{"id":56627,"date":"2025-07-24T16:16:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T10:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=56627"},"modified":"2025-10-08T11:45:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T06:15:23","slug":"daily-editorial-analysis-24-july-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/daily-editorial-analysis-24-july-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Daily Editorial Analysis 24 July 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Takeaways From the Swachh Survekshan<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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  • The\u00a0ninth edition of Swachh Survekshan<\/strong>, hailed as the\u00a0world\u2019s largest cleanliness survey<\/strong>, marks a significant milestone in India\u2019s urban sanitation landscape.<\/li>\n
  • Spearheaded by the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)-Urban, this annual survey has\u00a0evolved from a modest competition among fewer than 100 cities<\/strong>\u00a0in 2016 to<\/strong>\u00a0an extensive evaluation involving over\u00a04,500 urban centres in 2024-25.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • While\u00a0public attention often fixates on rankings and awards,<\/strong>\u00a0the deeper\u00a0value of the survey lies in the critical insights it offers into urban waste management, city-level governance,<\/strong>\u00a0and the evolving behavioural patterns of citizens and policymakers alike.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    A Comprehensive Urban Sanitation Assessment<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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    • The\u00a0survey serves as a crucial reality check for city managers and policymakers<\/strong>, offering an evidence-based assessment on ten comprehensive parameters,\u00a0ranging from waste segregation, collection, and disposal to sanitation worker<\/strong>\u00a0welfare and grievance redressal.<\/li>\n
    • Its robust methodology, incorporating third-party verification and feedback from 140 million residents,\u00a0lends credibility to its findings and amplifies its utility<\/strong>\u00a0as a planning and monitoring tool.<\/li>\n
    • In essence,\u00a0Swachh Survekshan has transformed into a powerful lever for competition and performance enhancement,<\/strong>\u00a0nudging cities across India toward cleaner futures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \u00a0Significance and Key Features of the Survey<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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      • Encouraging Equitable Participation: Population Categories and the Super Swachh League<\/strong>\n
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        • A\u00a0significant reform in this edition was the creation of the Super Swachh League,<\/strong>\u00a0designed to break the monotony of a few cities repeatedly dominating the top ranks.<\/li>\n
        • Indore, Surat, and Navi Mumbai, historically top performers, were placed in a new league,<\/strong>\u00a0opening the door for cities like Ahmedabad, Bhopal, and Lucknow to rise in the rankings within their population categories.<\/li>\n
        • The\u00a0segmentation of cities into five population brackets<\/strong>, from those with fewer than 20,000 people to over one million, helped\u00a0level the playing field and encouraged more diverse participation.<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • This democratisation has proved fruitful.<\/li>\n
        • Odisha\u2019s success exemplifies this shift:<\/strong>\u00a0Bhubaneswar\u2019s ascent from 34th to 9th place, and the rise of smaller cities like Aska and Chikiti, highlight how inclusive frameworks can foster widespread improvement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • A Growing Ecosystem of Best Practices and Innovation<\/strong>\n
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          • Beyond rankings, the\u00a0Swachh Survekshan serves as a repository of best practices\u00a0<\/strong>that can be scaled and replicated.<\/li>\n
          • The\u00a0transformation of cities such as Indore and Surat reveals the possibilities of municipal innovation.<\/strong><\/li>\n
          • Indore’s pioneering six-way waste segregation model,<\/strong>\u00a0Surat\u2019s monetisation of treated sewage, Pune\u2019s ragpicker-run cooperatives,\u00a0and Lucknow\u2019s waste wonder park underscore how creativity, policy support, and community engagement can turn urban waste<\/strong>\u00a0into an asset.<\/li>\n
          • Similarly, Agra\u2019s conversion of the toxic Kuberpur dumpsite into green space showcases the potential<\/strong>\u00a0of modern remediation technologies like bioremediation and biomining.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
          • Cleanliness as an Economic and Cultural Imperative<\/strong>\n
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            • Tourist hubs and high-footfall areas received special attention<\/strong>\u00a0in the latest survey, with Prayagraj being recognised for sanitation management during the Maha Kumbh.<\/li>\n
            • As India accounts for a meagre 1.5% of global tourist arrivals,\u00a0sustained cleanliness is essential not only for public health and aesthetics but also for enhancing the tourist experience<\/strong>\u00a0and economic growth.<\/li>\n
            • The\u00a0thematic focus of Swachh Survekshan 2025, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (RRR),<\/strong>\u00a0underscores this broader ambition.<\/li>\n
            • While the previous year’s theme, waste to wealth, signalled an economic opportunity,\u00a0India has yet to fully capitalise on the value embedded in its waste streams.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Challenges Ahead and The Way Forward<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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              • Despite visible progress,\u00a0the survey reveals persistent challenges in developing behavioural change.<\/strong><\/li>\n
              • While SBM has successfully instilled societal rejection of open defecation,\u00a0nurturing a similar mindset around waste minimisation, consumerism, and recycling has been elusive<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
              • This\u00a0behavioural inertia remains one of the most significant roadblocks<\/strong>\u00a0to lasting impact.<\/li>\n
              • Moreover,\u00a0the daily generation of 1.5 lakh tonnes of solid waste poses a formidable challenge<\/strong>. Effective management will depend largely on the capacity and performance of ULBs.<\/li>\n
