INFERTILITY IN INDIA AND MENTAL HEALTH
TOPIC: (GS2) SOCIAL JUSTICE AND HEALTH: THE HINDU
Recent studies highlight how mental health directly impacts fertility outcomes in both men and women, making psychological well-being central to reproductive care.
Social Dimensions of Infertility
- Patriarchal Bias: Womanhood is often equated with motherhood; women without children face stigma and exclusion from social events.
- Blame on Women: Even when medical evidence points to male infertility, cultural norms place responsibility on women.
- Emotional Toll: Leads to shame, isolation, identity loss, and perceived moral failure.
Male Infertility and Mental Health
- Scientific Evidence:
- Depression linked to reduced sperm concentration and motility (Frontiers in Endocrinology, 2024).
- Stress and anxiety impair sperm metabolism through mitochondrial dysfunction (Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology, 2025).
- Stress Pathways: Chronic stress activates the HPA axis, raising cortisol and disrupting spermatogenesis.
- Cultural Silence: Patriarchal norms prevent men from acknowledging psychological distress, worsening fertility outcomes.
Women’s Mental Health and Fertility
- Stress as a Biological Factor: High stress levels reduce chances of conception per cycle (Human Reproduction study, 2014).
- Endocrine Impact: Emotional distress alters hormonal balance, impairing ovulation and fecundability.
- Cruel Feedback Loop: Social stigma increases stress, which biologically reduces fertility, reinforcing blame on women.
Impact on Treatment and Relationships
- Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART): Success rates in IVF and similar treatments decline with high anxiety and depression.
- Treatment Pressure: Couples face cycles of hope and disappointment, creating stress that undermines conception.
- Relational Strain: Intimacy becomes mechanical, eroding closeness and increasing emotional detachment.
The Way Forward
- Cultural Change: Break the link between womanhood and motherhood; treat infertility as a medical condition, not a moral failure.
- Include Men: Recognise male mental health as a determinant of fertility; encourage openness and support.
- Integrate Mental Health in Clinics: Routine screening for stress, anxiety, and relationship strain should accompany medical tests.
- Protect Relationships: Provide counselling to help couples preserve intimacy and emotional connection during treatment.
- Replace Stigma with Science: Dialogue, compassion, and evidence-based care must guide fertility practices.
Conclusion
Infertility in India is not just a medical challenge but a social and psychological crisis. Embedding mental health into fertility care is essential for equitable, humane, and effective reproductive health outcomes.
ILLEGAL COAL MINE BLAST IN MEGHALAYA
TOPIC: (GS3) ENVIRONMENT: THE HINDU
A blast in an illegal rat-hole coal mine in East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya, killed 18 miners, raising questions about enforcement of the NGT ban on coal mining.
Background
- Rat-hole mining: A hazardous method involving narrow tunnels (4–5 feet high) where miners squat and dig coal.
- NGT Ban (2014): The National Green Tribunal prohibited coal mining and transportation in Meghalaya due to environmental and safety concerns.
- Supreme Court: Later upheld the ban, but illegal mining continues with alleged political and local backing.
Past Accidents
- 2012: 15 miners died in South Garo Hills due to flooding.
- 2018: 15 miners trapped in East Jaintia Hills at 370 feet depth; only 2 bodies recovered despite Navy-led rescue.
- Overall, 50+ miners have died in accidents before and after the ban.
Issues Highlighted
- Safety Risks: Rat-hole mining is extremely dangerous, often involving explosives.
- Economic Drivers: Despite risks, miners are attracted by daily wages up to ₹2,000.
- Weak Enforcement: Illegal mines continue despite NGT ban and monitoring committees.
- Accountability Gap: Reports by Justice B.P. Katakey Committee have not curbed illegal mining.
- Human Cost: Migrant workers from neighboring states often form the bulk of victims.
Way Forward
- Strict Enforcement of Mining Ban: Strengthen monitoring mechanisms with regular inspections and use of technology (drones, GIS mapping) to detect illegal mines.
- Alternative Livelihoods for Workers: Promote skill development, eco-tourism, and sustainable agriculture to reduce dependence on hazardous mining jobs.
- Safer Mining Practices (if regulated in future): Introduce mechanised mining methods with proper safety standards and environmental safeguards.
Challenges
- Political Patronage and Collusion: Local-level support and political interference often protect illegal mining operations, making enforcement difficult.
- Economic Dependence on Mining: High daily wages (up to ₹2,000) attract workers despite risks, making livelihood alternatives less appealing.
- Monitoring Limitations: Remote terrain, lack of infrastructure, and resource constraints hinder effective surveillance and enforcement.
