Across India

• According to the IJR study, while 92% of India’s 765 districts have constituted JJBs, the pendency rate is alarmingly high and varies widely:

• Odisha: 83% pendency
• Karnataka: 35% pendency
• National Average: 55% pendency

• Moreover, 24% of JJBs are not fully constituted, and 30% lack an attached legal services clinic, both essential for delivering child-centric justice.

Findings from the India Justice Report Study

• The report titled “Justice and Children in Conflict with the Law: A Study of Capacity at the Frontlines” evaluates the functioning of institutions created under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
• High Pendency and Workload
  • Each JJB handled an average of 154 pending cases annually, reflecting a serious mismatch in caseload and capacity.
• Staffing and Infrastructure Shortfalls

• Major vacancies in JJB positions, particularly social workers and support staff
• Insufficient funds for training and capacity-building
• Lack of child-friendly infrastructure in many districts.
• These gaps directly affect the quality and timeliness of hearings.

• Poor Data Systems and Transparency
  • Unlike the National Judicial Data Grid for courts, no central repository exists for JJB data. RTI responses revealed:

• 11% of queries were rejected outright,
• 24% received no reply,
• Only 36% received complete responses.

• High Number of Juveniles Apprehended

• 40,036 juveniles were apprehended in 31,365 cases,
• Over 75% were aged 16-18 years, indicating a rising trend of older adolescents entering the justice system.

Structural Gaps in the Juvenile Justice Architecture

• The IJR study highlights that despite a decade since the JJ Act 2015, the decentralised juvenile justice architecture remains weak:
• Inter-Agency Coordination Deficit
  • The four nodal agencies, Police, Department of Women & Child Development, State Child Protection Society (SCPS), and State Legal Services Authority (SLSA), often operate in silos.
  • More than 500 RTI queries were submitted across 28 States and 2 UTs, covering 530 districts. The fragmented responses reflect poor coordination and monitoring.
• Inadequate Legal Support
  • With 30% of JJBs lacking legal aid clinics, many children face the system without proper defence representation, contrary to the child-centric principles of the JJ Act.
• Vacancies in Child Care Institutions
  • Not just JJBs, but even child care institutions suffer from significant staff shortages, affecting rehabilitation and reintegration efforts.

Way Forward

• To strengthen the juvenile justice ecosystem, experts recommend:

• Establishing a National Juvenile Justice Data Grid,
• Filling vacancies across JJBs and child care institutions,
• Ensuring the availability of legal aid services in all districts,
• Enhancing inter-agency data sharing,
• Increasing budgetary allocations for child protection services,
• Regular monitoring and public reporting of JJB functioning.

• Such reforms are essential for safeguarding children in conflict with the law and ensuring a fair, timely, and child-friendly justice process.

Why in news?

The Supreme Court ruled that Governors cannot hold on to state legislature Bills indefinitely, emphasising that cooperative federalism requires constructive engagement with elected governments, not obstruction.

However, the Constitution Bench also held that courts cannot impose fixed timelines on Governors or the President for granting assent, nor can they create a doctrine of “deemed assent” or force the President to seek judicial advice on pending Bills.

The five-judge Bench—headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai—gave this opinion on a presidential reference asking whether constitutional courts could set deadlines for action under Articles 200 and 201, which deal with gubernatorial and presidential assent to Bills.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Background of the Presidential Reference: Why the Issue Reached the Supreme Court?
• Supreme Court’s Stand on 14 Key Questions on Governor–President Powers

Background of the Presidential Reference: Why the Issue Reached the Supreme Court?

• President Droupadi Murmu invoked Article 143(1) to seek the Supreme Court’s advice after controversy arose over delays by Governors and the President in acting on state Bills.
• The trigger was an April 8 judgment in a Tamil Nadu case, where a two-judge Bench laid down strict timelines for Governors and the President to decide on Bills.
• It also used Article 142 and declared 10 Tamil Nadu Bills as having received “deemed assent” because the Governor had not acted for long periods.
• This unprecedented move raised constitutional concerns.
• To resolve the ambiguity, the President submitted a five-page reference with 14 key questions.
• These questions asked:
  • whether courts can impose deadlines on constitutional authorities,
  • whether “deemed assent” is valid, and
  • what limits govern gubernatorial and presidential powers under Articles 200 and 201.

