The Hindu Editorial Analysis : 29th October 2025

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.

EC launches SIR 2.0 in 12 States and Union Territories

• The Election Commission (EC) has started the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in 12 States and Union Territories, including election-bound Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and West Bengal.
• This revision will cover about 51 crore voters. After the announcement, the voter lists in these regions were frozen from Monday midnight — meaning no new changes can be made until the revision is completed.
• Assam will not take part in this phase. The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said this is because Assam has special citizenship rules and a Supreme Court-supervised citizenship verification process going on. The EC will issue a separate order for Assam later.
• The SIR 2.0 process will take place in:
  Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and West Bengal.
• The ruling parties in Tamil Nadu (DMK) and West Bengal (Trinamool Congress) have raised concerns about how the voter list revision will be done in their States.
• In Bihar, during the first SIR phase, over 68 lakh names were deleted from voter lists after verification and mapping of voter data.
• Most States last carried out such voter list revisions between 2002 and 2004, and they have now almost completed mapping current voters based on those earlier records.
• Voter mapping helps to standardize addresses, fix mistakes, and ensure each voter is correctly linked to their polling station.
• The second-phase house-to-house verification will take place from November 4 to December 4, and the draft voter lists will be published on December 9.
• People can submit claims and objections about the draft lists from December 9 to January 8 to correct or update their voter details.
• Hearings and verifications of these claims will be done between December 9 and January 31, to make sure all corrections are completed properly.
• Booth-level officers will receive training, and all necessary forms will be printed between October 28 and November 3, before the fieldwork begins.
• The final revised voter lists will be released on February 7, marking the end of the second phase of the SIR process.
• The CEC clarified that Kerala’s request to postpone the SIR due to local body polls was not accepted, as the poll notification has not yet been issued.
• Regarding West Bengal’s objections, the CEC said the Election Commission has a constitutional duty to carry out the revision and that State governments must provide support and manpower.
• When asked about new voter ID cards, the CEC said only voters whose details have changed will get new EPIC cards — others will continue using their existing ones.

Cyclone to hit Andhra coast on Tuesday evening; red alert issued in 16 districts

• A severe cyclonic storm named Montha is expected to hit the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada on Tuesday evening or night.
• According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), wind speeds could reach 90–100 kmph, gusting up to 110 kmph, and a red alert has been issued for 16 districts on Tuesday.
• The cyclone has already caused heavy rains in three north coastal districts and moderate rainfall in other areas of Andhra Pradesh on Monday, affecting many places.
• Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, and Anakapalli districts saw moderate to heavy rain between 8:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Monday, leading to waterlogging in some parts.
• Central and southern coastal regions had light showers, while Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu instructed officials to ensure timely relief and assistance.
• Rainfall data showed Jathara (Visakhapatnam district) received the highest rainfall of 92.25 mm, followed by Madhurawada (86 mm) and Kapuluppada (85.25 mm).
• Other areas in Visakhapatnam recorded around 70–80 mm, while in Anakapalli district, Sabbavaram got 67.5 mm and Rajam had 62.5 mm rainfall.
• The IMD continued to issue alerts for SPSR Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla, Guntur, Krishna, West Godavari, Konaseema, Kakinada, Anakapalli, Visakhapatnam, and Vizianagaram until Tuesday morning.
• For Tuesday, red alerts were announced for 16 districts, and orange alerts for five, predicting extremely heavy rainfall in most parts of Andhra Pradesh.
• Except for SPSR Nellore and eight Rayalaseema districts, all others are under red alert, as the storm is expected to become stronger by Tuesday morning.
• The IMD said the cyclone is moving northwest at 13 kmph over the west-central and southwest Bay of Bengal, keeping its strength through Monday evening.
• At 8:30 p.m., the cyclone was located 400 km east-northeast of Chennai, 410 km south-southeast of Kakinada, and 460 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam.
• It was also about 640 km south-southwest of Gopalpur, Odisha, and may get stronger before crossing the Andhra coast on Tuesday evening.
• The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) warned of high sea waves (2.0–4.7 metres) along the Andhra coast from 5:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Monday, affecting areas from Nellore to Srikakulam. Fishermen and coastal residents have been asked to stay alert.
• INCOIS also said a storm surge about one metre high above the usual tide level could cause flooding in low-lying areas along the Andhra coast.
• Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu held a review meeting on Monday and ordered officials to release hourly updates and share real-time information about the cyclone.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi also checked on the situation, asked about the State’s preparedness, and assured full support from the Central Government.
• Naidu directed that satellite phones and extra mobile towers be deployed. Around 3,211 generators have been arranged to provide backup power in 2,707 villages across 110 mandals.
• He also ordered NDRF and SDRF teams to stay ready, and told Fire Services, Electricity, and Panchayat Raj departments to stay on high alert.
• Officials were instructed to quickly repair roads, power lines, and clear fallen trees to keep basic services running after the cyclone.
• Naidu also emphasized cleanliness and hygiene to stop disease outbreaks after the storm. Medical teams and ambulance services (108 and 104) were asked to stay ready.
• Special arrangements were made for pregnant women and new mothers to receive medical help quickly during and after the cyclone.
• He also ordered the evacuation of people living in dangerous coastal areas and their relocation to safe shelters.
• All departments have been told to work together and maintain constant communication to ensure smooth rescue, relief, and medical operations across the State.

