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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.
PSLV-C62 deviates from flight path, satellite launch unsuccessful
- ISRO’s PSLV-C62 mission, which was carrying the EOS-N1 earth observation satellite and 15 other small satellites, could not reach its planned orbit on Monday. A problem was noticed near the end of the third stage of the rocket, due to which the mission failed. As a result, all the satellites onboard were lost, and ISRO has started a detailed investigation to understand what went wrong.
- The PSLV-C62 rocket was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 10.18 a.m. on Monday.
- The rocket, which has four stages, worked normally during the initial phases of the launch. Everything went according to plan until the third stage.
- However, close to the end of the third stage, ISRO noticed an issue described as a “disturbance in the vehicle roll rates,” according to ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan.
- He explained that although the rocket performed well until the third stage was almost complete, this disturbance caused the rocket to move away from its planned path.
- ISRO said it is now carefully studying all the data from the mission and will share the results of its analysis as soon as possible.
- This failure is seen as a major setback for ISRO because the PSLV rocket, known as ISRO’s most reliable and frequently used launch vehicle, has now faced two failures in a row.
- Earlier, on May 18, 2025, ISRO’s PSLV-C61 mission, which was carrying the EOS-09 satellite, had also failed due to a problem in the third stage of the rocket.
- The EOS-N1 earth observation satellite was reportedly developed for strategic and national security purposes.
- ISRO had earlier said that the mission was a commercial launch carried out by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).
- According to ISRO, EOS-N1 and 14 other satellites were supposed to be placed into a Sun Synchronous Orbit. In addition, the KID Capsule was planned to be sent into a path that would bring it back into Earth’s atmosphere.
- ISRO had also explained that after placing EOS-N1 and the 14 satellites into orbit, the fourth stage of the rocket (PS4) would be restarted to slow down and move into a re-entry path. After this, the KID Capsule was to be separated.
- It was further stated that both the PS4 stage and the KID Capsule were expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and fall into the South Pacific Ocean.
- The financial loss caused by the failure of the PSLV-C62 mission will be shared by different parties, depending on who owned each satellite.
- In the space sector, there is usually no single party that pays for the loss when a mission fails. Instead, the losses are covered through a mix of government funding and insurance.
- Governments generally do not take commercial insurance for strategic or military satellites because the cost of insurance is very high.
- In this case, the EOS-N1 satellite was developed by DRDO, and the financial loss for this satellite will be borne by the government.
- DRDO may now need to ask for new budget approval to build a replacement satellite.
- The other satellites onboard, which belonged to private companies, including Indian startups and foreign firms, would have taken insurance policies. These policies usually provide a one-time payment if the satellite is completely lost during launch.
- If any company did not take insurance, it would have to bear the full loss on its own.
- NSIL is likely to have signed contracts with the private customers for this mission.
- Although NSIL usually does not pay for the cost of the satellite itself, the contract may include options such as a free re-launch in the future or a refund of the launch fee if the mission fails.
- ISRO or NSIL is not responsible for the value of a customer’s satellite unless there is clear proof of serious negligence, which is very rare.
- In the space industry, it is common to have a “waiver of liability,” where both the launch provider and the satellite owner agree not to take legal action against each other for losses.
Retail inflation rises to a three-month high of 1.33% in December
- India’s retail inflation increased to 1.33% in December 2025, reaching its highest level in three months. Even so, it remained much lower than the Reserve Bank of India’s lower comfort level of 2%, according to official figures released on Monday.
- The Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for December 2025, released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, shows that overall inflation stayed low mainly because prices fell across many sectors.
- The RBI aims to keep inflation at 4%, allowing it to move between 2% and 6%.
- Prices in the food and beverages category fell by 1.85% in December 2025. This was less severe than the 2.8% fall seen in November 2025.
- This smaller decline was mainly due to a high base effect, as food and beverage inflation had been quite high at 7.7% in December 2024.
- Even though overall food prices declined, inflation for items such as meat, cooking oils, and fruits remained above 5%.
- According to Madan Sabnavis, Chief Economist at Bank of Baroda, these items are likely to keep putting pressure on inflation in the coming months.
- Inflation in the “pan, tobacco, and intoxicants” category stayed the same at 2.96% in December 2025, unchanged from November 2025.
