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

Editorial 1: The panchayat raj movement is in distress

Context

Panchayats now operate in a very different development paradigm.

 

Introduction

The special discussion in Parliament on the 75th anniversary of the Indian Constitution has long passed. While several salient aspects of the Constitution and policy directions adopted by previous governments were highlighted, one heard very little on a vital aspect of governance in India.

 

73rd Amendment to the Constitution

• Landmark in India’s Constitutional journey: The 73rd amendment to the Constitution, passed in 1992, is one of the landmarks of India’s journey as a constitutional republic, establishing the panchayati raj system.
• Stalled Progress in local governance: However, the momentum towards deepening local governance in India has stalled.
• Challenges from technology and society: Big shifts in both technology and society are threatening to make panchayats irrelevant, unless we are prepared to rethink their role.
• Institutionalising Decentralisation: The 73rd amendment initiated the process of institutionalising decentralisation in rural India.
• Three-Tier system: The three-tier system, at the village, block, and district levels, with a regular cycle of local elections and 50% reservation for women, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes, kicked off a movement that took democracyto the grassroots, thus emphasising the importance of local representation and inclusion in political leadership.

 

There is one bright spot

• Keenly contested elections: Panchayati raj elections are now keenly contested in many parts of the country.
• Success Stories – Women’s Leadership: There have been many success stories — possibly the most notable of them being the scale of women’s participation in leadership (nearly 14 lakh elected women representatives).
• Financial Support – State Finance Commissions: The Constitution also mandated State Finance Commissions to recommend the quantum of funds that should flow to local governments as well as the administrative mechanisms by which it should take place.
• Role in social sector Programmes: Various social sector programmes are now implemented through local governments, particularly gram panchayats (village-level local government).

 

Distress in the Panchayati Raj Movement

• Decline in public participation: There are several reasons such as a decline in public participation.
• Overdependence on Centrally Sponsored Schemes: Overdependence on centrally sponsored schemes.
• Politicisation of Panchayati Raj: Politicisation through the engagement of political parties.
• Challenges Even in Pioneer States: Equally important factors behind the steady decline of panchayats even in pioneer States such as Kerala.

 

Systemic Challenges and Changing Development Paradigm

• Longer-Term systemic factors: But one must look at the longer-term systemic factors that have affected the evolution of the panchayati raj movement in India.
• Changing Development Paradigm: Panchayats now operate in a very different development paradigm from when they were originally introduced.
• Risk to the Panchayati Raj Spirit: There is now a real risk that the spirit of the panchayati raj movement will die.

 

A decline, the big shifts

• Administrative decentralisation plateaued: In order to function effectively, State governments need to devolve staff to local governments and cede administrative control. The flow of untied grants to local governments needs to increase to enhance autonomy in local decision-making. A report in 2022 by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj showed that less than 20% of States have devolved all 29 subjects listed in the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution.
• Erosion of fiscal autonomy: Panchayats have been forced to cede fiscal autonomy over recent years. Direct transfers to panchayats increased from ₹1.45 lakh crore under the Thirteenth Finance Commission (2010-15) to ₹2.36 lakh crore under the Fifteenth Finance Commission (2021-26). However, untied grants have reduced from 85% to 60% over the same period. Further, these direct transfers are being used by the central government to marginalise State governments, while tied grants allow for more control through central government functionaries and central scheme guidelines.
• Reimagining the welfare state: A reimagination of the welfare state in India has taken root over the last few years, with an overt reliance by political parties on cash transfers to woo the electorate. The Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) platform has reduced the role of gram panchayats as intermediaries for beneficiary selection or grievance redress. For instance, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, which disburses ₹6,000 annually to farmers, operates through direct transfers without active involvement of panchayati raj institutions. While efficient, this model reduces the local accountability that panchayats traditionally provided.
• Impact of rapid urbanisation: Rapid urbanisation has significantly affected panchayati raj institutions. In 1990, nearly three-quarters of India lived in rural areas, which has now decreased to around 60% and is steadily declining. This shift in population has led to a policy focus on urban development, with municipal reforms in governance and financing becoming a top priority.

 

Ways to revive the system

• Panchayats as Last-Mile Delivery Instruments: Over the last decade, the view from the top increasingly treats panchayats merely as last-mile delivery instruments for social sector schemes in rural India. This view of local governance is not conducive to a revival of panchayats in the country.
• Need for Reviving Local Governance: While electoral politics at the panchayat level and the power of representation will prevent panchayats from withering away soon, local governance in rural India needs to be revived in substantive terms. 94 crore Indians still live in villages, and over 45% of the population is still engaged in agriculture. Rural India — or Bharat — cannot be overlooked.
• Leveraging Technology for Citizen Engagement: With advancements in technology, citizen engagement in local planning, decision-making, and accountability processes will deepen. A networked panchayati raj system could help bridge the rural-urban divide, support safe and dignified internal migration, and aid both migrants and their families that stay behind.
• Role in Water Conservation and Renewable Energy: Panchayats could play a role in water conservation and renewable energy generation at scale. They can reclaim their role in the management of common property resources, blending scientific practices, traditional knowledge, and public finances.
• Community-Based Disaster Risk Management: Panchayats can also play a key role in implementing community-based disaster risk management programmes, integrating early warning systems, disaster-resilient infrastructure, and capacity-building for residents.

