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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.
Job guarantee scheme to be driven by supply-side factors
- The Union government plans to introduce the Viksit Bharat Guarantee For Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin Bill in the Lok Sabha. This Bill will replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005.
- This is a major change in policy. Earlier, MGNREGA was demand-driven, meaning people could demand work wherever they needed it in rural areas. The new Bill will be supply-driven, meaning the government will decide in advance how much work is available and where.
- Under the new system, the government will decide a fixed budget for the scheme. The method for deciding this budget is not yet clear or publicly shared.
- Work will be given only in certain rural areas notified by the Central government. This is different from MGNREGA, where people could demand work anywhere in rural areas.
- The new Bill increases the number of guaranteed workdays from 100 to 125. But it also puts more financial responsibility on State governments.
- Currently, under MGNREGA, States contribute 10% of costs, while the Centre pays the rest. Under the new Bill, States will pay 40% of the total cost, which is a big increase.
- The government shared the draft Bill with Members of Parliament on Monday, saying it aims to create a rural development system in line with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
- Previously, under MGNREGA, the Centre paid all labour wages and 75% of material costs, leaving States with only a small share. This was a 90:10 cost-sharing pattern, which made it easier for States to run the program.
- The new Bill has different cost-sharing rules. For northeastern and Himalayan States, it will remain 90:10, but for other States, it will be 60:40. States like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir are in the special category getting more help from the Centre.
- Even though States will have to spend more, the Centre will have more control over how the scheme is run. It will decide how funds are divided, where work happens, and other operational details.
- Section 4(5) gives the Central government power to set yearly allocations for each State, using rules that only it will decide.
- Unlike MGNREGA, where allocations could grow if demand increased, the new Bill fixes allocations, regardless of how much work people actually need.
- Section 5(1) says the Centre will notify which rural areas will get the scheme. Employment can also be suspended during busy farming seasons so workers can focus on agriculture instead of public works.
- Technologies used in MGNREGA, like mobile app attendance, Aadhaar-based payments, and geotagging of worksites, will now be officially part of the law.
- The government says MGNREGA needs to be replaced because rural India has changed a lot in recent years.
- However, Nikhil Dey from Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, a key person behind MGNREGA, criticized the Bill. He said it reduces people’s right to work, gives more control to the Centre, and puts unrealistic financial pressure on States.
Centre proposes to send Bill seeking to replace UGC to joint committee
- The Union government on Monday proposed that the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025 be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee. This Bill aims to replace the UGC and reform higher education regulation in India.
- Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Bill amid protests from Opposition MPs. They argued that the Bill shows too much government control, reduces autonomy of institutions, imposes strict compliance rules, includes harsh penalties, and gives the Centre power to close institutions.
- MPs from Kerala and Tamil Nadu also objected to the Hindi name, saying it is unfair to non-Hindi speaking States and goes against federal principles.
- The Bill will merge UGC, AICTE, and NCTE functions under the new VBSA framework. Following objections, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government will send the Bill to a joint committee for detailed discussion, because it has far-reaching consequences.
- The Coordination Committee Against HECI (VBSA), a group of over 30 teacher and student organizations, said the Bill is similar to the 2018 Higher Education Commission of India Bill, which faced huge opposition. They said it could weaken public funding and reduce autonomy of institutions.
- The Bill proposes a 12-member VBSA commission that will oversee regulation, accreditation, and standards councils. The Bill also separates funding from regulation, giving grant power to mechanisms under the Ministry of Education. This could make funding more bureaucratic and influenced by politics.
- The Committee also noted that only two teacher representatives from State institutes will be part of VBSA, and both will be nominated by the Centre, limiting State influence.
SHANTI Bill permits private sector participation in building and operating nuclear power plants
- The Centre introduced the SHANTI Bill in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The Bill aims to allow private companies, Indian and foreign, to participate in nuclear power, replacing the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the CLND Act, 2010.
- The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025 sets a new system to regulate and expand nuclear power.
- It will create a parliament-accountable regulatory structure, remove the Nuclear Power Corporation of India’s monopoly, and limit compensation claims from operators to suppliers after accidents.
- The Bill also introduces legal safeguards for operators, including caps on penalties at ₹1 crore, even for serious breaches.
- According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Bill provides a practical civil liability framework, gives statutory status to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), and strengthens safety, quality, and emergency readiness.
- Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Science and Technology, said the Bill will reform nuclear rules, encourage private participation, and improve safety and governance.
- Currently, nuclear power makes up 1.5% of India’s installed power capacity and produces 3% of electricity. The government wants to boost clean energy, stabilize the grid, and reach net-zero emissions by 2070.
- The plan includes increasing nuclear capacity from 8.8 GW to 100 GW by 2047, launching a ₹20,000 crore project for small modular reactors, and building custom 220 MW pressurised heavy water reactors.
- According to M.P. Ram Mohan from IIM Ahmedabad, the Bill encourages innovation, aligns with global liability rules, and supports private nuclear energy projects. He said the Bill also clarifies old laws, which were unclear for domestic and foreign suppliers.
Important Questions
- How does the Viksit Bharat Guarantee For Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin Bill change the employment guarantee framework from demand-driven under MGNREGA to supply-driven with fixed allocations?
- How does the VB GRAMG Bill increase the States’ share of total expenditure from 10% to 40% and affect financial responsibility of State governments?
- Why do Opposition MPs describe the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 as showing “executive overreach” and reducing institutional autonomy?
- How does the VBSA Bill separate grant-disbursal authority from regulation and give funding control to mechanisms under the Ministry of Education?
- How does the SHANTI Bill, 2025 remove the Nuclear Power Corporation of India’s monopoly and allow private sector participation in nuclear power projects?
- How does the SHANTI Bill introduce legal safeguards for operators, including limits on liability and caps on penalties?
Important Vocabulary
- Legislative – relating to laws or making laws.
- Pre-determined – decided in advance.
- Normative – based on set standards or rules.
- Subsection – a smaller part of a section in a law or document.
- Autonomy – independence in decision-making.
- Subsumes – includes or absorbs into a larger entity.
- Deliberation – careful discussion or consideration.
- Pervasive – spread throughout or widespread.
- Liability – legal responsibility for something.
- Statutory – required by law.
- Privatise – transfer from government to private sector.
- Framework – a basic structure or system.
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