| PYQ Relevance:
[UPSC 2020] In order to enhance the prospects of social development, sound and adequate health care policies are needed particularly in the fields of geriatric and maternal health care. Discuss.
Linkage: The article on maternal mortality highlights various deficiencies in healthcare delivery and infrastructure (e.g., lack of specialists, blood banks, operation theatres, and trained personnel) that contribute to maternal deaths, indicating the critical need for sound policies. This question is most directly relevant as it specifically names “maternal health care” as a crucial area for sound and adequate healthcare policies to enhance social development. |
Mentor’s Comment: Despite progress, India still loses 93 mothers for every 1,00,000 births due to problems that could be prevented during childbirth. Although the number has come down from 103 (2017–19) to 93 (2019–21), there are still huge differences between states. For example, Kerala has brought the number down to 20, but in states like Madhya Pradesh (175) and Assam (167), the numbers are very high.
Today’s editorial analyses the issues related to India’s Maternal Mortality Ratio. This topic is important for GS Paper I (Women-related Issues) and GS Paper II (Social Justice and Health) in the UPSC mains exam.
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Let’s learn!
Why in the News?
India’s Maternal Mortality Ratio is going down, but some states still need to work on solving basic problems and improving their healthcare systems.
What do MMR trends reveal about regional disparities in India?
- Declining National MMR: India’s MMR dropped from 103 (2017–19) to 93 (2019–21), showing slow but consistent improvement.
- Kerala leads with an MMR of 20, indicating robust institutional care and maternal health awareness.
- Southern States (like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh) show better performance (MMR under 50–60), while EAG States such as Madhya Pradesh (175) and Assam (167) remain critical zones.
- “Other” States: Maharashtra (38) and Gujarat (53) have made notable progress, while Punjab (98) and Haryana (106) still struggle.
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Why is India’s Maternal Mortality Ratio still high despite better healthcare access?
- Regional Disparities in Healthcare Infrastructure: MMR is significantly higher in Empowered Action Group (EAG) states like Assam (167) and Madhya Pradesh (175), compared to Kerala (20). Eg: States like Bihar and UP face shortages in skilled staff and poor facility access, despite national programmes.
- Inadequate Functioning of FRUs (First Referral Units): Many FRUs lack specialists, blood banks, and operating theatres. Over 66% of specialist posts remain vacant. Eg: In 2,856 designated FRUs, many lack anaesthetists or functional surgical units, risking lives in emergencies.
- Three Delays in Maternal Care: Delays in seeking care, reaching hospitals, and receiving treatment result in avoidable deaths.
How are the three key delays contributing to maternal deaths?
- Delay in Decision-Making at Home: Families often fail to recognise danger signs during pregnancy or childbirth and delay seeking medical help. Eg: A pregnant woman showing signs of excessive bleeding may not be taken to a hospital promptly due to family neglect, financial constraints, or the belief that delivery is natural.
- Delay in Reaching a Healthcare Facility: Lack of timely transportation from remote or rural areas hinders access to skilled birth attendants or emergency care. Eg: A woman in a tribal village may take hours to reach a hospital due to poor roads or lack of ambulances, resulting in delivery en route.
- Delay in Receiving Adequate Care at the Facility: Even after reaching a hospital, care may be delayed due to absence of doctors, operation theatres, or blood supply. Eg: A woman experiencing uterine rupture may not get immediate surgery because the anaesthetist is unavailable or the OT isn’t ready.
| What are First Referral Units (FRUs)?
First Referral Units (FRUs) are designated health facilities equipped to provide comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (CEmONC). These units serve as the first-level referral centres for maternal and child health emergencies, especially in rural and underserved areas. |
How can FRUs be made more effective in reducing maternal deaths?
- Ensure Availability of Specialist Medical Staff: FRUs must be equipped with qualified obstetricians, anaesthetists, and paediatricians to handle maternal emergencies. Eg: In many districts, over 60% vacancies in specialist posts mean pregnant women cannot access timely surgeries like C-sections, leading to avoidable deaths.
