Key Points to Ponder:
— What is Article 80 of the Constitution of India?
— Know about the Council of States or Rajya Sabha and its history.
— What are the special powers of Rajya Sabha?
— What is the significance of Rajya Sabha in the Indian Parliamentary System?
— What is the maximum strength of the Rajya Sabha?
— Who can be a Rajya Sabha MP?
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— What is the process for conducting the Rajya Sabha election and how are the votes counted?
Key Takeaways:
— Rajya Sabha has up to 250 members, 12 of whom are nominated for their special knowledge of literature, science, art or social service. The others are elected.
— Unlike Lok Sabha, whose members are directly elected by citizens aged 18 and above, Rajya Sabha members are elected by state Assembly members through the system of proportional representation by a single, transferable vote.
— Rajya Sabha MPs representing Delhi and Puducherry are elected by members of an electoral college comprising the MLAs of these Union territories. The Union territories of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Chandigarh, and Ladakh do not have representation in Rajya Sabha. Jammu & Kashmir, however, does.
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— The minimum age to be a Rajya Sabha MP is 30. Also, a person qualified to be chosen as a representative of any State or Union territory must be an elector for a parliamentary constituency in that State or territory, say MN Kaul and SL Shakdher in their book Practice and Procedure of Parliament.
— The term of a Rajya Sabha member is six years, and one-third of the members retire every two years. This ensures continuity, as Rajya Sabha is a permanent body that is never dissolved, unlike the Lok Sabha.
— For filling the seats of members retiring from Rajya Sabha on the expiration of their term, the President, “by one or more notifications published in the Gazette on such date or dates as may be recommended by the Election Commission, calls upon the elected members of the Legislative Assembly or, as the case may be, the members of the electoral college of the State concerned to elect members of the Rajya Sabha in accordance with the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and of the rules and orders made thereunder,” say Kaul and Shakdher.
— “…The Returning Officer fixes, with the previous approval of the Election Commission, the place at which the poll is to be taken for such election and notifies the place so fixed in such manner as the Election Commission may direct. The Returning Officer also presides over such an election at the place so fixed and appoints such polling officer or officers to assist him as he thinks necessary…”
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— How many votes does a candidate need to win an election?: This depends on the strength of the Assembly of the state concerned. States with high populations have more seats and states with smaller populations have fewer seats.
— A formula is used to calculate the quota required for a candidate to win. The total number of MLAs voting in a state is divided by the number of seats going for elections plus 1. Then, 1 is added to the resulting number to calculate the quota. Let’s understand this with the help of an example.
Say the total number of MLAs voting in a state is 200 and elections are on for four seats.
In that case, 200 will be divided by 4+1, or 5, which will result in a figure of 40.
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The quota thus will be 40+1, or 41. Any candidate getting 41 votes will be declared elected.
— However, the system followed is that of a single transferable vote. So MLAs who vote — there is an open ballot in Rajya Sabha polls — can mark their first, second, third, etc preferences.
— In the above example, every candidate getting 41 first preference votes will be declared elected. If this does not fill all the seats, the surplus votes of those already elected are transferred to the second preference candidates of MLAs whose first preferences have already won.
Do You Know:
— In terms of the constitutional power of Parliament, the Rajya Sabha has equal power with the Lok Sabha. A Constitution Amendment Bill can be introduced in either House of Parliament and has to be passed by each House. There is no provision for a joint sitting of both Houses to resolve a deadlock on a Constitution Amendment Bill.
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— Rajya Sabha enjoys some special powers. If it passes a resolution by a majority of not less than two-thirds of members present and voting, saying that it is “necessary or expedient in the national interest” that Parliament should make a law on a matter enumerated in the State List, Parliament becomes empowered to make a law on the subject. Such a resolution remains in force for a maximum of one year but this period can be extended by one year at a time by passing a similar resolution.
— A similar route can be adopted for recommending the creation of one or more All India Services common to the Union and the states. Parliament becomes empowered to create such services.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Knowledge Nugget: Why Rajya Sabha elections matter for UPSC exam
Previous year UPSC Prelims Questions Covering similar theme:
(1) Rajya Sabha has equal powers with Lok Sabha in: (UPSC CSE 2020)
(a) the matter of creating new All India Services
(b) amending the Constitution
(c) the removal of the government
(d) making cut motion
(2) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2012)
1. Union Territories are not represented in the Rajya Sabha.
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2. It is within the purview of the Chief Election Commissioner to adjudicate the election dispute.
