Table of Contents
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 revives ruling that struck down green clearances
- A three-judge Supreme Court Bench has taken back (recalled) its May 16 decision which had said that the Centre’s move to give retrospective environmental clearances to construction projects was completely illegal. The fresh judgment, given on Tuesday by a majority of the judges, overturns that earlier order.
- Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, who retires on November 23, wrote a separate opinion saying that if the May judgment continued, it would cause huge economic damage. He warned that thousands of crores already spent on major projects would end up being wasted.
- Justice K. Vinod Chandran agreed with the Chief Justice, forming the majority view. But Justice Ujjal Bhuyan strongly disagreed in a detailed 97-page dissent, saying the recall went against basic ideas of environmental protection and established legal principles.
- Justice Bhuyan said he felt deep pain that the Supreme Court was going back on strong environmental principles. He said protecting those who violate the law cannot be justified, especially when Delhi’s toxic air daily shows how pollution harms public health.
- Justice Bhuyan had earlier been part of the original two-judge Bench led by Justice A.S. Oka, which on May 16 had said that giving retrospective environmental clearances to regularise illegal constructions was absolutely unlawful under environmental law.
- The May ruling had cancelled the Union government’s 2017 notification and the 2021 office memorandum that allowed such retrospective clearances. The Bench had said these rules were cleverly drafted only to legalise projects that started work without proper environmental approval.
- The earlier Bench had held that the government was shielding illegal actions of project developers who began construction or operations without the required environmental clearance, violating laws meant to protect nature and public interest.
- Chief Justice Gavai argued that if retrospective clearances were removed now, many huge government and private projects already built or under construction would have to be demolished. This, he said, would lead to massive unemployment and loss of important public infrastructure used by communities.
- He questioned why entire structures should be broken down when instead, the violators could be punished heavily. He pointed to major ongoing projects such as SAIL investments, a 962-bed AIIMS in Odisha, a new airport in Karnataka, and a CAPF medical institute.
- The Chief Justice said that earlier court judgments had allowed ex post facto (after-the-fact) clearances in rare situations. He said such approvals may be permitted when required to balance larger public interest.
- He said the real question was whether tearing down and rebuilding huge projects actually serves public interest, or whether it would just cause massive waste, harming society more than simply penalising violators and allowing projects to continue with proper regulation.
- Justice Bhuyan rejected this way of thinking. He said the new judgment seemed to encourage the government to keep giving retrospective clearances to cover up violations, which would weaken environmental accountability and the whole system of compliance.
- He said it was wrong to create a false impression that environment and development are enemies. He stressed that environmental law cannot accept after-the-fact clearances because they go against the precautionary principle and the idea of sustainable development.
- Justice Bhuyan said protecting nature and ensuring development can go together under the Constitution’s idea of sustainable development. But retrospective clearances, he said, are completely unacceptable and damage environmental safeguards and long-term ecological balance.
Top Maoist leader Hidma and his wife among six killed in Andhra Pradesh
- Top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma, a Central Committee member and the commander of the South Bastar battalion of the CPI (Maoist), was killed along with five others in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh’s ASR district.
- Hidma’s wife, Madakam Raje, who was a Chhattisgarh State Zonal Committee member, was also killed in the early morning gunfight that happened between 6.30 a.m. and 7 a.m. near the Pamuleru stream at Nelloru village.
- The other four Maoists who died were identified as Deve, Lakmal, Malla, and Kamlu, who all served as Hidma’s personal guards. All six bodies were taken to the Rampachodavaram Area Hospital for post-mortem.
- Officials said many other Maoists managed to escape into the thick forest, and search operations are still going on. According to the police, this encounter is a major achievement in the fight against Naxals across several States.
- Inspector General of Police Sundarraj Pattilingam called Hidma’s death a “historic breakthrough”. Hidma had been involved in many deadly attacks, including the 2013 Jhiram Valley ambush, and had been active across the Dandakaranya region for decades.
