The Hindu Editorial Analysis : 16th July 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.

‘Gold Standard’ India-U.K. Trade Deal Comes into Effect Today

• The India-U.K. Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Double Contribution Convention (DCC) have officially come into effect from Wednesday. Both agreements were signed in July last year.
• Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal called these agreements a “gold standard” and said they are among the most ambitious and forward-looking free trade agreements signed by India.
• He said the agreements will benefit farmers, fisherfolk, workers and women entrepreneurs by creating more business and job opportunities.
• Agrawal said the CETA is one of the first agreements of its kind because it creates a modern and long-term economic partnership between two major global economies – India and the U.K.
• He also said this is one of India’s biggest and most ambitious free trade agreements to become operational so far.
• According to him, the agreement is called a “gold standard” because it covers many sectors and removes or reduces a large number of tariff and non-tariff barriers, making trade easier between the two countries.
• Under the agreement, the U.K. will immediately remove tariffs on 96.8% of its tariff lines, covering 97.7% of the total value of trade.
• Another 2% of the U.K.’s tariff lines, covering 1.8% of the total trade value, will get lower tariffs through quota-based arrangements.
• Overall, the U.K. will provide tariff benefits on 98.8% of its tariff lines, covering 99.5% of the total trade value with India.
• India will immediately remove tariffs on goods covering 30.3% of the total trade value with the U.K.
• Tariffs on another 47% of the trade value will be reduced in phases over a period of time instead of all at once.
• India will also provide lower quota-based tariffs on goods that account for 12.1% of the total trade value.
• In total, India’s commitments under the agreement will cover 89.5% of tariff lines and 89.4% of the total trade value.
• Officials in the U.K. also welcomed the agreement and said it will create new opportunities in many important sectors.
• Chris Hayward, Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation, said the agreement will help increase cooperation in financial services, professional services, insurance, fintech, sustainable finance and infrastructure investment.
• He added that as India’s economy continues to grow rapidly, London is ready to help by bringing global investment and expertise to support India’s growth plans.
• Agrawal said the negotiations covered 30 different chapters, going much beyond just reducing import and export duties.
• These chapters include digital trade, government procurement, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), innovation, labour, environment and gender-related issues.
• He said the agreement also removes unnecessary non-tariff barriers so that rules related to Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) do not create unfair problems for businesses in the future.
• Agrawal also said the agreement fully protects India’s sensitive sectors, including dairy, cereals, pulses, vegetables, gold and jewellery, smartphones and critical polymers.
• Talking about the Double Contribution Convention (DCC), he described it as a “game changer” for India’s services sector and skilled professionals working in the U.K.
• He explained that Indian employees and their employers currently pay around 25% of the employee’s salary to the U.K.’s National Insurance system.
• According to him, this works like an extra 25% tax because most Indian workers cannot claim social security benefits there, so the money they contribute is effectively lost.
• Under the DCC, Indian employees who are already contributing to India’s social security system will not have to pay social security contributions again in the U.K. for up to five years.
• Agrawal said this agreement is expected to benefit more than 75,000 Indian workers and over 900 employers.

