The Hindu Editorial Analysis : 13th March 2026

The Hindu Editorial Analysis

We understand the significance of reading The Hindu newspaper for enhancing reading skills, improving comprehension of passages, staying informed about current events, enhancing essay writing, and more, especially for banking aspirants who need to focus on editorials for vocabulary building. This article will explore today’s editorial points, along with practice questions and key vocabulary.

Supreme Court Upholds the Right to Die for a Man in a Vegetative State

• The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday supported the right to die with dignity of 32-year-old Harish Rana, who has been in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) for almost 13 years. The Court allowed doctors to stop clinically assisted nutrition and hydration (CANH), which means stopping the medical support that was keeping him alive through artificial feeding.
• The decision was given by a Bench of Justice J. B. Pardiwala and Justice K. V. Viswanathan.
• Harish Rana suffered very serious head injuries and became 100% quadriplegic (unable to move his body) after he fell from the fourth floor of his paying guest accommodation in 2013.
• In his 286-page judgment, Justice Pardiwala spoke directly to the family. He said that the Court understands the deep emotional pain and difficulty involved in making such a decision.
• He explained that although the decision may look like giving up, it is actually an act of great compassion and courage.
• He also said that the family is not abandoning their son, but they are allowing him to leave this world with dignity, which shows their selfless love and devotion toward him.
• This case is very important because it is the first time the Supreme Court has applied its own guidelines on “passive euthanasia” that were made by the Constitution Bench in 2018.
• Justice K. V. Viswanathan wrote a separate but supporting opinion agreeing with the main judgment.
• He said that the family did everything possible to care for their son and brother and never gave up hope for many years.
• According to him, the family turned to the court only when the situation became completely irreversible and when they believed this legal step would relieve Harish from the condition he was suffering in.
• The Court also ordered the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi to shift Harish Rana from his home to its palliative care centre.
• The Bench clearly stated that the withdrawal of clinically assisted nutrition and hydration must take place only under a proper, well-planned and clearly structured palliative care programme designed for a patient in a persistent vegetative state.
• The Court also stressed that stopping life support must always be connected with proper palliative care, which means medical care that focuses on comfort and relief from suffering.
• Finally, the judges said that the patient must be treated with sensitivity, respect and care, and that protecting the dignity of the patient must always remain the most important priority.

States Face the Impact of Costly LPG Cylinders

• Due to the ongoing war involving the United States, Israel and Iran, many Indian States started reviewing their supply chains and making emergency plans on Wednesday to deal with possible problems in fuel and gas supply.
• In Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party government introduced a resolution in the State Assembly criticising the Union government’s foreign policy and saying that it has affected the country’s energy security.
• The resolution was presented by Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, and it will be discussed in detail in the Assembly on March 12.
• While presenting the resolution, Kataruchak said the House is deeply worried and strongly dissatisfied with what it calls the Union government’s failed foreign policy and unbalanced energy policy.
• According to him, these policies have created a growing energy crisis across the country.
• He also said that Punjab is already facing the effects of this crisis, as the supply of commercial LPG cylinders has been disturbed in many places.
• Because of this problem, restaurant owners, dhaba operators and small hotel businesses are forced to wait for long periods to receive gas cylinders.
• Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains also raised concerns about serious problems in the fertiliser and energy sectors.
• He pointed out that the National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) plants at Nangal and Bathinda are almost closed.
• He questioned the government by asking where the State will get urea fertiliser if these plants remain shut.
• He also asked why the fertiliser plants in Nangal and Bathinda are closed while the NFL unit in Panipat, Haryana is running at full capacity.
• In West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a meeting to review the situation of gas supply shortages.
• During the meeting, she ordered companies supplying LPG and CNG to create a standard operating procedure and start rationing their supplies if necessary.
• She also warned that her government will not allow hoarding of gas cylinders.
• She instructed District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police to strictly stop such illegal hoarding.
• Banerjee also announced that Industries Secretary Vandana Srivastava will act as the nodal officer to coordinate with LPG and CNG distribution companies.
• In Uttar Pradesh, long queues were seen outside gas agencies, showing the seriousness of the problem.
• The Indian National Congress accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government of failing to control black marketing of gas cylinders.
• Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai criticised the government, saying that just like during the COVID-19 pandemic, the BJP has again left people to face difficulties on their own.
• He also said that the gas supply chain system has collapsed and the government is trying to avoid responsibility for the crisis.
• Videos from Shravasti district showing long queues outside gas agencies became viral on social media, including a video of a woman fainting while waiting in line.
• A social media user wrote on the platform X that such scenes from Shravasti contradict the government’s claims that every household has been given a gas connection.
• In Bihar, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said that strict and immediate action will be taken against anyone involved in black marketing or hoarding of LPG cylinders.
• People in districts like Kaimur, Darbhanga, Motihari and Gaya reported that they had to wait around five days before receiving their LPG cylinders.
• In Patna, many consumers said they were unable to book LPG cylinders either through phone calls or by visiting gas agency offices.
• In Haryana, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini held a meeting to review rumours about possible LPG supply disruption.
• After the meeting, an official statement said that oil companies have informed the government that petrol, diesel and domestic LPG supplies are normal and that enough stock is available.
• However, the statement also admitted that there has been a temporary disruption in the supply of commercial LPG cylinders.
• In Madhya Pradesh, the State government ordered all District Collectors to carefully monitor LPG cylinder supply and stop hoarding and black marketing.
• In a letter dated March 10, the government asked Collectors to regularly check stock levels and also look for alternative arrangements for commercial gas users.
• In Himachal Pradesh, Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta held a review meeting to check the availability of fuel and gas supplies.
• The review showed that the State currently has enough stock of petrol, diesel and LPG, although the supply of commercial LPG cylinders has been slightly affected.

