For UPSC CSE aspirants, analyzing editorials from The Indian Express is essential to build a comprehensive understanding of current affairs, policy debates, and socio-economic challenges. Here’s a structured breakdown of the editorial themes covered on January 20, 2025, tailored for UPSC preparation:
1. Ashok Gulati writes: The reform and welfare India needs
Ashok Gulati emphasizes the need for reforms in India’s agricultural policies, particularly revisiting the MSP framework and subsidies. He advocates for market-driven pricing, direct cash transfers, and targeted support for farmers to enhance efficiency, rather than relying on populist welfare schemes. Gulati calls for investing in agricultural infrastructure and research to support long-term growth.
- Agricultural Pricing and Market Economy: The pricing of agricultural outputs and inputs should be determined by the free market through demand and supply dynamics. Government intervention should focus on ensuring efficient markets rather than controlling prices.
- Role of Government: Governments should invest in improving market functioning by addressing information asymmetry, physical infrastructure, and creating efficient value chains. Facilitating futures markets and options can help farmers manage price risks and make informed planting decisions.
- Historical Context of MSP: The Minimum Support Price (MSP) system was introduced in the 1960s to address food shortages and reduce dependency on imports. However, India’s situation has changed, and the MSP system has expanded beyond its original scope due to political pressures.
- Current Issues with MSP: India’s stock of rice has tripled beyond the buffer stock norms, and the MSP framework, especially for wheat and rice, has created inefficiencies. Overproduction of rice due to subsidized power and fertilizer prices is leading to ecological issues such as groundwater depletion and soil degradation.
- Revisiting the MSP Framework: The MSP framework needs reform, with a focus on freeing up product and input prices, including fertilizers and power. There should also be an opening of land markets, especially land lease markets, to improve efficiency.
- Problems with Public Distribution System (PDS): The PDS, which provides free wheat and rice to a large portion of the population, has become inefficient. Despite lifting millions out of poverty, the system creates a cyclical problem that requires the procurement of large quantities of grains each year.
- Direct Cash Transfers: Instead of continuing with free food distribution, India should transition to direct cash transfers for targeted beneficiaries. This would ensure more efficient use of subsidies, with the poor receiving substantial support and those above the poverty line getting less.
- Subsidy Support for Farmers: Input subsidies should be provided on a per-hectare basis to needy farmers. This would ensure better targeting of subsidies and reduce inefficiencies.
- Reinvestment in Agricultural Development: Savings from the reform of subsidies should be reinvested in agricultural research and development (R&D), extension services, education, irrigation, and rural infrastructure.
- Criticism of Competitive Populism: Competitive populism, such as offering free food, power, or highly subsidized fertilizers, is detrimental. It is seen as a race to the bottom that undermines genuine welfare and is used for political gain.
- Path to Viksit Bharat: For India to achieve its vision of a developed nation by 2047, it needs structural reforms in agriculture and welfare that promote efficiency, sustainability, and targeted support for the truly needy.
2. For a Viksit Bharat, focus on health
The article discusses India’s healthcare system and its pivotal role in achieving the nation’s aspiration of becoming a developed country by 2047. It emphasizes the importance of primary healthcare, digital integration, data-driven decisions, and addressing both communicable and non-communicable diseases to build a robust and equitable health system.
- Health and Economic Development: A healthy population is crucial for India’s goal of becoming economically developed by 2047. Addressing emerging health challenges and strengthening the health system are essential.
- Primary Healthcare and Universal Health Coverage (UHC): Primary healthcare should be the backbone of India’s health system. Achieving UHC requires increased public financing and expanding service coverage, ensuring access to quality health services for all.
- Workforce and Training: With shortages of skilled healthcare professionals, India needs to focus on training a large number of technology-enabled frontline health workers and allied health professionals to meet the country’s health needs.
- Ayushman Bharat Mission: The Ayushman Bharat mission is a critical initiative for creating an effective, equitable, and economically efficient health system. It includes components such as upgraded primary care, health infrastructure, financial protection for vulnerable groups, and a digital health technology push.
- Data and Disaggregation: India needs disaggregated health data at district and block levels to enable evidence-based decision-making. This data should be integrated to provide timely and accurate information, crucial for addressing emerging health threats, especially non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
- Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs): NCDs are becoming the leading cause of death in India, and their risk factors need to be systematically monitored. The integration of disease surveillance data, including from regional surveys, is necessary to address this challenge.
- Infectious Diseases and Surveillance: Surveillance systems must be enhanced to monitor both infectious diseases and the rise of zoonotic diseases. Real-time data collection and techniques such as wastewater surveillance will help detect emerging microbial threats.
- One Health Approach: A “One Health” approach is needed to integrate data across wildlife, veterinary populations, and human communities. This will also help address the impact of climate change on disease transmission.
- Integrated Patient Care Systems: Efficient integration of diagnostic and treatment-related data is needed within healthcare facilities. Seamless data transfer between healthcare institutions is crucial for accurate diagnosis and rational treatment.
