Five Powerful Lessons from India’s Electrification Success for ‘Mission 300

•  Powering 300 million lives across Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030 isn’t just ambitious—it’s a game-changing mission that can redefine the region’s future. Mission 300, an initiative led by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, in collaboration with key partners, aims to bridge one of the world’s most pressing energy gaps. But can such a massive feat be achieved within just a few years?
• The answer may lie in India’s electrification journey—a transformation so rapid and far-reaching that it rewrote the global playbook on energy access.
• In 2014, only 75.8% of India’s population had electricity, trailing behind the global average of 83.2%.
• A combination of lack of awareness, high connection costs, infrastructure gaps, and logistical challenges left millions in the dark. Yet, in less than a decade, India pulled off what seemed impossible—achieving 100% electrification by 2021, surpassing the global average of 90.4%.
• The real turning point came between 2017 and 2019, when India launched an electrification drive unlike anything seen before. In just 18 months, over 26 million households were connected to electricity—an effort so ambitious and efficient that it stands as one of the fastest electrification drives in history.
• This wasn’t just a policy shift; it was a mission-driven movement, fueled by strong political leadership, financial innovation, and last-mile execution.
•  While many countries have struggled with electrification for decades, India has shown that with the right intent and approach, progress can be achieved at an unprecedented pace.

So, what can Mission 300 learn from India’s experience?

• By adopting proven strategies, Mission 300 can fast-track electrification across Sub-Saharan Africa—achieving its goal of reaching 300 million people by 2030 in a way that is efficient, scalable, and sustainable.

Key Strategies and Lessons for Mission 300

1. Strong leadership as the driving force

• India’s electrification success was not just about policy—it was about unwavering leadership from the top. Electricity access was treated as a national mission, not just an infrastructure project, ensuring that every stakeholder—from central to local governments—was fully aligned with a clear, time-bound goal.
• The government set an ambitious target to electrify 18,452 villages in 1,000 days, announced by the Prime Minister on August 15, 2015.
•  This meant maintaining a pace of 19 villages per day, despite difficult terrains, conflict zones, and bureaucratic obstacles like Right of Way (ROW), railway, and forest clearances.
• Key programs like Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) and Saubhagya launched in 2014 and 2017 respectively were implemented with strict deadlines, direct political oversight, and a mission-mode approach. Unlike traditional development projects, these initiatives had no room for slow decision-making—delays were not tolerated, and leadership was held accountable at every stage.
• Lesson for Mission 300: For Mission 300 to succeed, political leadership across Sub-Saharan Africa must own this mission at the highest levels—not as a development goal, but as a top national and regional priority.
• Governments, regional bodies, and development partners must commit to clear, non-negotiable deadlines, with direct oversight from heads of state and a mechanism to ensure accountability for delays.

2. Institutional strength matters

• A key factor in India’s electrification success was the role of established national power agencies that spearheaded the implementation of large-scale electrification programs.
• These government-backed institutions provided technical expertise, financial oversight, and execution capacity, ensuring that schemes like DDUGJY and Saubhagya were delivered efficiently across states.
• The Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) and the Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) played a pivotal role by coordinating efforts between national and state agencies, managing the disbursement of funds, and ensuring adherence to policy mandates.
•  This centralized leadership with decentralized execution allowed for efficient last-mile delivery while maintaining policy consistency and accountability—key factors in achieving 100% electrification despite diverse regional challenges.
• Lesson for Mission 300: For Mission 300 to succeed across multiple countries, it must build strong institutional capacity at the regional and national levels.
•  A dedicated, well-resourced central agency or coordinating body—with clear mandates, technical expertise, and financial oversight—can drive implementation, ensuring that electrification efforts remain structured, scalable, and resilient against political and operational disruptions.

3. Digital tools for smarter execution

• India’s electrification success was greatly enhanced by digital tools, ensuring real-time tracking, transparency, and accountability at every stage.
• A key innovation was the GARV mobile app, which provided real-time electrification data at the national, state, district, and village levels.
• This replaced manual reporting, reducing delays and making progress tracking more efficient. The app also enabled milestone-based verification, where contractors uploaded photos of completed work, ensuring better quality control.
• To improve on-the-ground monitoring, over 350 young electrical engineers (known as Gram Vidyut Abhiyanta) were deployed across 18,452 villages. Equipped with tablets installed with GARV App, they visited villages regularly, recorded progress according to checklist, updated the progress in GARV app, and flagged delays, ensuring real-time problem-solving.
• India’s electrification drive also leveraged informal digital communication channels to enhance coordination and problem-solving. State-wise WhatsApp groups connected young electrical engineers with senior officials, allowing real-time issue resolution and guidance.
• Additionally, a social media-driven grievance redressal system allowed citizens to report issues via Twitter, Facebook, and email, increasing public participation and holding authorities accountable. Features like Geographic Information System (GIS) asset mapping and village adoption tracking further strengthened oversight.
• Lesson for Mission 300: To accelerate electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa, Mission 300 should adopt a centralized real-time digital tracking system to monitor progress, verify milestones, and enhance accountability.
• Deploying local field engineers for real-time data collection and leveraging social media for public engagement can significantly improve transparency and responsiveness.