- Establish Fully Functional Emergency Infrastructure: FRUs must have operational operation theatres, blood banks, and 24×7 emergency care to address complications like postpartum haemorrhage. Eg: A woman suffering massive bleeding after childbirth can be saved if a blood transfusion and surgery are available within two hours.
- Strengthen Referral and Transport Systems: Ensure robust ambulance networks and clear referral protocols to reduce delays in reaching FRUs from rural or remote areas. Eg: The 108 ambulance service, when linked efficiently with FRUs, can reduce deaths caused by obstructed labour during long-distance travel.
What lessons does the Kerala model offer for reducing MMR nationwide?
- Confidential Review of Maternal Deaths: Kerala uses a systematic review process to study every maternal death to identify medical and systemic gaps. Eg: Led by Dr. V.P. Paily, Kerala’s Confidential Review Committee analyses causes like hemorrhage, embolism, or surgical delay, enabling precise interventions.
- High-Quality Emergency Obstetric Care: Kerala emphasizes emergency preparedness, with trained obstetricians, well-equipped operation theatres, and availability of blood banks.
- Holistic Maternal Health Approach: Kerala addresses not only physical but also mental health aspects of pregnancy, like antenatal depression and postpartum psychosis.
Way forward:
- Strengthen FRUs and Emergency Care Infrastructure: Ensure that all First Referral Units (FRUs) are fully staffed with specialists, equipped with blood banks, operation theatres, and essential medicines to manage obstetric emergencies swiftly.
- Scale Up Kerala’s Model Nationwide: Implement confidential maternal death reviews, train healthcare personnel in advanced obstetric practices, and integrate mental health support into maternal care programs across all States.
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Why in the News?
India is seeing a worrying rise in people being forced to leave their homes due to climate change along its coasts, revealing serious gaps in how the country manages the environment and supports affected communities.
What are the socio-economic impacts of coastal climate change?
- Displacement of Coastal Communities: Rising sea levels, saltwater intrusion, and erosion force people from traditional coastal villages to resettlement colonies. Eg: In Satabhaya, Odisha, entire villages have been submerged, displacing residents with little access to sustainable livelihoods.
- Loss of Traditional Livelihoods: Coastal degradation affects fishing and agriculture, disrupting long-standing economic systems. Eg: In Honnavar, Karnataka, fishing communities face livelihood loss due to mangrove destruction and tourism development.
- Forced Migration to Urban Informal Sectors: Displaced people migrate to cities and enter unprotected labour markets, often in exploitative conditions. Eg: Many end up as construction or brick kiln workers in cities like Mumbai or Chennai, without labour rights.
- Labour Exploitation and Gender Vulnerability: Migrants, especially women, face debt bondage, abuse, and trafficking due to informal employment and lack of legal safeguards. Eg: Displaced women entering domestic work are underpaid and vulnerable to exploitation.
- Social Inequality and Lack of Legal Protection: The absence of targeted legal frameworks leads to exclusion from welfare schemes and labour protections, worsening socio-economic inequality. Eg: Existing laws like the BOCW Act, 1996, do not cover climate migrants, leaving them unprotected.
How does climate-induced displacement test India’s democratic values?
- Right to Life and Dignity (Article 21): Climate displacement challenges the constitutional guarantee of life with dignity, as displaced communities often lack shelter, healthcare, and livelihood.
- Denial of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (Article 19(1)(a)): Many infrastructure and tourism projects along the coast proceed without consulting local communities, violating their freedom of expression and participation in governance.
- Suppression of Protest and Association (Article 19(1)(b) and 19(1)(c)): Environmental defenders and activists resisting unjust displacement face police action, surveillance, and criminalisation, undermining their freedom to protest and form associations.
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Why is a legal framework for climate migrants essential?
