Content

1. Routine Gridlocks & Parliament’s Institutional Health
2. How Antibiotic Misuse Is Fuelling a Crisis in ICUs Across India
3. Rupee’s Fall Is ‘Real’ This Time: Beyond the Headline Number
4. Ditwah: How Tropical Cyclones Are Named
5. Polluter Pays: Developing Nations Call for a ‘Meat Tax’ on High-Income Countries

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Routine Gridlocks & Parliament’s Institutional Health 

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Why is it in News?

• Winter Session begins under concerns of possible Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and persistent parliamentary disruptions.
• Editorials warn that routine gridlocks, declining debate quality, and shrinking sittings are eroding Parliament’s institutional health.
• Monsoon Session saw alarmingly low productivity: Lok Sabha 29%, Rajya Sabha 34%; Question Hour disrupted massively.
• Former Lok Sabha Secretary-General P. D. T. Achary warns diminishing deliberation is undermining the constitutional purpose of Parliament.

Relevance

GS 2 – Polity & Governance

• Declining productivity of Parliament; weakening deliberative democracy.
• Articles 107–111 (legislative procedure), Article 118 (rules of procedure).
• Executive accountability erosion: Question Hour dilution, minimal scrutiny.
• Parliamentary Committees declining → weak legislative oversight.
• Issues of federalism and political polarisation affecting legislative functioning.

GS 2 – Parliament & Democratic Institutions

• Institutional decline: low sittings, disruptions, majoritarian tendencies.
• Anti-defection law reducing debate autonomy.
• Role of LoP, floor coordination failures, legislative planning deficits.

Basics: Role & Purpose of Parliament

• Legislature’s core functions: lawmaking, executive accountability, financial oversight, deliberation.
• Article 107–111: legislative procedure; Article 118: rules of procedure.
• Question Hour, Zero Hour, Committees: designed to anchor accountability.
• Parliamentary norms: deliberation, consensus-building, scrutiny of government.

 Declining Productivity

• Monsoon Session 2024: LS 29%, RS 34% functioning; Question Hour barely operated.
• Sharp fall from historic norms: Sessions in 1950s–70s averaged 120+ sittings, now often ~60–70 sittings/year.
• 17th Lok Sabha (2019–24): worst average in decades; RS fared slightly better but also downward.

 Routine Disruptions Becoming Norm

• Disruptions no longer exception; increasingly weaponized tactics by both treasury & opposition benches.
• Loss of debate time: Eight Bills passed with little or no debate (some under 10 minutes).
• “Operation Sindoora” data: 50%+ of LS time spent on disruptions.

 Breakdown in Floor Coordination

• Erosion flows from failure of dialogue between Leader of the House & Leader of Opposition.
• Pre-legislative consultation is minimal → Bills rushed.
• All-party meetings have become symbolic, not substantive.

 Declining Scrutiny of Bills

• Only 13–15% of Bills sent to Parliamentary Standing Committees in recent years (down from 60%+ a decade ago).
• Bills increasingly passed without clause-by-clause debate.
• Examples: Online Gaming Bill, Merchant Shipping Bill passed with less than 10 minutes of debate.

 Majoritarianism vs. Parliamentary Spirit

• With strong majority governments, tendency to treat Parliament as legitimising body, not deliberative body.
• Opposition protests → Government bypasses debate via guillotine, voice vote, short notices.

 Question Hour Dilution

• Most crucial accountability tool; its repeated suspension directly reduces executive oversight.
• Data: Only 23% (LS) & 36% (RS) Question Hour utilization in Monsoon Session.

 Institutional Consequences

• Weakening parliamentary norms → rising executive dominance.
• Bills passed without scrutiny risk constitutional infirmities, litigations, and policy incoherence.
• Public trust erodes; Parliament becomes “acclamation chamber” not deliberative institution.

 Structural Reasons Behind Gridlocks

• Polarized politics, absence of consensus-building culture.
• Anti-defection law reduces inner-party debate; MPs have little autonomy.
• Televised sessions incentivize disruptions for media visibility.
• Poor legislative planning: late circulated Bills, minimal notice.

 Need for Institutional Reforms

• Mandatory minimum sittings (UK-style: 120 days).
• Revive Business Advisory Committee & ensure cross-party coordination.
• Mandatory Committee reference for all non-emergency Bills.
• Reform anti-defection law to allow intra-party dissent.
• Time-bound debate mechanism like UK’s “Westminster Hall debates”.