4. One Size Doesn’t Fit All

• India’s electrification success was not just about expanding the grid—it was about adapting to diverse challenges through a hybrid model that combined grid extension, off-grid solar solutions, and decentralized mini-grids to ensure universal access.
• The grid expansion strategy under Saubhagya played a central role, connecting over 26 million households through strengthened transmission and distribution networks. Special efforts were made to electrify challenging terrains, including Himalayan villages, Rajasthan’s deserts, and dense forests in the Northeast.
• For households in remote and inaccessible areas, where grid extension was unviable, off-grid solar solutions were deployed. These included solar photovoltaic (SPV) standalone systems with 200–300W power packs, LED lights, a DC fan, a DC power plug, and five years of maintenance support.
• While Saubhagya did not directly fund mini-grids, states like Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh ensured that their ongoing mini-grid projects complemented broader rural electrification efforts, which helped integrate decentralized energy solutions more effectively.
• Lesson for Mission 300: A hybrid electrification model—grid expansion where feasible, mini-grids for underserved areas, and off-grid solar for remote households—is key to reaching the last mile. Mission 300 must prioritize both large-scale infrastructure and decentralized solutions to ensure affordable, reliable, and sustainable electricity access.

Power to the People

• Electrification is not just about infrastructure—it’s about ensuring that people adopt, use, and benefit from electricity in meaningful ways. In India, this was achieved through community-driven engagement strategies that created extensive awareness and fostered local ownership.
• The government launched nationwide awareness campaigns, educating households on how electricity could improve livelihoods—boosting income generation, enhancing education, and reducing reliance on hazardous fuels like kerosene.
• Saubhagya not only provided free electricity connections to poor households in rural and urban areas but also ensured affordability for others through a nominal fee of ₹500, payable in 10 monthly installments of ₹50.
• This small but structured payment plan ensured inclusion without burdening low-income families, resulting in higher acceptance and sustained usage.
• Additionally, India leveraged grassroots networks, partnering with NGOs, women’s self-help groups, and local community organizations to promote adoption.
•  These groups played a crucial role in building trust, assisting with administrative processes, and ensuring that newly electrified homes utilized the power available to them.
• In states like Bihar and Jharkhand, women-led groups played a crucial role in driving electricity adoption, especially in regions where households were hesitant due to reliance on traditional fuels or cost concerns.
• They also helped transform newly electrified homes into micro-enterprises, showcasing the economic value of electricity access.
• Lesson for Mission 300: Electrification must be demand-driven, not just supply-focused. Mission 300 should incorporate community outreach, financial support mechanisms, and grassroots partnerships to ensure widespread adoption and long-term impact. Simply bringing electricity to households is not enough—people must see tangible social and economic benefits to fully embrace it.

From India’s Success to Mission 300’s Execution

• India’s electrification journey is more than just a success story—it is proof that universal energy access is achievable with the right mix of leadership, strategy, and execution.
•  It demonstrates that scale and speed are possible when governance is strong, institutions are empowered, and innovation drives implementation.
• For Mission 300, the challenge is immense—but so is the opportunity. With strong public financing commitments globally and regionally, alongside efforts to catalyze private and philanthropic investment, success will depend on turning investment into action, ensuring transparency, and fostering national ownership.
•  The real test lies not in ambition but in execution, accountability, and the political will to see it through.
• Sub-Saharan Africa is on the verge of an energy revolution. The blueprint exists, the tools are ready, and the momentum is building. What’s needed now is bold leadership, decisive action, and an unwavering commitment to power 300 million lives—perhaps even ahead of schedule.

Govt launches Aadhaar Good Governance Portal to ease application process

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the Aadhaar Good Governance Portal to help users with the automation of the process of Aadhaar authentication request approvals.
• This initiative aims to make Aadhaar more convenient and easier to live with and also enhance citizens’ access to services. The government wants to simplify the process to make it a more inclusive tool for various sectors and services applicable across the country and result in boosting overall governance.
• MeitY, stated, "With this platform, we hope to expedite the addition of additional use cases of good governance and ease of living."

How to use the Aadhaar Good Governance portal?

• Here''s the step-by-step guide to use the Aadhaar Good Governance portal:
• Firstly, visit the online portal through swik.meity.gov.in
• Register as an entity, such as government departments, private companies, and organizations can apply.
• While applying, you need to mention why Aadhaar authentication is required.
• The system processes applications as per regulatory guidelines.
• Approved entities can integrate Aadhaar authentication into their apps and systems.