- Digital Health Integration: India’s digital strengths should be used to bridge gaps between primary care and secondary/tertiary hospital care. Connecting public and private sector data repositories, alongside using AI, can help develop context-specific diagnostic tools and improve healthcare delivery.
- Community Participation: Digital tools should enable community involvement in health surveillance and reporting, especially during outbreaks or in the monitoring of health programme implementations.
- Call for Digital Transformation: The article stresses the need for 2025 to act as a turning point in the digital transformation of India’s health system, integrating digital technologies for more efficient, equitable, and effective healthcare services.
3. How quality of higher education is tied to primary education
The article discusses how the quality of higher education in India is closely linked to the foundation laid by primary education. It emphasizes the importance of leadership, the impact of great educational figures, and the need for national discussions to improve educational standards at all levels.
- Legacy of Great Academics: The article begins by recognizing the monumental contributions of key educational figures like Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Rabindranath Tagore, and Zakir Husain, whose legacies continue to inspire educational excellence in institutions like BHU, AMU, and Jamia Millia Islamia. These individuals played a pivotal role in shaping India’s educational landscape and exemplify how visionary leadership can uplift entire institutions.
- Post-Independence Educational Expansion: The expansion of school and higher education after independence was essential, but it was accompanied by challenges, particularly a lack of qualified educators. Despite these challenges, India’s progress in increasing literacy from around 18-20% to nearly 80% is seen as a remarkable achievement.
- Quality of Higher Education Linked to Primary Education: The article emphasizes that the quality of leadership in higher education institutions is directly tied to the quality of primary education. For instance, the Japanese focus on punctuality, discipline, and respect for hard work in primary schools is highlighted as a key factor in nurturing future leaders. In contrast, the article points out the complacency in India’s primary education system, where issues like late teachers are routine.
- Need for Visionary Leadership: The writer stresses that just as institutions in the past were transformed by visionary leaders, India needs to invest in preparing future leaders at every level of education, beginning with primary schools. Universities, especially, need leaders who understand the importance of a strong educational foundation and who can guide their institutions with a sense of purpose.
- Political Bickering and Lack of Serious Educational Dialogue: The article also critiques the political environment in India, where political parties often engage in bickering, neglecting serious discussions about key issues like education. The writer calls for more structured discussions at the national level, particularly through forums like the Central Advisory Board on Education (CABE), where educators and policymakers can address pressing educational challenges.
- Role of Institutions and Individuals: Institutions are seen as platforms where individuals are prepared to lead and innovate. The article concludes with the belief that great institutions, nurtured by strong leadership, play a crucial role in shaping the future of the nation and enhancing the quality of life for its people.
In summary, the article underscores that the path to improving higher education in India begins with investing in and enhancing the quality of primary education. It calls for a renewed focus on leadership at all educational levels, starting from the grassroots, and stresses the need for national discussions to address the challenges facing India’s education system.
4. A different economic question
- Economic Slowdown or Pre-Pandemic Growth Trajectory?: There is uncertainty about whether the Indian economy is undergoing a cyclical slowdown or returning to pre-pandemic growth patterns. The sharp deceleration in growth in the second quarter and weak recovery after that suggest a structural issue rather than a temporary blip.
- Modest Economic Growth: GST collections have shown a decline, from 8.9% in the second quarter to 8.3% in the third quarter. Advanced estimates for the next year are not optimistic, with many projecting growth in line with the pre-pandemic decadal average of 6.6%.
- Government vs RBI Blame: The government has blamed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the slowdown, pointing to tight monetary policy and exchange rate management that hindered export competitiveness. However, the deeper structural and distributional issues are beyond what can be fixed by interest rate adjustments.
- Structural and Distributional Issues: The post-pandemic economic growth was driven by a surge in services exports, particularly Global Capability Centres (GCC), benefiting a highly skilled workforce. However, this has not led to broad-based economic growth, with limited upward mobility for the majority of the workforce, leading to a hollowing out of consumption.
- Weakening of the Middle Class: A key indicator of this economic issue is the decline in sales of low-priced small cars, traditionally bought by the middle class. In 2024-25, this category accounted for only 46% of total car sales, down from 73% in 2014-15.
- Stagnant Labour Market and Wages: The labour market has not generated sufficient productive employment opportunities, and real wages have remained stagnant. While informal employment is growing, formal employment growth is limited to lower-skill services, such as security and manpower supply.
- Increased Household Debt: The rise in household debt, particularly to finance consumption, indicates financial strain. By June 2024, household debt reached 43%. This increase in debt is concerning, as many households are taking on multiple loans, yet overall consumption remains weak.
- Investment Slowdown: Investment activity has remained subdued, with new project announcements slowing down and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) falling below recent highs. The corporate sector is hesitant to invest, and this reflects broader uncertainty and risk aversion, particularly within the government and policymaking circles.
