Kalam IAS Academy was founded by a team of committed individuals who believe that the traditional way of UPSC preparation needs to be changed.
Current Edge Daily Brief 7th October 2025
Quote of the Day
“Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it.” – SUSAN B ANTHONY
What the Others Say
“The balancing act for the US delegation heading to Egypt is figuring out how to finish the fighting to Israel’s satisfaction without alienating Arab leaders.” – THE WASHINGTON POST
Table of Contents
THE BIG PICTURE
- TH Editorial: Calling out the criticism of the Indian judiciary (Suhrith Parthasarathy)
- IE Opinion: Across India, state finances tell the same story: Fiscal fragility, ever-expanding welfare state (Deepanshu Mohan, Aditi Lazarus and Geetaali Malhotra)
- IE Explained: Nobel Prize for Medicine 2025: Why immune system doesn’t attack the body (Anonna Dutt)
NEWS IN SHORT
- PM shares article praising ULLAS adult learning programme
The Big Picture
TH Editorial: Calling out the criticism of the Indian judiciary
Syllabus: Pre/Mains – Polity & Governance
Why in News?
Sanjeev Sanyal (PM-EAC) termed the judiciary as India’s single biggest hurdle to achieving Viksit Bharat, reigniting debate on judicial efficiency, accountability & systemic reform.
Key Criticisms of Indian Judiciary (with Substantiation)
Judicial Delays & Inefficiency
- Pendency → ~5 crore cases (2025); disposal rate < filing rate.
- Average case duration → 6–10 yrs in civil matters.
- Contract enforcement rank → 163rd (World Bank, 2020).
- Courts blamed for deterring business, delaying economic growth.
Vacations & Short Working Hours
- Critique → Colonial-era long vacations ↓ productivity.
- Supreme Court → ~45 working weeks/year; High Courts similar pattern.
- Perception → “elite privilege” amidst huge pendency.
Judicial Overreach / Obstructionism
- Allegation → Courts block projects (PILs, environmental stays) → delay infrastructure, investment.
- Perception → Judiciary = policy-interfering “activist” arm.
Ineffective Legal Processes
- Example → Section 12A, Commercial Courts Act → Mandatory pre-suit mediation often fails.
- Critique → Adds procedural layer → delays resolution.
- Root issue → weak design of mediation system, not judicial enforcement.
Failure in Contract Enforcement (“99-to-1 Problem”)
- Sanyal → Laws designed for 1% misuse → 99% face complexity → hampers business.
- Courts blamed → unable to swiftly enforce valid contracts.
Excessive Government Litigation
- Govt (Union + States) = >60% of all cases.
- Tax depts appeal routine orders; PSUs & ministries litigate minor disputes.
- Public servants, pensioners, teachers → forced to litigate for rightful benefits.
- Result → Clogs courts, inflates pendency, drains resources.
Poorly Drafted & Overlapping Laws
- Vague, complex statutes → frequent judicial interpretation required.
- New Criminal Codes (BNS, BNSS, BSA) → only cosmetic name changes; colonial essence retained.
- New Income-Tax Act (2025) → “irrespective” replaces “notwithstanding” → confusion, not simplification.
- Outcome → ↑ litigation, ↓ clarity, burden on courts.
Weak Judicial Infrastructure & Vacancies
- Vacancies → ~30% in District & High Courts.
- Infrastructure gap → insufficient courtrooms, digital access, staff.
- Case load per judge → among world’s highest.
- District judiciary → faces most acute pressure; first interface for citizens.
Misaligned Accountability & Perception
- Narrative → Judges unaccountable, insulated, unproductive.
- Reality → Weak administrative support, outdated procedures, low budget (≤0.1% of GDP).
- Courts mirror same inefficiencies that plague executive & legislature.
Conclusion
Criticisms of the judiciary — delays, inefficiency, overreach — stem largely from systemic governance failures: poor law-drafting, excessive government litigation, and chronic underfunding.
India’s judiciary is not the hurdle to development but a reflection of deeper structural flaws in governance and law-making.
Test Your Knowledge 01
Q. The “99-to-1 problem” mentioned in the debate on judicial reforms refers to:
(a) Ratio of cases pending in lower vs higher judiciary.
(b) Legislative tendency to over-regulate for a small fraction of misuse.
(c) Judicial errors in 1% of judgments reversing 99% verdicts.
(d) Courts’ success rate in enforcing contractual obligations.
