UPSC Key: EU leaders begin visit, Revised cadre allocation policy, and EPFO 3.0

Key Points to Ponder:

— Know about the EU in detail.

— How have India-EU relations evolved?

— What is the significance of the India-EU trade deal?

— Read about the  India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).

— What are the other areas of cooperation that can be explored other than trade between India and the EU?

— What are the major trade deals signed by India in recent times?

— How significant are these trade deals considering the current geopolitical situation?

Key Takeaways:

— While von der Leyen landed in New Delhi on Saturday, Costa is expected on Sunday afternoon. Both are chief guests for the Republic Day celebrations on Monday.

— Besides the focus on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the EU-India Summit, hosted by Modi on January 27, is also expected to launch a new cooperation framework on mobility covering students, researchers, seasonal workers and highly skilled professionals to support Indian talent going to Europe.

— Von der Leyen, a former German Defence Minister, will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday as they chart out the next course of the India-EU partnership.

— On Saturday, Jitin Prasada, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, welcomed von der Leyen at the airport. Prasada will also receive Costa, former Prime Minister of Portugal, at the airport on Sunday. The fact that the Union Minister of State for Commerce was picked for receiving the EU leaders is emblematic of the focus of the visit — the economic relationship and the FTA between India and the EU that is expected as an outcome.

— The EU-India Summit will focus on deepening cooperation across trade, security, defence, clean energy, and people-to-people contacts. The two sides are expected to advance and aim to conclude the EU-India FTA negotiations as a high-profile deliverable at the summit to improve market access and diversify supply chains. They are also expected to sign the EU-India security and defence partnership.

— The summit will also endorse a comprehensive strategic agenda for the next five years, covering economic relations, sustainability, technology and global challenges. India and the EU aim to enhance mutual security, economic resilience and multilateral cooperation, emphasising the importance of their strategic partnership in a shifting global landscape.

— The two sides are expected to publish a joint statement at the end of the summit to communicate outcomes. They are also expected to issue the joint EU-India comprehensive strategic agenda — a five-year roadmap — to outline cooperation across key sectors.

— The EU, as a bloc, is India’s largest trading partner in goods. For the financial year 2024-25, India’s total trade in goods with the EU was worth about US$ 136 billion, with exports around US$ 76 billion and imports at US$ 60 billion.

Do You Know:

— The European Union is a group of 27 countries in Europe. These countries came together to make things better, easier and safer for people. They agreed to work together and help each other.

— India established diplomatic relations with the European Economic Community — the first pillar of the future European Union — back in 1962. The Joint Political Statement signed in 1993 and the Cooperation Agreement of 1994 paved the way for the strengthening of ties between India and Europe.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍The familiar world order will not return. What India and EU can build 

📍 In a year of unpredictability, India ‘needs to accelerate EU FTA

📍India-EU trade deal would be largest of its kind

UPSC Prelims Previous year/ Practice Question Covering similar theme:

(1) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2023)

The ‘Stability and Growth Pact’ of the European Union is a treaty that:

1. limits the levels of the budgetary deficit of the countries of the European Union

2. makes the countries of the European Union to share their infrastructure facilities

3. enables the countries of the European Union to share their technologies

How many of the above statements are correct

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

(2) Consider the following statements:

1. The European Union is India’s largest trading partner in goods.

2. The European Union is a group of 27 countries in Europe.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

The expansion and strengthening of NATO and a stronger US-Europe strategic partnership works well for India. What is your opinion about this statement? Give reasons and examples to support your answer. ( UPSC CSE 2023)

POLITICS

No Census notification yet from Bengal, flags Centre

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors, Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure. 

What’s the ongoing story: Amid the ongoing tussle between the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government over a host of issues, West Bengal not having republished the Census 2027 notification in its official gazette issued in June last year is the latest sticking point between the two sides.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the census and its history in India?

— Know about the Census Act, 1948.

— What is the difference between Census, caste census and SECC?

— What is the significance of the census in India?

— How is the census conducted in India?

— What’s new in Census 2027?

— Read about the Office of Registrar General of India.

— What are the powers and functions of RGI?

Key Takeaways:

— This was flagged by the Central officials during the Conference of the Chief Secretaries, State Nodal Officers and Directors of Census Operations on Census 2027 held in New Delhi on Friday.

— Republication of the notification is a statutory requirement to notify the state’s intent to conduct the population count exercise, of which the first phase—the Houselisting and Housing Census—is scheduled to begin on April 1 this year.