- To Recognise and Protect the Rights of the Displaced: Climate migrants often lose access to housing, work, and basic services. A legal framework ensures their right to life and dignity is upheld under Article 21 of the Constitution. Eg: Villagers displaced from Satabhaya, Odisha, lack legal recognition as climate migrants, preventing access to structured rehabilitation.
- To Fill Gaps in Existing Laws and Policies: Current laws like the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and CRZ Notification, 2019 focus on emergency response or environmental regulation, not long-term rehabilitation or labour rights. Eg: The NAPCC identifies vulnerability but has no mechanism to integrate displaced people into labour or housing policies.
- To Prevent Labour Exploitation and Ensure Social Justice: Without legal safeguards, climate migrants, especially in urban informal sectors, face wage theft, abuse, and gendered violence. Eg: Migrants working in brick kilns or as domestic workers in cities remain outside labour codes, exposing them to exploitation.
What is the role of local movements in protecting coastal communities?
- Grassroots Resistance Against Destructive Projects: Local movements mobilize communities to protest against unsustainable infrastructure and industrial projects that threaten coastal ecosystems. Eg: The Save Satabhaya campaign in Odisha resisted sea-erosion-driven displacement and demanded proper rehabilitation.
- Advocacy for Environmental Justice and Rights: These movements highlight environmental injustices, defend the livelihoods of traditional communities, and demand informed consent and legal protection. Eg: Pattuvam Mangrove Protection Movement.
- Challenging Development Narratives and Policy Gaps: Local struggles question top-down development policies, push for sustainable alternatives, and expose policy loopholes that ignore climate and social impacts. Eg: Protests against the Adani port expansion at Ennore Creek, Tamil Nadu.
Which reforms can ensure rights-based climate migration policies? (Way forward)
- Legal Recognition of Climate Migrants: Integrate climate-induced displacement into national migration and disaster policies to ensure affected individuals are officially recognized and protected under law.
- Labour Code Reforms for Informal Workers: Amend existing labour laws to include climate migrants, especially those in vulnerable sectors like construction and domestic work, ensuring fair wages, social security, and workplace protections.
- Participatory Coastal Zone Management: Redesign Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules to prioritize ecological sustainability and the rights of local communities, with mandatory community consent before approving commercial projects.
Mains PYQ:
[UPSC 2024] What is sea surface temperature rise? How does it affect the formation of tropical cyclones?
Linkage: The article highlights “rising seas, saltwater intrusion” and “coastal degradation” as impacts of climate change. This question directly relates to a key oceanic phenomenon influenced by climate change and its effect on extreme weather events like cyclones.
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Why in the News?
Women-led MSMEs are a key part of India’s economic growth, but they still remain underserved. Even though they make up 20% of all registered MSMEs, they contribute only 10% of the total income and receive disproportionate credit and lack of support.
Why do women-led MSMEs face persistent credit gaps?
- Discriminatory Credit Disbursement: Women face a higher credit gap (35%) compared to men (20%), as per SIDBI reports. Eg: Despite applying for ₹10 lakhs in business loans, many women entrepreneurs receive only ₹6.5 lakhs, limiting their operational expansion.
- Lack of Collateral and Property Ownership: Many women lack land or asset ownership, making it difficult to meet banks’ collateral requirements. Eg: A rural woman running a tailoring unit may not own property, so her loan request is denied despite good business potential.
- Lower Financial Literacy: Many first-generation women entrepreneurs, especially in rural areas, lack awareness of financial schemes and documentation processes. Eg: Women in small towns often don’t know how to access PMMY or Stand-Up India loans, resulting in underutilisation of available credit.
- Gender Bias in Credit Risk Assessment: Financial institutions often perceive women as risky borrowers, especially if they operate in informal sectors.
- Overdependence on Informal Credit Sources: Due to a lack of formal access, many women rely on moneylenders, who charge high interest rates and offer no legal protection. Eg: In the absence of bank loans, women-led microenterprises may borrow from informal lenders at 24% interest, leading to debt traps.
What limits the effectiveness of schemes like PMMY?
