Need to Modernize Policing Practices with the vision of Viksit Bharat: Prime Minister

Key Challenges Concerning the Police in India

• New forms of crime: Including the white-collar crimes like bribery and corruption, evasion of taxes, violation of fiscal laws etc., along with modern technological use like Artificial Intelligence.
• Inadequate infrastructural facilities: Absence of adequate transport and communication network, modern weaponry, and need based training, etc.
• Shortage of Workforce: Ratio of police personnel per lakh persons is 152.80 as against the sanctioned strength of 196.23 (as on January 2022 based on Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D) data).

Measures Needed for Modernizing Police

• Innovative Strategies:  Effective use of databases integrated under NATGRID through Artificial Intelligence to generate actionable intelligence.
• Research Encouraging universities and academic institutions to undertake case studies on the use of forensics in police investigations, etc.
• Whole of the Government Approach: Bringing enforcement, rehabilitation, and community-level intervention.
• Administrative Reforms: As suggested by Supreme Court in Prakash Singh case (2006) including fixing the tenure and selection of the DGP, absence of political interference, etc., to be observed in full spirit.

Measures taken Reforming Police in India

• Scheme: Assistance to States & UTs for Modernization of Police (ASUMP) scheme aiming to equip Police Forces adequately with the required modern technology. 
• Legislative Reforms: New criminal laws like Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita 2023 (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 (BSA).
• SMART Policing Initiatives: Like Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), etc.

Bhagavad Gita serves as a Universal Guide offering Moral Clarity: Vice President

• Bhagavad Gita, an esteemed scripture within Indian philosophy is an integral segment of the Indian epic Mahabharata composed in Sanskrit.
• Written in poetic form and complied around 200 BCE, it forms a dialogue between Prince Arjuna and Lord Krishna.
• Recently, it has been inscribed in the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register.

Contemporary Relevance of the Ethical Teachings of Bhagavad Gita

• Action without Desire: It is signified by the idea of "Nishkam Karma" stressing the fact that one has right only to one’s own actions, not to their outcomes, regardless of whether it is favorable or unfavorable.
• It is in contrast to the idea of Sakama Karma, which refers to actions driven by desire to achieve a specific outcome.
• Synthesis of the Good of Society and Individual:  Gita deals with preserving larger social and world goals of preserving dharma and order, and achieving harmony, unity and universal welfare through “lokasamgraha”.
• Strengthening Emotional Resilience: It explains the idea of "Sthita- prajna" as a steady individual with the characteristics of emotional resilience, including efficiently coping with adversity, adjusting to change, and preserving psychological wellbeing.
• Leadership Development: Bhagavad Gita stresses on the performance of Svadharma, i.e., own duty or dharma.
• Others: Decisiveness (Gita equates lack of ambivalence with decisiveness); Humility (being aware of one’s limitations); etc.

India’s Shift from GM to Genome-Edited Crops

• India’s progress in GM crops stalled after Bt cotton (approved in 2006), but genome-edited (GE) crops have rapidly advanced due to regulatory relaxation and scientific breakthroughs.

Gene Editing

• Gene editing modifies the plant’s existing native genes by making precise cuts at targeted DNA sites using a protein (scissors) and a guide RNA (navigator).
• It does not introduce foreign DNA; instead, it creates mutations similar to natural variations, making the technology more precise, faster, and easier to regulate.

Key Differences with Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

• Foreign vs Native DNA: GMOs introduce foreign genes from other species; gene editing modifies only the plant’s own genes without adding external DNA.
• Regulatory Burden: GMOs face stringent, expensive regulation; gene-edited crops often pass through simpler, faster approval pathways.
• Technology Approach: GMOs rely on transgenic insertion; gene editing uses CRISPR/TnpB to achieve precise site-specific edits.
• Commercial Landscape: GMO deployment dominated by large corporations; gene editing enables public-sector and small research institutions to create new varieties.

India’s Progress in Genome Editing (GE)

• GE Rice Lines: GE Samba Mahsuri for higher yield, GE MTU-1010 for alkalinity tolerance.
• GE Mustard Line: Low-pungency, canola-quality mustard developed by gene editing.

Technologies Used:

1. CRISPR–Cas9: Editing drought- & salinity-tolerance genes.
2. CRISPR–Cas12a: Editing Gn1a gene for spikelet proliferation and higher yields.
3. Indigenous GE Tool: TnpB-based miniature editor, which is cheaper, patent-free and highly precise.