— The notification was issued by the Union Home Ministry on June 16 last year and all other states and Union Territories have already re-published it.

— The conference organised by the office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, which comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs and is responsible for conducting the decadal census, discussed the preparations for the Census 2027.

— According to the rule 8(i) of the Census Rules 1990, the state governments and the Union Territory administrations are required to “republish the intention of taking a census notified by the Central government in their state or Union territory gazettes”.

— Apart from the republication of the Census notification, the West Bengal government is yet to confirm the Centre’s definition of identifying Urban Agglomerations (UAs), it is learnt. As per the Census of India, an urban agglomeration is a continuous urban spread constituting a town and its adjoining outgrowths or two or more physically contiguous towns together with or without outgrowth of such towns.

— The Census is a Union subject and is listed at serial number 69 in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India.

— On June 16 last year, the Centre issued a notification declaring its intent to conduct the Census 2027. The notification was issued under the Census Act, 1948, which empowers the Centre to undertake a census in the country. The Section 3 of the Census law states, “The Central government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare its intention of taking a census in the whole or any part of the territories to which this Act extends, whenever it may consider it necessary or desirable so to do and thereupon the census shall be taken.”

 Do You Know:

— The Indian Census is the largest administrative and statistical exercise in the world. The responsibility for conducting the decadal census lies with the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (ORG&CCI), which is part of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

— According to the Census India website, the Census Organisation was set up on an ad-hoc basis for each Census till the 1951 Census. In 1948, the Census Act was enacted to provide for the scheme of conducting population census with duties and responsibilities of census officers.

— The first non-synchronous, nationwide census was in 1872. This census involved counting individuals across most parts of the country; however, it did not include all territories under British control. 

— The first synchronous census of India was conducted in 1881.It was conducted by W.C. Plowden.

— The Census 2027 will be the 16th decadal Census overall and the eighth since Independence. During the exercise, village, town and ward-level population data on various parameters are collected. This includes data on housing conditions, amenities and assets, demography, religion, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, language, literacy and education, economic activity, migration, and fertility. 

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Knowledge Nugget | Census 2027 and Registrar General of India: A must-know for UPSC Exam 

📍UPSC Issue at a Glance | Census : 4 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(3) Consider the following statements with reference to the census in India:

1. The first All India Census was attempted in 1872.

2. From 1881, decennial censuses became a regular feature.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (UPSC-CDS(II) – 2024)

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

(Note: The aspirants should also refer to the questions from other competitive exams conducted by the UPSC which might be useful for UPSC–CSE.)

 

NATION

Centre revises cadre allocation policy with new group structure

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance, polity and governance.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Constitution of India, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies, Role of civil services in a democracy.

What’s the ongoing story: In a significant administrative reform, the central government has revised the cadre allocation policy for the three All-India Services – the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS) – introducing a new grouping structure as per alphabetically that replaces the earlier zonal arrangement for allocation of cadres to successful candidates of the civil services examination.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What are the constitutional provisions with regard to public service commissions?

— What is the cadre allocation policy for All India Services?

— What is the ‘insider–outsider’ principle in All India Services cadre allocation?

— What is the composition of the Union Public Service Commission?

— What is the significance of UPSC as a constitutional body in sustaining India’s democratic governance?

— Read about various committees’ and commissions’ recommendations for administrative reforms.

— What are the challenges faced by the UPSC and state public commissions?

— What systemic reforms are required in recruitment, training, and service ethics?

Key Takeaways:

— The new framework, notified by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) after consultations with state governments, revises the system that had been in place since 2017. It introduces a new grouping structure that replaces the earlier zonal arrangement for allocation of cadres to successful candidates of the civil services examination.

— “To ensure a fair and transparent system, all State Cadres and Joint Cadres have been arranged alphabetically and divided into four groups,” the DoPT said in the notification. The allocation will now be based on these four groups, with candidates expressing preferences among them.

— According to the new grouping:

• Group I: AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territories), Andhra Pradesh, Assam-Meghalaya, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh.

• Group II: Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh

• Group III: Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, and Tamil Nadu.

• Group IV: Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

— Earlier, Zone-I had seven cadres – AGMUT, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana. Zone-II consisted of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha, while Zone-III comprised Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam-Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura and Nagaland constituted Zone-IV, while Zone-V had Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

— Officials said the restructured framework seeks to maintain national integration within the civil services while addressing concerns raised by several state governments regarding uneven vacancy distribution under the previous policy.

