The Hindu — Important News Articles & Editorial Analysis
Daily Current Affairs · Raman Academy, Sanjauli, Shimla
In Today's Edition
- Govt. Orders Strict Scrutiny of Digitised Birth & Death RecordsGS II · Governance
- Promise of Chips: India Semiconductor Mission Phase 2GS III · Economy & S&T
- A Trade Deal That Tests India's Competitive ConfidenceGS III · Economy
- Battling Drug Abuse: Kerala's Operation ToofanGS III · Internal Security
- Editorial: India's Parliament Must Not Stage Its Cadaver SynodGS II · Polity
Govt. Orders Strict Scrutiny of Digitised Birth & Death Records
The Hindu · Page 05
The Registrar General of India (RGI) has issued strict directives to states in view of rising fraud and security loopholes in digital birth and death certificates. With the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll driving a massive surge in demand for digital certificates, the government has ordered a halt to the misuse of credentials (User ID/Password) and strict monitoring of registration units to ensure transparency and security in e-governance systems.
Static Foundations: CRS & RBD Act
- Civil Registration System (CRS): A continuous, permanent, and mandatory system for recording births, deaths, and stillbirths in India — the basis of demographic data used in health schemes, social security policy, and development planning.
- RBD Act, 1969: Provides for mandatory registration of births and deaths across the country.
- 2023 Amendment: Made online registration on the Central Civil Registration System (CCRS) portal completely mandatory.
- Single Document: For children born on or after 1 October 2023, the digital birth certificate alone is the single legal proof of date of birth — for government jobs, admissions, and marriage registration.
Loopholes Flagged by the RGI
- Compromise of Credentials: Registrars found sharing their User ID, password, or OTP with unauthorized individuals.
- Flood of Fake Certificates: Fake or unauthorized digital certificates issued in the name of digitizing legacy records.
- Unusual Registration Spikes: Sudden, unexplained surges in registrations at certain units, pointing to suspicious activity.
- Erosion of Trust: Forgery undermines the credibility of the CRS and the authenticity of government records.
Proposed Measures for Scrutiny
- Verification from the Original Register: Registrars must manually verify online applications against the original birth-death register before digitizing.
- Uploading Documents: Applicant's proof and a copy of the corresponding register page must accompany every application.
- Mandatory District Registrar Approval: Certificates will not be issued at the local level alone; every request goes to the District Registrar for final approval.
- Mandatory e-Signatures: District Registrar e-signatures fix accountability and maintain a digital audit trail.
- Stricter Law on Delayed Registration: An amendment bill to the RBD Act is planned in the upcoming Parliament session to tighten delayed-registration rules and prevent backdoor fraud.
| Impact on E-Governance | Details |
|---|---|
| Positive | Enhanced legal acceptability and security of digital documents; the role of corruption and middlemen is eliminated. |
| Administrative Challenge | Mandatory dual verification at the district level may slow issuance, causing administrative delays ("Red Tapism") for citizens in the short term. |
Q. How is the Total Fertility Rate defined in an economy?
(a) The number of children born per 1,000 people in the population in a year
(b) The number of children born to a couple during their lifetime within a given population
(c) Birth rate − Death rate
(d) The average number of live children born to a woman by the end of her child-bearing age
Click to reveal answer
Critically examine whether rising population is the primary cause of poverty or if poverty is the primary cause of population growth. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
Promise of Chips: India Semiconductor Mission Phase 2
The Hindu · Page 06
Amidst global geopolitical instability and supply chain disruptions, India has intensified its efforts to establish itself as a global hub in electronics and chipmaking. A large corpus of ₹1.27 lakh crore has been announced for the second phase of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) — a signal that semiconductor manufacturing is no longer a temporary priority but an indispensable part of India's long-term strategic and economic security.
Key Points: ISM Phase 2
- Increased Budgetary Allocation: The ₹1.27 lakh crore outlay is significantly higher than Phase 1, comprehensively strengthening the electronics manufacturing ecosystem.
