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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.
Poll panel releases draft rolls for U.P.; 18.7% names deleted
- The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday released the draft voter list for Uttar Pradesh after finishing a special checking process called the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). During this process, 2.89 crore names were removed from the earlier voter list of the State.
- Uttar Pradesh had the highest number of deleted names in total among all States and Union Territories where this revision has been carried out so far.
- When seen in percentage terms, only the Andaman and Nicobar Islands had a higher share of deletions than Uttar Pradesh.
- Uttar Pradesh was the last State to release the draft voter list in the second phase of the SIR.
- Among other States and Union Territories covered in this second phase, the percentage of deletions was 15.19% in Tamil Nadu, 14.5% in Gujarat, 7.59% in West Bengal, 7.45% in Madhya Pradesh, 7.65% in Rajasthan, 12.88% in Chhattisgarh, 8.65% in Kerala, 10.12% in Puducherry, 8.44% in Goa, and 2.47% in Lakshadweep.
- Out of 15.44 crore voters listed in the earlier 2025 voter list, 12.55 crore names were kept in the draft list, according to Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa, who shared this information with the media in Lucknow.
- The remaining 18.7%, which is about 2.89 crore voters, were removed from the draft list for reasons such as death, permanent movement to another place, or having more than one voter registration.
- Among those removed, 46.23 lakh voters (2.99%) were found to be dead.
- A total of 17 crore voters (14.06%) were found to have either permanently moved away or were not found during the checking process.
- Another 47 lakh voters (1.65%) were found to be registered as voters in more than one place.
- Cities recorded the highest number of deletions in the State.
- Lucknow, the State capital, had the highest deletion rate at 30%.
- Ghaziabad, an industrial district near Delhi, was next with a 28% deletion rate.
- Gautam Buddha Nagar, another district close to Delhi, recorded 7% deletions.
- Prayagraj saw 24% deletions, while Kanpur had a deletion rate of 25%.
- The SIR process in Uttar Pradesh took 62 days to complete and was extended three times.
- At first, the process was supposed to end on December 11.
- The first extension increased the deadline by 15 days until December 26.
- The second extension pushed the deadline to December 31.
- The final extension allowed the work to continue until January 6.
- After the draft voter list has been released, a one-month period for claims and objections has now started.
- People who submitted voter forms but were not matched with the 2003 voter list will be called for hearings.
- Such people will have to show any one of the 12 documents approved by the Election Commission as proof of citizenship and residence.
- Rinwa said that the Election Commission has fixed a new limit of 1,200 voters per polling booth for future elections, reducing it from the earlier limit of 1,500 voters.
- To follow this new rule, about 15,030 new polling booths have been set up across Uttar Pradesh.
- Meanwhile, Opposition parties in the State claimed that many names were wrongly removed when voters shifted their homes from one place to another within Uttar Pradesh.
- The Opposition also said that the process put the responsibility on voters to prove their details within strict time limits.
Education Minister releases 55 volumes of literary works
- Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan officially released 55 books of literary works on Tuesday. These books include works in classical Indian languages such as Kannada, Odia, Telugu, Malayalam, and Tamil. A special sign-language version of the Tirukkural, written by the Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, was also released.
- He said that this release was part of a larger national effort to place India’s languages at the centre of education, research, and cultural pride.
- According to a government statement, out of the 55 books, 41 were published by the Centres of Excellence for Classical Languages working under the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL).
- In addition, 13 books and the sign-language version of the Tirukkural were published by the Central Institute of Classical Tamil.
- While releasing the books, Mr. Pradhan said that presenting the Tirukkural in sign language supports the idea of an inclusive India by making knowledge available to everyone.
- Pradhan said that language helps unite people and recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often said that all Indian languages are national languages.
- Pradhan also shared separate messages on social media praising the release of these books in different languages.
- In one message written in Tamil, minister said that the released works included six Malayalam translations of Sangam-era texts such as Purananooru, Pathitrupathu, and Pathuppattu, along with later works like Nanmanikkatigai, Nanarpattu, and Muthollayiram.
