The Hindu Editorial Analysis : 21st August 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.

SC Calls for Lasting Reforms at NTA

• The Supreme Court on Wednesday stressed that reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA) should be made a permanent part of the organisation. The court also said that the government should not keep forming one committee after another in the hope of finding solutions to the NTA’s problems.
• The court made it clear that the formation of the new Nandan Nilekani-led task force should not mean that the work and recommendations of the earlier committee headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K. Radhakrishnan are simply thrown away “lock, stock, and barrel”.
• The NTA has been under the Supreme Court’s watch since the NEET-UG 2026 question-paper leaks. The Centre has now formed a task force under Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to bring in new technology-based reforms and make public examinations conducted by the NTA safer and less likely to suffer from paper leaks.
• However, a Bench headed by Justice P.S. Narasimha repeatedly asked the Centre what it had actually done to put into practice the recommendations of the earlier Radhakrishnan Committee. That committee had suggested several steps to improve the NTA’s examination system and make the process more reliable.
• The court was hearing petitions filed by the Federation of All India Medical Association and the United Doctors Front. They argued that the 2026 NEET-UG paper leak was not an isolated incident but part of a “recurring, systemic, and catastrophic failure” of the NTA in conducting the medical entrance examination.
• Justice Narasimha warned that the government should not follow a system where one committee gives recommendations and then another committee is formed, which effectively removes the earlier committee’s work. He said, “It should not be that a committee gives recommendations, then a new committee is formed which removes the old one, lock, stock and barrel.”
• The court said that reforms in the NTA should be active, permanent and properly built into the organisation. They should continue even when new officers take charge, instead of depending on the people who were involved in introducing them.
• The Supreme Court said the NTA needs to develop and protect “institutional memory”. In simple terms, this means that the organisation should keep the knowledge, experience, lessons and good practices developed over time, even when its officers are transferred or replaced.
• Justice Narasimha said it should not happen that a committee suggests certain reforms, those reforms are used for one examination, and then senior NTA officers are moved out. If that happens, the reforms could disappear or be changed during the next examination.
• The court said there must be real and meaningful continuity in dealing with the NTA’s basic problems. The agency should not have to start the reform process again every time there is a change in its senior officers or leadership.
• The court also pointed to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) as an example of an organisation that has been conducting public examinations without facing similar problems. This showed the need for the NTA to build a strong system that can work properly over a long period.
• The 2026 NEET-UG question-paper leaks led to the cancellation of the examinations and left more than 23 lakh medical college aspirants affected and uncertain about their future.
• After the paper leaks, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation was ordered and several arrests were made in connection with the case.
• The NEET-UG paper-leak issue also led to protests across the country. There was also a police crackdown on students. The controversy eventually resulted in the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
• During the hearing, Justice Narasimha pointed out that the examination system has to keep changing because new challenges come with every examination. He asked Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, who was appearing for the Union government and the NTA, how the authorities were dealing with these new challenges.
• Justice Narasimha asked whether the NTA had built the infrastructure it needed, whether the required software systems were ready, and whether proper arrangements had been made for cybersecurity and storage of data.
• The court also referred to the August 4 affidavit submitted by the Union government. The affidavit contained details about several senior appointments that were proposed to be made in the NTA.
• Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta agreed with the court that there should be a “permanent mechanism” for bringing in reforms and making sure that those reforms continue in the future.
• According to Mr. Mehta, such a permanent system would help the NTA keep its institutional memory. This would make sure that important knowledge, experience and reforms are not lost when officers leave their positions.
• Mehta also suggested that former ISRO Chairperson K. Radhakrishnan could be requested to join the Nandan Nilekani-led task force. This could help keep the experience and recommendations of the earlier committee connected with the work of the new task force.
• Justice Narasimha, however, asked the Union government to first submit an affidavit explaining what steps it had taken to implement the detailed recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Committee.
• The court noted that the Radhakrishnan Committee had itself spoken about the importance of creating institutional memory within the NTA. Therefore, the recommendations of the earlier committee could not simply be ignored while starting a new reform process.
• Justice Narasimha said the aim should be to build a “vibrant institution for the country to be proud of”. He also said that the country and its institutions have the ability to achieve this goal if the reforms are properly carried forward.
• He again stressed that continuity in reforms is necessary. The improvements made in the NTA should be passed from one generation of officers to the next, so that valuable work is not lost whenever officials change.
• In its affidavit, the Centre described the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act of 2026 and the creation of the Nandan Nilekani-led task force as “landmark measures” to prevent question-paper leaks in the future.
• The Centre also said that any major structural change in the design of NEET-UG would be made only after discussions with, and approval from, the Union Health Ministry and the National Medical Commission (NMC).
• The Union government also assured the court that students would be given enough advance notice of any change in the mode or design of the examination. This means candidates would be informed well in advance if there is any major change in how the NEET-UG examination is conducted.
• Overall, the Supreme Court’s main concern was that the NTA should not depend only on new committees or temporary solutions. The court wants the agency to have a permanent and strong system of reforms, where useful recommendations are properly implemented, important knowledge is preserved, and improvements continue even when officers and officials change.