- Shift in Subsidy Structure: Capital subsidies continue on selected projects, but the government's share is likely to be slightly below the earlier 50%.
- Production-Linked Incentives: Manufacturing-linked incentives disbursed at a per-unit level once sales begin.
- Boosting Domestic Capabilities: Incremental boosters for products using India's domestic capabilities and locally made components.
- Long-term Vision: Building a semiconductor ecosystem is a decade-plus project; the large corpus demonstrates the government's follow-through.
India Implications: Strategic & Economic Importance
- Geopolitical Leverage: The chip supply chain is monopolized by a few countries (Taiwan, South Korea, USA). Indigenous capacity shields India from future supply-chain shocks such as war or pandemic.
- High-Tech Employment & Human Capital: Excellent opportunities for high-tech engineers and designers within India — stemming the decades-old "Brain Drain" to Western countries.
- Growth Like the Asian Tigers: As South Korea and Taiwan rose on electronics competitiveness, success in chips can power a major economic boom for India.
Challenges and Global Competition
- Frontier Technology: Technologies like ASML's Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines are so complex that even developed countries struggle — acquiring or developing them is a huge challenge.
- Competition from Leading Economies: The US, EU, and China are investing massively (deeper pockets) to protect their share, creating obstacles for India in attracting talent and technology.
- Uncertain Returns: Commercial production has not started in most Phase-1 projects, so actual returns on the public investment remain unknown.
Related Static Dimensions
- Industrial Policy: Electronics manufacturing under 'Make in India' and 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'.
- Science & Technology: What are semiconductors? Silicon wafers, fabrication labs (Fabs), and Assembly, Testing, Marking & Packaging (ATMP).
- International Relations: Impact of the Taiwan Strait crisis on global chip supply; importance of forums like QUAD and GPAI for India.
- Intellectual Property Rights: Patents in chip design and the importance of IP creation within India.
Q. Consider the following statements with reference to solar energy production in India:
1. India is the third largest country in the world in manufacturing of silicon wafers used in photovoltaic units.
2. Solar energy tariffs are determined by the Solar Energy Corporation of India.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Click to reveal answer
How is science deeply interwoven into our lives? What are the significant changes brought about in agriculture by science-based technologies? (10 Marks, 150 Words)
A Trade Deal That Tests India's Competitive Confidence
The Hindu · Page 06 · By V. Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Advisor
The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between India and the United Kingdom has come into effect. According to Chief Economic Advisor V. Anantha Nageswaran, the agreement not only opens export opportunities for India but also tests the competitive confidence of Indian domestic industries. The true success of any trade agreement depends not just on how much it increases exports, but on how it manages imports and adapts the domestic market to global standards.
Key Points: Immediate & Long-Term Gains
- Employment-Driven Exports: From July 15, nearly 99% of India's exports (by value) enter the UK duty-free. Biggest beneficiaries: labour-intensive sectors — textiles, apparel, leather, footwear, marine products, processed foods, and auto components — a major support for MSME clusters like Tirupur (apparel) and Agra (footwear).
- End of Regional Handicap: Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Cambodia earlier enjoyed tariff-free UK access that disadvantaged Indian exporters; that handicap is now removed.
- Pharma Scale Advantage: India is the world's largest supplier of generic medicines; the UK buys ~$30 billion of medicines annually. Tariff removal gives Indian generics a significant pricing edge.
- Double Contribution Convention: Indian professionals in the UK exempt from dual social-security contributions for up to 5 years — saving ~75,000 workers and ~900 companies around $600 million annually.
India Implications: The Test of Competitive Confidence
- Phased Tariff Reduction: India will cut tariffs on British cars from 110% toward 10% and on Scotch whisky from 150% toward 40% over a decade — phased, capped by quotas, and drafted to give India's own passenger-vehicle industry time to adjust.
- Protectionism vs Competition: Perpetual protectionism builds weak industries, not strong ones. Where Indian carmakers faced competition (small and mid-sized cars), they became genuinely good at home and abroad.