- The same message also mentioned that a Telugu translation of Silappathikaram, one of the five great epics of Tamil literature, was included in the collection.
- In another social media post related to the Odia books, Mr. Pradhan said it was a proud moment for Odia literature and culture.
- He said that texts like Charyapada and Madalapanji would help people better understand the rich vocabulary of the Odia language.
- He also pointed out that English and Hindi translations of these works would help readers who do not know Odia learn more about the history of Odisha.
- The Education Minister said that the Union government has taken many steps to strengthen and promote all Indian languages.
- Education Minister mentioned actions such as adding more languages to the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, translating classical texts into Indian languages, and encouraging education in Indian languages.
- He said that the National Education Policy 2020 supports this idea by promoting learning in Indian languages.
- Pradhan said that India remains a strong example of unity in diversity.
- Comparing this with the colonial-era thinking of Macaulay, he said that Indian civilisation has always seen languages as ways to connect people and build cultural harmony.
- He said that Indian languages have survived over time even though there were many attempts to destroy them.
- Pradhan ended by saying that India’s wide range of languages gives society the responsibility to protect the country’s history, culture, and literature and to make sure future generations understand and value it.
Venezuelan Parliament swears in Rodríguez as interim President
- Venezuela’s Parliament on Monday swore in Delcy Rodríguez as the interim President, two days after U.S. forces arrested her predecessor, Nicolas Maduro, and took him to New York for trial.
- Rodríguez said that she would work with the United States and took the oath of office during a ceremony in the National Assembly. She told lawmakers that she was taking the oath “in the name of all Venezuelans.”
- She said she was “deeply hurt by the kidnapping of our heroes, the hostages in the United States,” referring to Mr. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Both are facing drug-related charges in New York along with other Venezuelan officials.
- Parliament strongly criticised the arrest of the left-wing leader Nicolas Maduro. At the same time, the Parliament promised full support to Ms. Rodríguez after the U.S. military action that shocked both Caracas and the rest of the world.
- Outside the Parliament building, thousands of Venezuelans gathered to demand the release of their leader. They shouted slogans like, “Maduro, hold on: Venezuela is rising!”
- Inside the National Assembly, lawmakers gave their full support to Ms. Rodríguez, who had earlier served as Vice President under Mr. Maduro.
- Lawmakers also re-elected her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, as the Speaker of Parliament.
- Meanwhile, opposition leader María Corina Machado strongly criticised Ms. Rodríguez. She said that Ms. Rodríguez was “rejected” by the people and called her “one of the main people responsible for torture, persecution, corruption, and drug trafficking”.
- Speaking from a secret location in an interview with Fox News, Ms. Machado made her first public comments since the weekend. She said that she plans to return to Venezuela “as soon as possible.”
- Machado also said that she believed, “In free and fair elections, we will win by more than 90% of the votes.”
- Former S. President Donald Trump, however, played down the chances of Ms. Machado coming to power. He said that Ms. Machado did not have the “respect” needed to lead the country.
Important Questions
- Why were 2.89 crore names removed from the draft voter list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Uttar Pradesh?
- Which urban centres recorded the highest deletion rate during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Uttar Pradesh, and what was the percentage in Lucknow?
- How does the sign-language series of the Tirukkural support the idea of an inclusive India, according to Dharmendra Pradhan?
- What role do the Centres of Excellence for Classical Languages play under the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL)?
- Under what circumstances did Venezuela’s Parliament swear in Delcy Rodríguez as interim President?
- Why did María Corina Machado criticise Ms. Rodríguez during her interview with Fox News?
Important Vocabulary
- Intensive – done with great effort and detail
- Enumeration – the process of counting and listing people
- Verification – checking whether information is correct
- Objections – complaints raised against a decision
- Classical – related to ancient and traditional culture
- Heritage – traditions and culture passed down over time
- Civilisation – an advanced stage of human society
- Diversity – presence of many different kinds
- Interim – temporary, for a short period
- Denounced – publicly criticised or condemned
- Persecution – unfair treatment over a long time
- Narcotrafficking – illegal trade of drugs
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