— Sources in the DoPT indicated that the Centre expects the new allocation model to streamline administrative processes and enhance inter-state exposure for young officers, in line with the original spirit of the All-India Services.

— Under the revised guidelines, the cadre-controlling authorities – DoPT for IAS, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for IPS, and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) for IFoS – will annually determine the number of vacancies in each service. These vacancies will be distributed among various categories, including Unreserved (UR), Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC).

— The new framework, issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), aims to bring greater transparency and consistency to the system of vacancy determination and cadre allocation.

— According to the new policy, the principles for the maintenance of rosters for determination of vacancies for category-wise reservation and insider/outsider distribution would be as per the established procedure.

— “The determination of vacancies will be based on the cadre gap as of January 1 of the year following the Civil Services Examination (CSE). States must submit their vacancy requisitions by January 31 of the same year. The new norms also clarify that vacancies earmarked for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) will be treated as part of the Unreserved category and reflected accordingly in the cadre roster,” an official said.

— The policy reiterates that allocation of “insider” candidates – those opting for their home state cadre – will strictly follow the order of merit and vacancy availability. “A candidate’s willingness to serve in their home State is now a mandatory condition for eligibility against an insider vacancy,” the official said.

— Under the new policy, an official said now cadre allocation will proceed through a rotational cycle system – corresponding to the 25 states and joint cadres – with each cycle covering 25 candidates in merit order. “If multiple candidates fall within the same cycle, allocation priority will go to the one with the higher rank, while the others move to subsequent cycles,” the official added.

— An official said after insiders are placed, allocation for outsider candidates will be done per the roster system in two stages – first for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) and then for others. “The move is expected to bring greater objectivity to the cadre allocation process, which has long been a sensitive subject among aspirants and state governments alike. The revised system aligns with the government’s broader goals of promoting fairness and administrative efficiency in the all-India services,” the official said.

Do You Know:

— When the Constitution came into effect in India on January 26, 1950, so did some institutions that enabled the foundation of a newly democratic nation. One such institution was the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), located at Dholpur House on Shahjahan Road in New Delhi.

— The UPSC is governed by a chairman and a body of members, all appointed by the President. The Constitution mandates that at least half of the members must have a minimum of ten years of experience in government service. The chairman and members serve a fixed term of six years or until the age of 65, whichever is earlier. 

— The commission’s work is supported by its secretariat, which includes dedicated wings for examinations and direct recruitment. Earlier this year, Dr. Ajay Kumar, a distinguished retired IAS officer and former Defence Secretary, was appointed as the new Chairman.  

— The UPSC’s constitutional mandate is laid out in Articles 315-323 of the Constitution, with  Article 320 detailing its core functions. The UPSC is India’s premier body for conducting examinations for appointments to the three All-India Services (IAS, IPS, IFS), the Central Services, and various other key government posts. It also frames and amends recruitment rules for various services and posts. 

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍UPSC 2026 New Cadre Allocation Policy: 10 points you need to know 

📍UPSC @ 100: The story of India’s top recruiter

📍UPSC: From colonial roots to constitutional body

‘Inequitable distribution of health care personnel a challenge’

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions, Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

What’s the ongoing story: Although there has been a shift in executing universal health coverage in India in terms of political will, funding and public awareness, challenges remain with uneven quality of care, inefficiencies in spending, fragmented delivery, and inadequate design and implementation of financial protection programmes, according to the latest findings of the Lancet Commission.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What do you understand by universal health coverage (UHC)?

— What is the difference between Universal Health Coverage and Universal Healthcare? 

— Read about the Alma-Ata Declaration (1978) and its relevance to Universal Health Coverage.

— What is the Ayushman Bharat Scheme?

— What steps has the government taken to make the health sector universal? 

(Though Process: Read about the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, e-Sanjeevani telemedicine platform etc.)

— How can India strengthen its primary healthcare system to ensure long-term, affordable care?

Key Takeaways:

— Vikram Patel, Commission co-chair and professor at Harvard Medical School, in an interview with Anuradha Mascarenhas, says that the single most important call to action is for “an integrated, citizen-centred health-care delivery system that is publicly financed, and publicly provided, as the primary vehicle for UHC, while shaping the private sector to leverage its strengths.”

— Key takeaways of the findings: The most significant finding is a fundamental shift in the conventional narrative of barriers to realising universal health coverage. These are no longer driven by a lack of political will, underfunding, inadequate human resources and physical infrastructure or lack of awareness about healthcare services.

