Articles on 22 October 2025

India’s Travails in Negotiating a Friendless World 

Context

• Indian diplomacy once celebrated for its moral leadership in the post-colonial world, it now faces a far more fractured international landscape marked by shifting alliances, transactional politics, and the decline of multilateralism.
• The challenge for India’s foreign policy establishment lies not merely in adjusting to these changes but in fundamentally reimagining the principles that have long guided its engagement with the world.
• Under these circumstances, it is important to highlight the growing mismatch between India’s traditional diplomatic mindset and the dynamic realities of twenty-first-century geopolitics.

The Erosion of Multilateralism and India’s Diplomatic Inertia

• The advent of Donald Trump’s presidency in the United States marked a global shift away from the collaborative multilateral order that had underpinned much of the post-Cold War era.
• In this new environment of unilateralism and transactional diplomacy, countries were compelled to display flexibility and pragmatism to protect their interests.
• India, however, appears to have struggled to adjust. Its foreign policy remains tethered to the moral idealism of the Nehruvian era, when solidarity, non-alignment, and principled neutrality were viable strategies.
• Today, such approaches have left India ill-equipped to operate a friendless world.
• The resulting trust deficit, both regionally and globally, has raised concerns about India’s diminishing relevance as a geopolitical actor.

Challenges for India’s Foreign Policy

• Diminishing Geopolitical Relevance in West Asia

  • Nowhere is India’s diplomatic marginalisation more visible than in West Asia, a region of vital strategic and energy importance.
  • Two key developments underscore this reality. First, India’s exclusion from the peace process that ended the Gaza conflict revealed a stark decline in its regional influence.
  • The process was orchestrated by the United States under Trump, with support from Türkiye, Egypt, and Qatar, countries that, notably, have shown varying degrees of hostility toward India.
  • Second, India compounded its absence by sending only a low-level delegation to the reconciliation celebrations that followed the peace agreement, even as most world leaders attended.
  • These episodes symbolise not merely diplomatic oversight but a deeper structural decline in India’s ability to project influence in a region where it once held considerable sway.

• Neighbourhood Turbulence and Strategic Myopia

  • From the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier to Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, India’s influence appears to be waning.
  • The internal instability in Pakistan, particularly the Taliban’s re-emergence and its cross-border implications, poses a significant threat to regional stability.
  • Yet, India’s apparent satisfaction in viewing Taliban attacks on Pakistan as retributive justice is described as dangerously shortsighted.

India and China: A Fragile Peace

• India’s relations with China form perhaps the most complex and consequential dimension of its foreign policy.
• While recent diplomatic gestures have created an appearance of reconciliation, a so-called India-China bromance, these developments merely gloss over unresolved border tensions and structural rivalries.
• The decision to treat the 2020 Galwan clash as a mere blip reflects a worrying readiness to downplay China’s assertiveness for the sake of superficial stability.
• India’s failure to grasp the subtleties of Chinese strategic thinking has historically placed it at a disadvantage.
• Under President Xi Jinping, China’s diplomacy has become more overtly hegemonic and less conciliatory than under earlier leaders like Deng Xiaoping or Hu Jintao.

The Way Forward: The Need for Strategic Renewal

• The cumulative picture is one of drift and disconnection. India’s diplomatic machinery, steeped in outdated traditions, appears unable to respond to the rapid reconfiguration of power around it.
• There is an urgent need for India to rediscover its strategic imagination, to move beyond rhetorical assertions of strategic autonomy and translate its economic strength into geopolitical relevance.
• For India, this vigilance must take the form of a more nuanced, pragmatic, and regionally sensitive foreign policy that recognises emerging power centres and shifting alliances.
• At the same time, India must remain conscious of its civilisational identity.

Conclusion

• Current developments paint a sobering picture of India’s current foreign policy landscape: one marked by inertia, declining regional influence, and missed opportunities in a rapidly changing world.
• Yet, it also carries an implicit note of optimism, that India’s future remains secure if it can revitalise its diplomatic vision and adapt to new realities.
• The path forward lies not in nostalgia for the moral diplomacy of the mid-twentieth century but in crafting a twenty-first-century foreign policy grounded in strategic clarity, cultural confidence, and a willingness to engage with complexity.

India’s Travails in Negotiating a Friendless World FAQs

Q1. What is the main challenge facing India’s foreign policy today?
Ans. India’s main challenge is adapting its traditional, idealistic foreign policy to the rapidly changing global and regional realities of the 21st century.

Q2. How has India’s influence in West Asia changed in recent years?
Ans. India’s influence in West Asia has declined, as shown by its exclusion from the Gaza peace process and its low-level participation in regional reconciliation events.

Q3. Why is India’s role in its neighbourhood considered weak?
Ans. India’s role is seen as weak because it has remained passive during key regional events, such as political unrest in Nepal and tensions in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Q4. What are some pressing concerns about India’s approach to China?
Ans. India is downplaying serious border tensions with China and failing to understand China’s long-term strategic ambitions in Asia.

Q5. What must India do to regain global relevance?
Ans. India must modernise its foreign policy, show greater flexibility, and project a confident civilisational identity to strengthen its global and regional influence.