Conclusion
The tragedy underscores the failure of enforcement of mining bans and the persistence of unsafe practices due to economic incentives and political backing. Stronger regulation, accountability, and livelihood alternatives are essential to prevent such disasters and ensure environmental and human safety.
THE FADING OF INDIA’S ENVIRONMENTAL JURISPRUDENCE
TOPIC: (GS3) ENVIRONMENT: THE HINDU
Recent Supreme Court’s acceptance of restrictive definitions and post-facto clearances is seen as a dilution of environmental justice.
Background
- EIA Policy Change (Dec 2025): Allowed Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) without detailed land acquisition data.
- Vanashakti Case (2025): Earlier ban on retrospective clearances was recalled, weakening deterrence against violations.
- Judicial Role: Courts have historically expanded environmental rights under Article 21 (Right to Life) and upheld the precautionary principle.
Key Cases and Issues
- Aravalli Ranges:
- Ecological backbone of north-west India, crucial for groundwater recharge, biodiversity, and desertification control.
- Earlier rulings (2004, 2010) protected the ranges beyond height-based definitions.
- Latest ruling (2025) restricted protection to landforms above 100m, excluding large ecologically vital areas.
- Mangroves in Maharashtra:
- Judicial approval for destruction of 158 mangroves for projects like Adani Cementation.
- Large-scale felling of mangroves in Mumbai permitted on promises of compensatory afforestation, ignoring ecological science.
- Char Dham Highway Project:
- Despite recognition of fragile Himalayan ecology, wider roads were allowed citing defence needs.
- Studies show over 800 landslide zones, raising risks of floods and ecological imbalance.
Concerns
- Judicial Leniency: Courts increasingly allow post-facto clearances and mitigation assurances instead of strict enforcement.
- Corporate Influence: Large projects backed by capital often bypass regulatory hurdles.
- Procedural Fairness: Hearings are shortened, objections dismissed, reducing transparency.
- Public Trust Doctrine: Earlier rulings held natural resources as public trust, but recent decisions undermine this principle.
Constitutional Principles
- Article 21: Right to a clean and healthy environment.
- Article 48A: Duty of the State to protect and improve the environment.
- Article 51A(g): Duty of citizens to safeguard natural resources.
- Article 14: Principle of non-arbitrariness violated when selective protection is given to certain landforms.
Conclusion
This trend risks undermining constitutional guarantees and ecological sustainability. Strengthening Green Benches in courts, enforcing strict EIAs, and resisting corporate influence are essential to restore environmental justice.
DEFENCE BUDGET 2026
TOPIC: (GS3) SEQURITY: THE HINDU
The Union Budget 2026-27 has allocated a double-digit increase in defence spending, the first in decades.
Defence Budget
- Overall Increase: Defence allocation raised by 15%, reaching 2% of GDP (up from 1.9%).
- Capital Expenditure: Grew by 22%, surpassing revenue expenditure, showing focus on modernisation.
- Service-wise Allocation:
- Indian Air Force: 32% rise for aircraft and systems.
- Indian Army: 30% hike for vehicles and weapons.
- Indian Navy: Only 3% increase, attributed to successful indigenisation.
- Exports: Defence exports surged to ₹23,000 crore in 2025, compared to ₹1,000 crore in 2014.
Challenges in Defence Spending
- Currency Weakness: Rupee depreciation makes imports like aircraft more expensive.
- Pension Burden: Defence pensions form 21.84% of MoD allocation, reducing funds for capital expenditure.
- Bureaucratic Delays:
- Project 75 submarines (approved 1997) delayed till 2030s.
- Rafale deal took decades to materialise.
- MoD returned ₹12,500 crore unused in FY2024-25 due to procurement delays.
- Procurement Rules: The L-1 (lowest bidder) system favours large firms, discouraging innovation by smaller players.
Need for Structural Reforms
- Non-Lapsable Defence Modernisation Fund: Proposed since 2004 but never implemented; could prevent lapses in capital allocation.
- Domestic Industry Push: 75% of procurement budget earmarked for Indian firms, but requires better planning and support for innovators.
- R&D Weakness:
- India spends only 0.66% of GDP on research, compared to Japan’s 3.7%.
- Private sector contribution minimal; fragmented research reduces impact.
- Need unified direction and collaboration between DRDO, academia, and industry.
Strategic Context
- Other nations with lower threat profiles (Japan 2.2%, Australia 2%) are raising defence budgets.
- Defence spending must be viewed not as a “non-development” expense but as a growth driver.
- Example: Border Roads Organisation supports Vibrant Villages Programme.
