Editorials/Opinions Analysis For UPSC 19 August 2025

Content

1. The path to ending global hunger runs through India
2. Alaskan winds, India and the Trump-Putin summit
3. What true empowerment of women entails

The path to ending global hunger runs through India

Global Context of Hunger and Nutrition

• Current status (2024 data):
  • 673 million people undernourished globally (8.2% of population).
  • Improvement from 688 million (2023), but still above pre-pandemic (7.3% in 2018).
• Regional disparities:
  • Sub-Saharan Africa: highest prevalence (>20%).
  • South Asia: large absolute numbers (India is decisive here).
  • Latin America & East Asia: better recovery trajectory.
• Challenges beyond calories:
  • Malnutrition (stunting, wasting), obesity, and micronutrient deficiencies rising globally.
  • Cost of a healthy diet unaffordable for ~42% of the world’s population.
• SDG 2 (Zero Hunger by 2030): Global progress is off-track—at current pace, >500 million people may still be undernourished by 2030.

Relevance : GS 2(Health , Poverty , Hunger)

Practice Question : “India’s success in food security has global spillovers, but the next frontier lies in nutrition security.” Discuss India’s role in shaping the global hunger trajectory, highlighting key domestic challenges and opportunities for agrifood system transformation.(250 Words)

India’s Decisive Role

• Decline in undernourishment:
  • From 14.3% (2020–22) → 12% (2022–24).
  • 30 million fewer hungry people despite pandemic disruptions.
• Absolute scale of intervention:
  • PDS covers >800 million people.
  • Largest food security programme in the world.
• Digital governance breakthroughs:
  • Aadhaar-enabled targeting, biometric authentication.
  • One Nation, One Ration Card → portability for 80 crore beneficiaries, crucial for migrants.
  • Real-time inventory & e-POS → reduced leakages.
• Crisis response:
  • During COVID-19, India scaled up food support rapidly, preventing a hunger catastrophe.

Nutrition Challenge (Beyond Calories)

• Cost of healthy diet in India:
  • Still unaffordable for 60%+ of the population.
  • Barriers: high cost of pulses, fruits, vegetables, dairy, eggs, and meat; weak cold chains; inefficient farm-to-market links.
• Policy initiatives:
  • PM POSHAN (midday meals, now nutrition-focused, dietary diversity).
  • ICDS strengthened with fortified foods and maternal-child health focus.
  • Rice, wheat fortification (iron, folic acid, B12) → address anaemia.
• Persistent issues:
  • India still has high burden of child stunting and wasting (NFHS-5: 36% stunted, 19% wasted).
  • Urban poor face rising obesity + micronutrient deficiency paradox.

Agrifood System Transformation

• Why needed:
  • India’s current food system is calorie-heavy (cereals) but nutrient-deficient.
  • 13% of food lost between farm and market due to weak cold storage/logistics.
• Steps required:
  • Production shift → more pulses, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and animal protein.
  • Market & logistics reforms → cold storage, efficient transport, e-NAM linkages.
  • Support local enterprises → FPOs, women-led SHGs, cooperatives with climate-resilient crops.
  • Digital agritech → AgriStack, AI-based crop advisories, geospatial planning.
• Climate adaptation:
  • Drought-resilient crops (millets), sustainable irrigation, crop diversification.
  • India’s International Year of Millets (2023) was a global push for resilient nutrition.

India’s Global Significance

• Scaling lessons for the Global South:
  • India’s digital PDS + social protection model is being studied worldwide.
  • Capacity to share agritech (AgriStack), cooperative models (Amul-type), and nutrition-sensitive schemes.
• Global food supply role:
  • India is world’s largest rice exporter, major wheat and sugar exporter.
  • Balances domestic security with global market stability.
• FAO recognition:
  • India’s progress is a global public good—reducing hunger worldwide.

Way Forward – From Feeding to Nourishing

• Key Priorities for India:
  • Shift focus from food security → nutrition security.
  • Make healthy diets affordable: subsidies for pulses/fruits, investment in cold chains.
  • Strengthen maternal-child nutrition → stunting/wasting reduction.
  • Integrate climate resilience into food systems.
  • Tackle the double burden: undernutrition + obesity.
• Targets:
  • Undernourishment <7% by 2030.
  • Child stunting <20% by 2030.
  • Logistics and agrifood transformation to cut food loss <5%.

Comparative Snapshot (India vs Global Peers)

Big Picture

• The world is turning a corner on hunger, and India is a pivot.
• India’s digital welfare architecture + massive food security net prevented a post-pandemic hunger explosion.
• Next frontier = nutrition, affordability, and agrifood transformation.
• India’s choices will determine not just its own SDG 2 outcomes but the global hunger trajectory.