— Instead, uneven quality of care, inefficiencies in spending, fragmented delivery, inadequate design and implementation of financial protection programmes, and poor governance emerge as key challenges. Promoting a rights-based approach to health, the Commission calls for a healthcare delivery system grounded in comprehensive primary health care and increasing people’s participation in the planning, delivery and monitoring of health services.

— We recommend several strategies to empower structures for community participation; for example, making health system performance data publicly available and supporting citizens in accessing health benefits through more efficient resource hubs and effective grievance redressal systems.

— Universal health coverage is within reach. Let me emphasise what a historic inflection point this is, when we consider how meagre our health system was at the time of Independence. There are large-scale government initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, e-Sanjeevani telemedicine platform and so on. Concurrently, we have a vibrant private sector…That said, we also note major challenges and gaps. 

— Citizens are left to fend for themselves and obtain fragmented care from a myriad of providers, often at expensive hospitals. This is particularly problematic for chronic conditions such as diabetes or mental illness. At the heart of the transformation of our health system is a commitment to accountability and integrity by all actors. In practical terms, there is a need to permeate every corner of the health system beginning with the training of health care providers, ensuring high-quality primary care for every citizen.

— Additionally, we recommend implementing major reforms of the financing of health care and the governance of the health system. State, district, and local government institutions must be empowered to design and implement responsive reforms and to be accountable to the communities they serve. The Commission recognises the unique role of technologies in catalysing governance. Finally, the Commission calls for a system that continuously learns from and shares health system data as well as collaborates in learning networks with other health systems in the country.

— Do we have adequate medical personnel?: As of 2023–24, India’s MBBS doctor to population ratio was 1:1,263. With AYUSH physicians, this ratio is 1:834, an increase of over 40% since 2010. Similarly, there has been a dramatic increase in the numbers of nurses and other health care providers. However, what is of concern is that this massive expansion in training capacity has been marred by variations in the quality of education being provided. Additionally, a critical challenge is the inequitable distribution of healthcare personnel, with an over-supply in some parts of the country and too few in other parts.

Do You Know:

— Universal health coverage means that all people have access to the full range of quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship. It covers the full continuum of essential health services, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care.

— The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) is the world’s largest public health insurance scheme. It provides free cover up to Rs 5 lakh annually to all members of eligible families — estimated to comprise the bottom 40% of the population economically — irrespective of age.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍The road to Universal Health Coverage in India

📍Knowledge Nugget of the day: Ayushman Bharat

Previous year UPSC Prelims Questions Covering similar theme:

(4) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2023)

Statement-I: India’s public sector health care system largely focuses on curative care with limited preventive, promotive and rehabilitative care.

Statement-II: Under India’s decentralized approach to health care delivery, the States are primarily responsible for organizing health services.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-ll is the correct explanation for Statement-I

(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-ll are correct and Statement-ll is not the correct explanation for Statement-I

(c) Statement-l is correct but Statement-ll is incorrect

(d) Statement-l is incorrect but Statement-ll is correct

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

“Besides being a moral imperative of Welfare State, primary health structure is a necessary pre-condition for sustainable development.” Analyze. (UPSC CSE 2021)

 

ECONOMY

Inside EPFO 3.0: New website, AI translation, issue resolution at all centres in next phase of reforms

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II, III: Government Policies and Interventions, Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment.

What’s the ongoing story: A new portal, new software at the backend, AI-backed translation tools and a core banking solution that will enable access at any centre across the country. These are some of the user-friendly features that the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is looking to incorporate in its next phase of reforms. 

Key Points to Ponder:

— Read about the EPFO in detail.

— What are the key provisions under the new  Social Security Code?

— What are the key features of EPFO 3.0? 

— What is Bhashini?

— What are the recently announced EPFO reforms?

— What are the implications of the new Social Security Code on EPFO’s coverage and responsibilities?

— What are the challenges for EPFO in administering social security for unorganised sector workers?

Key Takeaways:

— The retirement fund body has already carried out changes to ease withdrawal norms and the claims settlement process as part of its earlier phase of reforms (called EPFO 2.0). It streamlined withdrawal categories from 13 to three, announced a UPI-linked withdrawal facility (likely to be rolled-out by April) and enabled self-correction of details.

— EPFO 3.0: The key reforms being introduced: In this new phase of reforms, termed EPFO 3.0, the retirement fund body is bringing in a centralised system of operations for its core banking solution, just like banks. 

— This will help members access their account and resolve issues at any regional office in the country. This is an important move that will especially help EPFO members who move around cities for work. 

