Context

• In recent years, the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have voiced concerns over the implications of the proposed delimitation exercise and the potential loss of parliamentary seats for southern states.
• This development, driven by the south’s advanced fertility transition, highlights a complex intersection of demography, politics, and regional equity.
• The debate sheds light on the challenges of balancing population trends with political representation, alongside broader questions about fertility policies and their socio-economic impact.

Fertility Transition and Political Representation

• Fertility Transition
  • The southern states of India, including Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, have excelled in achieving lower fertility rates, reflecting successful family planning initiatives.
  • However, this demographic success inadvertently poses a political disadvantage.
  • The delimitation exercise, which adjusts parliamentary representation based on population, could reduce the number of seats for states with declining populations, thereby diminishing their political influence.
  • This issue underscores a fundamental tension in India’s federal structure: the ideal of "one person, one vote" clashes with the reality of demographic disparities.
• The Debate on Political Representation
  • As Mr. Naidu and Mr. Stalin have pointed out, this dynamic can create perverse incentives, encouraging policies that promote higher fertility to preserve political representation.
  • While Mr. Naidu suggested revisiting policies that incentivise larger families, Mr. Stalin humorously proposed aiming for significantly more children.
  • These remarks highlight the absurdity and complexity of addressing regional imbalances in political representation through demographic measures.

Lessons from Global Experiences

• International examples, such as China’s one-child policy, offer critical insights into the unintended consequences of fertility regulation.
• While China successfully curbed population growth, the policy led to significant challenges, including a skewed sex ratio, a rising dependency burden, and an irreversible decline in fertility rates.
• Similarly, countries like Japan and South Korea, despite implementing pro-natalist policies, have struggled to reverse declining fertility trends.
• These cases demonstrate that fertility transitions, once achieved, are rarely reversible through state intervention.
• India must tread cautiously to avoid repeating such mistakes. Quick-fix regulatory measures aimed at increasing fertility could disrupt the natural demographic transition, creating long-term socio-economic and cultural challenges.

The Debate on Demographic Disparity: Challenges and Implications

• The North-South Demographic Divide
  • The southern states, including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka, have undergone significant demographic transitions over the past decades.
  • These states have achieved lower fertility rates, higher literacy levels, better healthcare outcomes, and robust economic growth.
  • This is largely due to sustained investments in education, family planning, and infrastructure, alongside proactive governance.
  • In contrast, many northern states, such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, continue to grapple with higher fertility rates, lower literacy levels, and slower socio-economic progress.
  • This demographic divide has led to an uneven population growth trajectory, with northern states accounting for a larger share of India’s overall population.
• Increasing Debate on Political Representation
  • When parliamentary representation is determined solely by population size, the southern states stand to lose seats due to their slower population growth, while the northern states gain political clout.
  • This imbalance creates a paradox where states that have achieved population stabilisation and socio-economic development are penalised, while those with higher population growth are rewarded.
• Implications for Federal Equity
  • This demographic disparity poses significant challenges to the principles of federal equity.
  • Southern states, which contribute disproportionately to India’s GDP and have lower dependency burdens, may feel marginalised if their political representation diminishes.
  • This could lead to a sense of alienation and undermine the cooperative spirit necessary for India’s federal system to function effectively.
  • At its core, the issue raises a critical question: should population size alone determine political representation, or should other factors, such as a state’s developmental achievements and contributions to national growth, also be considered?
• Gendered Implications
  • Encouraging higher fertility rates raises critical questions about the role of women in society and women bear the brunt of reproduction, often at significant personal and professional costs.
  • Policies aimed at reversing fertility decline must prioritize comprehensive social support systems, including childcare, healthcare, and compensation for women’s reproductive labour.