- Low Sanction-to-Application Ratio: While a high number of women open loan accounts, the actual sanctioned amount is disproportionately lower. Eg: In 2024, women held 64% of PMMY accounts, but received only 41% of the total disbursed amount, reflecting a gap in meaningful financial access.
- Administrative Inefficiencies: Delays and inconsistencies in processing applications, verification, and disbursal reduce scheme impact.
- Lack of Awareness: Many potential beneficiaries, especially in rural or semi-urban areas, are unaware of PMMY’s features or how to apply. Eg: Women entrepreneurs with informal businesses often fail to access collateral-free loans due to absence of facilitation from banks or local agencies.
How does low financial literacy hinder women entrepreneurs?
- Inability to Navigate Formal Banking Systems: Lack of knowledge in budgeting, credit scores, or interest rates discourages women from applying for loans. Eg: First-generation entrepreneurs in rural areas avoid formal credit channels and depend on informal moneylenders with high-interest rates.
- Limited Confidence in Business Decision-Making: Low financial skills reduce confidence in investment planning, profit calculation, and risk management, hampering business growth. Women running micro-enterprises often hesitate to expand operations or apply for working capital loans, fearing repayment complexities.
What is the role of the Udyam Assist Portal in women’s empowerment?
- Formal Recognition of Informal Enterprises: The portal helps register Informal Micro Enterprises (IMEs), especially women-led ones, bringing them into the formal financial ecosystem. Eg: In 2024, 70.5% of IMEs registered on the portal were women-owned, enabling access to priority sector lending.
- Improved Access to Formal Credit: By assigning a Udyam Registration Number, it enables collateral-free loans and better eligibility under various government credit schemes. Eg: Registered women entrepreneurs can now avail benefits under schemes like PMMY and Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE).
- Boost to Employment and Income Generation: The portal supports women in starting and scaling up their enterprises, thus enhancing livelihood security and job creation. Eg: Women-led IMEs contributed over 70.8% to employment generation in the informal micro-business segment.
Which reforms can improve credit access for women-led IMEs? (Way forward)
- Expand Collateral-Free Credit Schemes: Widen the reach of schemes like PMMY and CGTMSE with targeted provisions for first-generation women entrepreneurs and flexible documentation norms. Eg: Lower the threshold for loan amounts and simplify eligibility for Udyam-registered IMEs.
- Strengthen Financial Literacy and Credit Counselling: Launch grassroots training programmes in regional languages to raise awareness about credit products, budgeting, and digital banking. Eg: Tie-up with SHGs and local NGOs to educate women in rural and semi-urban areas.
- Mandate Gender-Sensitive Banking Practices: Instruct public and private banks to set quotas for women-led MSME lending, and monitor disbursal with gender-segregated data. Eg: Introduce incentive-based targets for bank branches lending to women-run enterprises.
Mains PYQ:
[UPSC 2021] Can the vicious cycle of gender inequality, poverty and malnutrition be broken through microfinancing of women SHGs? Explain with examples.
Linkage: The article explicitly highlight the how government schemes like the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) aim to support self-employment and financial independence for women, which aligns with microfinancing efforts. This question is highly relevant as it directly addresses the effectiveness of “microfinancing of women” as a tool for empowerment and breaking negative societal cycles.
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Why in the News?
Gathering in Rio de Janeiro on July 6–7, leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa adopted the BRICS Rio Declaration 2025 — marking a decisive shift in the bloc’s evolution.
Back2Basics: BRICS
- BRICS represents a coalition of nations committed to fostering economic growth, development cooperation, and global governance reform.
- The first summit in 2009 featured the founding countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, where they adopted the acronym BRIC and formed an informal diplomatic club.
- BRICS focuses on collaboration across 3 key pillars:
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- Political and Security Cooperation: Ensuring peace, global stability, and governance reform.
- Economic and Financial Cooperation: Promoting trade, investment, and economic resilience.
- Cultural and People-to-People Cooperation: Enhancing mutual understanding and societal linkages.