- The Consumer, Not the Tariff Schedule: Opening the market to British cars reminds domestic manufacturers that the customer is the person they must satisfy — exposure to competition is a favour Indians do themselves.
| Item | Earlier Tariff | Committed Direction |
|---|---|---|
| British cars | 110% | Toward 10% (phased over years, quota-capped) |
| Scotch whisky | 150% | Toward 40% (over a decade) |
| India's exports to UK | Various duties | ~99% by value duty-free from July 15 |
Related Static Dimensions
- Low FTA Utilization: India's past FTAs (ASEAN, Japan, South Korea) show exporters capture only ~25–30% utilization due to complex rules and low awareness.
- Non-Tariff Barriers: The UK and Europe maintain strict SPS standards and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT); Indian agri and food products must still clear these despite lower tariffs.
- Balancing with Make in India: Running PLI schemes for domestic manufacturing while cutting import duties demands a careful balance between self-reliance and global trade.
Way Forward
- Institutional Awareness: Government and industry bodies (FICCI, CII) must continuously engage small industry and enterprise associations on FTA opportunities.
- Ease of Doing Business: Export and customs procedures must become more transparent, digital, and clean to cut logistics time and costs.
- Upgrading Standards: MSMEs must raise product quality to global benchmarks (carbon border taxes, environmental standards).
- Value Addition: Move beyond raw or semi-processed goods toward high value-added exports.
Q. Consider the following countries:
1. Australia 2. Canada 3. China 4. India 5. Japan 6. USA
Which of the above are among the 'Free Trade Partners' of ASEAN?
(a) 1, 2, 4 and 5
(b) 3, 4, 5 and 6
(c) 1, 3, 4 and 5
(d) 2, 3, 4 and 6
Click to reveal answer
How will recent phenomena of protectionism and currency manipulation in global trade affect India's macroeconomic stability? (10 Marks, 150 Words)
Battling Drug Abuse: Kerala's Operation Toofan
The Hindu · Page 06
The consumption of synthetic drugs among Kerala's youth has emerged as a serious social and security challenge — NDPS cases registered surged from 5,695 in 2021 to 36,314 in 2025. To confront global and inter-state drug cartels operating through digital technologies, social media, and the dark web, the Government of Kerala has launched 'Operation Toofan' — a multi-dimensional approach built on integrated law enforcement, inter-state coordination, and public participation.
News Analysis: Key Points
- Changing Nature of the Challenge: Traditional narcotics (alcohol, ganja) have been replaced by highly addictive synthetic drugs like MDMA and methamphetamine.
- Misuse of Technology: Cartels use social media, encrypted messaging, and digital payments to stay a step ahead of law enforcement.
- Only 'Small Fish' Caught: Current investigations net local peddlers and carriers, while large syndicates and kingpins stay beyond the law's reach.
- Forensic & Legal Loopholes: Questionable forensic reliability and lack of digital evidence weaken cases in court, keeping conviction rates low.
- Operation Toofan: Launched in June, uniting Police, Excise, Education, and Health departments — over 7,600 smugglers arrested within weeks.
- Inter-State & Central Coordination: Uses the national NCORD framework and the NIDAAN database of arrested narco-offenders; shared platforms and nodal officers for intelligence-sharing with neighbouring southern states.
Related Static Dimensions
- Article 47 (DPSP): Duty of the State to prohibit consumption of intoxicating drinks and drugs injurious to health.
- NDPS Act, 1985: Criminalizes the trade and consumption of narcotics with stringent punishment.
- NCB: India's nodal drug law enforcement and intelligence agency.
- NCORD: Four-tier mechanism constituted in 2016 for Centre–State coordination against drugs.
- DANSAF (Kerala): District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force working at the ground level; needs cyber-forensic upgrading.
- Narco-Terrorism & Money Laundering: Drug proceeds fund anti-India elements; the trade links to hawala and cryptocurrency, damaging the economy.
Way Forward
- Cyber Forensic Capability: Train investigators to gather digital evidence, monitor the dark web, and decode encrypted chats.