 

Conclusion

We need to look further out and talk more to people. In order to reestablish the momentum behind local governance reforms and to support what is still a significant proportion of India’s population that lives in its villages, we need to adopt a new vision for panchayati raj in India.

 

Editorial 2: Interpreting the recent Bangladesh-Pakistan thaw

Context

With the count of hostile neighbours growing, India needs to be both vigilant and constructive in its ties with Bangladesh

 

Introduction

The bitter legacy of the 1971 liberation war, where Bangladesh split from Pakistan, has long steered the nature of ties between Dhaka and Islamabad. However, recent bilateral engagement between the two sides demonstrates Dhaka’s intent to diversify its foreign policy trajectory in the subcontinent. Since August 2024, after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government following a student-led revolt, there have been several meetings between Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser to the interim Bangladesh government, and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. In contrast, the absence of any engagement between Mr. Yunus and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi sheds light on this shifting equation.

Geopolitical Shift in South Asia

• Impact of Ms. Hasina’s Ousting: The ouster of Ms. Hasina set the stage for a potential recalibration in the region, creating concerns for New Delhi.
• Ms. Hasina’s Tenure and Strained Relations: During her 15-year tenure, bilateral relations with Pakistan remained strained, partly due to her family’s historic grievances against Pakistan’s ruling class. Her close alliance with India further contributed to frosty ties with Islamabad, peaking in 2016 with diplomatic expulsions.
• Strengthening Ties Under Mr. Yunus: Under Mr. Yunus, there has been strengthening ties with Pakistan. Key developments include:
  1. Hosting of a high-level Pakistani military delegation in Rangpur, near the Siliguri Corridor.
  2. Visit by Lt. Gen. S.M. Kamr-ul-Hassan to Rawalpindi to meet Pakistan’s military leadership.
  3. Resumption of direct flights between Dhaka and Islamabad.
  4. Participation in Pakistan’s Aman 2025 naval exercises, with Bangladesh deploying a major warship to Pakistan for the first time in over a decade.
• Symbolic or Meaningful Change? Despite the apparent warming of relations, the question remains: Will these interactions lead to meaningful geopolitical shifts, or will they remain symbolic with little tangible impact?

 

The ground realities

• Shift in Bangladesh’s stance on 1971: Mr. Yunus has watered down Dhaka’s demand for Pakistan’s apology for the “1971 genocide”, now seeking only a “resolution of the issues”. However, this shift presents challenges in managing public opinion.
• Deep-rooted historic grievances: Many Bangladeshis view the separation from Pakistan as a bedrock of their national identity. Without addressing this historic grievance, substantial diplomatic progress remains unlikely. This is especially true if Islamabad continues to frame the 1971 war as an Indian conspiracy, rather than recognizing it as a separatist movement driven by Bengali identity and opposition to West Pakistan’s excesses.
• Limited strategic and economic gains: From an economic and strategic perspective, a partnership with Pakistan offers limited benefits for Dhaka. There is a misalignment between the economic realities of both nations, and their geographical separation by Indian territory creates connectivity and political hurdles for smooth trade.
• India’s strategic response: India is closely monitoring the situation, viewing Pakistan’s diplomatic manoeuvres as an attempt to counter New Delhi’s influence in Dhaka after Ms. Hasina’s ouster.
• India’s warming ties with the Taliban: Interestingly, these shifts coincide with India’s unprecedented engagement with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, a traditional ally of Pakistan. In January, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of the Taliban government, in Dubai—marking the highest-level interaction between India and the Afghanistan since 2021.

 

The outline of New Delhi’s approach

• Growing hostile neighbours: With the count of hostile neighbours now growing, which includes the Maldivesand Nepal’s increasing alignment with China, does New Delhi have a new cause for concern?
• Economic and geographical realities: India’s approach to Bangladesh should be grounded in an understanding of the economic and geographical realities. Despite the evolving nature of Dhaka-Islamabad ties, Bangladesh will find it challenging to adopt an overtly anti-India stance, given its geographic proximity and economic dependence on India. India remains Bangladesh’s leading trading partner in the region. In 2023, Indian exports to Bangladesh were $11.25 billion, while Bangladesh’s exports to India stood at approximately $2 billion in 2023. Many of these imports, particularly raw materials, are crucial for Bangladesh’s industries.
• India’s vigilance on security: That said, India must remain vigilant:
  1. There is scope for an axis involving Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan.
  2. On the issue of security in its northeast States.
• Defining red lines: India must clarify its red lines with Bangladesh in critical areas such as terrorism, weapons trade, joint military drills, and maritime security.
• Constructive engagement: While remaining firm on these issues, New Delhi should also constructively engage with Bangladesh, laying an emphasis on people-to-people contacts, cultural exchanges, and developmental projects.
• Addressing critical issues: Both countries must also continue their cooperation on the critical issues of border trade and smuggling, water sharing and refugee concerns.

 

Conclusion

Maintaining this momentum will require New Delhi to proactively address prevailing anti-India and anti-Hindu sentiments in Bangladesh as well as capitalise on its economic engagement to reinforce its ties with Dhaka. Maintaining a constituency that is favourable to India within Bangladesh remains crucial for long-term strategic stability.