Hint: Sanyal’s term → 99% laws over-complicated to prevent abuse by 1%, creating inefficiency in legal processes
IE Opinion: Across India, state finances tell the same story: Fiscal fragility, ever-expanding welfare state
Syllabus: Pre/Mains – Economy
Why in News?
CAG’s State Finances 2022–23 report reveals widening fiscal fragility among Indian states despite expanding welfare spending.
Fiscal Map: Divergent Patterns
- Big States → Rely on own tax + borrowings (e.g., Maharashtra 70% internal receipts FY23).
- Small States → Heavily dependent on Union transfers (<20% own-tax share NE states).
- Pandemic impact → Sharp borrowing surge 2020–21; partial rollback by FY23.
Borrowing & Debt Trends (2016–17 → 2022–23)
- Large States:
- Andhra ₹59,923cr → ₹1.86L cr (Debt ≈ 33.1% GSDP)
- Rajasthan ₹1.60 L cr (37.3%) ↑ debt pressure
- Telangana ₹1.26 L cr (26.2%) → moderate
- Maharashtra scaled down ₹1.18 L cr → ₹94.7k cr (18.1%)
- Odisha restrained ₹5.3k cr (19.5%) ✦ prudent model
- Punjab ≈ 47% liabilities ✦ chronic distress
- Small States:
- Assam ₹3.9k cr → ₹28.3k cr (28.5%)
- Himachal ₹8.6k cr → ₹22.4k cr (43–44%)
- Meghalaya ₹6.2k cr ↑; Manipur ₹11.1k cr ↑
- Goa cut ₹7.6k → ₹2.6k cr (debt < 30%)
- Nagaland & Uttarakhand → ~45–47% & 34% debt
Structural Fiscal Weakness
- Revenue fragility → Over-reliance on volatile/non-recurring sources (e.g., Kerala lotteries ₹12k cr).
- Debt escalation → Borrowing to fund welfare, not infra → limited growth multiplier.
- Off-budget financing → SPVs, guarantees, deferred liabilities → mask true deficits.
- High fiscal stress → Punjab, Kerala, Himachal show unsustainable debt ratios.
Welfare–Debt Paradox
- Expanding welfare net → Free power, farm waivers, subsidies → political compulsion.
- Limited revenue autonomy → Especially NE & hill states with high delivery costs.
- Result → Welfare state ↑ reach, fiscal base ↓ resilience → structural imbalance.
Key Takeaways
- ✦ Common dilemma: Fiscal fragility + welfare ambition.
- ✦ Big vs Small contrast hides same core weakness—dependence on debt & transfers.
- ✦ Fiscal prudence (Odisha, Goa) = exceptions; chronic deficits (Punjab, Kerala) = norm.
- ✦ Sustainable reform → Broaden tax base, rationalise subsidies, enhance fiscal transparency.
Test Your Knowledge 02
Q. In the context of Indian federal finance, which of the following best explains the term “fiscal fragility” as observed in recent CAG findings?
(a) Persistent inability of states to meet FRBM limits despite increasing GSDP.
(b) Structural dependence on volatile revenues and debt-financed welfare spending.
(c) Decline in capital expenditure as a share of total expenditure.
(d) Excessive borrowing by the Union government crowding out states.
Hint: Fiscal fragility = imbalance caused by unstable revenues + reliance on loans to sustain welfare.
Q. With reference to the recent trends in state finances, consider the following statements:
- Larger Indian states, due to their broad economic base, depend more on central transfers than smaller states.
- Northeastern and hill states exhibit higher debt-to-GSDP ratios despite lower absolute borrowings.
- States like Odisha demonstrate that lower borrowings necessarily correspond to reduced welfare spending.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 2 and 3 only
Hint: Big states rely more on own resources, not central transfers; small states rely on Union transfers. Odisha shows fiscal restraint without necessarily cutting welfare → not a universal rule.
IE Explained: Nobel Prize for Medicine 2025: Why immune system doesn’t attack the body
Syllabus: Pre/Mains – Science & Tech
Why in News?
Shimon Sakaguchi (Japan), Mary E. Brunkow & Frederick J. Ramsdell (USA) awarded Nobel Prize for uncovering mechanism of peripheral immune tolerance via Regulatory T cells (Tregs) that prevent autoimmunity.
