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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.
Trump claims India reduced Russian crude imports to appease him
- S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that India has reduced the amount of oil it buys from Russia in recent months. He claimed this was done to “make him happy” and to help India get a trade deal with the United States. He also warned that if India keeps buying Russian oil, more tariffs could be imposed “very quickly”.
- Backing Mr. Trump’s statement, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said that India’s Ambassador to the U.S., Vinay Kwatra, told him during a meeting in December 2025 that India was cutting down its oil imports from Russia. Mr. Graham said the Ambassador asked him to speak to Mr. Trump and request relief from the 25% tariff imposed by the U.S., along with the already existing 25% reciprocal tariffs.
- Graham said he had visited the Indian Ambassador’s residence about a month earlier. He said the main discussion was about India buying less Russian oil and a request to inform the President about easing the tariff. He added, “This stuff works,” while speaking at a press conference held by Mr. Trump.
- During the same interaction, Mr. Trump interrupted and said, “They [India] wanted to make me happy.”
- Trump also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “a very good man” and “a good guy”. He added that Mr. Modi knew he was unhappy and that it was important to keep him happy.
- He further said that India trades with the U.S. and warned that tariffs on India could be increased very fast, which would be harmful for India.
- The External Affairs Ministry (MEA) did not reply to questions seeking comments on the claims made by the U.S. leaders.
- In earlier statements, the MEA has called the U.S. decision to impose one-sided sanctions as “double standards”, pointing out that the U.S. itself buys Russian oil, uranium, and important minerals.
- Senator Graham did not mention the exact date of his meeting with the Indian Ambassador.
- It was noted that Mr. Kwatra hosted a group of U.S. Senators from both parties on December 2 at the Indian Embassy in Washington. Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator Richard Blumenthal were part of this group.
- Both Senators are the main supporters of a Russia Sanctions Bill introduced in the U.S. Senate. This Bill suggests compulsory tariffs of up to 500% on countries that continue to buy oil or uranium from Russia.
- Trump has repeatedly said on several occasions that India had promised to stop buying Russian oil “completely”.
Maduro Maintains Innocence, Asserts He Remains President
- Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty to charges of narco-terrorism in a New York court on Monday. This came two days after he was taken from Caracas by U.S. forces along with his wife, Cilia Flores.
- Speaking to a federal judge, Mr. Maduro said, “I’m the President of the Republic of Venezuela and I’m here kidnapped.” He added that he was taken from his home in Caracas, Venezuela.
- Cilia Flores also pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against her.
- The judge ordered that both Mr. Maduro and Ms. Flores remain in custody and fixed March 17 as the date for the next hearing.
- Late on Sunday, interim Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodriguez softened her earlier strong stand and said she was willing to work with U.S. President Donald Trump.
- Rodriguez invited the United States to work together on a plan for cooperation, according to her statement made in her role as the former Vice-President.
- When asked on Sunday what he expected from Ms. Rodriguez, Mr. Trump said the U.S. wanted full access, including access to Venezuela’s oil and other resources, which he said could help rebuild the country.
- Meanwhile, about 2,000 supporters of Mr. Maduro gathered in Caracas on Sunday. The group included men on motorcycles carrying rifles.
- At the same time, the Venezuelan military, which continues to support Mr. Maduro, said it recognised Ms. Rodriguez and appealed for calm.
- On Monday, Venezuela’s Parliament once again elected Jorge Rodriguez, the brother of Ms. Rodriguez, as its leader.
State police intensify social media monitoring
- Over the last five years, police forces across Indian States have spent a lot of effort on watching social media platforms, according to an analysis of police infrastructure data.
- The number of special police units meant only for social media monitoring increased from 262 across 28 States and eight Union Territories as of January 1, 2020, to 365 as of January 1, 2024.
- The largest number of these units are working in Bihar (52), followed by Maharashtra (50), Punjab (48), West Bengal (38), and Assam (37).
- In Manipur, where ethnic violence started on May 3, 2023, the number of police social media monitoring units increased from three on January 1, 2020, to 16 on January 1, 2024.
- This increase in Manipur happened even though Internet services were shut down in the State for nearly 140 days during 2023.
- Assam expanded its social media monitoring in a big way, going from just one unit in 2022 to 37 units in 2024.
- West Bengal also greatly increased its network, from two social media monitoring units to 38 during the same time period.
- Punjab doubled its capacity by increasing the number of monitoring units from 24 to 48 between 2022 and 2024.
- Earlier, social media monitoring units were either not counted separately or were included under cybercrime police stations.
- These units started working as separate sections from 2021 onwards, as shown in the Data on Police Organisations (DoPO) reports for the years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
- The yearly DoPO reports are prepared by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), which works as a police research body under the Union Home Ministry.
- Social media monitoring units began to be listed as a separate category in the DoPO reports from 2021, which included data for the year 2020.
- During the same period, the number of cybercrime police stations increased from 376 as of January 1, 2020, to 624 as of January 1, 2024.
- Police officials said that creating separate social media monitoring units was needed to track and stop new types of crimes happening on platforms like Facebook, X, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
- According to the 2024 DoPO report, police forces across States and Union Territories had 1,147 drones, up from 1,010 as of January 1, 2023.
- The report also said that there were 5,92,839 vacant police posts across the country, out of a total approved strength of 27,55,274 personnel.
- Out of the total approved strength of 27.55 lakh police personnel, the actual workforce included 3,30,621 personnel from Scheduled Castes, 2,31,928 from Scheduled Tribes, and 6,37,774 from Other Backward Classes.
Important Questions
- Why did U.S. President Donald Trump claim that India reduced its oil imports from Russia to “make him happy” and secure a trade deal?
- What did Senator Lindsey Graham say about India’s Ambassador Vinay Kwatra requesting relief from the 25% tariff?
- Why did Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro tell a New York court that he was “kidnapped” after being taken from Caracas by U.S. forces?
- What did U.S. President Donald Trump say the United States needs access to, including oil and other resources in Venezuela, during his remarks about Delcy Rodriguez?
- How did the number of police social media monitoring cells change from January 1, 2020, to January 1, 2024, according to the Data on Police Organisations (DoPO) reports?
- Why did police officials say that monitoring platforms like Facebook, X, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Instagram was necessary to prevent evolving crime trends?
Important Vocabulary
- appease – to calm someone or make them satisfied
- tariffs – taxes placed on goods coming from another country
- reciprocal – given or done in return
- unilateral – done by one side without agreement from others
- narco-terrorism – crime involving drugs and terrorism together
- pleaded – formally stated a response to charges in court
- interim – temporary or for a short period
- defiance – open refusal to obey or accept authority
- infrastructure – basic systems and structures needed for operation
- dedicated – meant for a specific purpose only
- sanctioned – officially approved
- vacant – not filled or unoccupied
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