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

Editorial 1: Interrupted growth

Context

Government infrastructure spending remains a key driver of industrial growth.

Introduction

The recent slowdown in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) highlights how climate-related disruptions, especially erratic monsoon patterns, are affecting core sectors like mining and electricity. Despite this, India’s economic data frameworks remain largely detached from climate attribution. As extreme weather becomes more frequent, integrating climate risk into economic reporting is no longer optional—it’s essential.

Sluggish Industrial Growth: Key Highlights from June’s IIP

• Overall Industrial Growth:
  • June 2025 saw a 10-month low IIP growth of just 1.5%, compared to stronger performance in recent months.
  • This deceleration was primarily driven by declines in mining and electricity production.
• Mining & Electricity Output:
  • Mining outputfell by –8.7%, a sharp drop from +10.3% in June 2024.
  • Electricity generationcontracted by –2.6%, as against +8.6% a year ago.
• Reason for the Decline:
  • The early and erratic monsoonled to waterlogging in key mining regions—Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
  • Example: Jharkhand received 8 mm of rainfallbetween June 1 and July 12 (normal: 307 mm), though five districts were still rain-deficient.
  • Power distribution infrastructuresuffered, further disrupting supply chains and lowering demand.

Mixed Picture Across Industrial Segments

• Overall industrial outputrose modestly by 9% in June, a slight improvement over 3.5% in June 2024.
• Positive contributors to growthincluded:
  • Capital goods: +3.5%
  • Intermediate goods: +5.5%
  • Infrastructure goods: +7.2%
• This suggests that government-led infrastructure spendingis a key driver of industrial activity.
• Mining and electricity, together, account for 3% of IIP’s weightage, with the rest from manufacturing.

Climate Disruptions: Still Missing from Official Economic Narratives

• Institutional reluctancepersists in linking economic slowdowns to climate events, despite growing evidence.
• Official data explanations often cite:
  • High base effects
  • Supply chain issues
  • Input cost fluctuations
  • Global demand softness
  • Weak domestic consumption
• Climate-induced disruptions, such as monsoon-triggered mining slowdowns, are rarely acknowledged.
• Global comparison:
  • Institutions like the European Central Bankand Bank of England are incorporating climate risk in output and financial stability metrics.
  • In contrast, Indian agencies like MoSPIand RBI have been slower to adopt such frameworks.
• Challenges in climate attribution:
  • Requires scientific modelling and probabilistic analysis.
  • Policymakers may avoid such links to prevent politicisation of economic data.
• Current progress:
  • RBI’s Financial Stability Reportsnow include climate risk.
  • But production-side metricslike the IIP still lack climate-related analysis.

The Way Forward

• There is an urgent need for Indiato integrate climate risk assessment into macroeconomic indicators like the IIP and GDP.
• Doing so will enhance:
  • Policy planning
  • Resilience to environmental shocks
  • Transparency in economic data
• A systemic shifttoward climate-aware economic reporting is both necessary and long overdue.

Conclusion

India must make a systemic shift in its economic reporting by recognizing the economic impact of climate events. Ignoring climate risk in indicators like the IIP limits both policy response and public understanding. As global institutions advance in climate-linked macroeconomic analysis, India must also evolve to ensure resilient growth in an increasingly climate-volatile world.

 

Editorial 2: ​​Deaths in school

Context

The condition of infrastructure in public schools demands prompt attention.

Introduction

The tragic school building collapse in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district has exposed the critical neglect of infrastructurein India’s government schools. Despite policy promises and budget allocations, safety and basic facilities remain overlooked, especially for marginalised students. With over 70,000 government schools in Rajasthan alone, the incident is a stark reminder of the need for urgent systemic reform.

Rajasthan School Tragedy: A Grim Reminder of Neglected Infrastructure

• On July 25, 2025, a portion of the Piplodi Government School buildingin Jhalawar district, Rajasthan, collapsed during morning prayer.
• The accident resulted in the death of seven studentsand injuries to several others, mostly from tribal communities.
• The next day, a similar collapseoccurred in Nagaur district, but there were no casualties as it was a school holiday.
• The school in Jhalawar had not been flaggedas being in poor condition, revealing deep flaws in safety assessments.
• The tragedy sparked widespread public anger, putting a spotlight on the dismal state of government school infrastructure.

Scale of the Problem: Systemic Neglect of Government Schools

• Rajasthan has over 70,000 government schools, educating nearly 84 lakh students, mostly from marginalised and poor backgrounds(UDISE 2023–24).
• The State’s Education Department has identified nearly 8,000 schoolsas being in poor structural condition.
• However, incidents like the Jhalawar collapse suggest many more may be unsafe, despite not being listed.
• Although the government allocated ₹650 croreover two budgets for infrastructure improvement, bureaucratic inefficiencies have blunted the impact.
• The current BJP-led State governmentmust now prioritise structural safety and upgrades in public schools.

Policy Gaps: NEP Goals vs Ground Reality

• The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020had proposed raising education spending from 4.6% to 6% of GDP, with infrastructure upgrades marked as an urgent need.
• Five years on, there is little evidencethat these recommendations have been implemented meaningfully.
• Policy attention has largely shifted towards self-financing, privatisation, and reducing government support, which may suit higher education but not basic schooling.
• Globally, primary education remains a government responsibility— even in developed nations.
• Initiatives like model schoolsare important but should not come at the cost of mass school education.

Reforms Needed: Back to Basics

• Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN)is critical to India’s future workforce productivity and demographic dividend.
• Yet, most discourse today focuses on pedagogical reformsand non-formal learning methods, ignoring infrastructure and staffing.
• For meaningful improvement, governments must focus on:
  • Upgrading unsafe infrastructure
  • Hiring and training qualified teachers
  • Ensuring implementation of NEP recommendations
• The Rajasthan incidentmust serve as a nationwide wake-up call — school safety is not optional; it is foundational.

Conclusion

The Rajasthan tragedy must spark a national awakening. As India aims to harness its demographic dividend, the focus must return to essential public education — not just pedagogy and digital innovation, but also infrastructure and staffing. The NEP 2020’s goals cannot be met without public investment in basic education. Safe, functional schools are the foundation of a productive and equitable future.