Supreme Court slams States for ignoring its order on stray dogs

• The Supreme Court has strongly criticised States and Union Territories for not following its August 22 order on stray dog sterilisation, deworming, and vaccination.
• A three-judge Bench led by Justice Vikram Nath has ordered the Chief Secretaries of all States and UTs to appear in court on November 3, as they failed to submit compliance reports.
• The Bench, which also includes Justices Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria, said the lack of action is damaging India’s image, since stray dog attacks continue across the country.
• So far, only Telangana, West Bengal, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) have submitted their reports, and these have been exempted from personal appearance.
• All other Chief Secretaries must come to the Supreme Court at 10:30 a.m. on November 3 and explain why they did not follow the earlier order.
• The Court also said that Delhi’s Chief Secretary must appear too, because MCD’s report alone is not enough for the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.
• Justice Vikram Nath questioned Additional Solicitor-General Archana Pathak Dave on why the Delhi Government still hasn’t filed its report, even though the order was passed in Delhi itself.
• The Bench reminded everyone that States were given almost eight weeks since August to implement the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
• The ABC Rules require local authorities to catch, sterilize, vaccinate, and then release stray dogs to control their population and prevent rabies.
• The Supreme Court said it is not satisfied with the States’ lack of action and announced that a detailed order will be issued in the next hearing scheduled for next week.

Important Questions

1. What reason did Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar give for Assam’s exclusion from the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)?
2. When will the final revised electoral rolls be published as part of the SIR 2.0 process?
3. What was the maximum wind speed forecasted by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for Cyclone Montha?
4. How did the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) warn coastal residents about high waves and storm surges?
5. Why did the Supreme Court summon the Chief Secretaries of States and Union Territories to appear on November 3?
6. What do the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023 require local authorities to do for managing stray dog populations?

Important Vocabulary

1. Enumeration – systematic counting or listing of people or items.
2. Objections – complaints or disagreements raised about something official.
3. Manpower – workers or human resources available for a task.
4. Discrepancies – differences or mismatches found between two sets of data.
5. Gusting – blowing or moving suddenly and strongly.
6. Surge – a sudden strong rise, often referring to water levels.
7. Evacuation – moving people from a dangerous area to a safer one.
8. Coordination – organizing people or departments to work together smoothly.
9. Compliance – following a rule, law, or order.
10. Affidavit – a written statement confirmed by oath, used as evidence.
11. Implementation – putting a law, rule, or plan into action.
12. Mandate – an official command or instruction to do something.

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