Source: The Hindu

Unreliable Air and Noise Data, Real-Time Deception

Context

• Policy, it is often said, is only as strong as the evidence that underpins it; Nowhere is this more apparent than in the case of environmental governance, where data forms the bedrock of decision-making, regulation, and public trust.
• The recent failures of India’s Real-Time Air Pollution Network in Delhi and the National Ambient Noise Monitoring Network in Lucknow expose a troubling gap between technological ambition and scientific credibility.
• These lapses reveal not merely technical inefficiencies but deeper structural weaknesses in governance, transparency, and accountability.

The Core of the Problem: Data and Governance

• The Delhi air quality monitoring network, once celebrated as a symbol of modern environmental governance, has become emblematic of how flawed systems can subvert public purpose.
• The placement of sensors under tree cover, behind obstructions, or in less polluted areas distorts the reality of urban air quality.
• Official readings often label the air as moderate even when residents choke in visible smog.
• This dissonance between experience and evidence erodes faith not only in government but also in the legitimacy of environmental policy itself.
• Such manipulations are not merely administrative failings; they are violations of democratic accountability.

The Importance of Sound Data

• Environmental action plans, whether addressing stubble burning, vehicular emissions, or industrial pollutants, must be built on robust data.
• When the underlying datasets are unreliable, even the most well-intentioned policy becomes misdirected.
• Moreover, inaccurate reporting undermines India’s global environmental commitments under the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization’s Air Quality Standards.
• The situation in Lucknow mirrors this pattern. Noise pollution levels in Indian cities have long exceeded permissible limits, yet the monitoring systems fail to record accurate data.
• The outdated Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, weak enforcement, and nominal penalties all point to a governance structure that treats environmental protection as a symbolic exercise rather than a substantive right.

The Consequences of Misleading Data

• Misrepresenting environmental data has severe constitutional and ethical implications.
• In Delhi, unreliable Air Quality Index (AQI) readings delay judicial intervention and weaken the right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
• In Lucknow, inaccurate noise readings compromise citizens’ right to a healthy and peaceful environment.
• The judiciary has begun to recognise these issues, as evident from the Supreme Court’s decision to transfer noise pollution petitions to the National Green Tribunal, a tacit acknowledgment that such matters are not trivial but constitutional in nature.
• Beyond legal ramifications, misleading data carries profound human costs.
• The Air Quality Life Index by the Energy Policy Institute indicates that if Delhi’s air met WHO standards, life expectancy could rise by over eight years.
• Across India, pollution shortens lives by an average of five years. Thus, every flawed dataset conceals not just administrative negligence but preventable harm inflicted on millions.

The Missing Pillars: Scientific Integrity and Transparency

• India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has well-drafted guidelines on sensor calibration, placement, and periodic audits.
• However, these exist largely on paper. Enforcement mechanisms are weak, political interference is pervasive, and independent scientific scrutiny is almost non-existent.
• Despite enormous public spending on Class-1 monitoring sensors, there is no independent review board to evaluate system performance.
• The absence of third-party audits and the opacity surrounding data collection processes have corroded public confidence.
• In the absence of credible oversight, India’s environmental monitoring regime becomes vulnerable to manipulation, a dangerous scenario when the stakes involve public health, constitutional rights, and international credibility.
• Without structural reform, technological advances will merely amplify existing flaws.

The Way Forward: Reclaiming Science as the Foundation

• True reform begins with reaffirming that environmental monitoring is a scientific enterprise, not a bureaucratic ritual. To rebuild trust, India must:
• Enforce technical standards for sensor installation and data collection through independent expert panels.
• Ensure transparency by making raw environmental data publicly accessible in real time.
• Institutionalize third-party audits to validate accuracy and accountability.
• Enable citizen participation through formal oversight mechanisms that allow public verification and feedback.
• Only when data collection is open to scrutiny can it serve as a foundation for credible policy-making.
• The experiences of Delhi and Lucknow serve as cautionary tales, reminders that real-time technology, without real scientific discipline, breeds deception rather than insight.

Conclusion

• Environmental monitoring is not a matter of gadgets and graphs; it is a matter of governance and justice.
• Data is not neutral, it shapes policy, directs resources, and defines national credibility. When the integrity of data collapses, the entire edifice of policy falters.
• India’s environmental future thus hinges on one fundamental principle: scientific truth must precede political convenience.

Unreliable Air and Noise Data, Real-Time Deception FAQs

 Q1. What is the central issue around India’s pollution data?
Ans. India’s environmental policies are undermined by unreliable and misleading data from monitoring systems.

Q2. Why is accurate environmental data important?
Ans. Accurate data is essential because it forms the foundation for effective policymaking, public trust, and international credibility.

Q3. How do flawed monitoring systems affect citizens?
Ans. Flawed systems misrepresent pollution levels, delay legal action, and expose citizens to harmful environmental conditions that threaten health and life.

Q4. What are some key reforms needed?
Ans. Independent audits, transparent data sharing, expert oversight, and strict adherence to scientific standards.

