27 JUNE 2025 THE HINDU EDITORIAL SIMPLIFIED
CBSE Relevance
Class 10 – Social Science (Geography, Civics): Health infrastructure, government programmes, inequality
Class 11 – Sociology & Political Science: Social groups, marginalization, public policies
Class 12 – Biology & Sociology: Health & disease, immunity, national health programmes, social inequality
🩺 Vaccination Progress (Global)
Since 1980, vaccine coverage (number of people vaccinated) for six major diseases (measles, polio, tuberculosis, etc.) has doubled worldwide.
75% of children globally now receive vaccines.
Number of zero-dose children (those who did not receive even the first dose of a basic vaccine) has dropped sharply.
🧪 Full Form of DTP
DTP: Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis (Whooping Cough) – a basic vaccine given to infants
🚸 Zero-Dose Children: Key Indicator
This number helps measure how equally vaccination is provided to all.
In 2023, India had 1.44 million zero-dose children — second highest in the world.
India is one of 8 countries with over 50% of the world’s 16 million zero-dose children.
🌍 India’s Special Situation
Unlike many countries with high zero-dose numbers, India does not face war or poor resources.
India had the highest number of births in 2023: 23 million.
China was second with 9.5 million births in 2024.
Though 1.44 million is high, it’s only 6.2% of newborns — a small percentage compared to total births.
📉 Trends Over the Years
1992: 33.4% of children were zero-dose.
2016: Reduced to 10.1%.
2019 (before COVID-19): 1.4 million.
2021 (COVID peak): Rose to 2.7 million.
2022: Dropped to 1.1 million.
2023: Rose slightly to 1.44 million.
🗺️ States with Most Zero-Dose Children
High numbers in major states: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat.
High proportions in Northeast: Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh.
🧑🤝🧑 Who Are Most Affected
Differences between boys/girls, caste, rural/urban have reduced.
But zero-dose is still high among:
Poor families
Mothers with little or no education
Scheduled Tribes (STs)
Muslim households
🎯 Focus Areas to Improve
Tribal areas (difficult to reach)
Urban slums (where many migrants live)
Muslim families (to reduce vaccine fear)
🌐 WHO’s IA2030 Goal
WHO: World Health Organization
IA2030: Immunization Agenda 2030
Goal: Cut the number of zero-dose children to half of the 2019 level by 2030.
India had 1.44 million in 2023 — close to the 2019 number (1.4 million).
India must take strong, long-term steps to reach this goal in the next five years.
🗂️ Key Vocabulary with Meanings
| Word/Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Zero-dose children | Children who haven’t received even one dose of the DTP vaccine |
| DTP vaccine | Vaccine protecting against Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis |
| Coverage | The reach or percentage of people getting vaccinated |
| Prevalence | How common something is (like zero-dose cases) |
| Indicator | A sign or measure of something (e.g., health service reach) |
| Immunisation | Giving vaccines to protect against diseases |
| Migrant population | People who move from one place to another for work or other reasons |
| Vaccine hesitancy | Fear or doubt about vaccines |
| Scheduled Tribes (STs) | Communities identified by the government for special support |
| Inequity | Unequal access or unfair difference in opportunities |
| Conflict-affected | Countries where war or fighting affects daily life and services |
| Sustained efforts | Long-term and continuous actions |
🧠 America’s Plan to Control Artificial Intelligence (AI)
📚 CBSE Relevance (All Subjects)
| Class | Subjects | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Social Science (Civics, Geography) | Role of global powers, technology, diplomacy |
| 11 | Political Science, Sociology, Computer Science | International policies, tech control, social impact |
| 12 | Political Science, Computer Science, Economics | Tech policies, national interest, digital economy, ethics |
🇺🇸 What is the AI Diffusion Framework?
A set of rules made by the U.S. to control the export (sending to other countries) of:
AI chips
AI model weights (the brain of AI models)
Created during Joe Biden’s presidency to:
Limit access to AI by China, Russia (called adversaries)
Allow access to friendly countries (called allies)
AI was treated like nuclear weapons—very powerful and dangerous if misused.
🔍 Why Did the U.S. Create It?
The U.S. believed:
More computer power = better AI
To stay ahead, America must stop rivals from getting powerful AI chips
In the last 10 years, AI compute (computing power used in AI) has doubled every 10 months.
⚠️ What Went Wrong with the Framework?
❌ Too Controlling
The rules also affected allies, making them feel controlled by the U.S.
Many countries started building their own AI systems to avoid depending on America.
⚔️ Wrong Assumption
AI is mainly a civilian technology (used in daily life, not just military).
Unlike nuclear weapons, AI is global, open, and fast-changing.
🔄 Unintended Outcomes
Other countries, like China, started finding smart ways to build AI with less powerful chips.
Example: DeepSeek Research Institute (RI) in China made top-level AI models using very little compute.
🧯 Framework Cancelled — But Strategy Still There
Donald Trump’s administration cancelled the AI Diffusion Framework.
But the U.S. still wants to stop China from getting AI power.
The change is in method, not in goal.
🔧 New U.S. Strategy – Tech-Based Controls
March 2025: U.S. added new export restrictions, blacklisted companies, and made new rules.
