What to Read in The Hindu Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

Editorial 1: More than symbolic

Context

We need strong laws to help reduce the consumption of unhealthy foods.

Introduction

In a proactive step towards public health, the Health Ministry has launched a campaign to display oil, sugar, and trans-fat content in popular Indian snacks. This initiative, supported by CBSE’s school-level interventions, aims to raise awareness about hidden dietary risks and address rising obesity rates by encouraging more informed and healthier food choices.

New Health Ministry Initiative on Indian Snacks

• The Health Ministry has directed all government departmentsto display the oil, sugar, and trans-fat content in popular Indian snacks such as:
  • Samosas
  • Jalebis
  • Vada Pavs
  • Laddoos
• Purpose:Raise awareness about the health risks of regular consumption of these foods.
• Pilot Launch:The initiative will begin at AIIMS Nagpur, followed by expansion to other cities.
• These labels are intended to act as “visual behavioural nudges”, similar to pictorial warnings on tobacco products.

Related Initiative by CBSE in Schools

• The CBSE had earlier asked all affiliated schools to set up ‘Sugar Boards’.
• These boards will display:
  • Recommended daily sugar intake
  • Sugar contentin commonly consumed items
  • Health risksof excessive sugar
  • Healthy dietary alternatives
• Goal: Educate children and reduce sugar intake from an early age.

Obesity Trends and the Need for Action

• Obesity in India is rising, as per NFHS data:
  • Among men: Increased from 15% (2005-06)to 24% (2019-21)
  • Among women: Increased from 12% to 23%during the same period
• Indian snacks often contain hidden fats and sugars, which are typically overlooked.
• Informing consumers is essential, but awareness alone is not enoughwithout legal measures.

Gaps in Regulatory Measures

• While local snacks are being targeted, packaged foods still lack clear front-of-pack (FOP) labels.
• Advertising and marketing of unhealthy foods to childrenremain largely unregulated in India.
• Global practicessuggest that:
  • Taxes on HFSS (high-fat, sugar, salt) productscan reduce consumption.
  • Warning labelsare more effective than other labeling methods.

FSSAI and the Need for Stronger Labelling Laws

• The National Multisectoral Action Plan (2017–22)called for:
  • Amendment of FSSAI Regulationsto include front-of-pack and detailed nutrient labels.
• FSSAI amended packaging & labelling rules in 2020, but:
  • It has yet to finalise thresholds for sugar, salt, and fat.
  • On July 15, the Supreme Court directed FSSAIto implement front-of-pack warnings.
• Studies by ICMR-NIN (2022)found:
  • Warning labelsand nutri-star ratings discouraged even moderate consumption of unhealthy food.
• While educational campaigns are a step in the right direction, they must be backed by:
  • Strict implementation of labelling laws
  • Regulation of food advertising
  • Fiscal policies like taxation
• Without strong legislative backing, such initiatives risk remaining largely symbolic.

Conclusion

While these awareness campaigns act as visual behavioural nudges, their impact will be limited without legislative support. Effective change demands the implementation of front-of-pack labelling, regulation of food marketing, and fiscal measures like HFSS product taxation. For meaningful public health outcomes, awareness must be coupled with robust policy enforcement.

 

Editorial 2: The U.S. established and extinguished multilateralism

Context

As a result, India must set a new path for itself and the Global South based on unity and shared progress.

Introduction

Donald Trump, the U.S. President, represents a bigger global change happening now—one that actually supports India’s rise. The United States has weakened the United Nations and reduced the power of the Global South to bargain together, and there’s likely no turning back. Instead of global deals, the U.S. now prefers one-on-one trade agreements, which are breaking up the global system. The power imbalance is so strong that no one objected at the BRICS Summit in July 2025. Although the BRICS Declaration was 31 pages long with 126 listed results, it ignored the decline of multilateralismand failed to push for more South-South cooperation. Today’s unilateral tariffs are not about global unity—they are used to pressure individual countries into making trade concessions.

The U.S. shock

1. Global Power Shift and the End of Multilateralism

• Former President Trump recognizes that the world in 2025 is very different from 1950 — the U.S. can no longer shape global rules alone.
• America’s focus is now on self-relianceand containing China’s global influence, not building international institutions.
• Over the last 25 years, global connectivity, trade, and sanctionshave replaced diplomacy through multilateral platforms.
• This shift leaves the world uncertain, as traditional global cooperation frameworks are weakening.

2. India’s Role in a Changing World

• India, with its young population, is on track to become the third-largest economy by 2027and may even surpass the U.S. by 2075.
• To adapt, India must move beyond multilateralismand focus on national growth and stronger ties within the Global South.
• India should clearly define ‘strategic autonomy’— meaning neutrality between major powers and independent voting in international forums.
• Diplomatic efforts must aim at gaining support for leadership roles in global bodies, as shown by India’s recent loss to Pakistan at UNESCO.

3. Path to Prosperity: Look East and Invest at Home

• India should seek ideas and trade ties with Southeast Asia, not depend too much on the West.
• Losses in U.S. trade(like steel exports) can be replaced by investing in infrastructure: roads, railways, energy, tech hubs, and research universities.
• Like China in 2013, India needs massive investment in infrastructureto achieve long-term, high growth.

4. India’s Strengths: Tech, Defence, and Diplomacy

• India is becoming a leader in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, especially in GenAI patentsand innovation.
• In defence, India is modernizing with missiles, drones, cyber tech, and satellites, reducing the need for large ground forces and giving more foreign policy flexibility.
• On the border front, India must move from conflict to dialogue, especially with China and Pakistan, aiming for peaceful settlementslike demarcating the Ladakh border.
• The key lesson is: growth, not war, must be the focus.

Conclusion

Summit as opportunity

The upcoming BRICS Summit in India in 2026 is a chance for the Global South to work together in new ways. Instead of relying on G-77’s old approach of asking the G-7 for support, the focus should shift to sharing growth among Southern countries. This can be done by changing trade rules and supply chains to help Southern nations export more and meet their own rising demand. These exports can be offered at the affordable prices already common in the South, without hurting local industries. This would be a big change, but no bigger than the rise of multilateralism in the 1950s.