MTO – All Editorials Snapshot: 03-October-2025
The Hindu Editorials snapshot
Editorial 1
Changing the Frame – Using Forecasts for Better Disaster Preparedness
This year, India received 8% more rainfall than average, boosting crop sowing and reservoir storage. Rice, pulses, cereals, and oilseeds all recorded higher cultivation compared to last year. Yet, despite the overall abundance, torrential rains caused devastating floods in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Punjab, damaging farmland, homes, and infrastructure. Landslides, erosion, and siltation added to the destruction. Meteorological reports often used terms such as “cloudburst” or “normal rains,” which shaped perceptions — the former suggesting an extraordinary, rare disaster, and the latter implying no major concern. In reality, both can cause serious harm. While drought forecasts are treated with urgency, excess rainfall tends to be romanticised as a blessing, despite its risks. Since the IMD forecasted “above normal” rainfall this year and it came true, the focus must now shift from treating accuracy as success, to ensuring preparedness for resulting calamities. With improved forecasting and infrastructure, India must change its mindset so that negligence in preparing for floods and landslides is considered a governance failure, not a natural inevitability.
Editorial 2
Fraught Franchise – Risks in a Nationwide Voter List Revision
The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar reduced the electoral roll from 7.89 crore to 7.42 crore voters, deleting about 65 lakh names for reasons such as death, migration, or duplication. While the process was meant to clean the rolls, it lacked transparency and fairness. The Supreme Court had to intervene to ensure better procedures, as exclusions disproportionately affected women and disadvantaged groups. Moreover, the ECI did not provide clear data on deletions or accept widely available documents like Aadhaar or ration cards, instead demanding certificates that many poor and marginalised citizens do not possess. Extending such an approach nationwide risks mass voter exclusion. Research shows that inclusion can be enhanced by door-to-door verification, use of accessible documents, and advance publication of deletion reasons with appeal options. Earlier voter list revisions relied more on local-level checks, which avoided shifting the burden onto voters. A future nationwide SIR must combine digital systems with ground-level verification to ensure no eligible citizen is unfairly removed, maintaining both transparency and voter rights.
The Indian Express Editorials snapshot
Editorial 3
Reducing Pollution, Improving Health – Lessons for Policy
Air pollution in India is linked not only to asthma, COPD, and lung cancer but also to heart disease, diabetes, low birth weight, and premature deaths. A 2024 Lancet study estimated 1.5 million deaths annually due to poor air quality. While harm is well known, a new study by IIT-Delhi and Climate Trends highlights the positive side — cutting pollution by 30% could sharply lower the burden of heart disease, anaemia, diabetes, and child health risks. It underscores the benefits of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), launched in 2019 to reduce particulate matter in 131 cities by 40% by 2026. However, gaps remain: weak utilisation of funds, poor placement of monitoring stations, and lack of rural data. Individual cities often act independently, with little cooperation even during crises like Delhi’s smog. The study shows NCAP’s potential, but success depends on expanding coverage, integrating rural monitoring, and connecting environmental goals with public health. For India, reducing pollution is not only about cleaner air but also about healthier lives.
Editorial 4
RBI Holds Rates Steady Amid Growth and Inflation Balance
At its October meeting, the Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) kept the repo rate unchanged at 5.5%, despite subdued inflation and stronger-than-expected growth. Retail inflation has been below target for seven months, aided by low food prices and GST rate rationalisation, while GDP grew 7.8% in Q1 of 2025-26. Though conditions permit scope for rate cuts, the RBI preferred caution due to uncertain global factors such as U.S. tariffs affecting exports and concerns over slowing momentum. Inflation forecasts have been revised downward to 2.6% for 2025-26, while growth is projected at 6.8% for the year. However, the RBI expects growth to slow to around 6.2–6.4% by 2026-27. For now, the central bank has chosen a “wait and watch” approach, holding policy space in reserve to respond if growth falters or inflation moves unexpectedly.
Top Vocabulary Picks from Today’s Editorials
| Word | Simple Meaning | Synonym | Antonym |
| Bountiful | Large in amount; plentiful | Abundant, ample | Scarce, meagre |
| Inundated | Flooded or overwhelmed | Flooded, submerged | Drained, cleared |
| Breached | Broken through or violated | Broke, ruptured | Secured, protected |
| Colossal | Extremely large and damaging | Massive, enormous | Small, tiny |
| Quibble | A small objection or criticism | Minor objection, complaint | Agreement, acceptance |
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