• Vice-President → 2nd highest Constitutional post (Art. 63).
• Ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha (Art. 64).
• Election → Indirect, by Electoral College (members of both Houses of Parliament, incl. nominated MPs).
• Voting Method → Proportional Representation by Single Transferable Vote (STV), secret ballot.
• Eligibility → Citizen of India, 35+ years, eligible for Rajya Sabha membership.

• Term → 5 years; Oath by President (Art. 69).

• Cross-voting evident → NDA gained 13+ extra votes; Opposition fell short by 24 votes.
• NDA projected as “victory of nationalist ideology.”
• Opposition claimed “moral victory” → vote share rose from 26% (2022) to 40% (2025).
• Election reflected alliance strength & discipline before 2026 General Elections.

• VP’s role as Rajya Sabha Chairperson crucial for smooth functioning of Parliament.
• Election shows Opposition unity vs ruling coalition power play.
• Secret ballot ensures freedom of conscience → cross-voting possible.
• Office strengthens checks and balances in Parliamentary democracy.
• overnance Reform: Linked with PM’s reform narrative.

• VP Pelection by MPs of both Houses only.
• STV method, secret ballot.
• VP acts as President during vacancy (max 6 months).
• First VP → Dr. S. Radhakrishnan.

 Mains (GS-2):

• “Discuss the constitutional role of the Vice-President of India and examine how political alignments in his election reflect India’s parliamentary democracy.”
  

Governor’s Role in Assent to Bills – Presidential Reference before SC

Background

• Kerala Government complained that its Bills are withheld for long durations.
• Similar issues raised by Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Telangana, and West Bengal — mostly Opposition-ruled States.
• Supreme Court (April 2025) in Tamil Nadu vs Governor case mandated a 3-month deadline for Governors/President to decide on assent.
• Presidential Reference under Article 143 was made to clarify constitutional interpretation

Flood Relief Packages for Himachal Pradesh & Punjab – Current Affairs Analysis

• • Opposition Criticism:
    • SAD’s Sukhbir Badal → package “inadequate”, sought loan waiver for farmers.
    • Punjab Congress → termed package “drop in the ocean”.
  • Fund Utilisation Issue:
  • Punjab govt accused of not releasing aid from its ₹12,000 crore Disaster Management Fund.
  • Federal Tensions:
  • Highlights Centre–State friction in disaster funding & accountability.

Static Linkages – UPSC Relevance

• Disaster Management Act, 2005

• Provides for NDMA, NDRF, SDRF.
• Finance Commission recommends allocation of funds
• Centre–State sharing ratio:
• General States → 75:25.
  • Special Category States (HP, NE) → 90:10.

PM National Relief Fund (PMNRF)

• Established: 1948 (by Nehru).
• Used for immediate financial relief in natural disasters, accidents, health emergencies.

PM Awas Yojana (PMAY)

• Launched: 2015.
• Goal: Housing for All by 2024.
• Components: PMAY-Gramin & PMAY-Urban.
• In this case: special project for flood-affected rural housing reconstruction.

Climate Change & Disaster Risk in India

• India → 7th most climate-vulnerable nation (Global Climate Risk Index).
• Himachal Pradesh → prone to cloudbursts, landslides, flash floods.
• Punjab → vulnerable to riverine floods (Satluj–Beas basin) & climate variability.

Deeper Analysis

• Economic damages from floods usually run into tens of thousands of crores.
• Packages announced cover immediate relief, not long-term rehabilitation.
• Political angle → states often demand more citing Centre’s responsibility.

Structural Issues

• Under-utilisation of SDRF/NDRF due to rigid norms.
• Over-reliance on post-disaster relief instead of pre-disaster preparedness.
• Coordination gaps: State vs. Centre tussles (seen in Punjab).

International Frameworks

• Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–30):
  • Priority → Risk assessment, preparedness, resilience.
• India’s National Policy on Disaster Management (2009) → emphasises mitigation, but actual practice still relief-centric.

Way Forward

• Decentralised Fund Utilisation → Empower States with more flexibility under SDRF.
• Climate-resilient Infrastructure → flood-proof roads, elevated housing, early warning systems.
• Technology Integration → GIS mapping, geotagging, AI-based flood forecasting.
• Community Participation → local panchayats & SHGs in relief distribution.
• Long-term Planning → integrate flood management with urban planning & agriculture policy.