NMC Proposes National Licence for Medical Practice

• The National Medical Commission (NMC) has proposed a new registration system under which a doctor, once registered with a State Medical Council, would be allowed to practise medicine anywhere in India without having to get fresh registration or a separate licence in another State.
• Under this proposed system, every doctor would be given a Unique Identification (UID) number in the National Medical Register (NMR).
• The proposal is part of the draft Registration of Medical Practitioners and Licence to Practice Medicine (Amendment) Regulations, 2026, which was notified by the NMC on August 11, 2026.
• The NMC has invited objections and suggestions on the draft rules for 30 days from the date of notification.
• Under the proposed system, State Medical Councils would continue to check doctors’ applications and grant them registration and a licence to practise medicine.
• Once a State Medical Council approves a doctor’s registration, the details would be entered in both the State Medical Register (SMR) and the National Medical Register (NMR).
• The draft rules aim to amend the 2023 regulations that currently deal with the registration and licensing of medical practitioners.
• The registration process would be carried out through a single registration portal of the NMC’s Ethics and Medical Registration Board.
• The UID given to each doctor in the National Medical Register would contain the code of the State or Union Territory and the doctor’s SMR number.
• Once the State Medical Council gives registration and the Ethics and Medical Registration Board gives the UID, the doctor would not have to register again or get another licence to practise in any other State or Union Territory.
• The draft also proposes automatic electronic sharing of information between the National Medical Register and State Medical Registers. This means that if any change is made in one register, the same change would automatically appear in the other register.
• The National Medical Register would work as a central record of doctors’ registration details and would also contain information about disciplinary action taken against doctors.
• The NMR would include details of actions such as suspension, removal and restoration of a doctor’s registration.
• The National Medical Register would also show whether a doctor’s licence is active or inactive and would contain details of any disciplinary action taken against the doctor.
• The Ethics and Medical Registration Board and the NMC would have the power to ask State Medical Councils for records and monitor their work. This would be done to bring greater uniformity and transparency to the way doctors are regulated.
• The proposal keeps the five-year validity period of a medical licence.
• If a doctor does not apply to renew the licence within three months after it expires, the doctor’s registration would be marked as inactive.
• A doctor whose registration is marked inactive would not be allowed to practise medicine, and this inactive status would also be shown in the National Medical Register.
• Although the draft rules aim to create a common registration system for doctors across India, disciplinary matters would mainly continue to be handled by the State Medical Council of the area where the alleged professional misconduct, unethical conduct or medical negligence took place.
• The concerned State Medical Council would have the power to look into the complaint, conduct an inquiry and take a decision on the matter.
• The result of the disciplinary proceedings would be entered against the doctor’s credentials in the online register.
• If disciplinary action is recommended by a State Medical Council other than the council where the doctor is primarily registered, that action would still be shown in the National Medical Register.
• The disciplinary action would also be automatically updated in the State Medical Register of the council where the doctor is primarily registered, so that the information remains updated in both the State and national records.