Background: The Immunity Paradox
Background: The Immunity Paradox- Immune system → must attack pathogens ✦ not self-tissues
- Known process (till 1980s) → Central tolerance in thymus eliminates self-reactive T cells
- Missing link → why self-reactivity still occurs despite thymic selection
Sakaguchi’s Breakthrough (1995)
Sakaguchi’s Breakthrough (1995)- Discovery → New T cell subtype = Regulatory T cells (Tregs) ✦ act as “immune police”
- Method → Removed thymus in newborn mice → autoimmune reaction ↑
- Rescue experiment → Injected T cells from healthy mice → disease ↓ → confirmed presence of suppressor T cells
- Concept → Peripheral tolerance – active suppression of self-reactive T cells outside thymus
Brunkow & Ramsdell’s Genetic Proof (2001–03)
Brunkow & Ramsdell’s Genetic Proof (2001–03)- Model → “Scurfy” mice → autoimmunity due to unknown mutation
- Genetic mapping → narrowed 500,000 nucleotides → identified FOXP3 gene
- Mutation in FOXP3 → causes autoimmunity in mice ✦ human equivalent = IPEX syndrome
- Sakaguchi (2003) → proved FOXP3 controls Treg development → linking genetics + immunoregulation
Biomedical Significance
Biomedical SignificanceCancer →
- Tumours recruit Tregs → suppress immune attack → therapy resistance
- Immunotherapies (e.g., CAR-T, checkpoint inhibitors) → aim to ↓ Treg activity ✦ ↑ anti-tumour T cells
Autoimmune & Transplantation Therapies →
- ↑ Treg formation → potential to control autoimmunity & prevent organ rejection
- Ongoing clinical trials → Treg-based cell therapy under test
Dual Edge →
- Overactive suppression → cancer escape ✦ Underactive → autoimmunity
Core Impact
Core Impact→ Revolutionised immunology understanding ✦ Bridged autoimmunity ↔ cancer immunotherapy ✦ Enabled Treg-targeted therapies for balanced immune control.
Test Your Knowledge 03
Q. In the context of immune regulation, the term “peripheral tolerance” refers to:
(a) Elimination of self-reactive T cells during their maturation in the thymus
(b) Genetic recombination of antibody genes to increase immune diversity
(c) Suppression of self-reactive immune responses by specialized T cells after maturation
(d) Destruction of pathogens through complement-mediated cytolysis
Hint: Peripheral tolerance operates outside the thymus, where Regulatory T cells (Tregs) prevent mature T cells from attacking self-tissues — unlike central tolerance, which occurs in the thymus.
Q. Which of the following statements best captures the relationship between Tregs and cancer immunotherapy?
(a) Tregs enhance CAR-T therapy by boosting immune activation
(b) Tregs suppress tumour-killing T cells, reducing therapy efficacy
(c) Tregs convert cancer cells into non-malignant ones
(d) Tregs increase antigen presentation by tumour cells
Hint: Tumours recruit Tregs to inhibit immune attack; immunotherapies aim to block or deplete Tregs to restore anti-tumour immunity.
News in Short
PM shares article praising ULLAS adult learning programme
Why in News?
The Prime Minister shared an article commending the ULLAS (Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society) programme, launched under NEP 2020, especially its impact on rural and women literacy.
About ULLAS Programme
- A centrally sponsored scheme (Centre + State funding) for FY 2022–2027, approved by the Government of India.
- Targets non-literates aged 15 years and above who missed out on formal schooling.
Components / Focus Areas
- Foundational Literacy & Numeracy (FLN) — basic reading, writing, arithmetic skills.
- Critical Life Skills — digital literacy, financial literacy, health & hygiene, legal literacy, etc.
- Basic Education — equivalency up to middle/secondary levels.
- Vocational Skills — to enhance employability in local settings.
- Continuing Education — lifelong learning in arts, sciences, culture, recreation, etc.
Implementation & Methodology
- Volunteerism-based model: volunteers (students, community members) teach learners.
- Hybrid delivery: both in-person training, orientations and digital/online modes (mobile app, portal, TV, radio) for teaching & resources.
- Use of a mobile app and portal for registration, teaching materials, tracking learners and volunteers.
- Assessment through the Functional Literacy Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT), conducted twice a year in many states. Learners who pass receive certification.
Targets, Budget & Reach
- Financial outlay: ~ ₹1,037.90 crore, of which ₹700 crore is central share and ₹337.90 crore is state share.
- Learner target: aim to reach 5 crore non-literates over the scheme period (i.e. about 1 crore learners per year).
- Achievements so far:
- Over 77 lakh people have appeared for FLNAT assessments nationwide.
- The ULLAS mobile app has over 1.33 crore learners registered and 35 lakh volunteer teachers.
- In Ladakh, ULLAS declared “Full Functional Literacy” after crossing 97% literacy.
- Mizoram has also recently been declared to have achieved “full functional literacy” under ULLAS.