Prelims Pointers

• Finance Commission’s role in SDRF allocation.
• NDRF vs. PMNRF difference.
• SDRF sharing ratio between Centre–States.

Mains Dimensions

• GS-II: Centre–State relations in disaster management.
• GS-III: Disaster preparedness vs. post-disaster relief; climate change & hydro-meteorological disasters.
• Essay: “Disaster management in India is more relief-centric than resilience-oriented.”

Great Nicobar Island Project & Forest Rights Controversy – UPSC Perspective

1. The Current Issue

●     Union Govt Action: Ministry of Tribal Affairs has sought a “factual report” from the Andaman & Nicobar administration.

• Allegation: The Tribal Council of Little & Great Nicobar alleges:
•  Their forest rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 were not settled before diverting ~13,000 hectares of forest land.
• Their consent was taken under pressure and later withdrawn.
• The administration falsely certified that FRA process was completed (August 2022).

Political Angle:

• Rahul Gandhi wrote to Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram.
•  Sonia Gandhi termed it a “planned misadventure.”
  

Big Project:

• Cost: ₹81,000 crore.
• Components: Transshipment port, airport, township, power plant, etc.
• Aim: Strategic & economic development in Great Nicobar Island.

Static Background (UPSC-Relevant)

(a) Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006

●     Empowers forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDSTs) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs) with:

○   Individual rights (to homestead, cultivation, minor forest produce).

○Community rights (fishing, grazing, habitat rights).

○    Right to protect and conserve forests.

• Consent of Gram Sabha is mandatory before diverting forest land for projects.

(b) Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation (PATR), 1956

• Special law for Andaman & Nicobar tribes.
• Allows administration to restrict outsiders’ entry and control tribal areas.
• The Nicobar administration argues PATR = sufficient protection → FRA not needed.
• But FRA is a national law and overrides earlier provisions (Supremacy of Parliament)

(c) Strategic Importance of Great Nicobar

• Location: At southern tip of A&N Islands near Malacca Strait (world’s busiest sea lane).
• Enhances India’s role in Indo-Pacific strategy & maritime security.
• Project = both economic hub (transshipment port rivaling Singapore/Colombo) + defence outpost.

Key Concerns Raised

1.    Violation of FRA, 2006: Rights of Nicobarese tribes not settled.

2.Consent issue: Taken under pressure, later withdrawn.
3.Environmental risks:
○     Loss of 13,000 ha tropical rainforest (mega-biodiversity hotspot).
○     Threat to Leatherback turtles, Nicobar megapode, saltwater crocodiles.
4.    Tribal Rights vs. National Development: Balancing strategic infrastructure with indigenous culture and environment.
UPSC Syllabus Linkages

• Polity & Governance: Federal issues (UT vs. Centre), Role of Governors/Administrators, implementation of FRA.
• Environment: Biodiversity hotspots, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), forest diversion.
•  Society: Tribal rights, indigenous culture, displacement.

GS Paper 3: Conservation vs. Development, Internal Security (strategic islands).

The cracks are emerging in political hegemony

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Context

• Over the past decade, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the central force in Indian politics, governing directly in several States and leading the Union government.
• Its dominance was associated with a blend of ideological positioning, welfare delivery, and strong central leadership.
• Recent political, economic, and institutional developments suggest a shift from uncontested dominance to a more contested political environment.

2. Conceptual Background

• Political Hegemony: Going beyond electoral victories, it involves shaping narratives and influencing how society perceives issues (Gramsci’s concept).
• Congress System (Rajni Kothari): Post-independence Congress dominance was accommodative and inclusive, integrating diverse social and regional groups.
• Current Phase: Dominance is largely electoral, supported by state institutions and welfare programmes, but facing emerging challenges.

3. Economic Dimension

• Challenges:

   ○High youth unemployment (PLFS data indicates persistent joblessness among the 15–29 age group).

 ○Stagnant wage growth, stress in informal sector post Demonetisation (2016), GST (2017), and COVID-19 pandemic.

