The Hindu (13.12.25)News Paper Exam point of view for UPSC TNPSC.

1. Polity and
Governance

·        
Census 2027 Approved

Context: The Union Cabinet
has approved the conduct of Census 2027 with a budget of ₹11,718 crore.

Key Features:

§  It will be India’s first digital Census.

§  It will be the first Census in independent India to enumerate caste.

§  Data collection will be done via mobile apps and a “Census Management
and Monitoring System” portal.

§  It is described as “Census-as-a-Service (CaaS)” to provide clean,
actionable data to ministries.

NPR Update: Unlike in 2019,
there is no separate budgetary allocation mentioned for updating the
National Population Register (NPR).

Exam Relevance: Important for GS Paper I (Society) and GS Paper II (Governance).
For TNPSC, the caste census aspect is highly significant.

·        
Renaming and Amending MGNREGA

Proposal: The government
plans to introduce a Bill to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to “Pujya Bapu Gramin Rozgar
Yojana”

Key Amendments:

§  Potential increase in guaranteed work days from 100 to 125 days.

§  Introduction of exclusionary clauses based on the economic indices
of a State (based on the Amarjeet Sinha panel recommendations)

§  Changes to the funding pattern are also likely^.

Exam Relevance: GS Paper II (Welfare Schemes).

·        
Proposed Article 21B (Right to
Early Childhood Care)

Context: A private
member’s resolution in the Rajya Sabha urged the government to amend the
Constitution to insert Article 21B.

Objective: To guarantee free
and compulsory early childhood care and education (ECCE) for all children
between the ages of three and six¹².

Exam Relevance: GS Paper II (Education/Constitution).

2. Economy

·        
GDP Calculation Methodology
Concerns

Issue: The IMF has given
India’s national accounts statistics (GDP/GVA) a ‘C’ grade (second
lowest).

Reason: India uses the formal
organised sector as a proxy to calculate growth in the informal
unorganised sector.

Criticism: Experts argue
this is unreliable because, during crises like Demonetisation, GST, and
COVID-19, the organised and unorganised sectors moved in different
directions (organised grew while unorganised declined), leading to
potential overestimation of GDP^.

Exam Relevance: GS Paper III (Indian Economy – Growth & Development).

·        
Inflation Trends (November
2025)

Data: Retail inflation rose
marginally to 0.7% in November 2025 (from a historic low of 0.25% in
Oct).

Drivers:

§  Food prices contracted by 2.8% (due to falling
prices of potatoes, onions, tomatoes), offsetting other hikes.

§  Fuel inflation accelerated to 2.3%.

§  Edible oils (Mustard and Coconut) saw sharp price increases.

Exam Relevance: GS Paper III (Economy).

·        
India’s Free Trade Agreements
(FTAs)

Current Status: India has 20
regional/free trade agreements.

Concerns: Trade deficits
have widened significantly with partners like ASEAN (deficit rose from
$10bn to $44bn), Japan, and South Korea.

New Focus: Negotiations are
underway with the US, EU, and Canada.

Strategy: Moving beyond
just tariffs to address non-tariff barriers (standards, certifications) and
focusing on carbon-intensive sectors (due to EU’s CBAM).

Exam Relevance: GS Paper II (International Relations – Trade).

·        
Provident Fund (PF) Contributions

Clarification: Under the new
Code on Social Security, PF contributions on wages exceeding the ₹15,000
ceiling are voluntary.

Exam Relevance: GS Paper III (Employment/Labour Laws).

3. Agriculture

·        
MSP Hike for Copra (2026
Season)

Decision: The CCEA
increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Copra.

Rates:

§  Milling Copra: ₹12,027 per quintal (Increase of ₹445).

§  Ball Copra: ₹12,500 per quintal (Increase of ₹400).

Exam Relevance: Prelims (Agriculture) and highly relevant for TNPSC due to Tamil Nadu’s coconut production.

4. International
Relations & Environment

·        
Blue Economy & Indian
Ocean Strategy

Core Philosophy: India advocates
for “Security through Sustainability” and the principle “From
the Indian Ocean, for the World”.

SAGAR Doctrine: Security and
Growth for All in the Region (articulated in 2015) remains the anchor²⁹.

Challenges: The Indian Ocean
is heating, acidifying, and facing Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU)
fishing.

Proposed Actions:

§  Establishing a Regional Resilience and Ocean Innovation hub.

§  Creating an Indian Ocean Blue Fund for sustainable projects.

Global Context: Mentions the BBNJ
Agreement (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction) and the upcoming UN
Ocean Conference in Nice.

Exam Relevance: GS Paper II (IR) and GS Paper III (Environment).

Summary Table for
Quick Revision

Topic	Key Fact/Detail	Exam Relevance
Census 2027	Digital; Enumerates Caste; No separate NPR budget.	UPSC GS1/GS2, TNPSC
MGNREGS	Renamed to “Pujya Bapu Gramin Rozgar Yojana”; 125 days proposal.	UPSC GS2, TNPSC
GDP Data	IMF ‘C’ Grade; Proxy method issues (Organised vs Unorganised).	UPSC GS3
Copra MSP	Milling: ₹12,027/qtl; Ball: ₹12,500/qtl.	TNPSC, UPSC Prelims
Blue Economy	SAGAR Doctrine; Focus on “Security through Sustainability”.	UPSC GS2/GS3