- Indigenous shipbuilding has a 6.5x multiplier effect on jobs and industries.
Conclusion
India’s defence budget signals renewed strategic focus, but systemic inefficiencies in procurement, R&D, and fund utilisation remain. To achieve Viksit Bharat by 2047, defence spending must be integrated with economic growth, innovation, and transparent processes.
CLIMATE BUDGET 2026-27
TOPIC: (GS3) ENVIRONMENT: THE HINDU
The Union Budget 2026-27 has announced major allocations for climate-related initiatives, including ₹20,000 crore for Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS).
Background
- Since 2021, Union Budgets have begun reflecting climate priorities, starting with ₹4,500 crore for solar PV localisation.
- India faces dual challenges: climate commitments under global agreements and trade competitiveness due to EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
Key Announcements in Budget 2026-27
- Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS): Focus remains on pilot and demonstration projects rather than immediate industrial deployment. ₹20,000 crore allocated over five years.
- Rooftop Solar (PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana): Allocation raised to ₹22,000 crore (from ₹17,000 crore). Supports decentralised energy systems, reducing transmission losses and household energy costs.
- Solar Irrigation Pumps (PM-KUSUM): Continued allocation of ₹5,000 crore. Revised estimates show stronger-than-expected absorption of funds.
- Nuclear Energy: Zero customs duty on nuclear plant equipment imports extended till 2035. Sector remains capital intensive with financing and safety risks.
- Green Hydrogen: Budgetary support continues, but actual spending is modest. Reflects a gap between ambitious policy targets and execution on the ground.
Concerns and Challenges
- Funding Gap: Allocations remain cautious compared to the scale of India’s climate ambitions.
- Implementation Issues: Discom resistance, financing hurdles, and slow project execution.
- Private Capital Mobilisation: Limited participation in nuclear and green hydrogen sectors.
- Global Trade Pressure: EU’s CBAM makes decarbonisation essential for maintaining export competitiveness in steel and aluminium.
- Technology Risks: CCUS is costly and uneven globally, requiring careful scaling.
Way Forward
- Enhance Funding and Private Capital Mobilisation: Increase allocations for critical sectors like CCUS and green hydrogen.
- Strengthen Implementation Mechanisms: Improve coordination with discoms for rooftop solar adoption.
- Integrate Climate Policy with Trade Competitiveness: Align decarbonisation strategies with global trade requirements such as the EU’s CBAM.
Conclusion
India’s climate budget shows strong intent but limited execution capacity. While rooftop solar and CCUS pilots are steps forward, cautious allocations and weak private sector mobilisation risk slowing the pace of decarbonisation.
DISCOMS AND THE ROAD AHEAD
TOPIC: (GS3) ECONOMY: THE HINDU
India’s power distribution companies (DISCOMs) have shown signs of financial recovery with reduced AT&C losses and a narrowed ACS-ARR gap.
Background
- India has 72 DISCOMs: 44 State-owned, 16 private, and 12 power departments.
- Historically, DISCOMs have been associated with persistent losses, inherited from State Electricity Boards (SEBs).
- Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, accumulated losses rose from ₹5.5 lakh crore to ₹6.47 lakh crore, with debt reaching ₹7.26 lakh crore.
- Causes: Non-cost-reflective tariffs, delayed subsidy payments, and inefficiencies.
Signs of Turnaround
- Profit After Tax (PAT): ₹2,701 crore in 2024-25, compared to a loss of ₹67,962 crore in 2013-14.
- AT&C Losses: Reduced from 22.62% to 15.04%.
- ACS-ARR Gap: Narrowed from 78 paise/unit to 0.06 paise/unit, showing improved cost recovery.
- Government Measures:
- Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).
- Amendments to Electricity Rules.
- Late Payment Surcharge Rules (allowed clearing dues via 48 EMIs).
Financial Discipline and Debt Reduction
- Legacy dues of ₹1.39 lakh crore in June 2022 reduced to ₹4,927 crore by Jan 2026.
- DISCOMs in 13 States/UTs cleared dues worth ₹1.31 lakh crore through EMIs and reconciliations.
- Improved payment discipline has helped generators and reduced surcharge burdens.
Persistent Challenges
- Dependence on Subsidies:
- Tamil Nadu DISCOM recorded profit only after receiving ₹15,772 crore subsidy and ₹16,107 crore loss takeover.
- Rajasthan’s JDVVNL showed profit of ₹92 crore after ₹11,625 crore subsidy and ₹2,540 crore loss takeover.
- Temporary Gains: Revenue surplus may vanish with employee pay revisions or rising costs.
