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

Editorial 1: Trade deals will bring opportunities for Indian agriculture. But there will also be challenges

Introduction

India’s trade performance in FY25 showed resilience amid global uncertainties like shifting US tariffs and geopolitical tensions. Total exports goods and services combined  rose to  6.5% .

Agricultural Exports: Slow Growth Amid High Potential

• Agriculture employs over 46% of India’s workforce, yet its export growth remains sluggish.
• In FY25, agricultural exports rose modestly to $52 billion from $48.9 billion in FY24 — a 6.3% increase. This is far below the $100 billion target set for 2030.
• Historically, between FY05 and FY14, agri-exports grew at 20% annually.
• But between FY15 and FY25, growth slowed to just 2.3% per year. As a result, India’s agri-trade surplus fell sharply from $27.7 billion in FY14 to $13.8 billion in FY25.

Export Controls: A Double-Edged Sword

• India’s frequent export restrictions, especially on essentials like rice, wheat, sugar, and onions, have disrupted trade momentum. These are often used to control domestic inflation but hurt export consistency.
• Rice is India’s top agricultural export. In FY25, India exported 20.2 million metric tonnes (MMT) of rice worth $12.5 billion  nearly 25% of total agri-exports.
• Despite export bans and duties in FY23 and FY24, rice exports rebounded once restrictions were lifted in late 2024.
• India commands one-third of the global rice trade and can influence global prices.Experts suggest applying a moderate export tax (10–15%) to balance export volumes and maintain profitable prices.

Sustainability Concerns

• Rice cultivation is highly water-intensive.
• Producing 1 kg of rice consumes 3,000–5,000 litres of water.
• Based on FY25 export volumes, India effectively exported around 40 billion cubic metres of water a major concern given the country’s water stress.
• Heavy subsidies on water, electricity, and fertilisers also distort true production costsand environmental impacts.

Need for Investment in Sustainable Productivity

• To enhance competitiveness and boost agricultural exports, India must invest in improving farm productivity through sustainable methods.
• This includes increasing research and development in agriculture, adopting advanced seed technologies, expanding irrigation networks, and ensuring the efficient use of fertilisers.
• Additionally, promoting modern practices like precision farming and fertigation,which involves applying fertilisers through micro-irrigation can significantly reduce input costs, enhance crop yields, and ensure long-term environmental sustainability.

Reducing Dependence on Edible Oil Imports

• India’s agri-imports rose to $38.2 billion in FY25, with edible oils making up nearly half ($17.3 billion).
• With 55–60% of oil consumption met by imports, India must focus on domestic oil palm cultivation, which offers high yields but has a 4–6 year maturity period.
• During this time, small farmers need financial support. A regulated plantation model involving private investment and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) can ensure sustainable development.

Conclusion

Export growth is hampered by inconsistent policies and sustainability issues. With a consistent trade strategy and long-term investments in sustainable farming practices, India can boost agri-exports, support farmers, and become a leading force in global agricultural trade.

 

Editorial 2: Redrawing caste lines

Context

A properly conducted caste census offers a rare chance to ground policy in reality. But it must be used to serve inclusive governance, not fuel political fragmentation.

The forthcoming census

• The current government’s decision to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming Census must be welcomed, but with enormous caution and with our fingers crossed.
• Given the propensity of our political class to use caste for narrow and short-term electoral gain, a lot of scepticism about the matter is warranted.
• The rationale for a caste census ought to be based on two considerations.
• First, however complex caste is, it cannot be ignored as it impinges on every aspect of life in this country.
• Counting and collating social reality is inherently good for administrative purposes.
• The second consideration is the other side of the coin that we must end bothpolicymaking and arguments relying on “guesstimates” of the socio-economic status of the castes.

A daunting journey

• The 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) makes hard to judge whether it was in bad faith, or if it ran aground as the complexities of caste were too many.
• One problem is the sheer number of castes to be enumerated, and the other, the confusion over some caste names.The forthcoming enumeration has reportedly taken into account these problems.
• The tenacity of caste is another problem that’s been bedevilling India’s social policy.
• Be it formulating rights and privileges, or giving effect to those rights.
• For  example, in the form of granting quotas the state is becoming a handmaid to society:
• Instead of being guided by norms and ideals that the Constitution enshrines, the state merely acquiesces to the agenda set by society. Hence, the demand for a caste census.
• The numbers game must give us two nightmares. On the electoral/ political plane, the fine slicing of society into a few thousand pieces will ultimately result in political instability.
• The second nightmare is administrative. It is not merely a matter of facing more demands for quotas or sub-quotas.
• Even after adding copious portions of good faith to the exercise, the end result will be contentious.

Challenge can be an opportunity

• Be that as it may, the challenge can also be an opportunity if the government is willing to bring about a paradigm shift.
• Since 1935, when the Dalits and tribals were christened respectively as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/STs), all law-making and policy formulation on quotas have miraculously been in sync with the caste divisions prescribed by Manusmriti.
• In the context of the four-fold caste system, the “top” three (the so-called twice-born) castes are now classified as Economically Weaker Sections (EWSs), the fourth cluster (Shudras) is identified as Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and the Most Backward Classes (MBCs). Those outside the caste fold are the SC/STs.

Suggestions

• Of course, the clustering of castes for granting quotas is an administrative exercise, not a matter related to the Constitution or the census enumeration.
• However, since this counting is taking place in the context of quotas, while counting castes for what they are, the collection of household data needs to be expandedso that the categorisation of households based on their backwardness becomes possible.
• This will enable an OBC category to encompass not only the Shudra households but also upper caste households.

Conclusion

A re-categorisation of households of the 4,000 or so castes into three or four groups based on socio-economic criteria could bring about some sanity to our politics and governance.