The Hindu Gist - 3rd October, 2026
1 .Rescue Act: Preventing Ecological Degradation Is the Way to Protect Wildlife
The reintroduction of tigers in West Bengal’s Buxa, Dampa and Palamau reserves highlights that wildlife recovery depends not only on releasing animals but also on restoring and protecting the habitat, prey base and ecological conditions needed for their survival.
Buxa’s Ecological Challenges
- Tiger reintroduction: After the National Tiger Conservation Authority found no tigers in Buxa, Dampa and Palamau by 2018, the Bengal Forest Department, with the Wildlife Institute of India, began a programme to introduce seven tigers in Buxa over two years. The first tigress has now been released.
- Fragmented landscape: Buxa is surrounded by revenue villages and tea estates. Railway infrastructure, the proposed restoration of the railway route to Jainti and commercial traffic on the Bhutan–West Bengal road further add to pressures on the landscape.
- Loss of ecological balance: The forests have become dense woodland with a closed canopy, which has choked the growth of grasses and caused herbivore populations to dwindle.
- Weak prey base: The density of chital, the preferred prey of tigers, is dismal. Goats, macaques and cattle have consequently become common in tiger diets, reflecting the deterioration of the natural prey base.
- Restoration measures: Since 2018, chital have been reintroduced, some canopies artificially opened to revive grasslands, and villagers relocated from the reserve’s core to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts.
From Preventive Conservation to Ecological Rescue
- Preventive conservation: Since 1973, Project Tiger followed a model of protecting source populations, habitats, prey bases and corridors. The objective was to maintain ecological conditions before populations collapsed.
- Reactive conservation: More recent approaches have become increasingly reactive, with authorities at places such as Sariska and Panna reintroducing tigers after populations had already declined or disappeared.
- Heavy-handed interventions: Reintroduction demonstrates significant technical capabilities but can also become expensive and heavy-handed. The article cautions that simply putting tigers back into a landscape does not amount to conservation.
- Inviolate core habitat: The Project Tiger belief that the core habitat must remain “inviolate” has, in some cases, been used by state machinery to override the rights of Adivasis and forest-dwelling communities and disrupt incomes from ecotourism.
- Wildlife corridor: Buxa forms part of a viable wildlife corridor contiguous with Phibsoo in Bhutan and Manas in Assam. Higher prey density and fewer disturbances could allow tigers to disperse naturally across this landscape.
- What constitutes success: Success should mean that tigers establish territories, produce cubs that survive and breed, and receive natural immigration that strengthens genetic diversity.
- Community participation: Communities living in and around Buxa need to be involved in decisions concerning conflict prevention and protection of livelihoods, making conservation compatible with the people dependent on the landscape.
2. Obstacle Race: The Special Intensive Revision Exercise Is Threatening Universal Adult Franchise
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR), intended to “clean” electoral rolls, has raised concerns over selective disenfranchisement. The key issue is that the enumeration process places the onus on electors to prove eligibility, while getting back onto the rolls after deletion is considerably more difficult than getting names deleted.
Concerns with the SIR Process
- Shift in burden of proof: The enumeration process puts the onus on electors to prove their eligibility, with many names deleted first and verified later. Getting back onto the rolls after being struck off the draft is described as onerous.
- Logical discrepancies: The ECI has added a new exclusion criterion called “logical discrepancies”, first implemented in West Bengal and subsequently extended from States to Union Territories.
- Large-scale deletions: Nearly 4 crore electors have been removed from draft rolls across 30 States and UTs, amounting to about 14% of the electorate before revision. Deletions have increased with each phase — 8.3% in Bihar, 12.9% across 12 States and UTs in Phase 2, and 17% in Phase 3.
- Asymmetry in correction: The ECI says deleted electors can return during the claims phase, but only through a fresh application if they discover that they have been struck off. At the same time, requests for deletion can be made quickly, creating an unequal burden between deletion and restoration.
- Changes in procedure:Form 6 was altered without any amendment to the rules, requiring applicants to establish whether they, their parents or grandparents had appeared on the electoral roll of the last SIR.
- West Bengal example: In West Bengal, 1 lakh requests were filed to remove electors whom judicial officers had already cleared. A centralised roll database in New Delhi facilitated this process.
Implications for Universal Adult Franchise
- Corrective measures: The ECI has asked Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to restore deleted voters to the rolls. “However, these corrective steps do not remove concerns that many eligible voters may have been left out of the draft rolls during the process.”