3. According to the Constitution of India, the Parliament consists of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha only.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) None
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Mains Examination: General Studies-I, II, III: Geography, Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development.
What’s the ongoing story: The war in West Asia is not just roiling global oil and gas markets. The tensions are threatening to disrupt the flow of key industrial inputs from the region for several core Indian industries.
Key Points to Ponder:
— Know about the US-Israel attack on Iran.
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— What is the status of India’s relations with the US, Israel and Iran?
— How is the US-Israel and Iran conflict impacting India?
— What diplomatic challenges can India face in balancing its ties with Israel, the US and Iran?
— What is the strategic importance of West Asia for India’s imports of energy, fertilisers and critical industrial raw materials?
— What is India’s Middle East policy?
— What is the strategic significance of the strait of Hormuz?
— What steps should India take to reduce supply chain vulnerabilities arising from geopolitical conflicts?
— Map work: Locate Iran, Strait of Hormuz, Island of Qeshm, Bandar Abbas, Konarak, Israel, and other places in the news related to the US-Israel attack on Iran on the map.
Key Takeaways:
— Sectors such as steel, fertilizers, cement and power transmission depend heavily on imports of essential raw materials from West Asia. These essential industrial inputs include limestone, sulphur, gypsum, direct reduced iron (DRI) and copper wires. Notably, more than half of India’s imports of these commodities had originated in the region.
— The West Asia region broadly includes the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — along with other regional economies such as Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
— With the conflict continuing in the region, and missile and drone strikes hitting several energy and logistics facilities across the Gulf, fears of supply disruptions have intensified. The possibility of a closure of the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most critical energy and trade routes — has heightened concerns of a global energy supply shock.
— For India, the region remains a crucial supplier of both energy and industrial inputs. As a major supplier of oil and gas to the world, any turbulence in West Asia tends to make global energy markets immediately vulnerable. India is no exception.
— The impact of the war is already being felt. With crude oil stockpiles estimated to last only about a month, Indian refiners have begun increasing purchases of discounted Russian oil.
— The fallout, however, may not remain confined to the energy sector if disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz continue for more than a week.
— According to the GTRI report, the effect could be felt in fertilizer supplies, manufacturing inputs, construction materials and export industries such as diamonds.
— The construction sector, which depends on mineral imports from the region, could be among the sectors that feel the impact if the conflict persists. The GTRI report estimated that India imported $483 million worth of limestone from West Asia, accounting for 68.5% of its total imports, and $129 million worth of gypsum, representing 62.1% of imports.
— Both minerals are crucial for the construction ecosystem. Limestone is a key input for cement production, while gypsum is widely used in cement and other construction materials. Any disruption in supplies could push up cement prices and delay infrastructure projects.
— There are other minerals too that are critical for the fertilizer and steel industries.
India imported $420 million worth of sulphur from West Asia, accounting for 65.8% of its imports. Sulphur is used to produce sulphuric acid, an essential input for fertilizers and several chemical industries.
— Similarly, India imported $190 million worth of direct reduced iron (DRI) from the region, representing 59.1% of its imports. DRI is a key input used in steelmaking.
— India also imported $869 million worth of copper wire from West Asia, accounting for 50.7 per cent of its total imports of the commodity. Copper wire is a critical component in power transmission networks, electrical equipment and renewable energy infrastructure, making the sector vulnerable to any disruption in supplies from the region.
— The conflict could also impact India’s diamond processing industry. The country imports over 40 per cent of its rough diamonds from West Asia, which are then processed in India’s diamond cutting and polishing hubs — particularly Surat in Gujarat — before being exported as polished diamonds to global markets.
— The steel industry in India also relies on gas as part of its decarbonisation efforts, making it vulnerable to fluctuations in global gas markets.
From the Editorial Page- “War has reached India’s shores, strategic silence isn’t an option”
— Rajan Kumar writes- “The US and Israel launched a joint military strike on Iran with the explicit aim of enabling regime change and taking control of hydrocarbon resources through a hand-picked ruler. The larger aim is to obtain a hegemonic influence in West Asia. Though the US has succeeded in eliminating Tehran’s top political and military leadership, achieving its political objectives remains as elusive as ever. The regime endures and resistance persists. Apparently, the US is getting ensnared in a prolonged military conflict in West Asia. A hasty retreat will not serve its purpose, while a protracted engagement will entail high political and military costs.”