 Comparative Perspective 

• Arend Lijphart: consensus democracies require negotiation → India drifting to majoritarianism.
• Mansbridge: deliberative democracy thrives on transparency & debate → absent in current legislature.
• Garrett & Tsebelis: strong executives without veto players reduce scrutiny → India fits this pattern.

Conclusion

• Parliamentary gridlocks reflect deep institutional decay, not episodic political friction.
• Declining deliberation, shrinking sittings, and minimal scrutiny threaten executive accountability and constitutional balance.
• Reviving Parliament requires structural reforms + political will to restore dialogue, debate, and democratic deliberation.

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How Antibiotic Misuse Is Fuelling a Crisis in ICUs Across India 

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Why is it in News?

• New data from ICMR and tertiary hospitals show sharp rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in ICUs across India.
• Nearly 2.6 lakh deaths in India in 2021 linked to AMR.
• Hospitals are overprescribing antibiotics; many prescriptions not based on microbiological evidence.
• ICUs reporting patients who no longer respond to even last-line antibiotics.

Relevance

GS 2 – Health

• Public health crisis due to AMR; hospital governance & regulation.
• Role of ICMR: surveillance, stewardship frameworks.
• Gaps in healthcare infrastructure, diagnostics, sanitation, infection control.

GS 3 – Science & Technology

• Microbiology basics: AMR, superbugs, ICU pathogens (Klebsiella, Acinetobacter).
• Need for diagnostic capacity, lab ecosystem strengthening, rapid tests.

GS 3 – Disaster Management / Public Health Emergency

• AMR as a slow-moving disaster → mortality burden (2.6 lakh deaths).
• ICU vulnerabilities, HAIs, systemic risk to healthcare systems.

 What is Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?

• Microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi) evolve to resist drugs meant to kill them.
• Caused by overuse/misuse of antibiotics in humans, animals, and environment.
• Leads to “superbugs” that standard drugs cannot kill → prolonged illness, mortality, higher costs.
• WHO lists AMR as top 10 global health threats.

 Scale of the Crisis in ICUs

• ICUs facing multi-drug resistant and pan-drug resistant bacteria.
• Patients deteriorate because even carbapenems/colistin often ineffective.
• Hospitals report rising infections by Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas—major ICU pathogens.
• Clinicians frequently forced to give multiple antibiotic combinations, sometimes blindly.

 Why Antibiotic Misuse Is Rising ?

• Empirical prescribing: Doctors prescribe antibiotics without culture tests due to time constraints.
• Diagnostic gaps: Poor infection control, inadequate lab support in many hospitals.
• Patient pressure: Many expect antibiotics even for viral illnesses.
• Defensive medicine: Doctors act to avoid complications or litigation.
• Lack of stewardship: Only 20–30% hospitals have functional antimicrobial stewardship committees.

 Key Findings From ICMR Data

• Resistance reported to even reserve/last-line antibiotics (carbapenems, colistin).
• Hospitals now using the “watch group” — antibiotics with higher resistance risk — more frequently.
• Only 6% of antibiotics prescribed in the survey were “definitive treatment” (infection confirmed).
• 94% prescriptions were empirical — based on symptoms rather than lab confirmation.
• Indicates structural diagnostic weakness in Indian hospitals.

 ICU-Specific Challenges

• ICU patients have: ventilators, catheters, central lines → high risk of infection.
• Overcrowded ICUs → easier transmission of resistant bacteria.
• Higher antibiotic exposure → faster mutation and survival of resistant strains.
• Resistant bacteria persist in hospital environment (beds, instruments, staff clothing).

 Consequences of Rising AMR

• Higher mortality: India among the highest AMR-related deaths globally.
• Increased treatment costs: longer ICU stays, expensive reserve drugs.
• Greater risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).
• Reduced effectiveness of life-saving procedures: transplants, cancer therapy, surgeries.

 Structural Issues Fueling the Problem

• Inadequate infection control: Poor sanitation, overcrowding, lack of dedicated IC personnel.
• Antibiotics available without prescription in many parts of India.
• Weak regulation of antibiotics in animal agriculture.
• Poor hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers.
• Underinvestment in public hospitals → limited diagnostic capacity.

 What ICMR Suggests ?

• Strengthen infection control so doctors are not forced to prescribe antibiotics “just in case”.
• Mandatory hospital antibiotic stewardship programmes.
• Ensure protocol-based prescribing and daily review of antibiotic need.
• Create AMR surveillance networks across states.

 Diagnosis vs. Infection Control: The Core Problem

• Doctors often confuse colonization (bacteria present but not causing illness) with infection → unnecessary treatment.
• Without culture tests, symptoms alone often misleading.
• Real solution lies in good infection control, not more antibiotics.