Aadhaar Good Governance Portal features

• The Aadhaar Good Governance Portal has an exhaustive resource for organizations seeking to leverage Aadhaar authentication services. The Portal offers a well-defined Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for organizations to implement and onboard Aadhaar authentication services. The government has also suggested introducing face authentication to customer-facing applications. This facility will help to:
• Enhance security and decrease OTP-based authentication''s dependency.
• Boost accessibility by making biometric-based authentication possible everywhere.
• This process will also streamline the e-KYC process for service providers across industries.

What are the benefits of the Aadhaar Good Governance Portal?

• The Aadhaar Good Governance portal is a large-scale system that supports Aadhaar authentication''s uses for multiple public interest services.
• This latest portal will benefit both the government and private agencies, and the portal will boost the provision of services in different industries. Here are the benefits of the Aadhaar Good Governance Portal to multiple industries:
• Healthcare: Healthcare workers can use this latest platform to identify patients at a faster rate. This portal will make the process of treatment both faster and secure.
• Education:Educational institutions can utilise this portal to authenticate students during examination and admission periods. It will simplify the process and make it more accurate.
• E-commerce and aggregators:In the case of online transactions, Aadhaar authentication makes e-KYC easy and offers a safe identity verification process to customers, which is crucial to avoid fraud.
• Financial services:Banks and financial institutions can use Aadhaar authentication to authenticate loan or financial product applicants. This portal will make the online banking process more accurate and efficient.
• Workplace management:It can also be used by organisations to authenticate attendance and HR information of employees, simplifying administrative work and facilitating workplace management.

Facts on Aadhaar

• Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique ID issued to an individual. Aadhaar uses demographic information (name, date of birth, gender and address), photograph of the face, fingerprints and iris to identify a resident. These items of information are mandatory.
• The objective of Aadhaar is to empower residents of India with a unique identity and digital platform only for the purpose of identity proof.
• Aadhaar number is a proof of identity. It does not confer any right of citizenship or domicile in respect of an Aadhaar number holder. 
• Under the Aadhaar Act, 2016, UIDAI is responsible for Aadhaar enrolment and authentication, including operation and management of all stages of Aadhaar life cycle, developing the policy, procedure and system for issuing Aadhaar numbers to individuals and perform authentication and the security of identity information and authentication records of individuals.

Key features of the portal:

1) Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance Amendment (2025)

• The launch follows the Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Amendment Rules, 2025, notified in January 2025 under the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016.
• The amendment expands the scope of Aadhaar authentication beyond government schemes to new sectors, improving transparency and inclusivity in digital governance.

2) Aadhaar’s Role in Digital India

• Aadhaar is regarded as the world’s most trusted digital identity, with over one billion Indians using it for authentication more than 100 billion times in the past decade.
• The new framework strengthens Aadhaar’s role in governance by allowing authentication for non-governmental services while maintaining security and privacy standards.
• The initiative supports the government’s mission to modernise public service delivery and promote paperless, cashless transactions.

3) Portal Features & Authentication Process

• The Aadhaar Good Governance portal will serve as a step-by-step guide for organizations applying for Aadhaar authentication.
• The portal will provide detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for onboarding entities, ensuring compliance with the new rules.
• Face authentication may be integrated into customer-facing apps of private entities, allowing anytime, anywhere authentication for users.
• The initiative eliminates unnecessary paperwork, making identity verification more efficient and user-friendly.

India, UN sign MoU to renew Hindi@UN project at world body

• The Government of India has made a whopping contribution of USD 1,169,746 for ‘Hindi @ UN’ project to expand the use of Hindi in the United Nations.
• The Government of India has been making continuous efforts to expand the use of Hindi in the United Nations.
•  As part of these efforts, ‘Hindi @ UN’ project, in collaboration with the UN Department of Public Information, was launched in 2018 with an objective to enhance the public outreach of the United Nations in Hindi language, and to spread greater awareness about global issues among millions of Hindi-speaking people around the world, read a press release from India’s Permanent Mission to UN, New York.
• India has been partnering with the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC) since 2018 by providing an extra-budgetary contribution to mainstream and consolidate news and multimedia content of DGC in Hindi language,
• “Since 2018, the UN News in Hindi is disseminated through UN’s website and social media handles – Twitter, Instagram and a UN Facebook Hindi page. A UN News-Hindi audio bulletin (UN Radio) is released every week,” .
• Its weblink is available at the UN Hindi News website as well as at the Soundcloud – “UN News-Hindi
• India and the United Nations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) renewing the ‘Hindi@UN Project’.
•  It is a dedicated project at the world body to broadcast news from the UN in Hindi and enhance public outreach in the language.
• India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador P. Harish and UN Under Secretary General, Department of Global Communications (DGC) Melissa Fleming signed the MoU renewing the MoU renewing the ‘Hindi@UN Project’  for a period of five years from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2030, during a ceremony held at the Permanent Mission of India.
• The government of India has pledged $1.5 million per annum for five years, over and above the cumulative contribution of $6.8 million to date for the purpose.
• The MoU on the project’s establishment was signed between the Indian government and DGC in 2018, with the primary focus on broadcasting UN news in Hindi.
• The Hindi@UN project was launched in 2018 in collaboration with the UN Department of Public Information to enhance the public outreach of the United Nations in the Hindi language, and to spread greater awareness about global issues among millions of Hindi-speaking people around the world.
• The renewal is a testimony to India’s strong and historic commitment to multilingualism.