Supreme Court’s Stand on 14 Key Questions on Governor–President Powers

• Governor’s Options on Bills Under Article 200 - The Court held that a Governor has only three options: Grant assent; Reserve the Bill for the President. Withhold assent by returning the Bill for reconsideration. There is no power to withhold assent indefinitely.
  • Article 200 - Governor’s Assent to State Bills
• Governor’s Discretion Under Article 200 - The Governor is not bound by the Cabinet’s advice when deciding on assent, return, or reservation of Bills. This function involves independent constitutional discretion.
• Justiciability of Governor’s Actions - Courts cannot review the merits of the Governor’s decision, but prolonged, unexplained inaction is justiciable. The Court may direct the Governor to act.
• Article 361 Immunity Not Absolute - Article 361 protects the individual Governor, not the institutional office. Immunity cannot be used to justify indefinite delays.
  • Article 361 (Immunity of President and Governors) - Provides personal immunity to the President and Governors from court proceedings during their term, ensuring unhindered functioning in their constitutional roles.
• No Court-Imposed Timelines on Governor - Courts cannot prescribe deadlines for Governors to act on Bills. Article 200’s phrase “as soon as possible” does not permit fixed judicial timelines.
• President’s Discretion Under Article 201 - The President’s merit-based decision on assent or withholding assent to state Bills is not open to judicial review.
• No Timelines for President Either - Courts cannot fix time limits for the President under Article 201.
  • Article 201 – President’s Assent to Reserved Bills
• President Not Required to Seek SC Opinion - The President need not consult the Supreme Court under Article 143 whenever a Bill is reserved for consideration.
  • Article 143 (Presidential Reference to Supreme Court) - Allows the President to seek the Supreme Court’s advisory opinion on significant questions of law or fact. The Court’s advice is not binding; the President may accept or reject it.
• Courts Cannot Review Bills Before They Become Law - Judicial review applies only to laws, not Bills. Courts cannot examine the content or validity of a pending Bill.
• Article 142 Cannot Substitute Constitutional Powers - The Supreme Court cannot use Article 142 to create “deemed assent” or otherwise replace the Governor/President’s constitutional role.
• No Law Without Governor’s/President’s Assent - A Bill cannot become law unless the Governor or President formally grants assent.
• No Answer on Mandatory Referral Under Article 145(3) - The Court declined to answer whether all issues requiring constitutional interpretation must first be tested under Article 145(3).
  • Article 145(3) (Constitution Bench Requirement) - Mandates that a Bench of at least five judges must hear cases involving substantial questions of constitutional interpretation or any Presidential Reference under Article 143.
• Scope of Article 142 - The Court refused a broad interpretation but reiterated that Article 142 cannot override the Constitution, especially requirements like legislative assent.
  • Article 142 (Complete Justice Provision) - Empowers the Supreme Court to issue any order necessary to ensure complete justice in cases before it.
• On Article 131 Jurisdiction - The Court declined to answer whether Article 131 is the exclusive route for resolving Centre–State disputes.
  • Article 131 (Centre–State Disputes) - Grants the Supreme Court exclusive original jurisdiction to adjudicate legal disputes between the Union and States or among States themselves.
• No Judicial Substitution of Executive Power - Reaffirming earlier answers, the Court clarified that judicial powers cannot replace or replicate constitutionally assigned executive functions.

Why in news?

Assam has invoked the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950 for the first time since the state cabinet approved its use earlier this year. The Sonitpur district administration has ordered five people—four women and one man—who were declared foreigners by a tribunal in 2024, to leave India within 24 hours.

However, the individuals are currently untraceable, with police stating they have been “absconding,” and locals claiming they left the area over a decade ago.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• About Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950
• Application of the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950

About Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950

• The Immigrants Expulsion from Assam Act (IEAA) was enacted on March 1, 1950, in response to the Assam government’s demand for a legal mechanism to control large-scale migration from East Pakistan after Partition.
• Migration had already become a major political and demographic concern in the state.
• Why the Centre Drafted the Law?
  • Since citizenship is a Union subject, the Central government drafted the Act and delegated specific powers to Assam.
  • Originally, it was even named the Undesirable Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, highlighting its intent.
  • Recognising post-Partition instability, the Act excluded refugees, stating that people displaced due to “civil disturbances” in Pakistan would not be subject to expulsion under the law.
• Powers Granted Under the Act
  • The Act empowered the Centre to order anyone:
    • who was ordinarily a resident outside India,
    • who entered Assam before or after 1950, and
    • whose presence was deemed “detrimental” to India’s general public or to any Scheduled Tribe in Assam,
  • to remove themselves from Assam or India within a specified time and through a designated route.
  • The law authorised any officer of the Union government or Assam government to implement these expulsion orders.

Application of the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950

• The Act was applied only briefly. Its enforcement faced practical and political challenges almost immediately after it came into effect.
• Communal Tension and Mass Exodus
  • Historians note that while the Act was being finalised, communal violence in Lower Assam led to 40,000 to 1 lakh Muslims fleeing to East Pakistan.
  • This made identification of “immigrants” difficult because many affected individuals were actually Assam’s original residents, especially Bengali Muslims.
  • A triggering incident involved an old Assamese Muslim resident being ordered to leave within three days, which angered the then PM Nehru.
  • He objected to the implementation of such orders during a sensitive time.
• Nehru–Liaquat Pact Influence
  • The timing coincided with the Nehru–Liaquat Pact (April 1950), aimed at safeguarding minorities in both India and Pakistan.
  • Pakistan’s PM Liaquat Ali Khan raised concerns about Assam’s expulsion orders.
• Centre Orders Suspension of the Act
  • On April 10, 1950, two days after the pact, Nehru wrote to the then Assam CM Gopinath Bordoloi instructing him to stop all action under the IEAA.
  • Nehru stressed that minority safety and restoring peace were the top priorities — continuing expulsions would worsen tensions.
  • Historical accounts suggest that only a few hundred people were actually impacted by the Act before its enforcement was halted.

