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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.
Centre combines 36 schemes to roll out farm plan
- The Union Cabinet has approved the PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) to increase farm production and encourage eco-friendly farming all over India. This scheme was earlier announced in the 2025-26 Union Budget by the government.
- After the Cabinet meeting, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that 36 schemes from 11 Ministries have been combined into PMDDKY, with ₹24,000 crore being spent each year for six years starting 2025-26 to run it.
- This new scheme will help 1.7 crore farmers. According to a government release, it plans to improve storage facilities after harvest at village and block levels, improve irrigation systems, and make getting farm loans easier.
- The scheme will combine 36 current schemes from 11 departments and also include State government schemes and local private companies. It will choose 100 districts with low production, low cropping, and low farm loan availability.
- At least one district in each State and Union Territory will get benefits under PMDDKY. The number of districts in a State will depend on its share of cropped land and number of farms, but every State gets at least one.
- This scheme is based on the Centre’s Aspirational District Programme. Minister Vaishnaw called it a first-of-its-kind plan that focuses only on farming and related work to boost growth and make India self-reliant in agriculture.
- Committees will be formed at district, State, and national levels for planning, running, and checking the scheme. Each district’s Agriculture and Allied Activities Plan will be finalised by District Dhan Dhaanya Samiti with farmers as members.
- Each district plan will match national goals like growing different types of crops, saving water and soil health, becoming self-sufficient in farming and allied work, and spreading natural and organic farming widely for better rural life.
- Progress of the scheme will be checked every month. The government hopes this plan will increase production, add value to farm products, create local jobs, boost domestic farm output, and make India self-reliant in agriculture.
- Abhishek Jain from CEEW said it is an important step to improve farming in districts that are not performing well by focusing not just on production but also on making farming strong with variety, allied work, and better water use.
- Abhishek Jain from CEEW suggested that districts should be chosen based on farm income per hectare every year instead of only looking at low farm loans. He said good farming systems should not depend too much on loans to run farm operations smoothly.
- He explained that as farmers start earning from different sources like allied and value-added activities and eco-friendly farming becomes common, their need for external loans will reduce, while their incomes will keep rising steadily.
Kerala Reports New Nipah Virus Infection Case
- Another person has tested positive for Nipah virus in Palakkad district of Kerala on Wednesday, which made health officials act quickly to stop the spread after four cases were reported in the last three weeks.
- The new Nipah-infected person is the son of a 58-year-old man who passed away due to the virus last Saturday. According to health officials, his initial positive result came from the Government Medical College Hospital laboratory in Manjeri.
- Health Minister Veena George said confirmatory tests will be done soon. Meanwhile, officials have started finding all people who met or contacted the infected person in the last two weeks to check and isolate them.
- A route map was prepared for where the infected person travelled recently. Quick measures were taken, and he was already isolated. Officials prepared his family tree to provide care and mental support to his family members.
- Minister Veena George shared that a total of 723 people are under surveillance for Nipah across Kerala, with 212 individuals quarantined in Malappuram district and 394 under observation in Palakkad district to stop further spread of this dangerous virus.
- On Wednesday, health workers conducted fever surveys in 1,568 houses in the Kumaramputhur area of Palakkad. Meanwhile, the National Institute of Virology in Pune collected samples from 150 bats for immediate and detailed testing.
- Authorities also decided that ration supplies will be delivered directly to 872 families living in the containment zone to meet their daily needs while strict isolation measures are maintained to stop the virus from spreading.
Madras High Court restricts bhajan singing at homes
- The Madras High Court has stopped people from using their house for Nama Sankeerthanam (devotional chanting) unless they get permission from the Collector, saying music that is divine for some can disturb others.
- Justice N. Anand Venkatesh said the law is equal for all religions and no one can use their house for group prayers without getting prior permission from the District Collector concerned to avoid disturbing the neighbourhood.
- He further mentioned that peace itself is the highest form of prayer and silence is the most powerful prayer, advising people to avoid loud prayers that trouble others and to realise this truth to keep harmony in society.
- This order came while hearing a petition filed by Prakash Ramachandran from Chromepet in Chengalpattu district, who complained that chanting of Nama Sankeerthanam at his neighbour’s house was disturbing the area.
- A private group named Global Organisation for Divinity (GOD) had set up its office in the house of T.S. Subramanian, where these group devotional chants were conducted. Nearby residents raised complaints about the disturbance caused by these prayer sessions.
- The respondents filed a counter affidavit saying they got consent from all other neighbours for their chanting activities and claimed protection under Article 25, which gives the freedom of religion under the Constitution.
- They argued that chanting God’s names gives peace of mind and cures troubles and sorrows, so their prayer activity was helpful rather than disturbing for the peace and mental wellbeing of the community around them.
- However, the judge said prayers should remain inside the four walls of one’s house and not cause noise or trouble to others, adding that neighbours should not be forced to go to court every time to raise such concerns.
Important questions
- What is the annual outlay of PMDDKY as mentioned by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw?
- How many districts will be selected based on low productivity, cropping intensity, and credit disbursement under the PMDDKY?
- How many people are under Nipah surveillance in Kerala as informed by Minister Veena George?
- Where were the samples from 150 bats sent for testing as part of the Nipah virus preventive action?
- In the Madras High Court case about loud devotional chanting at homes, which organisation had opened its office in T.S. Subramanian’s house for holding these group Nama Sankeerthanam prayer sessions?
- During the Madras High Court hearing on using residential houses for group prayers, under which Article of the Indian Constitution did the respondents claim their right to conduct devotional chanting activities?
Important vocabulary
- Augmenting: Increasing or improving something in quality, quantity, or strength.
- Convergence: Process of joining or merging different schemes, ideas, or actions.
- Operational holdings: Actual land areas used by farmers for cultivation.
- Diversification: The strategy of increasing variety in production to reduce risk and improve sustainability.
- Prompting: Causing someone to take quick action or causing an immediate response.
- Surveillance: Continuous close monitoring, especially for controlling spread of disease.
- Quarantined: Kept apart from others to stop an infectious disease from spreading.
- Containment: Action of controlling or limiting something dangerous or harmful.
- Restrained: Prevented from doing something or limited in action by law or authority.
- Congregational: Related to people assembling for religious worship or prayer.
- Affidavit: A sworn written statement used as legal evidence in court.
- Petition: Official written request submitted to a court asking for a legal action or decision.
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