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

 

Editorial 1 : Cracks Beneath Urban “Development”

Context

Recent urban tragedies in cities like Delhi, Indore and Noida reveal deep-rooted governance failures despite visible infrastructure growth. These incidents highlight systemic apathy, weak accountability and neglect of routine administration, raising serious concerns about the quality of urban governance in India.

Core Issues Highlighted

Failure of Responsive Governance

Repeated incidents show delayed emergency response and poor grievance redressal.

Citizens’ complaints (contaminated water, unsafe infrastructure) often go unaddressed.

This violates the principle of citizen-centric administration.

Accountability Deficit

Responsibility is often shifted to lower-level actors instead of fixing institutional lapses.

This reflects weak internal accountability mechanisms in public administration.

The Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) emphasised that accountability must be systemic, not symbolic.

Neglect of Routine Administration

Excessive focus on new infrastructure (“concrete achievements”) sidelines:

Maintenance of existing assets

Safety audits

Regular inspections

CAG reports on urban local bodies have repeatedly flagged poor maintenance and asset management.

Infrastructure without Maintenance

Capital expenditure dominates urban planning, while operation and maintenance (O&M) remain underfunded.

According to NITI Aayog, inadequate maintenance reduces infrastructure life and increases disaster vulnerability.

Erosion of Civil Service Ethos

The pursuit of visibility and recognition undermines anonymity and neutrality.

As per ARC, civil servants must prioritise service delivery over publicity.

Structural Causes

Fragmented urban governance and weak municipal capacity

Staff shortages and poor skill upgradation at the local level

Absence of performance metrics linked to service quality

Weak enforcement of safety and environmental norms

Constitutional and Institutional Aspects

Article 243W: Mandates Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to ensure public safety and basic services

Right to Life (Article 21): Includes the right to safe living conditions

74th Constitutional Amendment: Yet to be fully realised in spirit due to inadequate devolution

Way Forward

Shift from Asset Creation to Asset Management

Mandatory safety and maintenance audits of urban infrastructure

Dedicated urban maintenance funds

Strengthen Accountability Mechanisms

Clear fixing of institutional responsibility

Time-bound action on citizen complaints

Professionalise Urban Administration

Capacity building of municipal staff

Use of technology for inspections and emergency response

Citizen-Centric Governance

Effective grievance redressal systems

Community participation in urban monitoring

Ethical Reorientation of Civil Services

Reinforce values of public service, empathy and responsibility

Align performance evaluation with service outcomes, not visibility

Conclusion

Urban development cannot be judged by infrastructure alone. True progress lies in safe, responsive and accountable governance. Unless routine administration, maintenance and ethical responsibility regain centrality, urban modernity will remain a fragile illusion, vulnerable to recurring tragedies.

 

Editorial 2 : Art, Witnessing and Accountability in Ongoing Conflicts

Context

The Voice of Hind Rajab (2025), a film based on the real-life killing of a six-year-old Palestinian girl and the ambulance medics who attempted to rescue her during the Gaza conflict. The article questions whether artistic “witnessing” is sufficient when large-scale violence and humanitarian crises continue with impunity.

Core Issue

The central concern is the gap between global awareness and accountability. Despite extensive media coverage, documentation, and artistic representation of civilian suffering, violations of international humanitarian law continue without meaningful consequences.

Key Arguments

Limits of Art as Witness

Art can document suffering and preserve memory, but it cannot replace political action and accountability.

In situations where violence is already globally visible, awareness alone is insufficient.

Impunity and Failure of International Mechanisms

The killing of civilians and medical personnel violates the Geneva Conventions, which mandate protection for non-combatants and humanitarian workers.

Continued violations highlight the weakness of enforcement mechanisms at the global level.

Contradiction in Global Response

The film’s global acclaim exists alongside continued military, financial, and diplomatic support to the actors accused of violations.

This reflects selective morality and double standards in international relations.

Risk of Moral Complacency

Engagement with art should not create a false sense of ethical satisfaction.

Symbolic condemnation without concrete action risks normalising injustice.

Other aspects

International Humanitarian Law (IHL):

As per the Fourth Geneva Convention, attacks on civilians and medical personnel are prohibited.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has repeatedly flagged attacks on healthcare infrastructure in conflict zones.

International Accountability:

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has emphasised state obligations to prevent acts that may amount to genocide.

However, enforcement depends on political will, exposing limitations of the current global order.

Ethics and Justice:

It raises the ethical issue of passive complicity, where inaction by powerful actors indirectly sustains injustice.

True ethical responsibility requires moving from empathy to action.

Way Forward

Artistic expression must be accompanied by policy pressure, diplomatic accountability, and civil society action.

States, international institutions, and global citizens must translate documentation into legal, political, and humanitarian outcomes.

Upholding human dignity requires not only witnessing suffering but actively challenging structures that perpetuate violence.

Conclusion

Art remains a powerful tool for justice, but it cannot substitute responsibility. In prolonged conflicts, ethical engagement demands action alongside awareness. Without accountability, witnessing risks becoming remembrance without justice.