              • Their ability to enforce waste segregation, ensure efficient collection, and handle plastic and e-waste will shape the next chapter<\/strong>\u00a0in India\u2019s urban cleanliness story.<\/li>\n
              • Going forward,\u00a0the focus must shift from celebrating momentary rankings to institutionalising cleanliness as a civic virtue<\/strong>\u00a0and economic opportunity.<\/li>\n
              • With policy support,\u00a0community ownership, and technological innovation, Indian cities can transition from managing waste to creating wealth, dignity, and health for all<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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                • India\u2019s urban cleanliness journey<\/strong>, as illuminated by Swachh Survekshan 2024-25,\u00a0is both inspiring and instructive.<\/strong><\/li>\n
                • It\u00a0demonstrates that with the right mix of competition, data, public engagement, and political will,<\/strong>\u00a0even the most chaotic waste systems can be reformed.<\/li>\n
                • The\u00a0remarkable turnaround of Surat from a garbage-laden city in the 1990s to a sanitation model today proves that change is not only possible,<\/strong>\u00a0it is replicable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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                  The Reality of the Changing Dimensions of Warfare<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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                  Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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                  • Niccol\u00f2 Machiavelli\u2019s view that\u00a0politics is governed by power struggles and survival remains relevant today.<\/strong><\/li>\n
                  • The\u00a0traditional international order,<\/strong>\u00a0shaped by events like the Peace of Westphalia and the Congress of Vienna, is crumbling.<\/strong><\/li>\n
                  • As older norms fade,\u00a0new tools of dominance, rooted in technological innovation, are rising.<\/strong><\/li>\n
                  • The\u00a0focus has shifted from diplomacy to digital warfare<\/strong>, reshaping both global politics and military strategy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                    The Illusion of Post-War Peace<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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                    • The\u00a0end of World War II in 1945<\/strong>, followed by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,\u00a0led many to believe in the arrival of a long-lasting peace<\/strong>\u00a0enforced by American military might.<\/li>\n
                    • Concepts like a rules-based international order emerged.<\/strong>\u00a0Yet, this peace proved to be an illusion.<\/li>\n
                    • From Korea to Vietnam and North Africa, conflicts persisted, revealing that\u00a0global tensions had not subsided but transformed.<\/strong><\/li>\n
                    • The\u00a0Cold War\u2019s end in 1989 did not usher in a peaceful era.\u00a0<\/strong>Instead, new conflicts emerged, challenging earlier assumptions.<\/li>\n
                    • A\u00a0major turning point was Operation Desert Storm in 1991<\/strong>, which marked the start of modern high-tech warfare.<\/li>\n
                    • Precision-guided missiles, satellite intelligence<\/strong>, and three-dimensional strikes\u00a0redefined battle doctrine.<\/strong><\/li>\n
                    • This\u00a0conflict began shifting war from manpower-heavy strategies to ones emphasising technology and speed.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                      9\/11, the Era of Pretextual Warfare and The Rise of Digitised and Autonomous Warfare<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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                      • 9\/11 and The Era of Pretextual Warfare<\/strong>\n
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                        • September 11, 2001, was\u00a0another defining moment.<\/strong>\u00a0While some mark 1989 as the start of a new world order, others see 9\/11 as the true catalyst.<\/li>\n
                        • The\u00a0attacks allowed the U.S. and its allies to launch military interventions<\/strong>\u00a0under the banner of combating terrorism.<\/li>\n
                        • However,\u00a0this did not clarify whether the fundamentals of warfare were changing<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
                        • It\u00a0took time to realise that the traditional rules of conflict were eroding<\/strong>. Military invasions began to rely\u00a0more on perception and less on legality,<\/strong>\u00a0and the justifications for war became increasingly ideological.<\/li>\n
                        • The\u00a0seeds of algorithmic warfare had been planted,<\/strong>\u00a0though their consequences were not yet visible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                        • The Rise of Digitised and Autonomous Warfare<\/strong>\n
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                          • Recent conflicts, particularly\u00a0the Russia-Ukraine war since 2022 and the India-Pakistan clash in May 2025, have brought these changes into sharp focus.<\/strong><\/li>\n
                          • Warfare today is driven by automation,\u00a0AI, and network-centric strategies.<\/strong><\/li>\n
                          • Drones, equipped with image recognition<\/strong>\u00a0and loitering munitions,\u00a0now play a central role in combat operations.<\/strong><\/li>\n
                          • The\u00a02025 India-Pakistan conflict showcased this shift.\u00a0<\/strong>Both sides used fixed-wing drones, loitering munitions, and precision-guided bombs.<\/li>\n
                          • Fighter jets and missiles, like India\u2019s BrahMos and Pakistan\u2019s PL-15s, were deployed in tandem<\/strong>\u00a0with advanced Turkish drones.<\/li>\n
                          • These\u00a0engagements revealed a battlefield dominated by AI and autonomous systems,<\/strong>\u00a0where speed, coordination, and digital integration matter more than physical presence.<\/li>\n
                          • The\u00a0modern battlefield is now multi-domain, air, land, cyber, and space.<\/strong><\/li>\n
                          • Cyberattacks, AI-driven targeting,\u00a0and hypersonic weapons are shaping a new generation of warfare.<\/strong><\/li>\n
                          • Traditional combat strategies, based on physical superiority<\/strong>, are fast becoming obsolete.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                            India\u2019s Strategic Imperative<\/strong><\/h3>\n