Can’t English Be Considered an Indian Language, Asks Supreme Court

• The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for calling English a “non-native language” under the three-language policy. The court pointed out that English has been spoken in India for more than 300 years and is also used for official work in at least five States. It asked why English has been placed in the same category as foreign languages like German, Spanish, Arabic and French.
• A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justice Joymalya Bagchi, asked whether English can now be treated as an Indian language because of its long history and widespread use in the country.
• Justice Bagchi said that the word “native” used by CBSE sounds outdated and is linked to the colonial period. He asked what exactly CBSE meant by “native” and whether it actually wanted to refer to languages that originated in India.
• The judge also pointed out that neither the Constitution nor any law in India uses the word “native”. Instead, official documents use terms such as “mother tongue”, “regional language” and “Indian language”.
• According to the latest CBSE circular issued on July 10, the Board has divided languages into two groups — “Bharatiya Bhashas” like Hindi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi and other Indian languages, and “non-native” languages, which include English and several foreign languages.
• The three-language policy, which is currently being challenged in the Supreme Court, says that Class 9 students must study at least two languages that are native to India.
• Justice Bagchi, however, said that the main purpose of the three-language policy seems to be in line with the Constitution’s goal of encouraging the use of Indian languages in official work across the country.
• Appearing for parents and students, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan argued that many schools do not have enough textbooks or teachers to implement the new language policy properly.
• He told the court that although the three-language policy came into effect on July 1, textbooks are currently available in only three of the 22 Scheduled languages.
• Sankaranarayanan also argued that if every one of the 22 Scheduled languages has to be offered in CBSE schools, each school may need one teacher for every language, which means appointing 22 extra teachers.
• He said that arranging teachers for all 22 Scheduled languages would create a huge and almost impossible staffing problem for schools across the country.
• Taking these concerns seriously, the Supreme Court issued a notice on the petition, which raises issues about the impact of the three-language policy on students of Classes 5 and 6, and fixed the next hearing for July 22.
• Representing parents and students of Class 9, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi argued that it is unfair to expect students to learn a completely new language, become good at it and then write examinations in such a short period of time.
• Rohatgi also pointed to the shortage of language teachers and questioned how schools could possibly arrange teachers for all 22 Scheduled languages.
• Senior advocate Shyam Divan, who also appeared for Class 9 students, submitted that the three-language policy was originally planned to be implemented by 2030, but it has now been brought forward to the 2026-27 academic session.
• In an affidavit filed on July 13, CBSE admitted that implementing the three-language policy could lead to a shortage of teachers and other teaching resources.
• The Board told the court that retired teachers and qualified postgraduate candidates could be temporarily hired to deal with the shortage.
• CBSE said that this would be a practical temporary arrangement to ensure that schools have enough teachers and learning support while the policy is being implemented.
• The Board also said that schools will need time to build proper teaching capacity in different Bharatiya Bhashas. Until then, schools can use flexible methods such as existing teachers who know the language, retired teachers, qualified postgraduates, Sahodaya school clusters and virtual or hybrid classes.
• According to the affidavit, out of 28,848 schools that send students for the Class 9 CBSE examination, 47.3% already teach two or more Indian languages and therefore already meet the new policy without needing extra teachers.
• CBSE further informed the Supreme Court that 99.9% of these schools already have at least one teacher who teaches an Indian language.
• In a separate affidavit, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) told the Supreme Court that it has already started preparing, reviewing, finalising and distributing textbooks in all 22 Scheduled languages as part of implementing the three-language policy.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon begins 8-month mission aboard the International Space Station

• NASA astronaut Anil Menon, along with Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, started their eight-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS) after launching aboard the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday.
• The Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft, operated by Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, successfully lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome with all three crew members on board.
• After a journey of about three hours, the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft is expected to automatically dock with the Prichal module of the International Space Station.
• This is Anil Menon’s first journey into space, while it is the second space mission for Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, according to NASA.
• After reaching the ISS, the three astronauts will join the current crew already living on the space station. The team includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway and Chris Williams, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev and Andrey Fedyaev.
• Anil Menon, Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina are expected to stay on the International Space Station for around eight months and are scheduled to return to Earth in April 2027.
• Anil Menon’s father, K.P. Shankaran Menon, belongs to Ottapalam in Kerala’s Palakkad district.
• Anil Menon is also the great-grandson of Sir C. Sankaran Nair, who was once the president of the Indian National Congress.

Important Questions

1. Why did Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal describe the India-U.K. Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) as a “gold standard” agreement?
2. How will the Double Contribution Convention (DCC) benefit Indian employees and employers working in the U.K.?
3. Why did the Supreme Court question CBSE for classifying English as a “non-native language” under the three-language policy?
4. What concerns did parents’ lawyers raise about implementing the three-language policy in CBSE schools?
5. Who are the crew members travelling with Anil Menon aboard the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft?
6. When are Anil Menon, Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina scheduled to return to Earth after their mission aboard the International Space Station?

Important Vocabulary

1. Ambitious – requiring great effort and aiming for significant success.
2. Tariff – a tax imposed on imported or exported goods.
3. Phytosanitary – relating to the protection of plants from pests and diseases.
4. Quota-based – limited or regulated by a fixed quantity.
5. Affidavit – a written statement confirmed by oath for legal use.
6. Constitution – the supreme set of laws governing a country.
7. Implemented – put into effect or carried out.
8. Scheduled – officially included in a recognised list.
9. Cosmonauts – astronauts trained by Russia for space missions.
10. Dock – to connect a spacecraft with another spacecraft or station.
11. Lifted – launched or rose into the air.
12. Operated – controlled or managed.

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