Why southern states are nervous about delimitation

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that southern states would not lose “even a single seat” after delimitation, addressing long-held apprehensions of states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala about losing representation in Parliament if delimitation was to be carried out based on latest population data.
• Largely due to the divergent economic trajectories of the two regions, population growth in South India has been far slower than in the North.
• Thus, if delimitation were to take place based on latest population data, northern states would receive a much larger number of seats in Parliament compared to the South.

Why delimitation?

• Delimitation is a Constitutional mandate, to be carried out after every Census in order to readjust the number of seats in Parliament, and the boundaries of constituencies, based on latest population data.
•  The idea is to ensure that each constituency has roughly the same number of people living in it.
• Up until 1976, after every Indian Census, the seats of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and State legislative Assemblies were re-distributed throughout the country. This happened thrice, based on the Censuses of 1951, 1961, and 1971.
• The 42nd Amendment to the Constitution, passed during the Emergency, froze the total number of Parliamentary and state Assembly seats till the 2001 Census. This was done so that states with higher rates of population growth could implement family planning measures without losing representation in Parliament.
• In 2001, the boundaries of constituencies were altered. But the number of seats that each state had in Lok Sabha, as well as the strength of states’ legislative Assemblies, remained the same. This was largely due to opposition from southern states.

Why are southern states nervous about delimitation?

• States in peninsular India feel that delimitation based on latest population data will reduce their representation in Parliament, and thus diminish their political heft.
• In September 2023, during the debate in Parliament on the Women’s Reservation Bill — whose implementation is linked to the delimitation process —statement from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said, “…if delimitation is going to be on population census, it will deprive and reduce the representation of the south Indian states… There is fear in the minds of the people of Tamil Nadu that our voices will be undermined.”

Facts on Delimitation :

• 1. The Election Commission defines delimitation as the process of drawing constituency boundaries for elected bodies based on the population in the most recent Census. Article 82 of the Constitution states that after every Census is completed, the allocation of Lok Sabha seats to each state must be adjusted based on population changes.
• 2. Article 81 states there can be no more than 550 members in the Lok Sabha – 530 from states and 20 from Union Territories. It also says that “the ratio between (the number of seats) and the population of the state is, so far as practicable, the same for all states”. So, each constituency across the country should ideally have the same population.
• 3. The main purpose of undertaking the delimitation exercise is to rationalize the structure and composition of the electoral constituencies.
• It adheres to the principle of ‘One Vote One Value‘ to provide representation to different sections of the population and remove gross inequalities in the population size of constituencies.
• 4. The Constitution has provided for an independent Delimitation Commission every decade to reapportion seats among states. The Commission is appointed by the President of India and comprises a retired judge of the Supreme Court or a high court, the Chief Election Commissioner, and the State Election Commissioner.
• 5. The Commission examines the changes in the population to redraw the constituencies or redraw a new one where it is necessary. The draft report is published in the Gazette of India which is open for public feedback. The final report is published after accounting for the public feedback. Once published, the Commission’s orders are final and, as per the Delimitation Commission Act 1952 and Article 329A of the Constitution, has the “full force of law and shall not be called into question in any court”.
• The required amendment in the Constitution for the implementation of delimitation process includes changes to Article 81 (which defines the composition of the Lok Sabha), Article 170 (composition of Legislative Assemblies), Article 82, Article 55 (deals with the presidential election process for which value of each vote in the electoral college is decided on the population basis), Articles 330 and 332 (covering reservation of seats for the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies, respectively).
• 6. Tamil Nadu and other southern states have argued that they should not be penalized for successfully implementing population control measures compared to high-population states in the north.

Changes in the composition of Lok Sabha as a result of delimitation

• 1. Delimitation has taken place four times – 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002, with the number of seats fixed and readjusted during the first three exercises. The 1952 delimitation exercise set the maximum number of Lok Sabha seats at 500 after the Commission held three public meetings to gather feedback. In the 1952 Lok Sabha polls though, elections were held in 489 seats. In 1957, 494 seats went to polls.
• 2. In 1963, the Delimitation Commission made its first set of changes to the composition of the Lok Sabha. Noting that the average population per constituency had risen from 7.3 lakh to 8.9 lakh, the final order raised the total Lok Sabha seats to 522.
• 3. In 1973, the Commission raised the maximum Lok Sabha members to 545 to account for population growth and the formation of new states. Since then, the number of members has remained unchanged.
• 4. In 1976, the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution froze the number of Lok Sabha seats and put off delimitation for 25 years until the 2001 Census under Article 82.
• The Indira Gandhi-led Congress government at the time, during the Emergency era, cited “family planning policies” as the reason for this suspension, saying it did not want to punish states with effective population control measures, as their representation in the Lok Sabha would fall compared to states with high populations.
• 5. In 2002, another amendment was made under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led BJP government. This 84th Amendment further delayed delimitation for another 25 years. 
• Though constituency boundaries were redrawn to account for changes in population according to the 2001 Census, the total number of Lok Sabha seats and the number of seats allotted to each state remained unchanged.
•  According to the amendment, the next delimitation would have happened only after the 2031 Census. But with the 2021 Census delayed, the government plans to change this. The Census has not been held yet.