Q5. What should be the ideal ways of governance and science?
Ans. Governance must be guided by scientific integrity, transparency, and accountability to protect public health and rights.

Source: The Hindu

Delhi’s Winter Air - Meteorology, Climate Dynamics, and the Fight for Clean Skies

Context

• Delhi’s winter season symbolizes both celebration and concern — vibrant festivals coincide with toxic air pollution.
• In 2025, however, unique meteorological factors like an early monsoon withdrawal, rainfall events, and a transitioning La Niña phase have offered temporary relief.
• Yet, the broader air quality challenge persists, demanding structural policy responses.

The Meteorological Silver Lining

• Early monsoon withdrawal - A welcome change:

  • The 2025 monsoon withdrew early (last week of September), the earliest since 2002.
  • Benefits:
    • Active winds curtailed pollutant stagnation.
    • Western disturbance-induced rainfall helped wash pollutants away.
  • Significance: Reversal of the recent trend of delayed monsoon withdrawal, which had worsened pollution by compressing the atmospheric boundary layer.

• ENSO and La Niña prospects

  • India currently experiences El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-neutral conditions, trending towards La Niña (with a 71% probability by mid-October 2025).
  • Positive impacts: Recent studies from the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) indicate that strong La Niña events enhance surface wind speeds, aiding dispersion of particulates.
  • Caution: Weak La Niña, if prolonged, may intensify winter severity, favouring pollution accumulation.

Agricultural and Regional Dynamics

• Impact of floods and harvest delays: Severe floods in Punjab and Haryana delayed harvests by 1–2 weeks.
• Consequences:
  • Stubble burning delayed, not coinciding with Diwali — temporarily reduced pollution.
  • However, delayed harvest compresses Rabi sowing window, as farmers usually have a tight window of around 45 days to clear fields.
  • Farmers may resort to burning rice stubble, as it is non-usable as fodder due to high silica content.

Firecrackers, Judiciary, and Urban Emissions

• Judicial intervention and green crackers:

  • The judiciary allowed “green firecrackers” under strict regulation.
  • Despite being “eco-friendly,” they emit 60–70% of pollutants compared to conventional ones.
  • As a result pollution spikes persisted — air quality index (AQI) remained “very poor”, though not “severe,” mainly due to favourable weather.

• Data gaps and AQI misrepresentation:

  • Missing midnight-to-4 am pollution data potentially underreports true AQI peaks.
  • Hourly particulate matter (PM) concentrations reportedly soared to 1000–1800 µg/m³, revealing a deeper, masked pollution crisis.

Structural, Governance Challenges and Solution

• Short-term fixes vs. long-term strategy: Ad-hoc measures like smoke towers, water sprinkling, or cloud seeding are ineffective.
• The real solution: Lies in source-based mitigation, targeting vehicular, industrial, and agricultural emissions.

Way Forward

• Adopt airshed-based governance: Airshed management—coordinating emission control across Delhi-NCR and neighbouring states (Punjab, Haryana, UP)—is essential.
• Strengthen agricultural support: Promote in-situ stubble management, and incentivize crop diversification.
• Enhance AQI data transparency: Ensure real-time, uninterrupted monitoring to reflect true pollution levels.
• Implement NARFI vision:
  • The NARFI (National Air Quality Resource Framework of India) developed by NIAS provides a scientific blueprint for sustainable Atmanirbhar air quality management.
  • Its vision is to build national capacity for research, forecasting, and policy coordination.
• Public participation: Encourage community-driven emission reduction through awareness and behaviour change.

Conclusion

• Delhi’s brief respite in 2025 underscores the influence of natural variability—not policy—on air quality.
• While La Niña and early monsoon withdrawal may offer temporary relief, climate-linked uncertainties and agricultural realities could reverse gains.
• Sustainable clean air demands systemic reform, scientific management, and cooperative federalism, moving beyond symbolic or seasonal interventions.

Delhi’s Winter Air FAQs

Q1. How did the early withdrawal of the 2025 monsoon influence Delhi’s air quality during the winter season?

Ans. The early monsoon retreat maintained active wind circulation and enabled post-withdrawal rainfall, which dispersed pollutants and delayed smog build-up in Delhi.

Q2. What role does the La Niña phase play in shaping North India’s winter air quality?

Ans. Strong La Niña conditions enhance surface wind speeds, improving pollutant dispersion, whereas a weak or prolonged La Niña can lead to colder, stagnant air favouring smog accumulation.

Q3. Why has delayed harvest in Punjab and Haryana become a critical factor in Delhi’s air pollution crisis?

Ans. Flood-induced harvest delays compress the Rabi sowing window, forcing farmers to burn rice stubble quickly, releasing large amounts of PM that worsen Delhi’s winter air.

Q4. What is the effectiveness of ‘green firecrackers’ as a pollution control measure in Delhi-NCR?

Ans. Though less polluting than conventional fireworks, green firecrackers still emit 60–70% pollutants.

Q5. Why is an airshed-based approach essential for long-term air quality management in Delhi?

Ans. Air pollution in Delhi transcends administrative boundaries; an airshed-based approach enables coordinated emission control across Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and UP.

Source: IE