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- Original Members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
- Recent Additions: Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE.
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About the Rio Declaration (2025):
- Overview: Adopted at the XVII BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro (July 6–7, 2025), the Rio Declaration reflects BRICS’s push for a more inclusive and multipolar global order.
- Call for reform: It calls for reforms in global institutions like the UN Security Council, IMF, and World Bank to give a greater voice to the Global South.
- Focus: It emphasized sovereign equality, sustainable development, digital cooperation, and solidarity among emerging economies.
- Expansion: BRICS welcomed Thailand as a full member and acknowledged 10 new partner countries, including Belarus, Nigeria, Cuba, and Vietnam, signalling broader representation.
Key Highlights of the Declaration:
- Global Reform Push: Demands reform of UN, IMF, Bretton Woods institutions for fairer representation of emerging economies.
- Climate Finance: Endorses Brazil’s Tropical Forests Forever Facility and calls on developed nations to fund just transitions.
- AI Governance: Supports a global framework aligned with national rules and UN Charter principles.
- Health Equity: Launched BRICS Partnership on Socially Determined Diseases to address poverty-linked health disparities.
- Economic Sovereignty: Push for local currency trade, non-dollar payment systems, and strengthening the New Development Bank.
- Security Commitment: Zero tolerance for terrorism, including cross-border support and financing.
- Digital Inclusion: Focus on women’s digital access, AI cooperation, and green technologies.
- India’s Role: Led initiatives on science collaboration, digital public goods, and proposed reforms for 2026 BRICS leadership.
| [UPSC 2015] The ‘Fortaleza Declaration’, recently in the news, is related to the affairs of:
Options: (a) ASEAN (b) BRICS* (c) OECD (d) WTO |
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Why in the News?
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted a global drug network spanning four continents through secret Operation Med Max.
Back2Basics: Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)
- Institutional Mandate: The NCB is India’s central drug law enforcement and intelligence agency, functioning under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Establishment: It was established on 14th November 1985 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
- Role: The agency works closely with Customs, State Police, Intelligence Bureau, and international agencies like Interpol and the US DEA.
- International Treaty Compliance: NCB is responsible for monitoring India’s compliance with global drug control conventions and facilitating cooperation with foreign drug enforcement bodies.
- Operational Network: It maintains zonal offices nationwide and is staffed by officers from IPS, IRS, paramilitary forces, and direct recruits.
- Financial Surveillance Role: The NCB is a member of the Economic Intelligence Council, reflecting its role in tracking financial transactions linked to drug crimes.
- Digital Intelligence Focus: The agency is now expanding into cyber surveillance, targeting darknet networks, crypto-based payments, and online narcotics trade.
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About Operation Med Max:
- Launch: It was initiated by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in May 2024, beginning with the interception of a car in Delhi, it seized 3.7 kg of Tramadol tablets.
- Uncovering a Global Syndicate: Investigations revealed a transnational drug syndicate using encrypted apps, drop shipping, and cryptocurrency payments to smuggle controlled pharmaceutical drugs across four continents and over 10 countries.
- Global Ramifications: The probe triggered international enforcement actions, including the arrest of a money launderer in Alabama (USA), closure of an illegal pill factory in Australia, and identification of a UAE-based drug kingpin.
Also in News: Operation MELON
- Overview: It was a coordinated crackdown on India’s top-rated darknet drug vendor, alias “Ketamelon”, active for over two years.
- Drug and Crypto Seizures: The raid led to the seizure of 1,100 LSD blots, 131 grams of Ketamine, and ₹70 lakh worth of cryptocurrency, stored in a hardware wallet.
- Darknet Threat: Ketamelon was classified as a Level 4 darknet vendor, the highest possible rank, underscoring the growing cyber-narcotics threat and NCB’s technical capacity to counter it.
| [UPSC 2024] Consider the following activities:
1. Identification of narcotics on passengers at airports or in aircraft
2. Monitoring of precipitation
3. Tracking the migration of animals
In how many of the above activities can the radars be used?