—The website, meanwhile, is expected to be more user-friendly and have language translation tools backed by Bhashini, an AI-powered language translation platform developed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. 

— The next phase of reforms will also help address the EPFO’s expansion in scale as it will cover both unorganised and organised sector workers after the implementation of the Labour Codes. It is learnt that the EPFO is likely to be given the responsibility of administering the fund for unorganised workers. This would be separate from the social security fund for gig and platform workers.

— The retirement fund body currently has nearly eight crore active members and maintains a corpus of around Rs 28 lakh crore. EPFO coverage is mandatory for establishments with 20 or more employees, with coverage now extending to all establishments having 20 or more employees, regardless of the industry, under the new Social Security Code.

— The ongoing second phase of the reforms, EPFO 2.0, is in its final stages. The UPI-linked facility is expected to be introduced by April and only three modules — pension, claim and overall annual accounts — remain to be rolled out.

— Other measures: Under the UPI facility, members can withdraw funds using the BHIM app. They will also be able to separately view their available balance, the balance eligible for withdrawal and the minimum 25% balance. The withdrawal amount could be initially capped at Rs 25,000 per transaction, according to internal discussions.

— The EPFO will also bring into effect the October announcement of liberalising its withdrawal norms that will streamline the withdrawal categories from 13 to three – essential needs (illness, education, marriage); housing needs; and special circumstances. 

— The EPFO has introduced two other significant changes regarding 25% minimum balance and premature final settlement in cases such as withdrawal at the time of unemployment, for which the minimum period for availing premature final settlement during unemployment was extended from the existing two months to 12 months.

Do You Know:

— Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July 2022, BHASHINI, under the National Language Technology Mission, aims to provide translation services in 22 scheduled Indian languages to break through linguistic barriers and enable people to access digital services smoothly.

— Bhashini is an artificial intelligence (AI)-based language translation tool designed to facilitate real-time translation of Indian languages to establish a National Public Digital Platform for languages and increase the amount of content available in Indian languages.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍New portal, software, AI-powered translation: EPFO 3.0 coming soon

📍EPFO allow members to withdraw up to 100% of ‘eligible balance’ in PF account

 

OPINION

2-minute silence on January 30: How the tradition began

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: History of India & Indian National Movement.

Mains Examination: General Studies-I, II: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues, Government policies and interventions.

What’s the ongoing story: Shyamlal Yadav writes- “Every year at 11 am on January 30, Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary, the President lays a wreath at Rajghat. The Vice President of India, the Prime Minister, the Defence Minister and other dignitaries, too, pay floral tributes, after which a two-minute silence is observed to pay homage to those who sacrificed their lives during India’s freedom. This is followed by the Indian Army band playing the Last Post, a solemn British military bugle call to honour fallen soldiers.”

Key Points to Ponder:

— How did January 30 come to be observed as Martyrs’ Day in India? 

— Know about Mahatma Gandhi and his role in transforming the Indian National Movement into a mass movement.

— Read about Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa.

— What is the significance of the two-minute silence and the ‘Last Post’ ceremony at Rajghat on January 30?

— How symbolic national rituals contribute to collective memory and nation-building in post-independence India?

— What is the relevance of Gandhian principles in contemporary India?

Key Takeaways:

— “Though the two-minute silence and the bugle call is a January 30 ritual, it was only in 1955 that the tradition began and the day came to be observed as Martyrs’ Day. Documents released a few months ago on the Nehru Archive, a digital library of the writings and speeches of India’s first Prime Minister, show that it all began with a letter that Field Marshal K M Cariappa, then High Commissioner of India to Australia and New Zealand, wrote to Nehru in 1954.”

— “In his letter dated May 14, 1954, Cariappa wrote that a minute’s silence should be observed on January 26, Republic Day, in the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the country’s freedom. Cariappa also suggested that the minute’s silence should be observed simultaneously all across India.”

— “The idea appealed to Pandit Nehru, but he doubted if it was practical for all of India to simultaneously observe a minute’s silence. Instead, he suggested, that it be observed wherever a parade was being held. Pandit Nehru then referred the matter to the Coordination Committee that was in charge of the arrangements for the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi.”

— “While some of the committee members were in favour of the proposal, others felt that Republic Day would not be an appropriate day for such an event. Some members also felt that it would be difficult to organise a minute’s silence given the celebrations and the parade that day.”