- Security forces recovered two AK-47 rifles, fifteen electrical detonators, one hundred fifty non-electrical detonators, and several other weapons and ammunition from the encounter spot, showing the strength of the Maoist team operating in the area.
- Hidma was killed just twelve days before the November 30 deadline set by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had earlier asked anti-Naxal agencies to prioritise eliminating him in a major security review meeting.
- The Home Minister had earlier announced a target of March 31, 2026, to completely wipe out the Maoist problem. Sources confirmed he had directly instructed that Hidma must be neutralised before November 30—and this mission was completed.
₹30,000-crore modified UDAN scheme proposed
- The new version of the UDAN scheme includes a proposed budget of ₹30,000 crore to continue efforts to improve regional air connectivity beyond April 2027. The Expenditure Finance Committee is reviewing the plan before it is sent for final approval by the Cabinet.
- Of the ₹30,000 crore, ₹18,000 crore will go towards building new airports, and ₹12,000 crore will be used as viability gap funding (VGF) to support airlines and help expand airport infrastructure across the country.
- The scheme encourages building, upgrading, and expanding airports. It offers VGF and various concessions from airport operators and governments to improve air travel to remote and underserved areas.
- The expanded version of UDAN aims to solve earlier problems, push more private companies to take part, and improve air access to faraway regions, supporting the larger goal of strengthening India’s regional aviation network.
- Launched in October 2016 under the National Civil Aviation Policy, UDAN aimed to make flying affordable and improve regional connectivity by helping airlines operate routes to remote areas through supportive rules.
- The first UDAN flight was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2017 between Shimla and Delhi, with the government providing over ₹8,000 crore as initial support.
- So far, only 649 out of 915 approved routes have started operations. These routes have connected 92 unserved and underserved airports, including 15 heliports and two water aerodromes, but many airports still remain unserved.
- The next round of the scheme was announced in the 2025–26 Union Budget, aiming to connect 120 more destinations and enable travel for four crore passengers over the next decade.
- The revised scheme will support helipads and small airports in hilly areas, aspirational districts, and the Northeast. The Civil Aviation Minister said it will address regional challenges and improve access.
- The updated scheme aims to fix problems like land delays, technical issues, operational difficulties, licensing problems, shortage of suitable aircraft, leasing concerns, and maintenance challenges.
- UDAN works on a market-based model where airlines study demand and propose routes during the bidding process. This helps ensure that resources are used effectively to improve connectivity.
- Government data shows that over ₹4,300 crore has been given as VGF and ₹4,638 crore has been spent on airport development so far, enabling 649 routes, 93 unserved airports, and more than 1.56 crore passengers through 3.23 lakh flights.
Important Questions
- Why did Chief Justice B.R. Gavai warned that the May 16 judgment would cause “devastating economic consequences” for major ongoing projects?
- How did Justice Ujjal Bhuyan defend the 97-page dissenting opinion against the recall of the May 16 verdict on retrospective environmental clearances?
- Why did Inspector General Sundarraj Pattilingam describe the killing of Madvi Hidma as a “historic breakthrough” in anti-Naxal efforts?
- What weapons and detonators were recovered from the encounter site near the Pamuleru stream at Nelloru village?
- Why did the Expenditure Finance Committee begin reviewing the ₹30,000-crore UDAN proposal before final Cabinet approval?
- What land issues, technical constraints, and operational limitations does the modified UDAN scheme aim to overcome?
Important Vocabulary
- Retrospective – applying to something that happened in the past.
- Jurisprudence – the study or system of law.
- Pedantic – overly strict or rigid in following rules.
- Anathema – something strongly disliked or completely unacceptable.
- Encounter – a sudden or violent clash, usually between security forces and militants.
- Ammunition – bullets and materials used in weapons.
- Neutralization – eliminating or disabling a target so it can no longer operate.
- Ambush – a surprise attack from a hidden position.
- Viability gap funding – financial support given to make a project economically workable.
- Operationalised – made active or put into regular use.
- Aerodromes – places where aircraft take off and land; airports or airfields.
- Aspirational districts – districts identified by the government as needing faster development.
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