Options: (a) Only one (b) Only two* (c) All three (d) None |
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Why in the News?
As of 2024–25, India’s “invisibles” trade—comprising services exports and private money transfers—has not only surpassed its merchandise exports but also emerged as a key stabiliser of the current account deficit.
What are Invisible Exports (in India’s context)?
- What is it: Invisible exports refer to international trade in services and income flows that do not involve physical goods crossing borders. These transactions are digital or financial, rather than visible at ports or airports.
- Types of Services Included: They comprise a wide range of service-based exports such as IT services, financial consulting, legal and accounting services, R&D, and BPO operations.
- Inclusion of Remittances: Private remittances—money sent home by Indians working abroad—are counted as part of invisibles in India’s Balance of Payments (BoP).
- BoP Classification: These transactions are recorded under the “Current Account” of the BoP, specifically in the sub-categories of services, primary income, and secondary income.
- Characteristics: Unlike physical exports, invisible exports do not require shipping, face fewer trade barriers, and rely heavily on skilled human capital.
- Leading Examples: India’s key invisible exports include software and IT-enabled services (by firms like Infosys, TCS, Wipro), Global Capability Centers, financial and legal services, and education, tourism, and medical services.
- Role of Migrant Remittances: Remittances from NRIs and migrant workers play a crucial role and are one of the largest components of India’s invisible receipts.
Their Contribution in Trade
- Higher Value than Goods Exports: In 2024–25, India’s gross invisible receipts reached $576.5 billion, surpassing merchandise exports of $441.8 billion. Services alone brought in $387.5 billion, a major leap from $26.9 billion in 2003–04, while remittances added $135.4 billion.
- Buffer Against Trade Deficits: While the merchandise trade deficit stood at $287.2 billion, a net invisible surplus of $263.8 billion helped reduce the overall current account deficit to just $23.4 billion, providing crucial stability.
- Resilience Across Global Crises: Invisible exports remained strong during major disruptions like the 2008 financial crisis, COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing geopolitical tensions, showcasing greater resilience than merchandise trade.
- Human Capital-Driven Growth: Services exports are powered by India’s skilled workforce, not physical infrastructure. India thrives as the “office of the world”, moving beyond the traditional “back office” label.
- Less Policy Dependence: Growth in invisible exports occurred largely without heavy government incentives or trade agreements. India still lacks strong service-sector provisions in its major trade deals.
| [UPSC 2006] Assertion (A): Balance of Payments represents a better picture of a country’s economic transactions with the rest of the world than the Balance of Trade.
Reason (R): Balance of Payments takes into account the exchange of both visible and invisible items whereas Balance of Trade does not.
Options: (a) Both A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A ** (b) Both A and R are individually true and R is not the correct explanation of A (c) A is true but R is false (d) A is false but R is true |
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Why in the News?
Japan has recorded over 1,000 tremors in two weeks near the Tokara Islands, signalling a surge in seismic activity.
Why is Japan so prone to earthquakes?
- Tectonic Plate Convergence: Japan lies at the junction of four major tectonic plates—the Pacific, Philippine Sea, Eurasian, and North American—which constantly collide and shift.
- Subduction Zones: Oceanic plates (Pacific and Philippine Sea) are being pushed under continental plates, creating intense geological stress that is released as earthquakes.
- Pacific Ring of Fire: Japan is part of this highly active seismic zone that surrounds the Pacific Ocean and accounts for about 90% of the world’s earthquakes.
- Volcanic and Fault Line Density: The country has about 10% of the world’s active volcanoes and numerous fault lines, increasing its seismic vulnerability.
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About Tokara Islands:
- Overview: They are a small volcanic island chain in the Ryukyu archipelago, forming part of Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan:
- Geographical Location: Between Kyushu and the Amami Islands, in the East China Sea.
- Composition: Includes 12 islands, of which 7 are inhabited, such as Nakanoshima, Takarajima, and Kodakarajima.