— “The letters show that some of the members of the Coordination Committee went on to suggest that January 30 was a more appropriate day to observe the one-minute silence. Nehru, too, was also in favour of observing it on January 30, the day Gandhi was assassinated.”

— “On January 26, 1955, Nehru wrote to the Chief CMs again — this time conveying his decision. By then, Cariappa’s suggestion of a one-minute silence had been revised to two minutes. “I would remind you that January 30 will be a Day of Remembrance for those who sacrificed their lives in the cause of India’s freedom. At 11 o’clock that day there should be a two-minute silence everywhere.”

— “Meanwhile, Cariappa wasn’t happy with the shape his suggestion had taken. On June 23, 1958, he wrote to Nehru, expressing his disagreement with the “military guard firing a ‘feu-de-joie’, sounding of the Last Post on bugles and so on, as is done at Military funerals” at Rajghat on January 30. Cariappa found it “out of place” in that atmosphere of “sanctity, purity and solemnity”.”

— Nehru replied the next day, on June 24, 1958, disagreeing. “There was a great deal of discussion amongst us whether we should have a military guard firing a ‘feu de-joie.’ We ultimately decided that we should have it.” The matter didn’t end there. Nehru kept reminding the CMs and other dignitaries about the two-minute silence. His note dated January 18, 1959, reads, “…I am told that this two minutes’ silence, gathering together of all people in the office, has not been very successfully managed. Perhaps, it would be better for office people to gather in a number of places inside the office, in small groups, at 11, and at the strike of 11, stand up and observe the two minutes’ silence.”

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Know the date, history, and significance of Martyrs’ Day

ALSO IN NEWS
US unveils new roadmap: Dialing down on China, homeland is priority	Taking a softer view on China and not referring to its perennial flashpoint Taiwan, the National Defence Strategy (NDS), released by the Trump administration Friday flagged, as a key priority, its dominance in the Western hemisphere. The NDS 2026, coming a month after the National Security Strategy, is sharply different from the NDS 2018 during Trump’s first administration that had underlined how “China and Russia want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model”. In contrast, NDS 2026 said US will “deter China in the Indo-Pacific through strength, not confrontation”. This is a significant departure of posture by the US towards China’s assertive, and sometimes, aggressive behaviour, in the Indo-Pacific. This “increased burden-sharing” with US allies and “partners” is a clear message to India as well — that the US commitment to the Quad grouping of India, US, Australia and Japan is being put to test, if Delhi and other partners don’t step up their end of the bargain.
Hill leaders to interlocutor: ‘Gorkhaland state, or UT, with full legislative powers’	Leaders of the Darjeeling Hills on Saturday met the Central government’s Interlocutor Pankaj Kumar Singh and “unequivocally” demanded the “creation of Gorkhaland as a state or a Union Territory with full legislative powers”. Singh, a former deputy national security adviser who has been tasked by the Centre with addressing the long-pending demands of the Gorkha community in the region, is on his first visit to Darjeeling after his appointment as interlocutor. He held a series of meetings with the Hill leaders since his arrival on Friday. The Hill leaders included representatives of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), who highlighted that if not a state, the “creation of a Union Territory with full legislative powers” is a must. They also pressed for tribal status for 11 Gorkha sub-tribes.
SIR in remaining states, UTs soon, says CEC	The Election Commission would “soon” start the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the remaining states and Union Territories, after conducting it in Bihar last year and currently carrying it out in 12 states/UTs, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said on Saturday. As opposed to the special summary revision, in which additions and deletions are carried out to the existing rolls, the EC is conducting an intensive revision after about 20 years. In an intensive revision, the rolls are prepared afresh.
Despite financial headwinds, PSU discoms clear power dues faster than pvt utilities	Public sector electricity distribution companies  (discoms)  take less time to clear dues to suppliers such as power generators than their private sector counterparts, despite the former facing significantly higher financial stress. On the days payable parameter — which measures the average time taken by discoms to settle payments to suppliers — public sector utilities recorded 112 days, marginally lower than the all-India average of 113 days. In contrast, private sector discoms reported higher days payable of 133 days, the 14th Integrated Rating and Ranking of Power Distribution Utilities for 2024–25, released by the Union Ministry of Power on Friday, showed.This relatively better performance by public sector discoms on days payable stands in sharp contrast to their overall financial position, especially as private sector discoms outperform them on most other key metrics, including revenue collection, cost recovery, and aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses. The findings come amid growing concerns over the financial health of public sector discoms in India’s power sector.

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (a)   2. (c)  3. (c)  4. (b)

Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.

🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for January 2026. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