Implication: Economic performance is becoming more central in shaping voter preferences.

• Static Link (GS-III):
  • Issues of inequality and jobless growth highlighted in Economic Survey.
  • Directive Principles (Art. 38, 39) mandate equitable distribution of resources.

4.International Relations Dimension

• Earlier projection: India as a global power through high-profile summits and strategic partnerships.
• Recent strains:
  • Trade disputes with the U.S. leading to tariff-related job losses.
  • Visa restrictions impacting professionals.
  • Diplomatic friction following international mediation claims after regional security incidents.

Static Link (GS-II, IR):

• Principles of Non-Alignment and Strategic Autonomy.
• Realist perspective: global power status shaped by material capabilities, not just image projection.

5. Welfare Politics

• Sustained support base built through Direct Benefit Transfers (DBTs) and schemes such as:
• PM-KISAN, Jan Dhan Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, State-level schemes (e.g., Ladli Behna Yojana).
• Welfare programmes create immediate material benefits, especially in rural and economically weaker sections.
• Static Link (GS-II, Governance):
  • Rights-based welfare approach (e.g., MGNREGA, NFSA).
  • Debate: welfare populism vs sustainable development.

6. Opposition Politics

• Recent Trend: Opposition parties displaying greater coordination and assertiveness, particularly in Parliament
• Issues raised: caste census, electoral roll revisions, election transparency.
• Congress Party’s organisational efforts (e.g., Bharat Jodo Yatra) have repositioned it within Opposition space.

The long march ahead to technological independence

• On 15th August 2025 (79th Independence Day), India celebrated its political freedom.
• However, experts highlight that true independence in the 21st century goes beyond politics → it requires technological sovereignty (self-reliance in software, hardware, and digital infrastructure)

Why Technological Sovereignty?

• Modern wars are cyber wars – fought with software, drones, and cyberattacks rather than just traditional weapons.
• Critical Infrastructure at Risk:
  ○Banks, railways, power grids → all dependent on foreign ICT systems.
  ○Example: Suspension of cloud services to a company showed how external actors can cripple domestic operations.
• Strategic Vulnerability: Over-dependence on foreign companies, mostly from a single country (read: USA/China), creates national security risks

Software Sovereignty

• India currently does not own an indigenous OS or foundational software.
• Risks: Dependence on Android, Windows, iOS → foreign-controlled ecosystems.
• Solution Path
• Open-Source Ecosystem: India can build secure versions of Linux, Android, Hadoop etc.
• Community-led Model: IT professionals must maintain, update and provide long-term support.
• Need client-side components (email, database, calendar) + server-side components (web server, cloud).

• Hardware Sovereignty (Bigger Challenge)

• Semiconductor Dependence: India imports 90% of its semiconductor requirements (mainly from Taiwan, South Korea, USA, China).
• National Missions:
  • India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), 2021 → ₹76,000 crore package.
  • Partnership with Micron, Vedanta-Foxconn, ISMC etc.
• Challenge: Setting up a Fab plant costs $10-15 billion, needs long-term policy and ecosystem.

Way Forward:

• Focus first on chip design & assembly of its semiconductor requirements (mainly from Taiwan, South Korea, USA, China).
• Gradually expand to fabrication & supply chain security.

Global & Indian Context

• Open-Source Movement: Once a socio-political force, now dominated by centralised global cloud providers (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud).
• India’s Advantage:
• Demographic Dividend → 5M+ IT professionals.
• Digital Public Infrastructure: Aadhaar, UPI, ONDC → proven capacity to scale digital platforms.

Past Initiatives

• National Policy on Electronics (NPE), 2019.
• Digital India Mission (2015) → e-governance, digital literacy.
• Make in India → boost electronics & hardware manufacturing.

Way Forward

• National Mission for Technological Independence – focus on implementation, not just research.
• Public-Private-Academia Collaboration – similar to ISRO & UPI success models.
• Self-Sustaining Model – user subscription + govt support, not full dependency on subsidies.
• Capacity Building – skill training in chip design, open-source development, AI, cybersecurity.
• Strategic Partnerships – with Taiwan, Japan, EU for semiconductor ecosystem.

DECISIVE STEP