- The clothing and footwear category saw a small reduction in inflation, falling to 1.44% in December 2025 from 1.49% in November.
- In December 2024, inflation in this category had been much higher at 2.7%.
- Inflation in the housing sector also eased slightly, dropping to 2.86% in December 2025 from 2.95% in the previous month.
- The fuel and light category recorded inflation of 1.97% in December 2025, lower than the 2.3% seen in November 2025.
- Core inflation, which does not include food and beverages, fuel and light, and petrol and diesel, rose to a 28-month high of 4.8% in December 2025. This was up from 4.4% in November 2025.
- Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist and Head of Research at ICRA Limited, said that this increase in core inflation was mainly because of higher prices of precious metals.
- She added that core inflation excluding gold and silver stayed unchanged at 2.4% between November and December 2025.
India and Germany sign agreement to strengthen defence industrial cooperation
- India and Germany have agreed to strengthen defence trade, with a focus on jointly making and developing defence equipment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this on Monday after both countries signed an agreement to boost defence industrial cooperation.
- While welcoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to India, Mr. Modi announced that India would set up a consultation system to improve cooperation with Germany in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Chancellor Merz, who is on his first visit to Asia since becoming Chancellor in May 2025, said that global politics is facing many challenges. He stressed that India and Germany should work more closely together to deal with global instability.
- Several agreements were signed during the meeting, including MoUs and Joint Declarations of Intent. These covered areas such as hiring skilled workers for Germany, sports cooperation, and higher education.
- Prime Minister Modi said that the growing cooperation in defence and security shows the strong trust and shared goals between India and Germany.
- He thanked Chancellor Merz for making defence trade processes easier.
- Modi also said that both countries would work on a clear plan to strengthen cooperation between their defence industries, following the signing of multiple agreements, including one focused on defence industrial cooperation.
- He noted that the Chancellor’s visit was special as it marked 25 years of India-Germany strategic partnership and 75 years of diplomatic relations.
- The leaders also discussed regional and global issues, including the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. During the talks, Mr. Modi repeated India’s strong stand against terrorism.
- Chancellor Merz encouraged India to work with Germany to strengthen global supply chains. He warned that protectionism is increasing worldwide.
- He said that protectionist policies harm trade between India and Germany and expressed concern over this growing trend.
- His comments came at a time when India-U.S. trade relations have weakened due to high tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
- Although Chancellor Merz did not name Mr. Trump in his official speech, he later told reporters that Germany does not impose tariffs on other countries, indirectly referring to the U.S. actions.
- A joint statement after the meeting said that both leaders supported the early completion of the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement.
- They described the India-EU FTA as an important outcome of the upcoming EU-India Summit and said it would help increase trade and further strengthen economic ties between India and Germany.
Important Questions
- What led to the “disturbance in the vehicle roll rates” near the end of the third stage of ISRO’s PSLV-C62 mission launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota?
- How will the financial loss of the EOS-N1 earth observation satellite developed by DRDO be managed after the failure of the PSLV-C62 mission?
- Why did India’s retail inflation rise to 1.33% in December 2025 while still remaining below the Reserve Bank of India’s lower comfort level of 2%, according to CPI data?
- What role did food and beverages price contraction and precious metals play in pushing core inflation to a 28-month high of 4.8% in December 2025?
- How will the agreement on “Strengthening the Bilateral Defence Industrial Cooperation” signed during Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit enhance co-production and co-development between India and Germany?
- Why did Chancellor Friedrich Merz warn against protectionism while urging India to partner with Germany to strengthen global supply chains?
Important Vocabulary
- Anomaly – something unusual or not working as expected
- Trajectory – the planned path followed by a rocket or object
- Negligence – failure to take proper care or responsibility
- Waiver – an agreement to give up a legal right or claim
- Subdued – kept low or under control
- Contraction – a decrease or reduction in prices
- Tolerance – the allowed limit within which something can vary
- Moderated – became less severe or intense
- Co-production – joint manufacturing by two countries
- Indo-Pacific – a strategic region covering the Indian and Pacific Oceans
- Protectionism – policies that restrict international trade
- Reiterated – said again with emphasis
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