Is the Delimitation Commission’s decision beyond judicial review?

• 1. In Kishorchandra Chhanganlal Rathod vs. Union of India case, the appellant filled a writ petition before the Gujarat High Court challenging the reservation of the Bardoli Legislative Assembly Constituency in Gujarat for the Scheduled Caste community.
• The Gujarat High Court dismissed the writ petition citing Article 329(a) of the Constitution of India, 1950. According to Article 329(a) “the validity of any law relating to the delimitation of constituencies or the allotment of seats to such constituencies, made or purporting to be made under article 327 or article 328, shall not be called in question in any court.”
• 2. The Supreme Court in its judgement in July 2024 held that the constitutional courts can review the orders of the delimitation commission and can also grant appropriate remedy if an order is manifestly arbitrary and irreconcilable to constitutional values.
• The judgement also cited the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam v. State of T.N. case where the Court was called upon to interpret Articles 243O and 243ZG of the Constitution, which mirror the subject matter of Article 329.
• In that case, the court rejected the contention that these provisions place a complete bar on judicial intervention. “It was noted that a constitutional Court can intervene to facilitate the elections or when a case for mala fide or arbitrary exercise of power is made out”, said the judgement.

Technological Revolution of India: Overview of Direct Benefit Transfers

• The political economy of India, since its independence, can be understood as a struggle to break free from constraints inherited from centuries of foreign rule while aspiring to rise as a nation of global importance.
• Immediately afterward, the government of our nation emphasized centralized planning, coupled with the public provisioning of essential goods and services.
• However, even after several decades of this approach, the situation at the ground level did not improve as expected . The situation was marred with cases where citizens were unable to access the welfare transfers meant for them.
•  The section of the population that was able to receive the benefits did not receive them in a timely manner.
• Furthermore, the entire process was a financial nightmare due to fund leakages at various levels of government.
• This problem was highlighted by Mr. Rajiv Gandhi during his tenure as Prime Minister in his famous remark: For every rupee spent by the government on welfare, only 15 paise is received by the intended beneficiaries .
• The root cause of this issue lay in India’s limited state capacity and the lack of accountability among government officials responsible for the smooth functioning of these welfare programs . However, despite numerous efforts over the years to address these issues, no drastic improvement was observed.
• A breakthrough was achieved in 2014 during the initial months of the new government under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi
• The solution involved a novel adoption of digital technologies which was called the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Mission.

Rethinking Public Service Delivery in India

• The inception of DBT can be traced back to 2013 as a pilot project, which spanned only 43 districts of the country and covered only 24 Central Sector (CS) and Centrally Sponsored (CSS) schemes. However, there were several challenges that were identified during the initial phase and the biggest among them was the low level of financial inclusion, especially in rural areas.
• This limited the reach of DBT in our country. In recognition of the problem at hand, the newly elected Prime Minister Modi launched the world’s biggest financial inclusion program in the form of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY).
• PMJDY was a game changer right from its launch with more than 1.8 crore accounts being opened for people who were previously out of the formal banking system. This achievement was recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest number of bank accounts opened in a week.
• The progress showed no sign of stopping with more than 17 crore people benefited in the first year and according to the latest data over 54 crore Jan Dhan accounts have been opened. The biggest benefit of this scheme has been reaped by people residing in the rural and semi-urban areas with it accounting for more than 2/3 of the total bank accounts opened.
• The success of PMJDY paved the way for the creation of the world’s biggest targeted payments framework. Commonly referred to as the JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, and Mobile) Trinity, the platform leveraged the near universal adoption of Aadhar cards to uniquely identify beneficiaries, while Jan Dhan accounts enabled with mobile banking services ensured that government transfers reached the people directly, without any delay and with no financial leakages.
• In the last ten years, DBT enabled by JAM has transformed the landscape of public service delivery in India by ensuring transparency, accountability, and efficiency.

