What to Read in Indian Express Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

EDITORIAL 1: A test of trust

Introduction

Free and fair elections are the lifeblood of a democracy, and the electoral roll is its very foundation. Without an accurate, inclusive and credible roll, the process risks being undermined at its very start. In a country as large and diverse as India, where the electorate exceeds 960 million, the preparation and continuous updating of electoral rolls is an extraordinary logistical and democratic exercise. It is through these rolls that the principle of “one person, one vote” is given practical shape.

Role of ECI

• The Election Commission of India (ECI), constitutionally mandated to conduct free and fair elections, has over the decades placed emphasis on the integrity of the electoral roll.
• The Supreme Court has repeatedly underscored this, holding that free and fair elections form part of the basic structure of the Constitution, and that accurate voter lists are integral to that process.
• Transparency has long been the ECI’s guiding principle. From making draft rolls publicly available for claims and objections, to deploying technology for online search, to inviting political parties and civil societyto participate in verification drives, the ECI has tried to keep the process open to scrutiny.
• For decades, this openness was a source of immense public trust. Surveys by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) through the 1990s and 2000s consistently found trust levels in the ECI to be among the highest for any public institution, often exceeding 75-80 per cent.

The current scenario

• The current Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar is ostensibly part of this tradition. Through the SIR, the ECI aims to capture new voters, correct errors, and remove ineligible names through a de novo process.
• Around 2003-4, the ECI had taken a decision to stop making voter rolls de novo as by then most state rolls had been digitised and electronic voter cards distributed.
• This practice was followed by successive Commissions. Even the present Commission conducted the 2024 general elections with a summary revision,which meant that the existent rolls were cross-checked by door-to-door visits and additions and deletions made.
• The trust the ECI once commanded almost unquestioningly is now under greater public scrutiny.
• Allegations of executive overreach, perceived inaction in the face of violations, and reduced transparency have prompted debates about whether the institution is as fiercely independent as before.
• While the procedural architecture for transparency — such as draft roll publication, booth-level officer verification, and stakeholder consultation — remains in place, the perception of impartiality is as important as its reality.Reinforcing this trust is as crucial as ensuring technical accuracy.
• In the current SIR, the Commission has released a granular breakdown of deletions: About 65 lakh names removed, including 22 lakh deceased voters, 36 lakh permanently shifted or untraceable individuals, and 7 lakh duplicates. This precision in identifying and removing inaccuracies is laudable.
• However, the number of new voters added after this clean-up has not been made public — leaving an incomplete picture of the revision’s net effect. That is a serious omission, as the addition of bogus voters is a perennial complaint.

Way forward

• For an organisation that has built its reputation as one of the most respected election management bodies in the world, returning to its fullest, mostuncompromising version of transparency is not just desirable — it is necessary for the preservation of democratic trust.
• If the ECI truly believes “every vote matters”, it must prove it by showing every voter it has added — not just every name it has removed, and every duplicate voter it has detected.

 

EDITORIAL 2: Brain-eating Amoeba

Context

Three cases of the rare primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) have been reported in Kerala in recent days, leading to the death of a nine-year-old and infecting a three-month-old baby.

What is primary amoebic meningoencephalitis?

• PAM is caused by Naegleria fowleri, a free-living amoeba or a single-celled living organism.It lives in warm, fresh water and soil around the world, and infects people when it enters the body through the nose.
• Higher temperatures of up to 115°F (46°C) are conducive to its growth, and it can survive for short periods in warm environments.
• The amoeba can be found in warm freshwater, such as lakes and rivers, swimming pools, splash pads, surf parks, or other recreational venues that are poorly maintained or minimally chlorinated.
• The first case of PAM in India was reported in 1971, and the first case in Kerala was reported in 2016.

How does Naegleria fowleri infect people?

• Naegleria fowleri enters the body through the nose, usually when people are swimming. It then travels up to the brain, where it destroys the brain tissue and causes swelling.
• In a Kozhikode case in 2024, it was suspected that the girl was infected while swimming in a local river. However, the other children who swam with her did not get infected.
• Notably, people cannot get infected with Naegleria fowleri from drinking water contaminated with the amoeba. PAM is also non-communicable.

The symptoms

• In the initial stage, the symptoms include headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. Later on, the patient may have a stiff neck and experience confusion, seizures, hallucinations and slip into a state of coma.
• According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Most people with PAM die within 1 to 18 days after symptoms begin. It usually leads to coma and death after 5 days.

The treatment

• As earlier reported, scientists haven’t been able to identify any effective treatments for the disease yet.
• At present, doctors treat it with a combination of drugs, including amphotericin B, azithromycin, fluconazole, rifampin, miltefosine, and dexamethasone.

Past incidents of infection

• The first incident in Kerala was reported in Alappuzha in 2016, perhaps due to its large number of water bodies. Since then, infections have been reported in Malappuram, Kozhikode and Thrissur.
• Compared to a 97 per cent fatality rate for the disease globally, Kerala stands at 25 per cent.
• All reported cases in India had led to the patient’s death until July 2024, when a 14-year-old boy in Kozhikode district became the first Indian to survive the disease. He was only the 11th PAM survivor in the world.
• One of the reasons for the spike in cases in Kerala has been increased testing for acute encephalitis syndrome (AES)– a condition that can be caused by various diseases, including PAM – as well as other factors such as climate change and environmental pollution.

Conclusion

In the new cases, another possibility could be that the PAM was caused by a different category of amoeba, which is found in dust and soil, according to health department officials.