— “The war reached the Indian shore when an Iranian warship, IRIS Dena, was sunk by a US submarine near Sri Lanka’s coast. The ship was returning after participation in an Indian naval exercise. Many strategic thinkers believe that the US disregarded India’s concerns, and urged the government to lodge a diplomatic protest.”
— “For New Delhi, the immediate concerns are ensuring the safe return of its people stuck in the region and securing an unhindered supply of oil, gas and fertiliser. However, as a long-term strategy, it should consider developing mechanisms to facilitate dialogue and cessation of conflict in collaboration with BRICS and other European countries. Strategic silence may not be an effective strategy for wars in the neighbourhood. India’s policy of multi-alignment will acquire a new philosophy if it engages proactively in facilitating the resolution of multiple conflicts the world over.”
Do You Know:
— The Strait of Hormuz—the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea—is seen as the most important oil transit chokepoint globally, handling approximately one-fifth of global liquid petroleum consumption and global liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍How West Asia conflict has hit India’s rice exports, left thousands of containers stuck at ports
📍Knowledge Nugget | US-Israel war on Iran: 10 must-know tidbits for UPSC Exam
📍UPSC Issue at a Glance | How did the Israel-Iran conflict escalate? A look from history to its impact
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(3) What is the importance of developing Chabahar Port by India? (UPSC CSE 2017)
(a) India’s trade with African countries will increase enormously.
(b) India’s relations with oil-producing Arab countries will be strengthened.
(c) India will not depend on Pakistan for access to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
(d) Pakistan will facilitate and protect the installation of a gas pipeline between Iraq and India.
Previous year UPSC Main Question Covering similar theme:
“India’s relations with Israel have, of late, acquired a depth and diversity, which cannot be rolled back.” Discuss. (UPSC CSE 2018)
THE SECOND PAGE
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Main Examination: General Studies-I, II: Social empowerment, Structure, organization and functioning of the Judiciary.
What’s the ongoing story: Greater representation of women in the judiciary is not about preference but about ensuring equal opportunity and a fair starting line in the legal profession, Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant, said on Sunday.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is the Status of Women in the Indian Judicial System?
— How many women judges are there in the Supreme Court of India and in high courts?
— What is the collegium system?
— Know the representation of women in the collegium system.
— What causes the low representation of women in the Indian judicial system?
— Why is the under-representation of women in the judiciary considered problematic for gender justice in India?
— What steps should be taken to increase the representation of women in the judiciary?
— Why is gender sensitivity important in judicial decision-making?
— What is the importance of gender-neutral and non-stereotypical language in court judgements and pleadings?
— What are the challenges in institutionalising gender-sensitive practices within the judiciary?
Key Takeaways:
— Speaking at the national conference “Bridging the Bench Gap: Women and Judicial Leadership”, Justice Kant said, “When half of India’s population looks to institutions entrusted with safeguarding constitutional rights and finds only limited reflection of its own experience, the concern transcends statistics.”
— Justice system must inspire confidence among “approximately 650 million Indian mothers, sisters and daughters”, he added. Justice Kant said the Constitution, the oath and the office remain the same for every judge.
— Justice Kant also called on High Court collegiums to take concrete steps to improve representation. “Institutional intent is no longer enough. It must always be accompanied by institutional imagination,” he said. Where suitable candidates within a particular age bracket are not readily available, collegiums should widen the zone of consideration to include women advocates practising in the Supreme Court who belong to the particular state, the CJI said.
— He also pointed to institutional measures aimed at strengthening the “pipeline” of women in the profession, including directions mandating that at least 30% seats in State Bar Councils be reserved for women. “If the pipeline is narrow at its source, the Bench cannot later be broad,” he said.
— During the panel discussion, Justice B V Nagarathna said the central challenge is not the entry of women into the profession but their retention in litigation long enough to reach the stage of elevation.
— Justice Nagarathna attributed this attrition to structural barriers both within the profession and outside it. “These barriers are not only from male members in the profession. Sometimes, they could come from the bench…,” she added.
— Like many other speakers, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan noted that when the selection process is objective, women enter the profession in significant numbers. The composition of the judiciary influences how justice is perceived, he added.
From the Front Page- “Dominant caste men used sexual violence as tool’: After unease, SC reviews handbook”
— The Supreme Court moved last month to frame fresh guidelines to promote sensitivity among judges, especially in cases involving sexual offences and other vulnerable victims, following unease within the court over a previous attempt in this regard, The Indian Express has learnt.