Transformational Impact

• The impact of DBT has been realised since its inception. According to the official data , the total number of schemes using the DBT framework has increased by more than 11 times, from 28 schemes in 2013-14 to 323 schemes in 2024-25. The total funds transferred has also increased by nearly 1000 times, from around 7400 crores in 2013-14 to nearly 7 lakh crores in 2023-24.
•  This has been estimated to have cumulatively saved the government exchequer around 3.5 lakh crores . A comprehensive analysis of the benefits of DBT can be understood in the following manner –

Reduction of Ghost Beneficiaries

• In the previous regime, due to a complex chain of intermediaries, the financial resources released by the government would leak to people who were not the intended beneficiaries.
•  However, DBT mission was able to solve this problem by eliminating fake or duplicate beneficiaries using data from Aadhar card as a unique identifier. Further, with the rise in financial inclusion levels, DBT is able to transfer benefits directly to the intended recipient by eliminating the intermediaries.
•  Prominent success stories include schemes like PAHAL, MGNREGS, and PDS that have cumulatively eliminated more than 9.2 crore fake or duplicate beneficiaries.

Ensuring timely transfers of benefits

• Another problem with public service delivery before DBT was the untimely transfer of benefits. This was prominent in various scholarships schemes aimed at promoting education and pension schemes operated under the National Social Assistance Program (NSAP).
• By leveraging the benefits of digital technologies, DBT has been able to ensure that funds are transferred automatically without any delay.
• This has also brought dignity to the beneficiaries as they don’t have to make rounds to government offices just to ensure a timely disbursal of their entitlements.

Rethinking welfare

• The increased transparency and accountability brought in by DBT has also allowed the government to design programmes aimed at widening the understanding of welfare measures. Few examples include schemes like Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) which have been able to improve sanitation while also producing multiple secondary benefits like reduction in infant and early-age mortality rate and reduction in crimes against women .
•  Additionally, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (PM-JAY) has completely revamped public health insurance by increasing the coverage and removing exclusion clauses which were present in its predecessor.
• Another example has been the Pradhan Mantri Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) which has been designed to bring dignity to farmers by providing an annual cash transfer of 6000 rupees which can be utilised as per the discretion of the beneficiary reducing the need for money borrowing from informal sources.
• Aside from the impact mentioned above, DBT has also proven revolutionary during the COVID-19 crisis by ensuring continuity in government transfers. On top of this, DBT also became the perfect mechanism for delivering the stimulus package (Pradhan Mantri – Garib Kalyan Yojna) announced by the government in the wake of the pandemic. This feat would have been impossible in the era of public service delivery before DBT.

Leveraging DBT for a More Inclusive Future

• DBT mission is one of the biggest success stories in transforming public service delivery in our country. International organisations like the World Bank , the International Monetary Fund , and the Asian Development Bank have lauded the policy instrument in its effort toward increasing the reach of government welfare measures while also curbing corruption and financial leakages.
• Going forward, the gains in efficiency brought in by DBT possess the ability to allow policy makers to bring more exiting schemes to utilise the DBT framework, while also providing them freedom to innovate with radical new policies aimed at addressing a more holistic concept of well-being.
• Working on this front will be critical for ensuring that India stays on its path of becoming a developed nation by 2047.

