MTO - All Editorials Snapshot: 01-October-2025

The Hindu Editorials snapshot

Editorial 1

Swim to Safety – Dugong and Marine Conservation

India’s dugong population, once found widely in places like the Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay, Gulf of Kutch, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, has dropped sharply due to poaching, accidental capture in nets, habitat destruction, and pollution. However, conservation efforts over the past decade, including the Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay (2022), have helped protect seagrass meadows and promote community engagement with fishers. Tamil Nadu, with support from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), has reduced poaching and encouraged fishers to release dugongs caught by accident. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recognised this reserve as a global example of effective conservation. Still, challenges remain with mechanised fishing, dredging, pollution, and climate change impacts further threatening dugongs. Cross-border cooperation with Sri Lanka, long-term funds, and integrating both traditional ecological knowledge and modern tools like drones and satellite mapping are vital for continued recovery. The success in Palk Bay also highlights larger lessons for protecting other marine species through community participation, international recognition, and innovative conservation strategies.

Editorial 2

Labour of Care – Women Community Health Workers in Rural India

In Maharashtra, Anshakalin Stri Parichars (ASPs), women health workers who have long supported rural healthcare, continue to be underpaid and neglected. Despite handling tough and essential tasks, their monthly wage has remained at ₹3,000 since 2016, with no pensions, job security, or travel support. A labour court recognised their right to at least minimum wage, but the State has only promised ₹6,000 per month by December 2025, which is still inadequate. ASPs, who served even before ASHAs and anganwadi workers, are ignored mainly because they are poor, rural women — highlighting gender and caste-based discrimination in public health work. Their protests align with similar struggles of ASHAs across India, who also demand fixed pay, recognition, and social security but are treated as “volunteers.” These cases show a deep structural problem: while the health system depends on these women for maternal care, vaccinations, and disease monitoring, the State refuses to treat them as real workers. This denial exposes them to risks without protection or compensation. True health security depends on ensuring their rights through fair wages, safe conditions, and permanent recognition as employees.

The Indian Express Editorials snapshot

Editorial 3

A Driverless Car, a Traffic Stop, and Accountability

The rise of driverless cars raises a major ethical and legal question: who is accountable when an autonomous machine breaks the law? Inspired by Isaac Asimov’s laws of robotics, the debate extends to whether robots should be reprogrammed, penalised, or scrapped for errors. A recent example in California highlighted this issue when police stopped a driverless taxi making an illegal U-turn, only to find it empty. The police contacted the company, Waymo, which operates the car, and suggested reprogramming to avoid such mistakes. While this ended without punishment, new laws in California will soon allow authorities to hold companies accountable for traffic violations by issuing notices of noncompliance. The situation shows both the promise and dangers of autonomous vehicles and raises the need for clear frameworks of responsibility as artificial intelligence increasingly governs daily life

Editorial 4

Tackling India’s Cancer Crisis Requires Rethinking Strategy

Cancer is becoming a rising public health challenge in India, with cases growing from about 85 per 1,00,000 people in 1990 to over 107 per 1,00,000 in 2023, resulting in nearly 1.5 million new diagnoses yearly. Deaths due to cancer have crossed 12 lakh annually. While much of this burden stems from late diagnosis, unequal access, and weak infrastructure, nearly 70% of cancers are linked to preventable risks such as tobacco use, pollution, obesity, poor diet, alcohol, infections like HPV and hepatitis B, and high blood sugar. Solutions lie in prevention-focused policies: ensuring cleaner environments, expanding vaccination drives, and building public awareness on lifestyle risks. Some states have pioneered new approaches—Punjab has introduced AI-based early screening, Karnataka has enhanced oncology procedures under health schemes, and advanced therapies like CAR-T have reached India but remain unaffordable. However, screening programmes are inconsistent, infrastructure is limited, and cancer registries lack comprehensive data. Without a robust system of prevention, affordable treatment, and real-time monitoring, India risks leaving cancer care as a privilege for the few instead of addressing it as a nationwide health challenge.

Top Vocabulary Picks from Today’s Editorials

Word	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Dwindled	Reduced in number or size	Declined, decreased	Increased, expanded
Poaching	Illegal hunting or capturing of animals	Illegal hunting, smuggling	Conservation, protection
Inchoate	Just begun and not fully developed	Rudimentary, undeveloped	Mature, complete
Stewardship	Responsible management and care of something	Management, guardianship	Neglect, mismanagement
Exemplar	A perfect model or example	Model, ideal	Flaw, bad example