- Internal objections: The ECI’s own members objected to what the piece describes as plainly illegal changes to procedure, adding an institutional dimension to the controversy.
- Universal adult franchise: The concern extends beyond individual deletions. A process that makes it difficult for eligible citizens to remain on or return to electoral rolls creates an obstacle to universal adult franchise.
- Electoral democracy: The larger concern is therefore not merely the conduct of SIR but its implications for electoral democracy itself, particularly when the process of deletion is easier than the process of restoration.
The Indian Express Gist - 3rd October, 2026
1 .From Varanasi to Tashkent: Gandhi’s Influence on Shastri
Lal Bahadur Shastri’s political journey was deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas of truth, non-violence and moral courage. From his student years in Varanasi to his conduct as Prime Minister during the India-Pakistan war, Shastri retained what the piece describes as a “quintessential Gandhian” approach.
Shastriji’s Years in the Freedom Movement
- Influence of Gandhi: Gandhi’s return to India in 1915 after his South African experience and his emphasis on non-violence and civil rights had a strong influence on the young Shastri.
- Influence of Tilak: Shastri was also influenced by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and his nationalist ideas, which contributed to the development of his early political outlook.
- Gandhi and Non-Cooperation: Gandhi’s call for Indians to join the Non-Cooperation Movement and his 1921 speech in Varanasi at the Kashi Vidyapeeth had a decisive impact on Shastri.
- Renunciation of government support: According to C.P. Srivastava’s Lal Bahadur Shastri: A Life of Truth in Politics, Shastri dropped out of his government-aided high school three months before completing his course and joined the Congress as a volunteer.
- Gandhian principles: From then onwards, Shastri became a devoted follower of Gandhi and dedicated himself to the Gandhian ethical principles of truth and non-violence.
The Tashkent Agreement and the “Quintessential Gandhian”
- India-Pakistan War: As Prime Minister, Shastri faced the 1965 India-Pakistan war. The conflict ended after the Soviet Union acted as a third-party mediator between India and Pakistan.
- Tashkent Declaration: Talks at Tashkent resulted in the signing of the Tashkent Declaration on January 10, 1966, formally ending the war.
- Peace and good relations: According to L.P. Singh, who worked closely with Shastri, he considered peace and good relations between India and Pakistan essential if India was to preserve her soul.
- Commitment to peace: Sandeep Shastri’s account records Shastri telling his aides that signing the Tashkent Agreement was “the one greatest tribute one could pay to the Mahatma.”
- Quintessential Gandhian: Shastri died suddenly on January 11, 1966, only a day after signing the agreement. Even as Prime Minister, his final major act reflected the “quintessential Gandhian” approach—placing peace and reconciliation at the centre of his conduct.
2. India’s Twin Mechanism for Governing Drug Prices
India follows a twin mechanism for regulating drug prices: price ceilings for scheduled medicines and restrictions on price increases for non-scheduled medicines. The framework is based on the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 (DPCO), with the Supreme Court now examining aspects of the pricing regime and the high mark-ups charged on some medicines.
Legal Framework and Two Pricing Categories
- Essential Commodities Act, 1955: Section 3(1) empowers the government to regulate essential commodities to maintain supplies, ensure equitable distribution and availability at fair prices, while Section 3(2)(c) enables it to control the price at which an essential commodity may be bought or sold.
- DPCO, 2013: The Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 provides the framework for regulating the prices of scheduled formulations and monitoring the prices of non-scheduled formulations. The NPPA administers this framework.
- Scheduled medicines: These are medicines included in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) and are subject to a price ceiling.
- Non-scheduled medicines: Medicines outside the scheduled category are not directly subject to a price ceiling. Manufacturers can set their MRP, but the MRP cannot be increased by more than 10% in 12 months.
- Scale of coverage: The NLEM covers nearly 390 drugs, accounting for around 90% of the total drug market. Medicines outside the list remain under the less restrictive mechanism.
How Price Ceilings Are Calculated
- Market-based price ceiling: For a scheduled medicine, the ceiling price is calculated from the average price at which the medicine is sold by companies having at least 1% market share, with a 16% retailer margin
- Illustration: If three brands sell a medicine at ₹8, ₹10 and ₹12, the average price is ₹10. Adding the 16% retailer margin gives a price ceiling of ₹11.60.
- Moving Annual Turnover: Market share is calculated using Moving Annual Turnover (MAT), based on the previous 12 months’ sales.