 Comparative Perspective 

• Stuart Levy (AMR scholar): resistance rises wherever selective pressure is high → ICUs are ground zero.
• O’Neill Report (2016): warned AMR could cause 10 million deaths/year by 2050; India a major hotspot.
• Paul Farmer: inequality magnifies infectious disease crisis → seen clearly in India’s public hospitals.

Conclusion  

• India’s ICUs are facing a public health emergency driven by antibiotic misuse and weak diagnostic systems.
• Over-prescription, poor infection control, and rising drug-resistant pathogens create a vicious cycle that standard antibiotics can no longer break.
• Strengthening diagnostics, stewardship, and infection control is essential to prevent AMR from becoming India’s next major health crisis.

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Beyond the Headline Number: Rupee’s Fall Is ‘Real’ This Time 

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Why is it in News?

• The rupee breached ₹89/$, closing at ₹89.46 — its lowest ever.
• But unlike previous episodes, the rupee has also depreciated against euro, pound, yen, yuan and not just the dollar.
• The Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER) shows “real depreciation”, driven by inflation differentials and global currency movements.
• IMF reclassified India’s exchange-rate regime from “floating” to “stabilised arrangement”—indicating higher RBI intervention.

Relevance

GS 3 – Economy

• Exchange rate concepts: NER, NEER, REER; competitiveness; inflation impact.
• External sector vulnerabilities: trade deficit, capital flows, global currency cycle.
• IMF classification shift → exchange-rate management issues.
• RBI’s role: intervention, reserve use, stabilised arrangement.

GS 3 – Growth & Inflation

• High domestic inflation → real depreciation vs nominal depreciation.
• Impact on imports (fuel, electronics), corporate debt, household inflation.

Key Terms

1. Nominal Exchange Rate (NER)

• Market exchange rate: price of rupee against another currency.

2. Effective Exchange Rates (EERs)

• NEER: Weighted average of rupee against a basket of 40 currencies.
• REER: NEER adjusted for inflation differentials → indicates “true competitiveness”.

3. Appreciation vs. Depreciation

• NEER ↑ → rupee strengthens nominally.
• REER ↑ → rupee overvalued; REER ↓ → rupee undervalued/competitive.

What’s Different This Time?

• Rupee’s fall is broad-based:
  • Against USD: 86.84 → 89.46
  • Against Euro: 105.74 → 118.27
  • Against Pound: 108.61 → 118.17
  • Against Yen: 0.56 → 0.57
• Indicates global weakness of INR, not just USD strength.
• Rupee has depreciated across almost all major currencies.

Effective Exchange Rates Reveal the Real Picture ?

NEER

• NEER has declined since 2023, especially post-2024.
• Indicates nominal rupee weakening against the 40-currency basket.

REER

• REER has fallen below 2018–19 levels, meaning:
  • Rupee is currently undervalued in real terms.
  • Real depreciation exceeds nominal fall because domestic inflation is high.

Why REER Matters More ?

• REER reflects inflation-adjusted competitiveness.
• Even if nominal depreciation is mild, high domestic inflation → real depreciation.
• India’s CPI inflation (~5.4% since May 2025) versus lower inflation in US, EU, Japan etc. widens the gap.
• Thus, REER drop signals genuine loss of purchasing power and export competitiveness shift.

Inflation: Key Driver of “Real” Depreciation

• India’s CPI inflation > trading partners for most of 2024–25.
• Higher inflation domestically → rupee must fall more to maintain competitiveness.
• However, this time depreciation outpaced even inflation impact → structural weakness.

RBI’s Exchange Rate Management

• IMF’s reclassification: India now follows a “stabilised arrangement” →
  • RBI intervenes actively to prevent sharp volatility.
  • Heavy use of reserves to smooth market movements.
• Implication:
  • Rupee’s fall is broader than RBI’s ability to defend.
  • After long stability around ₹82–₹83 (2022–2024), structural pressures are showing.

Structural Reasons Behind Rupee Weakness

• Widening trade deficit (oil, electronics, gold imports).
• Weak FPI inflows, outflows from debt and equity.
• Lower export growth, especially in merchandise.
• Strong US dollar due to high US rates until mid-2024.
• China’s yuan depreciation dragging Asian currencies.
• Geopolitical risks and capital flight to safe havens.