— In an order dated February 10, a three-judge bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and N V Anjaria, urged the Director of the National Judicial Academy in Bhopal, Justice Aniruddha Bose, a former Supreme Court judge, to constitute a committee of experts to prepare a comprehensive report to develop these guidelines.
— The earlier attempt in this direction led to the publication in 2023 of the “Handbook on Combating Gender Stereotypes” under the initiative of the then Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud.
— This handbook states that it “aims to assist judges and the legal community in identifying, understanding and combating stereotypes about women”. It also “contains a glossary of gender-unjust terms and suggests alternative words or phrases, which may be used while drafting pleadings as well as orders and judgments”.
— The February 10 order indicated that the 2023 handbook includes language that may not be comprehensible to the common man. Highly placed sources, however, told The Indian Express, that there was also discontentment among judges on the process followed in adopting the handbook and some of its content which, they felt, “reinforces prejudices” rather than help improve the situation.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Women in judiciary: A mountain to climb
📍Does the Indian judiciary have a ‘patriarchy problem’?
UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:
(4) With reference to the Collegium system, consider the following statements:
1. It is the way by which judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts are appointed and transferred.
2. The collegium system finds its root in the Constitution of India.
3. The government cannot raise objections and seek clarifications regarding the collegium’s choices.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
THE EDITORIAL PAGE
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance.
Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Government policies and interventions.
What’s the ongoing story: Kinshuk Gupta writes- “With the rollout of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, India has joined the group of 148 countries that have implemented HPV programmes, with nine of them starting as early as 2006. The current rollout, which began from Ajmer on February 28, will operate in campaign mode for three months to voluntarily vaccinate all adolescent girls aged 14, after which the vaccine will be available at all government centres free of cost.”
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection?
— Know about the Human Papillomavirus and cervical cancers..
— How common is cervical cancer in India?
— How does the vaccine prevent cancers?
— Which vaccine is being used?
— Why is an HPV vaccination campaign important?
— What are the challenges associated with HPV vaccination?
— What is the GAVI vaccine alliance?
— What is WHO’s 90-70-90 target?
Key Takeaways:
— “Cervical cancer remains the fourth-most common cancer among women globally and the second-most common in India. A new case of invasive cervical cancer surfaces every four months, and a death due to it occurs every seven minutes in India. While early age of sexual activity, multiple sexual partners, smoking, a weakened immune system, and poor hygiene are recognised risk factors for cervical cancer, infection with high-risk HPV is associated with nearly 70 percent of all cervical cancer cases. Nearly 80 per cent of sexually active individuals may acquire an HPV infection at some point in their lives. However, most infections are transient and cleared naturally by the immune system.”
— “HPV has over 100 known strains, with 14 being implicated in carcinogenesis. The vaccine now approved for rollout, Gardasil 4, protects against the two high-risk types 16 and 18, along with types 6 and 11, which are known to cause genital warts. Other vaccines include the bivalent Cervarix and Cervavac, and the nonavalent Gardasil-9, which offers protection against five additional strains.”
— “Experts remain divided about the HPV vaccine and its purported benefits. Sudeep Gupta, Director of TMC, in his conversation with the journal e-cancer in 2017, argued that rates of cervical cancer are already declining in the country. He argued that population-wide deployment of a vaccine would benefit a relatively small number of women and instead advocated strengthening basic facilities such as sanitation.”
— “Doctors also believe that the nine-strain vaccine should have been prioritised. This view is based on the hypothesis that while types 16 and 18 remain the most prevalent cancer-causing strains, vaccine-induced type replacement, where another strain fills the niche left vacant by an eliminated strain, could derail elimination efforts. Some studies, however, have negated this possibility, citing the genetic stability of the virus and the lack of natural competition between individual HPV types.”
— “A frequent concern relates to the duration of protection. The vaccination is administered between 9 and 14 years of age, whereas the highest predisposition to cervical cancer lies between 50 and 59 years. This becomes particularly relevant as India has opted for a one-dose regimen, which studies suggest has comparable efficacy. However, doubts remain regarding the possible need for booster doses. Long-term follow-up and continued surveillance will be required to document protection beyond this period.”
— “India’s own experience with early HPV vaccination efforts has also influenced public perception. In 2009, state governments in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and PATH, initiated HPV vaccination demonstration projects among adolescent girls. Following reports of seven deaths among participants and concerns regarding consent processes, these projects were suspended by the government in 2010.”