- Structural Weakness: Reliance on government bailouts undermines genuine financial health.
Way Forward
- Feeder Segregation: Extend ongoing projects (Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra) to states like Tamil Nadu to ensure accurate data on agricultural power use.
- Promote Solar Pumps: Encourage adoption in agriculture to reduce procurement costs and improve sustainability.
- Rationalise Subsidies: Avoid universal free electricity schemes; target support to vulnerable groups to prevent misuse by wealthier households.
- Strengthen Governance: Political will and efficient bureaucracy are essential to transform DISCOMs into viable, consumer-friendly entities.
Conclusion
DISCOMs have shown encouraging signs of revival, but their reliance on subsidies and bailouts highlights structural fragility. Sustainable reforms, better data management, and targeted support are crucial to ensure that India’s power distribution sector becomes financially sound and future-ready.
RETHINKING INDIA’S BATTERY STRATEGY
TOPIC: (GS3) ECONOMY: THE HINDU
India’s battery strategy is under review due to overdependence on lithium-ion technology and risks from critical mineral imports.
Growing Importance of Batteries
- Batteries are now central to mobiles, laptops, EVs, renewable energy storage, and household appliances.
- Energy storage has become a pillar of clean energy transition and economic growth.
- India’s rapid push for electric mobility and renewable power has sharply raised demand.
- Heavy reliance on a single technology (lithium-ion) creates strategic vulnerabilities.
Lithium-Ion Batteries
Strengths
- High energy density and long lifespan. Costs have fallen due to global-scale production.
- Widely adopted in EVs and grid storage.
Challenges
- Dependence on critical minerals (lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite). Minerals are geographically concentrated, mostly imported.
- Exposed to geopolitical risks, price volatility, and supply disruptions. India has limited lithium reserves and weak processing capacity.
India’s Battery Manufacturing Status
- PLI scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cells (2021): 40 GWh capacity sanctioned, but limited operational progress.
- Upstream ecosystem (raw materials, cathodes, anodes, separators) remains underdeveloped. Import dependence on lithium-ion batteries likely to persist.
Sodium-Ion Batteries
Resource Security
- Uses sodium, abundant and widely available (from soda ash).
- Many chemistries avoid cobalt and nickel, reducing mineral risk.
Cost and Materials
- Aluminium used instead of copper as current collector.
- Aluminium is cheaper, lighter, and more accessible.
- Lower exposure to global commodity price shocks.
Performance
- Lower energy density than lithium-ion, but newer designs nearing LFP standards.
- Suitable for grid storage, two/three-wheeler EVs, and stationary backup systems.
Safety Advantages
- Lower risk of fire or thermal runaway. Can be stored/transported at zero voltage safely.
- Not classified as “dangerous goods,” reducing transport costs.
Manufacturing Readiness
- Existing lithium-ion plants can be adapted with minor changes.
- Reduces new investment needs and speeds up adoption.
Policy Recommendations
- Expand PLI scheme to cover sodium-ion batteries.
- Update safety standards and certification frameworks.
- Encourage EV makers to adopt dual battery platforms.
- Support R&D, pilot projects, and early deployment in grid storage.
Conclusion
Sodium-ion batteries present India with a safer, cheaper, and more resource-secure option for energy storage. Early policy support and ecosystem development can reduce import dependence, strengthen energy security, and build a resilient battery industry for the future.
MOTION OF THANKS IN INDIAN PARLIAMENT
TOPIC: (GS2) POLITY: THE HINDU
The Lok Sabha recently passed the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address without the Prime Minister replying to the debate, amid Opposition protests.
Constitutional Basis
- Article 87: President addresses both Houses at the start of the first session each year and after general elections.
- Motion of Thanks: Introduced in both Houses as a formal expression of gratitude for the President’s Address.
Procedure
- Introduction: Moved by a ruling party member in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
- Debate: Members discuss the President’s Address, raising issues and critiquing government policies.
- Reply: Traditionally, the Prime Minister responds, clarifying the government’s stance.
- Voting: Passage of the Motion signifies approval of the government’s agenda. Defeat would amount to a no-confidence motion, though this has never happened.
Importance
- Democratic Accountability: Provides the Opposition a platform to question government policies.
- Policy Direction: Reflects the government’s priorities for the year.
- Parliamentary Convention: Reinforces executive-legislature relations and democratic traditions.
Conclusion
The Motion of Thanks is more than a ceremonial practice; it is a confidence-building exercise between the executive and legislature. While disruptions may dilute its purpose, the procedure remains a cornerstone of parliamentary accountability and democratic debate in India.