Potential Solutions for Equity

• Weighted Representation
  • One potential solution is to introduce weighted representation, where factors such as literacy rates, healthcare outcomes, and economic contributions are considered alongside population size.
  • This would ensure that states are rewarded for their developmental achievements rather than penalised for lower population growth.
• Revisiting Delimitation Criteria
  • The delimitation exercise could be restructured to include demographic and socio-economic indicators as additional criteria for seat allocation.
  • For instance, states that have achieved population stabilization could receive a baseline level of representation, preventing significant reductions in their parliamentary seats.
• Inter-Regional Redistribution
  • To address the immediate demographic divide, policies could promote greater inter-regional migration.
  • Encouraging labour mobility between northern and southern states could help balance population densities and foster economic integration, thereby reducing the regional divide over time.
• Fiscal Incentives for Development
  • Beyond representation, fiscal policies could incentivize lagging states to invest in family planning, education, and healthcare.
  • By addressing the root causes of high population growth, these policies would help reduce the demographic divide in the long term.

Way Forward: Balancing Unity and Diversity and Evolution of the Role of Federalism

• Balancing Unity
  • The issue of regional disparities in political representation is not merely a technical challenge but a test of India’s commitment to federal unity and equity.
  • Southern states have legitimate concerns about being underrepresented despite their developmental contributions, while northern states argue that their larger populations warrant greater representation.
  • Striking a balance between these perspectives requires innovative and inclusive policymaking.
• Evolution of the Role of Federalism
  • India’s federal system must evolve to accommodate its demographic realities while preserving the principles of unity and equity.
  • Recognising regional disparities and addressing them proactively will strengthen trust among states and ensure that all regions feel equally valued in the national decision-making process.
  • By doing so, India can uphold the spirit of cooperative federalism and create a more balanced and inclusive framework for governance.

Conclusion

• The debate over fertility and representation reflects broader challenges in managing India’s demographic transition.
• Balancing political representation with demographic realities requires innovative solutions that prioritise equity, sustainability, and gender justice.
• Ultimately, the focus must shift from reversing fertility trends to creating a fair and inclusive framework for governance that respects the diversity and achievements of India’s states.

About S. bengalensis:

• It is the annual herb plant of the genus Stellaria (family Caryophyllaceae).
• It was found growing on muddy soil slopes — at altitudes of 2,245-2,450 metres in the Sangser forest, Kalimpong. 
• Characteristics:
• It is an annual herb growing to a height of 8 to 10.5 cm, characterized by white flowers, absence of bract, shorter petals (or included within the sepal), sharp and pointed seeds.
• Flowering and fruiting occur during May to September.
• India has around 22 Stellaria species mostly distributed in the Himalayan region.
• The researchers have for the time being assessed the new species as ‘data deficient’ under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria.
• Other species Stellaria mcclintockiae, of the same genus, was found on Nelliyampathy Hills of Kerala.

About Tobacco Board of India:

• It is a statutory body established on 1st January 1976 by an Act of Parliament “Tobacco Board Act, 1975 (Act 4 of 1975)”.
• The Board is headed by a chairperson and is responsible for the development of the tobacco industry.
• Functions:
  • The primary function of the Board is export promotion of all varieties of tobacco and its allied products, its functions extend to production, distribution (for domestic consumption and exports) and regulation of Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco.
  • It ensures the smooth functioning of the farming system and to ensure fair and remunerative prices for tobacco farmers and the promotion of exports. 
  • Financial assistance is extended to farmers through banks, along with the necessary inputs for the production of quality tobacco.
  • The Board also engages in extension and developmental activities to promote sustainable tobacco cultivation practices.
  • The Board supports farmers by providing handholding assistance to produce tobacco of requisite quality to meet the standards of importing countries.
• Headquarters: Guntur, Andhra Pradesh
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Commerce and Industry

India’s Tobacco Industry:

• India is the 2nd largest producer of tobacco in the world after China.
• India is the 4th largest producer of FCV tobacco in the world after China, Brazil and Zimbabwe.
• India is the 2nd largest exporter of unmanufactured tobacco (quantity terms) after Brazil.