— “Social and cultural myths present real challenges to vaccine uptake. KAP studies have consistently reported that knowledge among beneficiaries in rural areas and those belonging to lower socio-economic groups remains low. Even where awareness is relatively high, it does not necessarily translate into changes in attitude or practice. Even doctors, who may possess adequate knowledge about the vaccine, do not always opt for it themselves or suggest it to their patients.”
— “Sex education and community engagement must be integral to the vaccination strategy. School health initiatives can serve as a critical platform for delivering age-appropriate information about HPV, vaccination, and cancer, not only to adolescents but also to their guardians.”
— “Integrating awareness into existing adolescent health programmes such as RKSK (Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram) can help ensure that education precedes misinformation. Many women who accompany family members to health facilities represent important opportunities for counselling and vaccination advocacy. Studies have shown that maternal education, perception of disease severity, and parental intention are strong predictors of adolescent vaccine uptake.”
— “Importantly, vaccination alone is not enough to eliminate cervical cancer. Screening strategies such as pap smear and Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) have been introduced, but their uptake remains abysmally low, at less than 2 per cent. Self-sampling for HPV testing has emerged as a promising and patient-friendly alternative. However, high costs limit its widespread use.”
— “The HPV vaccine is only one piece of the puzzle in achieving the WHO’s 90-70-90 target by 2030. As India rolls out HPV vaccination more widely, it is important to move towards gender neutrality and include boys and members of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Do You Know:
— Gavi is a public-private partnership including WHO, UNICEF, the Gates Foundation and the World Bank, and it is estimated that the vaccination programs have saved 18 million lives.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍HPV vaccine drive is key to battling cervical cancer
UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:
(5) Consider the following statements:
1. Cervical cancer is a common sexually transmitted infection.
2. Long-lasting infection with certain types of HPV is the main cause of cervical cancer.
3. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer type.
How many of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
ECONOMY
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance and economic development.
Mains Examination: General Studies-II, III: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation, Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth.
What’s the ongoing story: The Maharashtra government announced a Rs 35,000 crore waiver scheme last week, potentially impacting the state’s credit culture and finances. It also comes despite past advisories issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and several working groups against the practice.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What are farm loan waivers?
— What are the implications of loan waivers on the economy and fiscal health of the state?
— What is the RBI’s stand on loan waivers?
— What is the rationale behind farm loan waivers in India?
— How effective are farm loan waiver schemes in addressing agrarian distress in India?
— Compare farm loan waivers with income support schemes as policy tools to address farmers’ distress.
Key Takeaways:
— The state government maintains that its finances remain robust and it is prepared to absorb the fiscal burden of what it calls a necessary step to safeguard the interests of the farming community. However, Maharashtra is not an outlier, and the increasing trend of loan waivers has wider negative implications.
— After two nationwide waivers initiated by the Central government since 1990, farm loan waivers have seen an unprecedented increase since 2014-15, driven by announcements from state governments.
— The policy of farm loan waivers is grounded in the rationale of alleviating the debt overhang of beneficiaries, thus enabling them to undertake productive investment and boost real economic activity.
— While the risk to farmers’ income — nature’s risk as well as market risk — can cause significant distress, loan waivers, which often occur around elections, are “not the panacea to address the underlying risks”, according to the RBI. In reality, the practice can undermine the credit culture, adversely affect state finances, and harm farmers’ interests in the medium to long term.
— Generally, incumbent state governments see such announcements as giving them an obvious political edge for elections.
— The first major programme on farm loan waiver, the Agriculture and Rural Debt Relief Scheme, 1990 (ARDRS), was undertaken nationwide in 1990, followed by another nationwide loan waiver in 2008, viz., Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme, 2008 (ADWDRS).
— The ARDRS programme, which came into force on May 15, 1990, covered short-term loans and overdue installments of term loans outstanding to public sector banks (PSBs) and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) as on October 2, 1989. The maximum relief amount under the program was Rs 10,000 per farmer, and there was no differential treatment based on the size of their landholding.
— The 2008 ADWDRS programme was broader in its coverage of institutions, including scheduled commercial banks (SCBs), RRBs, co-operative credit Institutions (both urban and rural) and Local Area Banks. The programme targeted higher relief for small and marginal farms (with a landholding of up to five acres) vis-à-vis other farmers.