Farming For the Future: Modi government’s progressive outlook

• Earlier this week, the 19th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) was released to the farmers. Over 11 Crore farmers have been registered under this programme, with over 25 per cent being female beneficiaries.
•  The total disbursement since the initiation of the programme stands at Rs. 3.68 lakh crore and the number of beneficiaries is 9.8 crores till date. 
• The PM-KISAN programme ensures financial support for the farmers. Each financial year, three instalments, each worth Rs. 2,000, are credited to the bank accounts of the farmers.
• The primary goal of the programme is to help farmers reduce their input costs, acquire better seeds, and improve their household incomes. Every fifth farmer registered under the programme comes from the SC/ST communities.
• The progressive outlook of the Modi Government towards agriculture must not be viewed from the PM-KISAN lens alone. Agriculture contributes anywhere between 15 to 18 per cent to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
•  Therefore, the government’s futuristic outlook towards agriculture, combining modern technology, digitization, and logistics must be lauded.
• One of the most underrated reforms of the Modi Government has been to ensure that the payment is made directly into the bank accounts of the farmers, eliminating the middlemen from the process.
• In some states, these middlemen used to extort money from the farmers or charge exorbitant rates of interest on informal loans doled out. Even while some states witnessed protests against the direct transfer of MSPs, the government did not back down.
• On the fertiliser front, the push for neem-coated urea has ensured higher yields for farmers. The neem layer on urea delays the release of nitrogen into the soil. Typically, with uncoated urea, a large amount of nitrogen escapes through volatilisation (turning into ammonia gas in the air) or leaching (seeping into groundwater).
• Neem-coated urea’s gradual release keeps nitrogen accessible to plants for an extended time, improving how much crops absorb. This means farmers can use less urea, lowering expenses while still sustaining or even enhancing crop yields.
• On the insurance front, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana has enrolled over 50 Crore farmers and settled claims worth Rs. 1.7 Lakh Crore until early 2025. For every single rupee of premium charged from the farmers, six rupees have been given as a premium.
• In the wake of an unpredictable climate, the programme offers an efficient cushion for the marginal farmers who are economically vulnerable.
• The Modi Government has also mobilised technology through aspiring women entrepreneurs. The ‘Drone Didi’ program equips women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) with training to become certified drone pilots, providing them with a valuable skill and a steady income stream.
• By offering drone services to farmers, these women can earn approximately ₹1 lakh per year, promoting financial self-reliance and improving their social and economic standing in rural communities.
• To harness the collective power of small and marginal farmers, the government has also been aggressively pushing the idea of ‘Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs)’. When small landholding farmers get together, they are in a position to bring down their input costs, and machinery costs, and even work towards better yields and market access.
• By 2025, the Modi Government is aiming for 10,000 FPOs across India, and over 9,000 are registered already. The Lavender revolution in Jammu, the horticulture revolution in the northeastern states and Himachal Pradesh. In Karnataka, for instance, the coffee exports are making headlines. FPOs have also ushered ease of shift, thereby enabling farmers to opt for crop diversification.
• The decision to go for crop diversification will go a long way in serving the ecological interests of the farmers.
• While it helps the government displace the import bills, especially for pulses and other cash crops, it also gives farmers the guarantee of improved incomes and better market access. Most importantly, it shifts attention away from water-intensive crops that are detrimental to the long-term interests of the soil and local ecology.
• The government’s increased capex, more than Rs. 50 Lakh Crore in the last four presented budgets alone, has a significant role to play in the elevation of the agricultural ecosystem in India.
• With better access through roads and railways, including the Dedicated Freight Corridors, the farmers are no longer required to worry about getting their produce to the urban centres. The sprawling network of highways and expressways has also brought down the logistics costs for the farmers.
• India, as a partial agrarian economy, needs to have a futuristic outlook towards agriculture, given its impact on food inflation, global supply chains, and overall food security for the masses.

AMRSense , an AI Device to analyze Antibiotic Resistance

IIT-Delhi and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) researchers advanced AMRSense, an AI device that analyzes sanatorium data for real-time antibiotic resistance insights.

• This initiative aims to enhance AMR surveillance at the global, national, and hospital levels.
• AMRSense leverages medical institution-generated culture sensitivity study reports (blood, sputum, urine, pus, and many others.) to construct AI-based pipelines, improving antimicrobial stewardship. 
• Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs while micro organism, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and not respond to drugs making infections harder to treat and growing the threat of ailment unfold, severe infection and death. 
• Antibiotic resistance is rising as the risk to a successful remedy of infectious diseases, organ transplantation, cancer chemotherapy and main surgical procedures.

Causes for Antimicrobial Resistance

• Overuse and Misuse of Antibiotics: The immoderate and beside the point use of antibiotics in people and animals is a prime driving force of antimicrobial resistance. 
• A survey on prescribing tendencies for antibiotics released by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in 2023 observed that 71.9% of sufferers coming to hospitals were prescribed antibiotics on average.
• Inadequate Dosage and Duration: When antibiotics are not taken in an appropriate dosage and for the advocated duration, it may cause incomplete eradication of the focused microorganisms, allowing the surviving bacteria to increase resistance.
• Self-Medication: Self-prescription without right scientific guidance contributes to the misuse of antibiotics. 
• Antibiotics in Food-Animals: Use of antibiotics as increase promoters in food animals and fowl is a common exercise and later it evolves inside the food chain.
• Poor Sanitation: A big percentage of sewage is discharged untreated into water bodies, leading to extreme river contamination with antibiotic residues and antibiotic-resistant organisms.

Role of AI in Combating AMR

• Early Outbreak Detection: AI-powered tool examines large-scale medical institution data to track rising AMR developments, permitting proactive interventions.
• AMRSense predicts resistance patterns and the use of recurring medical institution statistics, helping in faster decision-making.
• Integration of Data: AI can combine medical institution AMR records with antibiotic sales information, agricultural antibiotic use, and environmental elements to provide a holistic method to AMR surveillance and control.
• Overcoming Limitations: Unlike genomic sequencing, that’s expensive and time-consuming, AI fashions use ordinary medical institution statistics to generate cost-effective, actionable insights. 

Challenges

• Data Quality: The accuracy of AI models heavily relies upon the quality and completeness of available statistics, which can be a significant project in healthcare settings.
• Model Accuracy & Validation: AI predictions rely on past developments; unexpected occasions (e.g., pandemics) can disrupt accuracy.
• Implementation: Hospitals and policymakers face challenges in adopting AI-based AMR strategies due to regulatory, moral, and technical boundaries.

Conclusion

• AI plays a pivotal role in AMR surveillance, prediction, and stewardship, remodeling public health responses. 
• With proper integration of AI-powered tools, evidence-based regulations can assist combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance efficiently.