About National e-Governance Awards Scheme:

• It is recognized amongst the most competitive and prestigious digital governance awards schemes in the country.
• The objective of the Scheme is to recognize and promote excellence in implementation of e-Governance initiatives.
• The NAeG Awards, 2025 will consist of Trophy, Certificate and an incentive of Rs 10 lakh for Gold Awardees and Rs 5 Lakhs for Silver Awardees to be awarded to the district/organization for being utilized for implementation of project/programme or bridging resources gaps in any area of public welfare.
• This year 16 Awards are being conferred under the NAeG 2025. Of these 10 will be Gold Awards and 6 will be silver Awards.
• For the year 2025, there are six categories under which the National Awards for e-Governance 2026 will be conferred:
  • Government Process Re-engineering by use of technology for Digital Transformation
  • Innovation by Use of AI and other new age technologies for providing Citizen-Centric Services,
  • Best e-Governance Practices/Innovation in Cyber Security
  • Grassroot Level Initiatives for Deepening/ Widening of Service Delivery with focus on initiatives by Districts/ULBs/Gram Panchayats
  • Replication and Scaling up of Successful National Awarded Projects like NAeG, Prime Minister Awards in Excellence, Awards conferred by other Central Ministries by State/UT/ District The NAeG 2024
  • Digital transformation by use of data analytics in digital platforms by Central Ministries/States/UTs
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions

About Tinnitus:

• It is the perception of sound that does not have an external source, meaning only the affected individual can hear it. 
• Causes: It is usually caused by an underlying condition, such as age-related hearing loss, an ear injury or a problem with the circulatory system.
• Symptoms:
• It can include sleep disturbances, depression, anxiety, irritability, and significant impacts on mental health and social life.
• It can also cause other types of phantom noises in your ears, including: Buzzing, Roaring and Clicking etc.
• Treatment: It may include hearing aids, sound-masking devices, medicines, and ways to learn how to cope with the noise.

Key facts about the newly developed device:

• This device along with its supporting application software, offers a comprehensive approach to managing tinnitus.
• It features precise tinnitus matching, which helps identify the exact nature and frequency of the sound experienced by the patient.
• It provides a customizable, multimodal approach to treatment, ensuring each patient receives a tailored experience suited to their unique condition.
• The software also includes tools for tracking disease progression, enabling clinicians to monitor patient improvement over time.

About Belly Landing:

• Also known as gear-up landing, it is an emergency landing technique that involves an aeroplane landing without extending its landing gear.
• It is a last resort for pilots who are unable to deploy their landing gear owing to a technical or mechanical malfunction.
• Belly-landings are risky and carried out only in an emergency. It results in considerable damage to the plane, its engines and wings as the aircraft skids to a stop and can leave those onboard injured.
• The friction generated by the aircraft skidding on the runway can also create sparks or result in a fire.
• A cockpit crew decides to land an aircraft on its belly in the following situations:
  • Landing gear fails to deploy.
  • A stricken aircraft cannot make it to an airport and landing is done in a field. The pilot considers skidding the aircraft to a stop safer than touching down on wheels.
  • Ditching: when an aircraft makes an emergency landing on water.
  • Any other situation a pilot considers a belly-landing safer than landing on wheels.

Other aviation terminology:

• Landing long and fast: It is an aviation term that means an aircraft touches down far beyond the designated touchdown zone on the runway, leaving the crew with less runway length to stop the aircraft, and at a speed far exceeding the recommended landing speed.

About UDISE+:

• UDISE+ is one of the largest Management Information Systems initiated by the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, Government of India, covering more than 14.72 lakhs of schools, 98.08 lakhs of teachers, and 24.80 crores of children.
• It is an online portal facility created by DoSEL for record of data related to schools, teachers, enrolment, infrastructure, in respect of all recognized schools in the country.
• In UDISE+, school wise data is captured through Data Capture Format (DCF).
• Each school has been provided with a login ID and password for facilitating online data compilation by respective schools.
• The Head Teacher/ Head Master of the school in all the States compiles the data, and it goes through a 3-stage validation/verification process, viz., Block/ Cluster level, District level, and State level.
• This data is finally certified by the State Project Director (SPD) at the State level.
• The data once certified by SPD of the respective State is considered as approved by the State. 
• Therefore, data is entered in the UDISE+ portal by the respective State itself.
• UDISE+ data is the only pan-India and most trusted database in school education in the country. 

