CONTENT :

1. India’s population has hit 146.39 crore: UNFPA
2. Don’t withhold State’s RTE funds over NEP row, Madras HC tells Centre
3. Thirdspace: how spaces are experienced and remade
4. FSDC looks to enhance cybersecurity, ease compliance burden
5. Targeted policy intervention to boost green mining vehicles

India’s population has hit 146.39 crore: UNFPA

Context : India’s population has reached an estimated 146.39 crore as per the UNFPA’s State of the World Population 2025 report, surpassing China to become the world’s most populous nation. The report also highlights a decline in India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to 1.9, below the replacement level of 2.1.

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

Key Highlights of the Report

• India’s population (April 2025 estimate): 146.39 crore (UNFPA)
• China’s population: 141.61 crore
• India is the world’s most populous nation.
• Total Fertility Rate (TFR): 1.9, below the replacement level of 2.1
• Projected population peak: ~170 crore around 2065, followed by decline

Fertility and Demographic Transition

• Replacement-level fertility: Achieved nationally (as per Registrar General’s 2021 report)
• TFR definition: Average number of children a woman is expected to bear during her reproductive years
• A TFR below 2.1 implies long-term population decline in the absence of migration

Data Gaps and Delays

• 2021 Census delayed; now planned for completion by March 2027
• Last official Census: 2011
• Population estimates rely on Sample Registration System (SRS) and technical projections

Implications of a Low TFR

• Positive:
  • Lower burden on natural resources, environment
  • Opportunity for demographic dividend in short-term
• Concerns:
  • Future challenges of population ageing
  • Shrinking workforce vs dependent elderly
  • Pressure on pension, healthcare systems
  • Possible regional disparities – Some States still have high TFRs

Global & National Context

• Report titled: “State of the World Population 2025: The Real Fertility Crisis”
• Highlights a global trend of declining fertility — not just in India
• Reflects India’s demographic maturity, but also underlines the need for policy preparedness

Don’t withhold State’s RTE funds over NEP row, Madras HC tells Centre

Context

• ₹2,151.59 crore due to Tamil Nadu under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme (SSS) is pending from the Centre.
• Out of this, ~₹200 crore is meant for RTE (Right to Education) Act reimbursements to private schools.
• TN has refused to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, leading to tension with the Union government over fund disbursal.

Relevance : GS 2(Governance , Centre State Relations)

Key Observations by Madras High Court

• The Centre should consider splitting SSS funds and release the RTE component separately.
• RTE obligations are statutory, governed by the RTE Act, 2009, and not contingent on NEP compliance.
• Section 7 of the RTE Act: Both Union and State governments have concurrent responsibility for funding RTE provisions.

Judicial Constraints

• Since Tamil Nadu has already filed a suit in the Supreme Court for full fund release, the High Court refrained from giving binding directions.
• It only issued an advisory direction to the Centre to “consider” delinking and releasing the RTE-specific amount.

Directive to Tamil Nadu Government

• Non-receipt of central funds cannot be used as an excuse to avoid reimbursing private schools for RTE admissions.
• The State has an independent statutory obligation to ensure timely reimbursement to private unaided schools under the Act.

Impact on RTE Admissions

• The order came in response to a PIL urging the State to initiate RTE admissions for 2025–26 without delay.
• The court’s ruling aims to safeguard the right of children to free and compulsory education.

Thirdspace: how spaces are experienced and remade

Core Concept: What is Thirdspace?

• Thirdspace is a concept introduced by Edward Soja in Thirdspace: Journeys to Los Angeles and Other Real-and-Imagined Places (1996), building on Henri Lefebvre’s The Production of Space (1974).
• It represents the lived, experienced, and dynamic space where identity, memory, resistance, and meaning converge.
• It critiques the idea that space is just physical or planned; it argues that space is lived and socially constructed, especially by marginalised communities.

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

Soja’s Trialectics of Spatiality

1. Firstspace (Perceived space):
   1. Physical, mappable space — roads, buildings, parks.
   1. Often viewed as “objective” but reflects deep-rooted inequalities (e.g., slums at margins, caste/religious segregation).

• Secondspace (Conceived space):
  • Ideological and planned space — zoning laws, blueprints, city plans.
  • Reflects the biases and visions of those in power (e.g., colonial mapping, gentrification).

• Thirdspace (Lived space):
  • Where real human experiences, cultural practices, and acts of resistance happen.
  • Blends the physical and ideological but goes beyond them, enabling transformation and subversion.

 Thirdspace and Identity Politics

• In Thirdspace, marginalised identities (e.g., migrants, women, LGBTQ+ groups) find space for assertion and imagination.
• Feminist geographers like Doreen Massey and Bell Hooks emphasized how space is gendered and political.
  • E.g., who feels safe in parks after dark? Who shapes urban layouts?