New EPS Regulations Leave Out Higher Pension Provision

• The Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS) 2026, which was recently approved by the Central Board of Trustees of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), has removed the controversial rule that earlier allowed employees to receive pension based on higher salaries.
• This new scheme was prepared because the Code on Social Security came into effect in November of the previous year, making it necessary to update the pension rules.
• The rule that has been removed is Paragraph 11(4) of the earlier EPS-1995 scheme.
• According to an official document presented in the Board meeting on March 2, this clause was removed because it was considered outdated and no longer relevant.
• This paragraph was originally introduced during amendments to the EPS in August 2014.
• Before this amendment, employees and employers had an unlimited option to request pension based on higher salary.
• However, the 2014 amendment limited this option, giving only one year for employees and employers to choose to contribute pension based on salary above ₹15,000 per month, which was the maximum pensionable salary limit.
• Many employees and pensioners later complained that they could not use this option during 2014–2015 because authorities interpreted the deadline very strictly.
• Because of these complaints, the Supreme Court in November 2022 allowed employees and pensioners to apply for higher provident fund pension.
• In December, the government informed the Lok Sabha that about 15.24 lakh applications from employees and pensioners had been forwarded to the EPFO by employers.
• These applications were submitted until January 31, 2025, which was the final deadline for submission.
• The government said that almost all of these applications have now been processed.
• Out of these applications, 93 lakh demand letters were sent to applicants asking them to pay the required amount.
• About 33 lakh applicants either paid the required amount or agreed to pay it.
• Around 24 lakh applicants have already received their Pension Payment Orders (PPOs).
• In the beginning, the EPFO opposed the demand for pension based on higher salaries.
• The organisation argued that the EPS-1995 scheme was created mainly to support economically weaker workers, who contribute a larger share of their income compared to higher-income workers.
• According to EPFO, allowing high-income employees to receive higher pensions would create a “reverse subsidy”, which it believed was an unfair situation.
• The EPFO also said that the Employees’ Pension Fund is already facing a net actuarial deficit, meaning the fund may not have enough money in the long term to meet future pension payments.
• Although the EPS-2026 scheme does not include any provision for pension based on higher wages, the new Employees’ Provident Funds Scheme approved by the Board still provides a related arrangement.
• According to Paragraph 9(iv) of the new rules, an employee and employer can jointly submit a written request allowing the employee to contribute provident fund from wages higher than the official wage ceiling.
• In such cases, the employee will still receive benefits according to the rules of the scheme.
• In addition, Paragraph 19 of the new rules allows employees to make extra voluntary contributions to the provident fund.
• However, in this situation the employer is not required to make matching contributions for those additional voluntary deposits.

Important Questions

1. Which decision did the Supreme Court uphold regarding the “right to die with dignity” for Harish Rana who was in a persistent vegetative state?
2. What direction did the Court give to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi regarding Harish Rana and the withdrawal of clinically assisted nutrition and hydration?
3. Why did several Indian States begin reviewing supply chains and preparing contingency plans amid the ongoing war between the United States–Israel and Iran?
4. What steps did Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee direct LPG and CNG companies to take in West Bengal regarding the supply shortage?
5. Why was Paragraph 11(4) of the earlier EPS-1995 removed in the new Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS) 2026 approved by the EPFO?
6. What did the Supreme Court allow employees and pensioners to do in its November 2022 verdict regarding pension based on higher wages?

Important Vocabulary

1. Vegetative – a medical condition in which a person is alive but not conscious or aware.
2. Quadriplegic – a person who cannot move all four limbs because of paralysis.
3. Palliative – medical care that focuses on comfort and relief from suffering rather than curing the disease.
4. Compassion – a feeling of deep sympathy and concern for someone’s suffering.
5. Contingency – a possible future situation that requires preparation.
6. Resolution – a formal decision made by a government body or assembly.
7. Hoarding – storing large quantities of goods secretly to sell later at higher prices.
8. Disruption – a disturbance or interruption that stops something from working normally.
9. Controversial – causing public disagreement or debate.
10. Actuarial – related to financial calculations about risk, pensions, and insurance.
11. Anomaly – something unusual or different from what is expected.
12. Voluntary – done by choice and not forced by rules or law.

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