Rupee’s Fall Since May 2025

• Sharpest decline among major Asian currencies.
• NEER & REER both dropping together → rare event, reflects deeper weakness.
• Indicates simultaneous nominal and real depreciation, unlike past episodes when RBI absorbed most shocks.

Key Point from Chart

• From June 2022 onward:
  • NEER has fallen moderately.
  • REER has fallen sharply, especially post-May 2025.
• This combination (nominal fall + high domestic inflation) → rupee now undervalued.

Implications

• Exports: may get a short-term boost, but structural issues limit gains.
• Imports: costlier fuels, electronics, fertilisers → inflationary pressures.
• Corporate debt: higher burden for firms with dollar-denominated loans.
• Government finances: oil subsidies, fertiliser bill may rise.
• Household impact: imported goods and foreign travel more expensive.

Outlook: What Next?

• IMF notes rupee is moving towards greater flexibility.
• If US Fed cuts rates slowly, USD will stay strong → pressure persists.
• RBI likely to intervene only to smoothen volatility, not defend specific levels.
• Structural reforms (exports, manufacturing, energy imports) needed to stabilise rupee long-term.

Conclusion

• Rupee’s depreciation is broad-based and inflation-adjusted, indicating a real loss of value, not just USD strength.
• Both NEER and REER declining together mark a structural weakening, driven by inflation, trade deficit, and soft capital flows.
• Without addressing economic fundamentals, rupee’s slide will continue despite RBI’s stabilisation efforts.

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Ditwah: How Are Tropical Cyclones Named?

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Why is it in News?

• Cyclone Ditwah, located near Tamil Nadu’s coast, is weakening into a deep depression.
• Raises questions on how cyclones get their names, especially in the Indian Ocean region.

Relevance

GS 1 – Geography

• Tropical cyclones: formation, basins, regional naming protocols.
• North Indian Ocean cyclone system: Arabian Sea & Bay of Bengal.

GS 3 – Disaster Management

• IMD as RSMC for cyclone naming, warnings, advisories.
• Operational role of naming in communication, preparedness, risk reduction.
• WMO/ESCAP Panel functioning; country submissions; naming rules.

What Are Tropical Cyclone Names?

• Assigned by Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) and Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs).
• For the North Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea + Bay of Bengal), naming is done by WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC).

Who Decides the Names?

• WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) formed in 2000.
• Member countries originally:
  • Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand.
• Later expanded to include more countries (e.g., UAE, Yemen, Qatar, Iran, etc.).
• Each country submits a list of names.

How the Naming System Works ?

• Names are chosen on a rotational and sequential basis from contributions of all member countries.
• Each country submits multiple names, enough for many years.
• All nations must follow rules set by the panel.

Criteria for Cyclone Names

• Must be short, simple, and easy to pronounce.
• Should reflect the region’s culture, history, ecology, etc.
• Must not be offensive to any member country.
• Should not relate to:
  • Religious beliefs
  • Political leaders or parties
  • Controversial or sensitive contexts

Example: Cyclone Ditwah

• “Ditwah” was submitted by Yemen.
• Fits the WMO guidelines: culturally relevant, short, non-offensive, easy to pronounce.

Why Naming Matters (Operational Importance) ?

• Clear communication for:
  • Forecasting
  • Disaster preparedness
  • Public warnings
• Prevents confusion when multiple cyclones occur simultaneously.
• Improves recall and community-level awareness.

Naming for North Indian Ocean vs. Other Basins

• Unlike Atlantic or Pacific (where lists repeat every few years),
  • Indian Ocean names are used only once.
• Once a name is used for a cyclone, it cannot be reused.

India’s Role

• IMD (New Delhi) is the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre for the region.
• Responsible for:
  • Issuing advisories
  • Assigning names from the approved list
  • Maintaining cyclone records

Conclusion  

• Tropical cyclone names in the Indian Ocean are assigned by the WMO/ESCAP panel using lists submitted by regional countries.
• Names must be simple, culturally appropriate, and non-offensive; once used, they are not repeated.
• Cyclone Ditwah, named by Yemen, follows this global naming protocol.

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Polluter Pays: Developing Nations Call for ‘Meat Tax’ on High-Income Countries 

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Why is it in News?

• At COP30, 28 low-income countries (Africa + Pacific) issued the Belém Declaration demanding a GHG pricing mechanism (“meat tax”) on high-income countries’ industrial livestock sector.
• They argue overconsumption of meat in rich nations → disproportionate GHG emissions, especially methane.
• They demand 20% of revenues from the tax to be directed to the Loss and Damage Fund.

