Editorial 1 : The Hottest Year

Context: 2024 was the hottest year and 2025 could be hotter

Introduction: India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) announcement that in 2024, India experienced its hottest year since 1901 should be alerting policymakers across the world.

India’s Progress on Climate Goals

• India is on track to meet its global climate goals.
• Climate Risk Information System: RBI’s move, last year, to set up a repository, the Climate Risk Information System, is a welcome step.
  • The system’s focus on local-level scenarios is particularly salient given that climate vulnerabilities vary every few kilometres in the country.
• Challenges: Despite India’s progress, global climate goals remain unmet, particularly by Western nations.

Impact of Climate Change in India

• Economy: More than 30% of the country’s GDP is generated in sectors that are highly nature-dependent like agriculture, forestry, water and power utilities, and construction.
• Agriculture: Agriculture output is estimated to drop by 16% in the next five years, reducing GDP by over 2.5%.
• Infrastructure: Nearly 50% of the country’s infrastructure is at risk due to extreme weather events.
• Financial Stability: According to the RBI global warming can upset financial stability and growth.

Challenge: Quantification of climate risks in the country has been patchy, largely because of the fragmented nature of information and widespread variations in data collection metrics. In this context Climate Risk Information System, is a timely step.

Shortcomings of the Current System

• Climate vulnerabilities, such as floods, heatwaves, and droughts, are rarely prioritized in political discourse or development plans.
• Repeated failures include:
  • Outdated drainage systems unable to handle heavy rainfall.
  • Civic planning that ignores local hydrology.
  • Reactive rather than proactive disaster management.

Role of Political Leadership

• The political class has often neglected warnings from central institutions such as the IMD, RBI, and academia.
• Environmental issues such as floods, landslides, and air quality rarely feature in election agendas or political discussions.
• A shift in focus is essential to address longstanding vulnerabilities and to integrate climate resilience into developmental policies.

Way Forward: Recommended Strategies

• Immediate Actions
  • Develop and implement heat action plans.
  • Build sea walls and overhaul drainage systems.
  • Spruce up weather-alert mechanisms and improve disaster management.
• Long-term Measures
  • Climate-proof agriculture through irrigation systems and sustainable practices.
  • Invest in infrastructure to mitigate the effects of extreme weather events.
  • Strengthen local-level climate risk quantification through improved data collection.

Conclusion

There is a need for urgent, sustainable, and inclusive climate policies to safeguard India’s economy, infrastructure, and vulnerable populations. As India is the world’s most populated country, this would also propel the world towards climate resilience.

Editorial 2 : Young and Hopeless

Context: In Bihar’s civil services exam, a tale of the young and the hopeless.

Introduction: Recurring exam irregularities, paper leaks, and allegations of cheating left the youth disillusioned in 2024. The controversy over the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) preliminary examination held on December 13 is the latest in this series.

Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) Controversy

• Incident
  • Preliminary examination held on December 13 was marred by allegations of question paper leaks.
  • One of the centres in Patna saw a disruption — it was alleged that the question paper had been leaked.
  • Soon after, reports of irregularities poured in from other centres, sparking students’ protests.
• Response
  • On December 19, the Commission decided to conduct a re-examination only for one centre.
  • Political Storm: As the protests intensified, leaders like Prashant Kishor, along with several educators, put their weight behind the students’ demands. RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav asked the Commission to conduct fresh prelims across the state.

Nationwide Exam Controversies in 2024

• The BPSC controversy is just one more in a long list of such irregularities.
• NEET-UG: Allegations of foul play and irregularities.
• NET and NEET-PG: Exam cancellations fuelled student protests.
• State Government Recruitments: Similar issues reported in UP, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu.

Legislative Action: The Centre introduced the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act (2024) to lay down guardrails.

Implications of Exam Failures

• Impact on Marginalized Aspirants
  • Competitive exams are often the sole avenue for social mobility for candidates from marginalized castes and classes.
  • Government jobs, although limited, represent a pathway to empowerment amidst economic disparities.
• Economic Realities
  • Between 2014 and 2022, only 0.33% of applicants secured government jobs, highlighting the challenges faced by millions of aspirants.
  • In the absence of robust job creation in the private sector, the reliance on public-sector exams has intensified.
• Emotional and Financial Toll on Aspirants
  • Aspirants endure significant hardships, including traveling long distances in overcrowded trains and buses, armed only with hope and aspiration.
  • Exam cancellations and irregularities exacerbate their struggles, further disillusioning the youth.

Way Forward: Recommendations

• Strengthening Exam Systems
  • Implement stricter monitoring mechanisms during exams to prevent malpractices.
  • Increase transparency in question paper handling and distribution.
• Empowering Aspirants
  • Provide financial and logistical support to marginalized aspirants to ease the burden of exam preparation and travel.
  • Set up grievance redressal mechanisms for students affected by irregularities.
• Political Commitment
  • Political parties must prioritize exam reforms and include them in their electoral agendas.
  • A coordinated approach involving the government, institutions, and civil society is essential to address systemic issues.

Conclusion

The voices of the students and youth in Bihar, and other states, must be heard and heeded. In a country of the young, with a large demographic advantage, one that aspires to be a developed nation by 2047, much is at stake