- Volcanic Origin: Part of the Ryukyu Arc, a highly seismically active zone. Mount Otake, an active volcano, is located on Nakanoshima.
- Geopolitical Relevance: The islands are gaining strategic significance due to rising tensions in the East China Sea, particularly involving China and Taiwan. Recent defense policies have called for fortification of the Tokara and Nansei Islands to enhance surveillance.
| [UPSC 2008] In the year 2007, an earthquake led to massive radioactive water leakage in the largest nuclear plant in the world. In which country did it occur?
Options: (a) Germany (b) Canada (c) Japan* (d) USA |
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Why in the News?
As language debates rise in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, the historic Nagari Pracharini Sabha, key to promoting Hindi and Devanagari, quietly resumed its work after decades.
Hindi Under the British: A Language in Waiting
- Until the late 19th century, Persian remained the court language in much of India. Even by 1861, courts in North-Western Provinces and Oudh still used English, Persian, and Urdu.
- Hindi struggled to assert itself due to a lack of standardised vocabulary and administrative acceptance.
- British official Antony MacDonnell began promoting Devanagari over Persian script in the 1890s.
- On July 14, 1888, Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh of Darbhanga adopted Hindi as the official language in his region, influenced by the slogan “Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan.”
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About Nagari Pracharini Sabha:
- Establishment: The Nagari Pracharini Sabha was founded on 16 July 1893 at Queen’s College, Varanasi by Shyamsundar Das, Pandit Ramnarayan Mishra, and Shivkumar Singh.
- Early Patronage: The Sabha received initial support from Babu Radhakrishna Das, a cousin of Bharatendu Harishchandra, a leading figure in modern Hindi literature.
- Organizational Presence: Its headquarters are located in Varanasi, with additional branches in New Delhi and Haridwar.
- Primary Mission: The Sabha aimed to promote the Hindi language and Devanagari script in education, administration, and literature during a period dominated by Persian, Urdu, and English.
- Library Establishment: In 1896, it established the Arya Bhasha Pustakalaya, which became the largest Hindi library in India.
- Research Journal Launch: Also in 1896, it began publishing the Nagari Pracharini Patrika, now recognized as India’s oldest and most authoritative Hindi research journal.
- Cultural Contributions: It managed the Bharat Kala Bhavan museum, until it was eventually transferred to Banaras Hindu University.
- Modern Revival: After years of inactivity and disputes, it was revived in 2023 under Vyomesh Shukla’s leadership, following a court order from the Allahabad High Court.
Its Role in Hindi Promotion:
- Linguistic Standardization: It conducted surveys in rural and urban areas to collect regional vocabulary, laying the groundwork for a standardized Hindi language.
- Lexicographic Landmark: This effort led to the publication of Shabd Sagar in 1929, a monumental 11-volume Hindi dictionary and a major lexicographical achievement.
- Literary Influence: It published Saraswati magazine from 1900, edited by Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi, which played a transformative role in shaping modern Hindi literature.
- Preservation of Classics: It produced critical editions of works by poets like Surdas, Tulsidas, Kabirdas, Bihari, and Bhushan, ensuring the preservation of Hindi literary heritage.
- Official Language Recognition: The Sabha’s advocacy led to the recognition of Hindi in Devanagari script for official use in the North-Western Provinces and Oudh by the early 20th century.
- Civil Service Policy Impact: It was instrumental in making Hindi and Urdu proficiency a requirement for government jobs in the United Provinces.
- National Literary Conferences: In 1910, it helped organise the first Akhil Bharatiya Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, giving Hindi a pan-Indian literary platform.
- Support from National Leaders: The Sabha’s mission was endorsed by Mahatma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Motilal Nehru, indicating its central role in the Hindi movement.
| [UPSC 2021] Consider the following statements:
1. 21st February is declared to be the International Mother Language Day by UNICEF.
2. The demand that Bangla be one of the national languages was raised in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Options: (a) 1 only (b) 2 only* (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 |
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