Plans include:
On-chip restrictions (chips will have built-in limits)
Location tracking to see where chips are used
These aim to stop illegal use by China, Russia, and others.
🧩 Problems with the New Plan
Raises issues of:
Privacy (location tracking)
Surveillance (being watched)
Loss of autonomy (not being free to use tech as needed)
Good people may avoid U.S. tech, while bad actors may still find loopholes.
Once again, allies may:
Lose trust
Create their own AI systems
🎯 Final Summary
The U.S. cancelled the AI Diffusion Framework because it was not working well.
But its goal to control AI growth in rival countries remains strong.
Using technology instead of trade bans may still cause similar global tensions.
If not handled carefully, this strategy could even harm U.S. leadership in AI.
📘 Vocabulary & Meanings
| Word/Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| AI (Artificial Intelligence) | Machines that can think, learn, or make decisions like humans |
| Diffusion | Spread or sharing of something (like technology) |
| Export controls | Rules to stop or control what is sent to other countries |
| Model weights | The main values that control how an AI system works |
| Compute | The computer power needed to run AI systems |
| Embargo | Official ban or limit on trade or tech sharing |
| Adversary | A rival or enemy (like China for U.S. in this case) |
| Strategic autonomy | Ability to make your own decisions without pressure from others |
| Technological sovereignty | Full control over your own country’s technology |
| Rescission | Official cancellation of a rule or decision |
| Entity list | U.S. list of companies banned from receiving certain technologies |
| Illicit diversion | Secretly sending something to a banned country |
| Surveillance | Close watch over people or things |
| Circumvent | To find a way around a restriction |
| Trust deficit | Lack of trust between countries or groups |
🗳️ Is Voter Registration Being Subject to Fraud?
📚 CBSE Relevance
| Class | Subjects | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Social Science (Civics) | Free and fair elections, democratic institutions |
| 11 | Political Science, Sociology | Role of Election Commission, electoral process, data-driven discussions |
| 12 | Political Science, Legal Studies, Economics | Institutional accountability, public data systems, governance |
🏛️ The Allegation
Opposition parties, especially Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, alleged manipulation in electoral rolls during the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) denied tampering and announced a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls starting with Bihar.
📈 The Anomaly in Voter Numbers
🔍 Concerns by Praveen Chakravarty (Data Scientist)
In just 6 months, 40 lakh new voters were added in Maharashtra after the Lok Sabha elections.
In contrast, only 32 lakh were added in the previous five years.
Past comparisons:
2004: 61 lakh in 5 years, 30 lakh in 5 months
2009: 70 lakh in 5 years, 30 lakh in 5 months
2014: 48 lakh in 5 years, 27 lakh in 5 months
Maharashtra's declining fertility suggests fewer people turning 18. So, a sudden jump is statistically suspicious.
Questioned: Who are these voters? How were they verified?
⚖️ The Counterpoint by R. Rangarajan (Former Civil Servant)
Such increases have occurred before (30 lakh in 5 months in earlier elections).
New quarterly cut-off dates for enrolment (instead of Jan 1) may have contributed to the rise.
Aadhaar seeding may reduce duplication but has concerns of privacy.
Biggest risk today: Wrongful exclusions, not inclusions.
Acknowledged: The voter list system needs reforms and better checks.
📜 The Role of the Election Commission of India (ECI)
ECI stated tampering is nearly impossible.
Questioned why Congress didn’t appeal when the final voter list was shared.
Chakravarty’s reply: The ECI cannot shift responsibility to political parties. It is a constitutional duty of ECI to conduct free and fair elections.
🖥️ Demands by the Opposition
🧾 Electoral Roll Format
Rolls should be provided in machine-readable (digital) format, not just scanned images or paper copies.
🎥 Voting Footage
CCTV footage after 5 PM should be shared.
Claim: Abnormal increase in turnout after 5 PM seen in ECI’s own data.
🧹 Special Intensive Revision (SIR)
ECI announced SIR for Bihar, later for the whole country.
Chakravarty’s view: This shows that ECI admits past problems in voter rolls.
Rangarajan’s view:
SIR is a good move, but must be done fairly and transparently.
All political parties must participate actively.
Clean rolls require physical verification to remove wrongful inclusions and exclusions.
🧠 Vocabulary and Meanings
| Word/Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Electoral rolls | The official list of eligible voters in an area |
| Special Intensive Revision (SIR) | A detailed update process of the electoral rolls |
| Tamper | To alter or interfere with something secretly |
| Statistical outlier/anomaly | A result that differs significantly from expected data |
| Enrolment cut-off date | The last date to register as a voter for a particular election |
| Aadhaar seeding | Linking Aadhaar (ID number) to voter or other records |
| Wrongful inclusion/exclusion | Adding or removing voters incorrectly |
| Machine-readable format | Digital data that a computer can easily process |
| Surge | A sudden increase |
| Transparency | Openness and clarity in processes or decisions |
| Constitutional responsibility | Legal duty assigned to a constitutional body (like ECI) |
| Hunky-dory | (Informal) Everything is fine |
No comments:
Post a Comment