Relevance

GS 3 – Environment & Climate Change

• Polluter pays principle applied to food systems & livestock emissions.
• Methane (CH₄), N₂O emissions; agriculture’s GHG footprint (~33% globally).
• Loss and Damage Fund financing debates; COP negotiation issues.
• Sustainable diets, overconsumption, ecological footprint.

GS 2 – International Relations

• Climate equity: developing vs developed country responsibilities.
• Global negotiations (COP30, Belém Declaration) and South-South coalitions.
• Transition pathways for high-income economies.

What Is a ‘Meat Tax’ Proposal?

• A GHG pricing mechanism targeting industrial livestock in high-income economies.
• Based on polluter pays principle → those causing higher emissions must compensate climate-vulnerable nations.
• Intended to reduce overconsumption-driven emissions and support climate adaptation in developing nations.

Why Agriculture Is Under Scrutiny

• Food systems contribute ~33% of global GHG emissions.
• Livestock = majority of agri emissions, dominated by methane (CH₄).
• High emission footprint:
  • Beef: 70 kg CO₂e/kg
  • Pork: 12 kg CO₂e/kg
  • Chicken: 9.9 kg CO₂e/kg
  • Legumes: 2 kg/kg
  • Nuts: 0.4 kg/kg

What the Belém Declaration Seeks

• High-income countries + major economies (OECD, EU, China) to:
  • Introduce emission pricing on industrial meat.
  • Transfer ≥20% revenue to the Loss and Damage Fund.
• Apply the polluter pays principle beyond fossil fuels → food systems.
• Push for inclusion of “animal protein overconsumption transition” in future COP agendas.

Who Are the Signatories?

• 28 nations across Africa and the Pacific (Nigeria, Uganda, Fiji, Vanuatu, PNG, Kiribati, Liberia, etc.).
• Represent 14 million highly climate-vulnerable people.
• Supported by 80+ NGOs and international organisations.

Rationale Behind the Demand

a) Disproportionate Emissions

• High-income nations consume 4–5x the recommended meat intake (EAT-Lancet).
• OECD average: 71.4 kg/person/year
• China: 62 kg
• Developing countries: 26.6 kg
• Climate impact from Northern industrial livestock far exceeds that of smallholder livestock systems in the South.

b) Inequity in Climate Burden

• Developing countries criticized for methane emissions (e.g., India) though:
  • Their systems are low-input, multi-purpose, subsistence-based.
  • Emissions per animal are generally lower than industrial Western systems.
• Industrial livestock systems in rich countries → high feed demand, deforestation, high energy inputs, manure CH₄, N₂O emissions.

c) Rising Livestock Demand Unsustainable

• FAO projection:
  • Global herd size to rise 50% by 2050 (from 2012 baseline).
• Breaks alignment with Net Zero 2050.

Why High-Income Countries Are Targeted ?

• Meat consumption levels exceed sustainable thresholds by large margins.
• Industrial livestock expansion linked to:
  • Large land use
  • Forest loss
  • High methane and nitrous oxide emissions
  • High water/energy footprint
• Benefits of a meat tax:
  • Lower production incentives
  • Shift to plant-based diets
  • Reduced land use
  • Higher carbon sequestration through rewilding/restoration

How the Tax Revenue Will Be Used ?

• At least 20% to Loss and Damage Fund:
  • Compensation for countries facing sea-level rise, storms, floods, droughts
  • Especially for small island developing states (SIDS)
• Remaining revenue (country-dependent) could be used for:
  • Climate mitigation policies
  • Dietary transition programs
  • Sustainable agriculture support

Key Arguments by Developing Nations

• Overconsumption in rich nations = major cause of food-related emissions.
• Food-related climate crisis is not just a developing-world problem.
• Meat consumption and fossil fuel use have similar entrenched inequity patterns.
• Industrial livestock must be treated like fossil fuels in emission accounting.

Counterarguments & Challenges

• Industrial meat lobby denies high emission contribution.
• Concerns about:
  • Inflation
  • Food affordability
  • Sovereignty over dietary choices
• Implementation requires:
  • Strong MRV system for livestock emissions
  • Agreement on social equity and revenue sharing
  • Political acceptance in OECD nations

Conclusion

• The Belém Declaration marks the first collective demand to price GHG emissions from industrial livestock in wealthy nations based on the polluter pays principle.
• Scientific evidence shows agriculture—particularly industrial livestock—is a major driver of global emissions, with high-income consumption patterns disproportionately responsible.
• A meat tax could reduce emissions, correct inequities, fund Loss & Damage support, and accelerate a global shift toward sustainable food systems.