Reasons for the Success of Genome Editing (GE) in India

• Regulatory Simplicity: GE crops skip GEAC and need only IBC approval, making clearances faster.
• High Public Acceptability: GE crops carry no foreign DNA, reducing GMO-related opposition.
• Low R&D Costs: CRISPR tools make edits quick, cheap, and efficient for Indian labs.
• Indigenous Innovation: Indian tools like the TnpB-based editor cut import dependence.
• Government Funding Push: ₹500 crore (2023–24) earmarked explicitly for GE research.
• Export-Friendly: Japan and Australia already allow the import of GE foods without GM labelling.

World AIDS Day

• World AIDS Day is observed on December 1, and the theme for 2025 is “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response.”

World AIDS Day

• Origin: Established in 1988 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and later guided by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) as the first global health awareness day.
• Objective: Raise awareness, promote testing and treatment, and combat stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV.
• Alignment: Linked to the UNAIDS 95-95-95 goal and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.3 target to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
• UNAIDS 95-95-95 Goal: Target to ensure 95% of people with HIV-AIDS are diagnosed, 95% of those diagnosed receive antiretroviral therapy, and 95% of those on treatment achieve viral suppression.

India’s AIDS Response

• Framework: Led by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), established in 1992 under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Programme: Implemented through the National AIDS and STD Control Programme (NACP) phases I-V, shifting from awareness to prevention, testing and antiretroviral therapy (ART) expansion.
• Legal: HIV & AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act 2017 prohibits discrimination, ensures confidentiality and mandates informed consent.
• Policy Measures: Includes Test & Treat policy, Mission Sampark to re-engage patients lost to follow-up, and increased access to testing and treatment services nationwide.
• Impact: Annual new HIV infections in India dropped about 46% between 2010 and 2021; AIDS-related deaths fell ~77% between 2010 and 2021, showing significant progress in prevention and treatment.

About HIV-AIDS

• Cause: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) attacks CD4+ T-cells, weakening immunity & leading to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) if untreated.
• Transmission: Spread through unprotected sex, contaminated needles, unsafe transfusion and mother-to-child transmission.
• Treatment: Managed using Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), which suppresses viral load; viral suppression prevents progression to AIDS and reduces transmission (treatment-as-prevention model).
• India Status: India has an estimated 2.4 million people living with HIV (NACO estimates); the epidemic is concentrated among high-risk groups and urban clusters.
• High-risk groups in India include sex workers, homosexual men, people who inject drugs, transgenders, migrant workers and truckers

                                                                                                                                                                                       Source (PIB)

DoT Mandated SIM Binding

• The Department of Telecommunications has mandated SIM-binding for all app-based communication platforms under the Telecommunication Cybersecurity Amendment Rules, 2025.
• Platforms must ensure compliance within 90 days and submit reports to DoT within 4 months.
• SIM binding means the messaging service can function only if the registered mobile number’s SIM card is physically present in the device. If the SIM is removed, replaced, or inactive, access must be blocked.

Need for SIM Binding

• Rising Cyber-Frauds: SIM binding is needed to curb cyber-frauds executed using Indian numbers from abroad. E.g. India reported over 1.1 lakh cyber-fraud cases in 2024, with 70% linked to messaging apps.
• Fake KYC SIM Cards: Large volumes of SIMs activated with forged/mule IDs make account misuse easier. E.g. more than 6.3 lakh fraudulent SIMs were detected by DoT’s Sanchar Saathi portal in 2023–24.
• Functioning After SIM Removal: Current app systems allow running even if the SIM is removed. E.g. DoT audit found over 45% of scam-linked accounts operated without the original SIM in the device.
• Cross-Border Fraud Networks: Karnataka cyber police traced ₹850+ crore frauds (2023–25) to handlers operating outside India via unbound messaging accounts.
• Growing Telecom Identifier User Entity (TIUE): Apps using mobile numbers as identifiers are vulnerable without SIM-device pairing. E.g. TIUE audit shows 12+ major messaging apps lacked SIM verification.

Impacts of Mandatory Sim Binding

1. Impact on Users

• Users travelling abroad who change SIMs cannot continue using apps linked to their Indian SIM unless the original SIM remains active in the device.
• 6-hour logout for WhatsApp Web disrupts office workflows relying on computer-based messaging.
• Users will face more frequent re-verification and tighter account-SIM synchronisation requirements.

2. Impact on Platforms

• Need to redesign backend systems to ensure continuous SIM presence checks.
• Platforms must now continuously verify SIM–account linkage, maintain logs, and send compliance reports, significantly increasing their operational workload under TIUE rules.
• Messaging apps using end-to-end encryption cannot access user content and rely only on minimal metadata, making real-time SIM verification and fraud detection technically more difficult.