- Revision through WPI: The NPPA revises the ceiling price annually according to the Wholesale Price Index (WPI). The April 1 revision follows the WPI change, which can therefore raise or reduce the permitted price.
- Non-scheduled price increase: For medicines outside price control, the principal restriction is the 10% annual limit. Manufacturers cannot increase the MRP beyond this limit even though they are free to set the initial MRP.
High Mark-ups and the Limits of Price Control
- Price ceiling versus actual selling price: The existence of a price ceiling does not eliminate differences in the prices at which medicines are ultimately sold through different parts of the supply chain.
- Hospital pharmacies: The piece highlights significant mark-ups in hospital pharmacies, where medicines can be sold at prices substantially higher than those available outside hospitals.
- “Decoy” and trade margins: The Supreme Court has examined the issue of high mark-ups, including the concern that some medicines may be sold with very high trade margins, raising questions about how pricing works beyond the manufacturer level.
- Corporate hospital pharmacies: The concern is particularly visible in medicines sold through corporate hospital pharmacies, where the price charged can be considerably higher than the price of the same medicine outside the hospital.
- Judicial scrutiny: The pricing framework has been challenged before the Supreme Court, including in the context of medicines covered by the DPCO, 2013 and the distinction between scheduled and non-scheduled drugs. The broader issue is whether the existing mechanism sufficiently protects consumers from excessive medicine prices and mark-ups.
3. SCO Meet: Signals from 1st Official Indian Visit to Pakistan since Op Sindoor
India’s participation in the SCO National Coordinators’ meeting in Islamabad is significant as it is the first official Indian visit to Pakistan since Operation Sindoor. Pakistan’s SCO presidency makes participation necessary despite the bilateral freeze, while the multilateral platform allows India to retain situational awareness and ensure it remains “in the room” on issues affecting its interests.
The visit also reflects the wider strategic environment. The article highlights the US being seen to side with Pakistan, China’s provision of weapons and satellite intelligence to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, and Trump’s support for Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir. At the same time, China is described as the more consequential challenge for Delhi than Pakistan, making it important for India to keep both fronts relatively calm. The SCO therefore provides a limited channel that “leaves the door ajar for communication”, even without a return to normal bilateral engagement.
India-Pakistan relations have moved from the 2015 Lahore visit and attempts at dialogue to Pathankot, Uri, Pulwama, Balakot, the abrogation of Article 370, the 2021 ceasefire and the renewed conflict after Pahalgam. With bilateral talks still absent, India’s present position is centred on guaranteed response to future terror attacks, no distinction between State and non-State actors, and no let-up against terrorist infrastructure despite nuclear blackmail. The SCO engagement therefore represents multilateral engagement without changing India’s stated baseline that good-neighbourly relations require an environment free of terror and hostility.
4. Behind Trade Deal Delay: US Leverage, India’s Limited Options
US Leverage and India’s Negotiating Constraints
- Tariff uncertainty: The first round of US Section 301 tariffs resulted in a 10% tariff, while India now faces uncertainty over a new Section 301 investigation and potentially higher tariffs. Separately, the US had removed the additional 25% tariff linked to Russian oil purchases, but the new Russia sanctions law creates fresh tariff risks.
- Russia factor: The US had removed the additional 25% tariff on Indian imports in recognition of India’s commitment to stop purchasing Russian oil. Separately, India committed to negotiate robust bilateral digital-trade rules.
- Digital trade commitments: The proposed deal includes cross-border data flows, digital trade practices and removal of barriers to digital trade, making this an important area of negotiation.
- India’s market-access concerns: The US is seeking greater access to the Indian market, including in agriculture and dairy, where India has significant domestic sensitivities.
- Large purchase commitment: India has indicated that it could purchase around $500 billion worth of energy, aircraft and aircraft parts, and other goods over the next five years, but such commitments have to be balanced against their implications for domestic industry.
- Beyond tariffs: Negotiations also cover intellectual property, innovation, non-market policies, procurement and export controls, showing that the disagreement extends beyond conventional tariff reduction.
- Economic-security dimension: Both sides have agreed to strengthen cooperation on economic security, supply-chain resilience and innovation, but differences remain over how these commitments should be translated into the trade agreement.
- India’s limited options: The US is a major destination for Indian exports, making prolonged tariff barriers costly for Indian exporters. At the same time, India cannot easily concede on sensitive agricultural sectors or abandon its broader economic relationship with Russia.