- Modern Forensic Labs: Speed and accuracy in forensic reports so smugglers cannot exploit legal loopholes.
- Demand Reduction: Involve schools, colleges, and communities as 'Toofan Warriors'; strengthen rehabilitation centres — breaking the supply chain alone is not enough.
- Upskilling Frontline Forces: Regularly upgrade DANSAF on border/coastal security and advanced investigation techniques.
India's proximity to the world's two largest illicit opium-producing regions has heightened its internal security concerns. Explain the linkages between drug trafficking and other illicit activities such as arms smuggling, money laundering, and human trafficking. What measures should be taken to curb these activities? (10 Marks, 150 Words)
India's Parliament Must Not Stage Its Cadaver Synod
The Hindu · Page 06 · By Sanjay Hegde, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India
Context: The impeachment process against former Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma has become a major constitutional controversy. Justice Varma resigned in April 2026, yet the committee constituted under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 submitted its report, which is to be tabled in Parliament. Citing the historical 'Cadaver Synod', the author argues that impeachment proceedings against a judge who has left office are constitutionally improper and offend both parliamentary decorum and judicial independence.
Key Points: The Editorial's Core Argument
- The Cadaver Synod (897 AD): In Rome, Pope Stephen VI exhumed the corpse of his predecessor Pope Formosus, nine months after death, to stand trial. The futile trial provoked rebellion — history's warning against trying "a judicial corpse."
- The Varma Case: Justice Varma resigned with immediate effect on 9 April 2026, surrendered government benefits, and re-registered as a lawyer with the Bar Council. Despite this, the inquiry committee submitted its report on 18 May 2026.
- Central Question: Can Parliament continue impeachment proceedings against a person who is no longer a judge in the constitutional sense?
Static Dimensions & Constitutional Provisions
- Article 121: No discussion in Parliament on the conduct of a Supreme Court or High Court judge — except upon a motion for the judge's removal. If the judge is not in office, the removal motion is not valid, and discussing his conduct would violate Article 121.
- Articles 124(4) & 217(1)(b): The Constitution speaks of a judge being "removed from his office." Impeachment removes a person from office; it does not punish him. Where the office is already vacant, removal proceedings lose their logical basis.
- Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968: Can only recommend removal from office — it cannot impose fines, censure, or future disqualification.
| Judicial Precedent | What It Established |
|---|---|
| Union of India vs Shri Gopal Chandra Misra (1978) | A High Court judge's resignation (Art. 217) is a unilateral constitutional act — no acceptance by the President or anyone else required; the constitutional link is severed immediately. |
| Justice P.D. Dinakaran (2011) | Resigned while impeachment was pending; the inquiry committee was dissolved and no report reached Parliament. |
| Justice Soumitra Sen (2011) | Resigned after the Rajya Sabha passed the removal motion; the Lok Sabha did not take proceedings forward, and the matter ended. |
Both precedents show Parliament has always accepted that resignation terminates the jurisdiction of impeachment.
Risks of Continuing Proceedings After Resignation
- Threat to Judicial Independence: If Parliament can try resigned or retired judges, any future majority could target judges whose decisions displeased it years after retirement.
- Violation of Separation of Powers: Unchecked legislative review of former judges' conduct disturbs the balance between the organs of state.
- Fear of Posthumous Trials: If impeachment survives resignation, a deceased judge could logically be tried posthumously — a dangerous precedent for democracy.
Alternative Path to Accountability
- Impeachment vs Criminal Law: Impeachment is a constitutional safety mechanism, not criminal punishment — with the office vacant, its purpose stands fully achieved.
- Criminal Investigation Remains Open: For serious complaints — such as the burnt currency notes recovered at Justice Varma's residence — ordinary criminal law (e.g., the Prevention of Corruption Act) applies. Investigation, prosecution, and trial in ordinary courts against a former judge remain completely open.
Explain the reasons behind the rise of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in India. Has the Supreme Court of India emerged as the most powerful judiciary in the world as a result? (10 Marks, 150 Words)