Highlights of UDISE+ Report 2023-24:

• 8 crore students enrolled in 2023-2024, while this figure stood at 25.18 crore in 2022-2023.
• The figures for the previous four years – 26.52 crore (2021-2022), 26.44 crore (2020-2021), 26.45 crore (2019-2020), and 26.03 crore (2018-2019) – show that the average total enrolment stood around 26.36 crore.
• Data shows that when compared from the period between 2018-2019 (reference year for UDISE+ data) and 2021-2022, the decline in enrolment – for the first time since the pandemic – has been over 1 crore between 2022-2023 and 2023-2024.
• Boys account for 51.9% of enrolments and girls 48.1%.
• The representation of minorities in total enrolment stood at around 20 percent.
• Among the minorities, 79.6 percent were Muslims, 10 percent Christians, 6.9 percent Sikhs, 2.2 percent Buddhists, 1.3 percent Jains, and 0.1 percent Parsis.
• In 2023-2024, the total SC students enrolled were 47 crore, while this figure was 4.59 crore in 2022-2023.
• While 2 crore students enrolled in the OBC category in 2023-2024, the same was 11.45 crore in 2022-2023.
• While over 90% of schools have basic amenities like electricity and gender-specific toilets, advanced facilities such as functional desktops, internet access, and ramps with handrails remain limited.
• Only 57.2% of schools have functional computers, 53.9% have internet, and 52.3% are equipped with ramps, underscoring significant gaps in accessibility and tech readiness.

About INS Surat:

• It is a stealth destroyer, the fourth and last of the Project-15B or Vishakhapatnam Class.
• It is designed in-house by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and is being constructed by Mazagaon Dock Limited (MDL).
• It has an indigenous content of 72%.
• Features:
• It is the Indian Navy’s first AI-enabled warship to enhance its operational efficiency manifold times.
• It will have a displacement of 7,400 tons and a length of 163 meters and can rip through at a top speed of nearly 60 km/h.
• The ship has a maximum range of 15,000 km. 
• It is armed with supersonic surface-to-surface BrahMos missiles and 'Barak-8 medium-range surface-to-air missiles.
• The destroyer is fitted with indigenously developed anti-submarine weapons and sensors, prominently the hull-mounted Sonar Humsa NG, heavy-weight torpedo tube launchers, and ASW rocket launchers.

About INS Nilgiri:

• It is the first of the seven multi-role frigates being constructed under the Project-17A, four at the MDL and three at GRSE in Kolkata, at an overall cost of around Rs 45,000 crore.
• These ships have been designed indigenously by the Indian Navy's Directorate of Naval Design, New Delhi.
• Constructed at MDL, this 6,670-tonne vessel is equipped with cutting-edge weapons and sensors to address threats from enemy submarines, ships, and aircraft.
• The ship has state-of-the-art stealth features, achieved through the shaping of the hull and radar-transparent deck fittings, which make ships difficult to detect.
• It is mounted with guns for close-in defence capability and effective naval gunfire.
• Nilgiri is enabled to operate independently without supporting vessels and to function as the flagship of the Naval task force.

 About INS Vagsheer:

• INS Vagsheer (S26) is thesixth and final submarine of the first batch of six Kalvari-class submarines built for the Indian Navy.
• It is named after the sand fish, a deadly deep-sea predator of the Indian Ocean. 
• It is designed by French naval defence and energy group Naval Group and manufactured by MDL.
• It is designed to operate in all theatres of operation, showcasing interoperability with other components of a Naval Task Force.