Urban and Rural Relevance

• While Soja focused on cities, Thirdspace exists in villages, squares, digital spaces, and protest sites.
• Example: A village square can be a Firstspace (gathering), Secondspace (tradition), and Thirdspace (resistance/conflict) simultaneously.
• Cities, due to planning, diversity, surveillance, and informality, are prime grounds to explore Thirdspace dynamics.

Contrasted with Marc Augé’s ‘Non-Places’

• Non-places (airports, malls, hotels) are transient and devoid of identity.
• Thirdspace resists this sterility — people remake even non-places into meaningful spaces through use, memory, and resistance.

Examples of Thirdspace

• Greenwich Village, New York:
  • Firstspace: Historic street layout.
  • Secondspace: Designed as educational/historic zone.
  • Thirdspace: Site of LGBTQ+ resistance (Stonewall), cultural hub.
• Afghan streets or Chinatown in Indian cities:
  • Created not by planners but by community lived experiences.

Why Thirdspace Matters

• Encourages us to value emotional, cultural, and political experience of space, not just what maps or planners say.
• Highlights the transformative potential of communities in reshaping urban and social landscapes.
• Offers a critical lens to study inequality, resistance, identity, and urban theory in the real world.

FSDC looks to enhance cybersecurity, ease compliance burden

Cybersecurity & Financial Resilience

• The Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC), chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, met to discuss cyber resilience in the financial sector.
• It emphasized the need for a financial sector-specific cybersecurity strategy.
• This aligns with the recommendations of the Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP) 2024–25, which reviews risks and preparedness in financial systems.

Relevance : GS 2 (Governance ) ,GS 3(Economy ,CyberSecurity)

Key Cybersecurity Concerns

• FSDC reviewed:
  • Existing cybersecurity regulations.
  • Sectoral preparedness of financial institutions (banks, NBFCs, markets).
• The goal is to enhance real-time threat response, incident reporting, and resilience in an increasingly digital financial ecosystem.

Ease of Compliance & Regulatory Reforms

• The council explored ways to reduce regulatory burden and streamline compliance.
• It discussed introducing common KYC norms, especially to:
  • Simplify onboarding for investors (including NRIs).
  • Promote uniformity across regulators like RBI, SEBI, IRDAI.

Unclaimed Assets

• FSDC also addressed the issue of large amounts of unclaimed assets (like deposits, dividends, insurance amounts).
• It recommended:
  • Reducing such unclaimed amounts through proactive communication.
  • Enabling seamless refunds to legitimate claimants.

Institutional Role of FSDC

• FSDC is a high-level body that coordinates inter-regulatory policy issues and monitors systemic risks.
• It includes heads of RBI, SEBI, PFRDA, IRDAI, and other financial regulators.
• Its recent focus includes:
  • Cyber threats, digital governance.
  • Inter-regulatory harmonization.
  • Protection of financial consumer interests.

‘Targeted policy intervention to boost green mining vehicles’

Context : Need for Policy Push for Green HEMMs

• India urgently needs targeted and well-defined policy interventions to promote cleaner fuel-based Heavy Earth Moving Machinery (HEMM) in the mining sector.
• The findings are from a study by Sustainable Mining Initiative (FIMI) and Deloitte.

Relevance : GS 3 ( Economy & Environment )

Green Mining Vehicles:

• Green mining vehicles, such as those powered by electricity, hybrid systems, or hydrogen, are essential to reduce CO₂ emissions from India’s expanding mining sector and align with its net-zero targets.
• Their high upfront costs remain a key barrier, which can be addressed through targeted incentives like capital subsidies, power subsidies for charging, and production-linked incentives.

Environmental Imperative

• Mining operations are projected to expand significantly by 2035, leading to a sharp rise in fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions.
• Adoption of green HEMMs (electric, hybrid, or hydrogen-powered) is critical to align mining with India’s net-zero and sustainability commitments.

Cost is a Major Barrier

• Green HEMMs are expensive upfront, which discourages adoption.
• The report recommends:
  • Capital subsidies.
  • Fleet-linked premium rebates.
  • Upfront payment relaxations.
  • Power subsidies for charging infrastructure.
  • Reduced financing costs.

Recommended Policy Instruments

• A coherent policy framework should include:
  • Technology-specific incentives.
  • Regulatory enablers (like mandatory usage quotas).
  • Star rating reforms.
  • Production-linked incentives (PLI).
  • Infrastructure development (charging/hydrogen stations).
  • Demand-side interventions (e.g., procurement mandates).

Industry Outlook

• India’s mining equipment market:
  • Revenue in 2024: $6.4 billion.
  • Expected to reach $11.34 billion by 2033 at a CAGR of 6.5%.
• As mining production targets rise, thousands of HEMMs will be added, increasing the environmental burden unless cleaner alternatives are adopted.

Need for Urgent Transition

• Without policy support, the current high-carbon path of mining will intensify.
• Proactive transition to clean HEMMs is vital to:
  • Reduce emissions.
  • Increase operational efficiency.
  • Achieve climate goals.