— Since 2014-15, ten states have announced loan waiver programmes of an aggregate Rs 2.4 lakh crore (1.4% of the 2016-17 GDP at current prices) — significantly higher than the two nationwide debt waiver programmes, according to the RBI.
— The impact of loan waivers on states’ Budgets is typically staggered over three to five years, either due to phased rollouts or by clearing bank dues over multi-year payouts.
— Alongside a sharp deceleration in growth of agricultural credit outstanding, a decline in agricultural credit disbursements was observed in the years of loan waiver programmes, with growth bouncing back in subsequent years, the central bank said.
— The central bank has discouraged loan waivers on various occasions, noting that the practice affected the credit culture, as many borrowers withheld repayment in anticipation of a loan waiver. This adversely affects borrowers’ credit history and their prospects of availing fresh loans for agricultural purposes.
— According to an SBI research report, since 2014, of approximately 3.7 crore eligible farmers, only around 50% received the loan waiver amount by March 2022. Despite much hype and political patronage, states’ farm loan waivers have failed to bring respite to their intended subjects, sabotaging credit discipline in select geographies and making banks and financial institutions wary of further lending, the SBI report concluded.
— Instead, it pitched for an income support scheme, arguing that with a lower spending of Rs 50,000 crore, a larger benefit can be accrued to the target groups.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍How waived loans impact states
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Mains Examination: General Studies-II, III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life, Awareness in the fields of IT.
What’s the ongoing story: Anthropic has just come out with a rigorous labour market study in Artificial Intelligence (AI), which introduces a new measure for understanding the labour market effects of AI and studies impacts on unemployment and hiring. Jobs are more exposed to AI to the extent that their tasks are theoretically feasible with LLMs, with computer programmers, customer service representatives, and financial analysts cited as among “the most exposed”.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its application?
— What were the key takeaways of the India AI Impact Summit?
— What are the opportunities and challenges posed by AI?
— What are the potential impacts of AI on labour markets and employment patterns in various sectors?
— What are the reasons behind the uneven impact of AI across different sectors of the economy?
— What are the initiatives taken by India to integrate AI?
— What policy measures should be taken to prepare the workforce for the increasing adoption of AI?
Key Takeaways:
— Even though the current usage of AI is limited in some sectors, Anthropic found that AI can theoretically cover a majority of tasks in sectors like business and finance, management, computer science, math, engineering, legal, and office administration roles.
— In contrast, the company said that sectors like construction, agriculture, protective services, and personal care, among others, may have a limited theoretical use of AI, and therefore, jobs in these sectors could be more insulated from the impact of AI than some others.
— This finding shows one key thing: that even though AI is theoretically capable of doing almost all tasks in some sectors, its current usage is limited. For instance, for computer and math workers, large language models are theoretically capable of handling 94% of their tasks. But Claude currently only covers 33% of those tasks in observed professional use.
— The researchers combined three data sources to build a picture of which jobs are most at risk:
— First, they used the US government’s occupational database to map out every task associated with around 800 jobs. Second, they juxtaposed it with existing academic measures of which tasks AI could theoretically speed up significantly. Third, and most importantly, they cross-referenced this against real Claude usage data to see which tasks people are actually using AI for in professional settings today, weighting fully automated use more heavily than assisted use.
— The result is a measure they call “observed exposure”: not just what AI could theoretically do, but what it is demonstrably already doing at work. They then tested this measure against US government employment projections and unemployment survey data to see whether higher exposure correlates with weaker job growth and rising unemployment.
— Already, hiring of younger workers into the so-called exposed roles has dropped sharply since ChatGPT launched. Entry into high-exposure occupations among workers aged 22 to 25 has fallen 14% since late 2022. Even as companies are not laying people off, they are closing the front door for new hires.
— The data also shows how some demographics can be more at risk than others. Workers in the most AI-exposed professions differ significantly from those in unexposed roles. The data indicates that highly exposed workers are more likely to be are: Female, Highly educated, White or Asian, Older.
— Though Anthropic’s analysis extensively analyses data from the United States, AI is already making a huge wave in the Indian market, posing a big risk to some of the country’s most crucial industries. Broadly, lack of mathematical and scientific skills in a large part of the country’s population further add to the problem, which is compounded by low spends on education, research and development compared with rivals like the US and China.