Why in News?

• India plans to implement the third phase of Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE 3) norms from FY28–FY32 to improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions from passenger vehicles.
• However, the weight-based structure of the new norms has triggered significant disagreement within the auto industry, especially between manufacturers of small cars and those with a portfolio dominated by heavier SUVs.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Background
• Why the Industry Is Divided?
• Comparison With Global Norms
• Key Technical Issues
• Challenges
• Way Forward
• Conclusion

Background:

• What are CAFE norms?
  • CAFE norms regulate average fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions across a manufacturer’s fleet.
  • It proposes a movement from the current Modified Indian Driving Cycle (MIDC) to the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP), which the European Union adopted in 2018.
  • India follows a weight-based formula that becomes progressively stricter each year.
• CAFE 3:
  • It introduces a new weight-based efficiency formula - 0.002 × (W − 1170) + c.
  • Here W is the average fleet weight, 1,170kg is the fixed constant for weight, 0.002 is a fixed constant multiplier, and ‘c’ is a constant that changes every year.
  • Since ‘c’ continues to decrease from FY28 to FY32, the rules will become stricter over time.

Why the Industry Is Divided?

• Impact of the weight-based formula:
  • Lighter cars face steeper efficiency improvements than heavier ones.
  • Example: A 740 kg car needs to become 48% more efficient by FY32. A 2,500 kg SUV needs only 25% improvement, despite higher absolute emissions.
  • Result: Greater regulatory burden on small, budget cars.
• Small-car manufacturers’ concerns:
  • Disproportionate impact: Small cars operate on low margins and cannot easily absorb the cost of: hybrid systems, electrification, light-weighting technologies.
  • Consumers may be priced out: Stricter norms may raise costs of entry-level cars. Could discourage first-time buyers and shrink the affordable car segment.
  • Distortion of CAFE’s original intent: Maruti Suzuki argues CAFE was meant to push big cars to improve fuel efficiency, not punish small cars.
• Why some carmakers support CAFE 3?
  • Tata Motors’ stance: Claims no concerns in achieving the norms. Rejects weight-based definitions of small cars as “Arbitrary”, potentially compromising safety standards.
  • Others (Mahindra, Tata): Oppose higher exemptions for lighter cars.

Comparison With Global Norms:

• Relaxed standards for smaller cars in many countries like the US, China, Japan, and South Korea.
• Europe: Stricter norms overall, but smaller cars have relaxed CO₂ targets, while larger vehicles have tougher benchmarks.
• India’s system is the opposite, creating a regulatory imbalance.

Key Technical Issues:

• “Brick in the Boot” concern:
  • Manufacturers may artificially increase weight to enter a more relaxed efficiency band.
  • May lead to production of bigger, heavier cars; reduced affordability; and increased emissions in absolute terms.
• Relaxation for small cars:
  • Debate on the 3 g CO₂/km relaxation for small cars with mass (≤ 909 kg), engine (≤ 1200 cc), length (≤ 4,000 mm).
  • Maruti and Renault want more relaxation.
  • Tata and Mahindra oppose increasing it.
• Shift to WLTP: WLTP gives more realistic fuel economy figures than MIDC. Some manufacturers (e.g., Mahindra) requested a delay due to compliance challenges.

Challenges:

• Threat to small-car market: Rising costs may make entry-level cars unaffordable. Could worsen the market shift toward high-emission SUVs.
• Safety vs affordability trade-off: Weight-based relaxation may unintentionally encourage lighter designs at the cost of safety.
• Technological feasibility: Small cars have limited scope for expensive efficiency technologies.
• Potential loss of first-time buyers: A socially regressive outcome as small cars improve mobility for lower-income groups.
• Risk of regulatory distortion: The framework may not truly reduce total CO₂ emissions, only improve averages on paper.

Way Forward:

• Review of weight-based approach: Consider aligning with global best practices—relaxing norms for lighter cars.
• Technology-neutral incentive structure: Encourage all low-carbon technologies - mild hybrids, strong hybrids, EVs, cleaner ICE improvements.
• Gradual phase-in of WLTP: Provide adequate transition time for manufacturers.
• Targeting real emission reduction: Shift toward absolute emissions caps instead of purely weight-based formulas.
• Policy support for small cars: Financial incentives or tax benefits to protect the budget segment.

Conclusion:

• The proposed CAFE 3 norms mark a critical step in India’s low-carbon mobility transition.
• However, their weight-based structure disproportionately burdens small cars, risks market distortions, and may undermine affordability for first-time buyers—contrary to the objective of inclusive and sustainable mobility.
• A balanced, evidence-based recalibration that ensures environmental integrity while protecting the small-car segment is essential for achieving India's long-term climate and mobility goals.