Alaskan winds, India and the Trump-Putin summit

Background Context

• Russia–Ukraine War (since Feb 2022): prolonged conflict, high global costs (energy, inflation, food insecurity).
• U.S.–Russia Dynamics: Trump 2.0 presidency has signaled a more transactional approach, seeking rapprochement with Russia.
• India’s Stakes:
  • Strategic autonomy (balancing U.S. and Russia).
  • Dependence on Russian defense and oil.
  • Growing economic/strategic partnership with the U.S. (Indo-Pacific, Quad).
• The Alaska Summit: Expected to ease global tensions and indirectly relieve India from U.S. pressure over Russian oil imports and trade restrictions.

Relevance : GS 2(International Relations)

Practice Question : Critically examine how the outcomes of the Alaska Summit exposed both the opportunities and vulnerabilities in India’s foreign policy strategy. In light of U.S. unpredictability, what lessons should India draw for sustaining strategic autonomy?(250 Words)

Key Takeaways from Alaska Summit

(a) For Russia & Ukraine

• Trump–Putin warmth indicates thaw in relations.
• U.S. engaging Zelenskyy + EU hints at possible trilateral peace talks.
• But outcomes remain ambiguous: U.S. focus is Trump’s image as peacemaker (possibly Nobel aspirations) rather than substantive resolution.

(b) For India

• Disappointment:
  • No rollback of 25% secondary sanctions on Indian imports of Russian oil.
  • No revival of India–U.S. trade talks.
  • Tariffs remain (50% reciprocal tariffs).
• Trump’s Counter-narrative: Claims credit for mediating India–Pakistan ceasefire (Operation Sindoor), undermining India’s official position.
• Selective Sanctions: U.S. punishes India while ignoring China’s larger Russian oil imports and even expanding U.S.–Russia trade → shows inconsistency, geopolitics > principles.

Strategic Lessons for India

(a) Avoid Over-reliance on Summitry & Personal Diplomacy

• Modi’s strategy of leader-to-leader chemistry (Howdy Modi, Namaste Trump, Xi–Modi informal summits) has not shielded India from shocks (Galwan, tariffs, sanctions).
• Need to return focus to substantive agreements (trade, defense, tech) rather than optics.

(b) Reclaim Strategic Autonomy

• India broke its tradition of accepting only UN-sanctioned embargoes (e.g., Iranian oil in 2018). This emboldened U.S. to dictate terms again (Russian oil).
• Lesson: Stick to principles; resisting unilateral U.S. sanctions earns Global South support and grudging Western acceptance.

(c) Bipartisan Engagement in U.S. Politics

• India erred by appearing close to Trump (2019–20 rallies), which irritated Democrats.
• Later tilt toward Biden annoyed Trump.
• Lesson: Maintain balanced ties with both U.S. parties, avoid perception of favoritism.

(d) Diversify Global Partnerships

• Strengthen ties with Japan, China (SCO), Russia (Putin’s visit), G-20 (South Africa), BRICS, and Global South.
• Expand trade alternatives (ASEAN, Africa, EU) to reduce vulnerability to U.S. tariffs.

(e) Prepare Countermeasures

• If U.S. hurts Indian interests (tariffs, remittance taxes, FDI curbs), India must:
  • Impose reciprocal trade barriers.
  • Incentivize non-U.S. investments (EU, Gulf, East Asia).
  • Accelerate Atmanirbhar Bharat (domestic manufacturing resilience).

Broader Implications

• Geopolitical Signaling: Trump’s selective targeting of India shows U.S. pressure is about leverage and prestige, not consistency.
• India’s Vulnerability: Being a “swing state” in global geopolitics makes India both sought-after and pressured.
• Agency at Stake: India must avoid being a passive recipient of outcomes decided in Washington, Moscow, or Alaska — and instead shape its own space.

Way Forward for India

1. Stick to Principles: Only honor UN sanctions; assert autonomy on oil/energy security.
2. Strategic Balancing: Deepen ties with Russia (energy, defense), U.S. (technology, Indo-Pacific), EU (climate, trade), Japan (infrastructure), Africa/LatAm (markets).
3. Build Domestic Resilience: Reduce reliance on U.S. markets (tariff-sensitive) by diversifying exports.
4. Strengthen Multipolar Forums: BRICS, SCO, G20, Quad — to offset U.S. unilateralism.
5. Diplomatic Professionalism: Institutionalize foreign policy beyond “Modi–X chemistry” → empower MEA, diversify leadership channels.

