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

Editorial 1: ​Upgrading shipyards

Context

Promotional incentives should provide assurance of long-term ship utilization contracts.

Introduction

The government’s ₹69,725 crore shipbuilding package aims to revitalise India’s maritime ecosystem by expanding merchant ship capacity to 4.5 million gross tonnage. It seeks to upgrade shipyards, promote ancillary clusters, and support shipowners with financing. The plan addresses India’s lagging shipbuilding capabilities despite past defence orders and previous policy failures.

New Shipbuilding Package: ₹69,725 Crore

• The government announced a ₹69,725 crore packageto revitalise India’s shipbuilding and maritime ecosystem, replacing the 2015 package set to expire in March 2026.
• Over the last decade, while defence orders kept some yards busy, only around half a dozen small merchant shipswere built in India.
• India’s capacity for large merchant ships remains very low, and the new package aims to increase it to 5 million gross tonnage.
• Key objectives:
  • Upgrade shipyards with modern technology and management practices.
  • Promote new shipyards in clusters, including factories for shipbuilding ancillaries.
  • Support shipowners in financing new builds.
• Challenges:The earlier package largely failed, raising questions about the success of this new initiative.

Global Shipbuilding Practices

• Countries like South Korea, Japan, and Chinause advanced methods:
  • Prefabrication of large ship componentsoutside the dry dock.
  • Components moved into dry docks using cranes of 1,000 tonnes or more.
  • Dry docks function as assembly lines, drastically reducing construction time.
• Globally, keel-to-waterbornetakes just 3–4 months, and a large ship can go from first steel to sea trials in ~1 year.

Challenges in Indian Shipyards

• Most Indian shipyards lack length, crane capacity, and spacefor prefabrication and modern assembly lines.
• Ancillary industries(suppliers of components) are insufficient, creating bottlenecks.
• Typical construction time in India is 2–3 years, delaying returns on capital.
• This has discouraged shipownersfrom ordering new builds despite previous subsidies.
• Shipyard upgrades under the new package aim to address these constraints.

Strategic Steps for India

• India must start small, focusing initially on ships of 500 gross tonnage and above.
• Declaring ship newbuilds as infrastructurereduces financing costs, but this currently benefits only large vessels.
• Long-term incentivesshould include:
  • Assured offtake contractsfor ships.
  • Time charters and long-term shipping agreements(e.g., for imported coal or crude).
• Missed opportunities:Green fuel projects in Kakinada and Kochi were not leveraged to build green ships or secure long-term offtake.

Key Takeaways

• Upgrading shipyards is essentialto reduce construction delays and cost overruns.
• Infrastructure-level incentivesalone are insufficient without long-term demand visibility for shipowners.
• Integrated planning—modern shipyards + trained manpower + guaranteed offtake—is needed for India to compete globally.

Conclusion

The success of India’s shipbuilding package hinges on modernised shipyards, advanced technology, and trained manpower. Equally crucial are long-term offtake agreements and integration with green fuel initiatives. Without these, delays, cost overruns, and limited investor confidence may persist, restricting India’s ability to compete in the global merchant ship market and achieve the target of 4.5 million gross tonnage.

 

Editorial 2: ​Shaping the next chapter of the Indian story

Context

The Prime Minister’s professionalism and dedication drive tangible results on the ground.

Introduction

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is widely praised for his charismatic presence and organisational leadership, yet his defining quality is the professionalism and relentless work ethic developed over decades, first as Gujarat’s Chief Minister and later as India’s Prime Minister. What distinguishes him is not flair for spectacle but a disciplined approach that translates vision into enduring systems, with action anchored in duty and measured by tangible impact on the ground.

A Charter for Shared Work

• The Prime Minister’s Independence Day addressthis year framed a charter for shared work, inviting citizens, scientists, start-ups, and States to co-author Viksit Bharat.
• Ambitions in deep technology, clean growth, and resilient supply chainswere outlined as practical programmes, with Jan Bhagidari (partnership between a platform-building state and enterprising people) as the guiding method.
• The simplification of GSTreflects this approach:
  • Reduced tax slabsand resolved friction points.
  • Lowered compliance costsfor small firms and accelerated benefits to households.
  • Focused on practical impacton the average citizen and trader, not just abstract revenue metrics.
• GST reforms exemplify cooperative federalism, with Centre and States debating rigorouslyyet adapting policies to evolving economic conditions.
• Policy is treated as a living instrument, tuned to the economy’s rhythmrather than rigidly preserved on paper.
• Personal anecdote: A 15-minute meetingwith the Prime Minister extended to 45 minutes due to his deep preparation, linking micro details with macro perspectives.
• This reflects his work ethic and standards, where thorough homework and disciplined attention to detail are norms he sets for himself and expects from the system.

A Focus on the Citizen

• India’s progress relies on systems designed for citizen dignity, anchored in digital identity, universal bank accounts, and real-time payments.
• These platforms ensure direct benefit transfer, reduce leakages, provide predictable cash flow for small businesses, and allow policy decisions driven by data rather than anecdotes.
• Antyodaya— prioritising the last citizen — serves as a litmus test for every scheme, programme, and decision at the Prime Minister’s Office.
• Example: During the launch of India’s first bamboo-based 2G ethanol plant in Numaligarh, Assam, the Prime Minister engaged engineers, farmers, and experts, asking pointed questions:
  • Same-day farmer payments.
  • Genetically engineered bamboofor faster growth and longer stems.
  • Indigenisation of critical enzymes.
  • Full economic use of all bamboo components— stalk, leaf, residue — for ethanol, furfural, and green acetic acid.
• Discussions extended to logistics, supply chain resilience, and global carbon footprint, with an emphasis on the last person in the chain being the first beneficiary.
• The same clarity guides India’s economic statecraft:
  • Diversified energy suppliers, firm purchasing, and consumer-centric strategiesensure security and affordability.
• National securityis approached without theatrics, with clear objectives, operational freedom, protection of innocents, and an ethic of hard work with outcomes speaking for themselves.

The Work Culture

• The Prime Minister’s working styleis distinctive, disciplined, and results-oriented:
  • Civil but unsparing discussions; competing views are welcomed, but drift is not tolerated.
  • After reviewing input, he distills complex dossiersinto essential alternatives, assigns responsibilities, and sets metrics for success.
  • The best argument prevails, not the loudest; thorough preparation is rewarded, and follow-up is relentless.
• Symbolically, his birthday coincides with Vishwakarma Jayanti, the day of the divine architect, highlighting the value of institution-building and durable systems.
• Enduring impact is measured by practical outcomes:
  • For citizens: timely services and fair prices.
  • For enterprises: policy clarity and credible growth paths.
  • For the state: resilient systems that improve under stress.
• This ethic of disciplined executiondefines Narendra Modi’s approach in shaping India’s next chapter.

Conclusion

Narendra Modi’s leadership combines vision, disciplined execution, and citizen-centric policies. Through shared work, data-driven governance, resilient systems, and institutional focus, he ensures tangible benefits for citizens, clarity for enterprises, and adaptability for the state. His relentless work ethic, preparation, and follow-up create enduring structures, making policy outcomes measurable, inclusive, and impactful, shaping India’s next chapter of development.