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

Editorial 1: ​​Language lessons

Context

The fixation on Hindi distracts from the real priorities of school education.

Introduction

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are opting for a two-language formula in school education, prioritizing their local languages and English, challenging the three-language policy of the NEP 2020. This reflects regional aspirations and concerns over language imposition, highlighting the need for education policies that respect linguistic diversity while focusing on quality learning.

Two-Language Formula vs Three-Language Policy

• Tamil Nadu and Karnataka plan to adopt a two-language formulain school education, contrary to the three-language policy promoted by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
• Both States prioritize their local languages— Tamil in Tamil Nadu and Kannada in Karnataka — alongside English.
• Tamil Nadu has officially released its State Education Policy (SEP), reaffirming its existing two-language approach.
• Karnataka’s commission has recommended ending the three-language policy, proposing:
  • Kannada or the child’s mother tongueas the medium of instruction up to Class 5, ideally till Class 12.
  • Kannada/mother tongue and English as the two compulsory languages.
  • Dropping Hindi as a compulsory third language.
• Additional Karnataka recommendations include:
  • Moving away from NCERT textbooks.
  • Creating a Karnataka-specific curriculum.
  • Implementing bilingual teaching methods.

Tamil Nadu’s State Education Policy Highlights

• Tamil is made compulsory up to Class 10across all education boards.
• The policy rejects NEP’s three-language proposal, especially the imposition of Hindi.
• Focus areas include:
  • Promoting critical thinking, digital literacy, climate education, and social justice.
  • Incorporating a STEAM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) approach.
  • Providing special support to tribal students, first-generation learners, and students with disabilities.
• The government commits to strengthening public education quality and access.

Issues with the Central Three-Language Policy

• The Centre’s push for the three-language formula is often seen as politically motivated and unproductive.
• Despite not officially enforcing Hindi promotion, the policy is perceived as an attempt to impose Hindi.
• The policy overlooks the demand for English language learningand its role as a medium of instruction in many States, including Hindi-speaking ones, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
• Education policies in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have historically contributed to their development; forced central interventions could be counterproductive.
• Tamil Nadu is currently demanding the release of ₹2,152 crorein rightful education funds from the Centre.

Way Forward: Collaboration and Focus

• Learning Hindi or any other language is not inherently problematic, but when language promotion is seen as political domination, it breeds resistance.
• The Centre should abandon rigid language policies.
• Priority must be given to addressing critical challenges in school education.
• The Centre should collaborate constructively with State governments rather than impose uniform language rules.

Conclusion

The Centre should respect State preferences and move beyond rigid language mandates. Emphasizing collaborationand addressing broader educational challenges will better serve India’s diverse student population. Language learning must be a choice, not a political imposition, ensuring equitable, high-quality education across States without compromising cultural identities.

 

Editorial 2: ​​The difficult path for Trump’s ‘one big budget bet’

Context

Increasing government revenues is crucial for successfully lowering America’s deficit and debt alongside DOGE-style expenditure reforms.

Introduction

One of the most debated government downsizing reforms in recent history is the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative launched during the second term of the Donald Trump administration. This initiative focuses on reducing federal spending, lowering the deficit and debt, and cutting the interest burden on the government. It also aims to streamline government operations and improve overall efficiency. The initiative gained significant public attention with the appointment of Elon Musk as an adviser, who emphasized that the primary goal is to create a leaner government by reducing the number of federal agencies from over 400 to just 99, thereby cutting the deficit substantially.