- Policy Uncertainty: The lack of clarity over government policies further dampens investment activity. The corporate sector has expressed concerns over the shrinking middle class and slow growth, pointing to an overall grim economic outlook.
These points outline the underlying structural issues in India’s economy, emphasizing the challenges of limited job creation, muted wage growth, and stagnant demand that affect consumption and investment. The economic slowdown appears more than a temporary fluctuation and highlights the need for focused policy interventions to address these deep-rooted issues.
5. Express View: A higher bar
- Need for Restraint in Abetment of Suicide Cases: The Supreme Court has emphasized the need for restraint by investigative agencies when invoking the charge of abetment of suicide under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The charge should not be invoked casually and must meet a higher threshold.
- Recent SC Rulings: The Supreme Court recently set aside criminal proceedings in two cases where the charge of abetment of suicide was invoked:
- A bank manager was accused of abetting suicide after a man allegedly took his life due to an inability to repay loans.
- The management of a company was cleared after an employee died by suicide following a suggestion of voluntary retirement.
- Pattern of Cases: The article highlights a common pattern where prosecutions are initiated to appease the distraught family, often without fulfilling the legal requirements for invoking the charge. This reflects a rush to find someone to blame, rather than a thorough legal examination.
- Legal Threshold for Abetment of Suicide: Section 306 IPC and Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita carry serious consequences, including up to 10 years in jail, a fine, or both. These laws have been amended to protect women, especially in dowry death cases, but they have also been misused in some instances.
- SC’s Clarification on Abetment: The Supreme Court clarified that a charge of abetment of suicide should only be invoked when the accused’s actions are proximate and intentionally lead to self-harm resulting in death. Casual remarks made in anger or haste do not qualify as abetment.
- Misuse of Abetment Law: The court cautioned against using the abetment charge as a substitute for murder charges where the legal requirements for murder are not met. The police and authorities must show restraint and avoid invoking the law under public or family pressure.
- Low Conviction Rate: According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the conviction rate for abetment of suicide cases was only 17.5% in 2022, significantly lower than the 54.2% conviction rate for other cognizable offences. This highlights the difficulty in proving abetment of suicide and the frequent misuse of the charge.
- Consequences of False Charges: Even though many cases may be eventually dropped, the mere accusation of abetment of suicide brings about significant consequences, such as the confiscation of passports and legal expenses. The SC’s judgment also emphasizes that judges should not mechanically take cognizance of abetment cases without proper legal scrutiny.
6. Express View on President Biden’s exit: Triumph and tragedy
- Biden’s Legacy: Joe Biden’s presidency is marked by a mix of triumph and tragedy. He is seen as the most pro-India president in recent decades, with a focus on strengthening the Indo-Pacific and enhancing bilateral relations with India.
- Political Context: Biden’s presidency came after Donald Trump’s term, which saw deep political divisions and the January 6 riots. Biden was expected to heal these divisions and restore America’s global image. However, he leaves office with a divided Democratic Party and the return of Trump for a second term with a significant political mandate.
- Democratic Party Divisions: Biden was bitter about being ousted as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in favor of Kamala Harris. He believed he was the only one who could defeat Trump, but the party panicked and changed candidates, which added to his frustration.
- Biden’s Domestic Challenges: Biden faced criticism for yielding to the left-wing factions within his party, which promoted woke ideologies, unrestricted immigration, and ignored the concerns of the working class. Despite these challenges, he took credit for efforts to restore America’s manufacturing and technological capabilities, particularly in response to China’s rise.
- Economic and Political Criticism: Critics pointed to issues such as rising inflation, growing economic inequality, and the rise of a techno-industrial oligarchy. Biden also expressed frustration with the tech giants, accusing them of supporting Trump and undermining his presidency.
- Foreign Policy Criticisms: Biden’s foreign policy faced criticism for the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, which weakened US influence globally. His failure to deter Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and to stop Israeli military actions in Gaza also drew criticism.
- Biden’s Asia Policy and Pro-India Stance: Biden’s Asia policy, particularly his efforts to strengthen ties with India, was praised. His administration reinforced the Indo-Pacific strategy, elevated the Quad (with the US, India, Japan, and Australia) to summit level, and expanded military and technological cooperation with Australia and the UK through AUKUS.
- India-US Relations: Biden’s presidency is noted for significantly boosting the strategic partnership between the US and India. Cooperation on critical and emerging technologies was one of the highlights of his tenure, making him one of the most pro-India presidents in recent history.
Disclaimer:
This analysis is based on the editorial content published in Indian Express and is intended solely for informational and educational purposes. The views, opinions, and interpretations expressed herein are those of the author of original article. Readers are encouraged to refer to the original article for complete context and to exercise their own judgment while interpreting the analysis. The analysis does not constitute professional advice or endorsement of any political, economic, or social perspective.
Follow Fusion IAS