Maharashtra Government to Assess Drivers’ ‘Working Knowledge’ of Marathi

• Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik announced on Wednesday that a drive would start from August 20 to take action against autorickshaw and taxi drivers who do not have a “working knowledge” of Marathi.
• Sarnaik warned that the licences of autorickshaw and taxi drivers who refuse to learn Marathi could be suspended or cancelled.
• He said that the ability of commercial vehicle drivers to understand and use basic Marathi would be checked during the drive.
• The complete process of checking a driver’s Marathi knowledge while giving new badges would be recorded on video.
• The State Transport Department will send notices to drivers who refuse to learn Marathi or are found breaking the rules.
• The notice will give such drivers one month to learn Marathi.
• If a driver still refuses to learn the language after this one-month period, the authorities will suspend the driver’s licence for three months.
• If the driver continues to refuse to learn Marathi even after the three-month suspension, the licence will be cancelled.
• Additional Transport Commissioner Ravi Gaikwad will lead the month-long drive against taxi and autorickshaw drivers who do not know Marathi across the State.
• RTO flying squads have been instructed through videoconferencing to check drivers and make sure that the amended rules are properly followed.
• Sarnaik again said that the main aim of the government is to promote Marathi and encourage people to use the language more in their daily conversations.
• He said that if any driver openly goes against the government’s order, it will not be tolerated and action will be taken against the driver.
• Before this, the government had run a 105-day campaign to encourage taxi and autorickshaw drivers who did not speak Marathi to learn the language.
• After this campaign, 1.65 lakh drivers received certificates showing that they had learned Marathi to the required level.
• In April, the government had also released a Marathi language guidebook to help drivers learn the language.
• The autorickshaw drivers’ and owners’ association led by Shashank Rao, along with Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam, criticised the government’s decision to start enforcing the rule immediately and called it “an injustice”.
• They demanded that drivers should be given more time to learn Marathi instead of making the rule effective immediately.
• Nirupam said that the government should not threaten the drivers or create a situation of conflict because the drivers were already worried about their livelihoods.
• Nirupam is widely seen as the north Indian face of the Eknath Shinde-led party in Mumbai.
• He also said that allowing RTO officials to check drivers’ Marathi knowledge could create another chance for corruption and harassment of drivers.
• The former MP said that Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik had agreed to consider his request and take his concerns into account.

Important Questions

1. What did the Supreme Court say about making reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA) permanent?
2. What did Justice Narasimha mean by developing and protecting “institutional memory” in the NTA?
3. What national registration system has the National Medical Commission (NMC) proposed for doctors?
4. What information about disciplinary action will be maintained in the National Medical Register (NMR)?
5. What did Pratap Sarnaik announce regarding the “working knowledge” of Marathi among autorickshaw and taxi drivers?
6. What concerns did the autorickshaw drivers’ and owners’ association and Sanjay Nirupam raise against the enforcement of the Marathi language rule?

Important Vocabulary

1. Permanent — continuing or lasting for a long time without ending.
2. Catastrophic — causing very serious damage or failure.
3. Infrastructure — basic systems and facilities needed for an organisation to function.
4. Continuity — the state of continuing something without interruption.
5. Registration — the process of officially recording or enrolling someone.
6. Disciplinary — relating to action taken for breaking professional rules.
7. Credentials — qualifications or records that establish a person’s professional status.
8. Misconduct — unacceptable or improper behaviour, especially by a professional.
9. Suspended — temporarily stopped from having a right, licence or activity.
10. Cancelled — officially ended or withdrawn.
11. Corruption — dishonest or illegal behaviour involving abuse of power.
12. Harassment — behaviour that causes repeated trouble, pressure or distress.

Download Online Mock Test Mobile APP

• Join Official Telegram Channel
• Join Official Whatsapp Group

Get FREE Study Materials & PDFs for IBPS , RBI, SBI, LIC AAO , LIC Assistant, NIACL & Other Exams Over the mail and Whatsappj