Bottom Line: The “Alaska Moment” may shape Ukraine’s peace prospects, but for India it highlighted the risks of overpersonalized diplomacy, U.S. unpredictability, and dependence on external summits for relief. India’s best course is a principled, multipolar, autonomous strategy, reducing vulnerability to U.S. whims while expanding global influence.

What true empowerment of women entails

Context and Case Significance

• The convicted: Prajwal Revanna, ex-Janata Dal (Secular) MP, grandson of former PM H.D. Deve Gowda, accused in a sexual assault case.
• The survivor: A 47-year-old domestic help — with no political, economic, or media power.
• The uniqueness: Unlike many past cases of “justice denied” in India, this survivor resisted intimidation, social stigma, and systemic delays, and continued her legal fight.
• Symbolism: The case represents a test of whether India’s justice system can protect the powerless against entrenched political privilege.

Relevance : GS 1(Society ) ,GS 2(Social Issues)

Practice Question: “True empowerment of women is measured not in boardrooms, but in the ability of the most powerless survivor to access justice.” Discuss this statement in the context of recent developments in India, highlighting structural reforms needed in the justice and survivor support ecosystem.(250 Words)

Structural Problems in India’s Justice & Empowerment Framework

• Power asymmetry: Most survivors without wealth/networks face crushing odds — delayed FIRs, hostile lawyers, witness intimidation, endless adjournments.
• Selective “empowerment”: India glorifies elite women leaders/entrepreneurs, while grassroots survivors (domestic workers, laborers, Dalit women) receive little recognition or structural support.
• Survivor fatigue: Legal battles leave survivors economically drained, socially isolated, and professionally unemployable.
• Optics vs reality: State and media amplify “victory” at verdict but fail to support survivors after trial — often pushing them back into unsafe environments.

Why This Case Matters for India’s Gender Justice

• Redefinition of empowerment: Moves debate away from boardrooms & awards → towards survival, justice, and dignity.
• Strengthening jurisprudence: Every such conviction emboldens other women to file complaints, creating legal precedents.
• Public service dimension: The survivor’s courage indirectly strengthens access to justice for thousands of others.

The Gaps Exposed

• Post-verdict vacuum: Survivors are left with stigma, unemployment, and debts.
• Legal aid weakness: Free legal aid exists on paper (Art. 39A, Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987) but remains underfunded, poorly staffed, and often inaccessible.
• Psychosocial neglect: No structured trauma recovery ecosystem exists — leaving survivors vulnerable to PTSD, depression, or social exclusion.
• Lack of institutional recognition: Survivors’ lived experiences are rarely integrated into legal or policy mechanisms (e.g., ICCs under POSH Act are dominated by lawyers/bureaucrats, not survivor-mentors).

Comparative Global Lessons

• United States: The Victims of Crime Act (1984) created a Crime Victims Fund for compensation and support services.
• South Africa: Thuthuzela Care Centres provide one-stop medico-legal, psychosocial, and prosecutorial support for sexual assault survivors.
• Europe: EU Victims’ Rights Directive mandates financial compensation, counselling, and information rights for survivors.
• Lesson for India: Move beyond case-by-case sympathy → build institutional guarantees of survivor dignity and rehabilitation.

Suggested Policy Reforms (Way Forward)

• State-funded survivor compensation schemes:
  • Modeled on terrorism/accident victims’ compensation.
  • Cover legal fees + provide minimum income security.
• Dedicated legal aid & litigation cells:
  • Specialised advocates, forensic experts, survivor officers funded at par with prosecutors.
• Employment pathways:
  • Public sector quotas or CSR-backed private hiring for survivors.
• Psychological and trauma recovery:
  • State-funded long-term therapy, survivor support groups, peer networks.
• Institutionalising survivor expertise:
  • Survivors as counsellors in police stations.
  • Mentors in legal education.
  • Members of Internal Complaints Committees under POSH.

Philosophical Takeaway

• Why single out survivors like this?
  • They challenge entrenched impunity and political privilege, often at enormous personal risk.
  • Supporting them sends a deterrent message to abusers: silencing victims comes at a higher cost.
• Beyond applause: Justice must be followed by rehabilitation, livelihood security, and social reintegration. Otherwise, empowerment remains rhetorical, not real.

Broader Implications for India

• Justice credibility: A legal system that only the privileged can afford erodes democratic legitimacy.
• Gender empowerment: True empowerment is measured not by CEOs on magazine covers, but by whether the most powerless woman can access justice.
• Policy evolution: From symbolism → systemic change; from “optics of empowerment” → structural guarantees of survivor dignity.