Root cause of deficit and debt

Aspect	United States	France	Italy	Germany	Canada	United Kingdom	Japan	MAE Average
Government Size (% of GDP, 2001–2024)	36.49%	56.53%	49.81%	46.64%	41.24%	41.09%	37.56%	—
Fiscal Balance (% of GDP, TE 2024)	-6.0%	—	—	—	—	—	—	-4.1%
Government Debt (% of GDP, TE 2024)	119.5%	—	—	—	—	—	—	108.6%
Total Revenue (% of GDP, 2001–2022)	30.55%	51.48%	45.93%	44.93%	39.92%	36.63%	—	—
Tax-GDP Ratio (2001–2022)	19.27%	28.12%	28.59%	22.70%	27.99%	26.89%	32.74%	32.74%

• The S. government sizeas a share of GDP is the smallest among the seven major advanced economies (MAE).
• Despite its smaller government size, the U.S. has a higher fiscal deficit(-6.0%) and higher debt burden (119.5%) compared to the MAE average (-4.1% deficit and 108.6% debt).
• The lower revenue collectionin the U.S. explains this disparity, with total government revenue and tax-GDP ratios being significantly lower than other MAE countries.

Major Expenditure Reforms by DOGE

• Termination of unused federal office space leasesto reduce overhead costs.
• Cancellation of wasteful contractsand recovery of misallocated funds.
• Federal workforce optimisationthrough:
  • Hiring restrictions
  • Workforce reductions
  • Voluntary buyouts
• Deregulatory measuresaimed at reducing bureaucracy and ensuring lawful governance.
• Use of Artificial Intelligencefor:
  • Monitoring federal employee activity
  • Productivity assessment
  • Detection of inefficiencies
• Identification and consolidation of overlapping functionsacross departments.
• Reduction of overseas humanitarian and development spending.

Transparency and Communication

• DOGE maintains a transparent communication strategyby sharing updates publicly on platforms like X and DOGE’s portal.
• Distribution of government grants is made transparent via a payments portal, allowing citizens to view recipient-wise federal grant payments.
• The Workforce Portalprovides data on the agency-wise size of the U.S. civilian workforce.

Workforce Reshaping and Layoffs

• Implemented the “Workforce Reshaping Tool”, an upgraded version of the Pentagon’s AutoRIF software to streamline layoffs based on seniority and performance.
• Approximately 260,000 federal employeeshave been laid off, retired early, or accepted buyouts.

Regulatory Reforms and Cost Savings

• Several federal regulations were repealed or modified, resulting in $30.1 billionin cost savings due to reduced compliance burdens.
• Over 8 million wordshave been deleted from federal regulatory texts to simplify governance.
• DOGE publishes a unique Unconstitutionality Index (UI)showing bureaucracy’s influence, with about 19 rules created by bureaucracy for every law passed by Congress in 2024.

Estimated Savings Overview

Source of Savings	Estimated Amount (USD)	Impact Per Taxpayer (USD)
Contract and Lease Cancellations	Included in total savings
Grant Cancellations	Included in total savings
Fraud and Improper Payment Detection	Included in total savings
Asset Sales	Included in total savings
Employee Reductions	Included in total savings
Regulatory Changes	Included in total savings
Total Estimated Savings	$190 billion	$1,180 per taxpayer

The path ahead

• Elon Musk publicly disagreedwith U.S. President Donald Trump over a provision in the OBBB to remove tax credits for electric vehicles.
• The OBBBis a legislative extension of the DOGE reform, aiming to combine various fiscal priorities and government efficiency reforms into a single law.
• Musk’s opposition to the OBBB contradictedhis initiatives as an adviser to DOGE.
• The bigger challenge is that the OBBB’s proposed tax cutsfar exceed spending cuts.
• This imbalance is expected to add approximately $3.2 trillionto the U.S. national debt over the next decade.
• As a result, the OBBB is unlikely to effectively resolve the U.S. deficit and debt problem.

Conclusion

Currently, the U.S. has the lowest and below-OECD-average corporate tax rates among major advanced economies (MAE), along with lower effective tax rates on the wealthy. Additionally, tighter secrecy laws facilitate tax evasion by affluent individuals and corporations. Therefore, without significant efforts to increase government revenues, Mr. Trump’s ‘One Big Budget Bet’—aiming to reduce America’s deficit and debt through DOGE-style expenditure reforms—is unlikely to succeed.