— For Indian IT companies, the implications are particularly acute. Their business model has long depended on providing services—data processing, contract analysis, compliance monitoring, customer support—that AI tools can now potentially automate. Anthropic’s announcement includes specialised tools for legal workflows such as contract review, NDA analysis, and compliance monitoring, as well as applications in finance, sales, and data analytics.
— While it may not be a complete doomsday for the sector, at least not yet, the recent price corrections have led to calls for the sector to evolve quickly to adapt to the AI world.
Do You Know:
— Artificial Intelligence is the ability of machines, especially computers, to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. These tasks include things like understanding language, recognising patterns, solving problems, and making decisions.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍UPSC Issue at a Glance | India AI Impact Summit 2026: Backdrop, key highlights, initiatives and concerns
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(6) With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following? (UPSC CSE 2020)
1. Bring down electricity consumption in industrial units
2. Create meaningful short stories and songs
3. Disease diagnosis
4. Text-to-Speech Conversion
5. Wireless transmission of electrical energy
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only
(b) 1, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2, 4 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
Introduce the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI). How does AI help clinical diagnosis? Do you perceive any threat to privacy of the individual in the use of AI in healthcare? (UPSC CSE 2023)
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| From ‘control’ to ‘management’: Behind AP’s new population policy |
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Andhra Pradesh government last week introduced a draft Population Management Policy in the Legislative Assembly, which aims to incentivise families to have two or three children, and provide better healthcare facilities, particularly catering to women. The policy also strives to improve old age care to the elderly, whose population is expected to steadily increase in the coming years. The proposed policy of the N Chandrababu Naidu-led government is a direct response to the state’s falling fertility rates, which is among the lowest in the country, well below the replacement level fertility of 2.1. The total fertility rate (TFR) of Andhra Pradesh has dropped to 1.5, meaning that, on an average, a woman in the state is producing only 1.5 children. |
| Notice personal details showing up in Google Search? ‘Results about you’ tool can help |
As people leave behind larger digital footprints, personal information such as phone numbers, addresses and email IDs can often appear in search results. To address privacy concerns, Google introduced a feature called ‘Results About You,’ which helps individuals find and request the removal of certain personal details from its search results. The tool, launched in 2022 and expanded since then, is part of the company’s broader push to give users greater control over their online presence. Google says the tool is part of a wider set of privacy features designed to help people manage their digital footprint. While the feature does not erase personal information from the internet, it offers users a mechanism to manage how their data appears on one of the world’s most widely used search engines. |
| Revisiting ‘The Wealth of Nations’ and its abiding suspicion of concentrated power |
Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes- “On March 9, 1776, exactly 250 years ago, a handsome book, over 1,000 pages long, priced at one pound sixteen shillings, appeared on the bookshelves in London. Its author, formerly professor of Moral Philosophy at Glasgow, was already well known. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations enduringly altered thinking about freedom, power, prosperity, and justice. Like any great work, it defies easy political characterisation: Both left and right have pressed it into their service.
For Economics, the book consolidated a decisive shift: The wealth of nations is measured not by the balance of trade or the accumulation of bullion, but by the total productive capacity of society and its translation into rising standards of living for ordinary people. It moved attention from accumulation by the wealthy and the state to the diffusion of capabilities, democratising the idea of wealth. It then inquired into the conditions of productivity, above all the division of labour, itself a consequence of the extent of the market. Wages, rents, and profits were brought into a single analytic frame. The book’s sensibility is that of undogmatic inquiry, a sustained investigation into why societies prosper or stagnate.” |
| Iran vs Israel: Sworn enemies once operated secret oil JV |
Global oil prices are back in focus after the US and Israel attacked Iran, and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes that dragged the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Oman being dragged into the conflict. And yet, a lifetime ago, it was oil that brought Israel and Iran together to set up a secret joint venture. The Six-Day War in 1967 and the closure of the Suez Canal by Egypt forced Israel to explore other oil import routes. At the same time, oil sellers such as Iran, also needed a different route as the Suez Canal remained shut till 1975. Around 12% of global trade and 30% of global container traffic goes through the Canal — the shortest sea route between Europe and Asia. This led to a joint-venture between Israel and Iran in 1968 connecting the Red Sea port of Eilat and the Mediterranean port of Ashkelon. However, Iran and Israel shrouded their involvement via entities based in Liechtenstein and Panama, respectively. But the 42-inch-wide and 254-km-long Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline did not evade detection. |
| PRELIMS ANSWER KEY |
| 1. (b) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. (a) 5. (c) 6. (b) |
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