How the historic Tea Horse Road connected India to China, through Tibet

• “The Ancient Tea-Horse Road witnesses the exchanges and interaction between China and India throughout the long river of history,”.
• Although not as well-known as the Silk Road, which linked China and Europe, the Tea Horse Road was a crucial commercial pathway for centuries.
• “Tea from across China was transported to Xizang [Tibet], then shipped to Kolkata via the Himalayan passes, and sold in Europe and Asia on a massive scale,” the Ambassador wrote.

What is the Tea Horse Road?

• The Tea Horse Road does not refer to a single road but a network of branching paths that began in southwest China and ended in the Indian subcontinent.
• The Tea Horse Road or Chamagudao is an old system of caravan routes that linked China, Tibet, and India.
• The Tea Horse Road was an important trade route that helped ensure cultural and economic exchange between these places for centuries. Though not as well known as the Silk Road, the Tea Horse Road was equally important in the trade of tea, horses, and other precious goods across some of the globe’s most rugged terrain.
• A The two main pathways passed through cities like Dali and Lijiang in Yunnan province, and reached Lhasa in Tibet, before entering the Indian subcontinent where they branched into present-day India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. These routes were perilous to travel on, passed through difficult terrain, and reached an elevation of up to 10,000 feet.

Historical Background

•  The origin of the Tea Horse Road can be traced to the rule of the Tang dynasty in China (618-907 CE). The writings of Buddhist monk Yijing (635-713 CE) — who gave some of the most detailed descriptions of Nalanda university available today — mention products like sugar, textiles, and rice noodles being transported from southwestern China to Tibet and India while horses, leather, Tibetan gold, saffron and other medicine herbs went to China.
• Over time, the trade focused on teas and horses, as official documents from the Song dynasty (960-1279 CE) show. However, traders would also use the route to deal in other goods, not necessarily covering the entire trail to South Asia at all times.

Significance of the Tea Horse Road

• Economic Importance: The Tea Horse Road was an essential business route for centuries. It accommodated the trade between China tea and Tibetan horses, which were important for China’s warfare. Official markets along the road were set by the government of the Song Dynasty to manage this trade, which helped stabilize regional economies.
• Tea Trade: Tibetan nomads needed tea as it brought warmth and energy in cold climates. Tibetans made yak butter tea a part of their staple diet.
• Horse Trade: Horses were needed for China’s military, especially in battles against Mongolian tribes. Tibetan horses were extremely prized in China.
• Cultural Importance: In addition to its economic function, the Tea Horse Road was a cultural bridge between Tibet, China, and India. It enabled cultural exchanges, including spiritual exchanges through Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. The route also played an important part in disseminating tea across Asia, adding to the cultural heritage of the countries it passed through.

The Road’s Network and Challenges

• The Tea Horse Road was not a solitary trail but a network of routes emanating from southwest China and extending far into the Indian subcontinent, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Major cities along the way were Dali and Lijiang in Yunnan Province and Lhasa in Tibet.
• The trip was dangerous because of rugged terrain, severe weather, and high elevations up to 10,000 feet.

Role in Modern History

• Early 20th Century Expansion: After the Qing Dynasty’s collapse in 1912, the Tea Horse Road became increasingly important. China’s integration into the global market expanded Yunnan’s tea business as it brought new methods of trade and products to the mountainous area.
• World War II and Strategic Significance: During World War II, when large parts of China’s coast were under the occupation of Japan, the Tea Horse Road was used as a substitute supply route for carrying merchandise and war supplies to China’s resistance army.
• Decline and Revival: With the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the significance of the Tea Horse Road began to fade because of Mao Zedong’s land reforms and improvements in contemporary transportation.
• Recently, though, China has encouraged tourism along the ancient route, emphasizing its cultural importance. Lijiang, an important commercial center, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

 Why did the route decline?

• In 1912, as the time of the Qing dynasty came to an end, the Horse Tea Road would continue to remain significant. Domestic “turmoil and foreign aggressions” provided a “unique opportunity for the trading systems in southwest China”, Shaochen Wang wrote.
• Through the road, new techniques and goods were brought to the less-developed mountainous regions of Yunnan.
• Additionally, with China now being in greater contact with the world market, Yunnan’s tea industry rapidly expanded.
• Later, during World War II, the road played a significant role in transporting supplies to the frontline battlefield in China, with Japan controlling almost all of the Chinese coastline and airspace.

Conclusion

• The Tea Horse Road was more than a merchant route; it was a thread of life spanning China, Tibet, and India for centuries. Although its economic importance has receded, it is still a cultural and historical icon of cross-border exchange. Conservation efforts at the site of its former trails through tourism and research underscore its impact on economic and cultural destinies of regions it once threaded.
•  The increased attention given to this ancient road is a reminder of the strong historical connection between China and India.

India’s approach to Africa is about building, not extracting: Jaishankar at Japan-India-Africa forum

• India’s approach to Africa has always been guided by a deep-rooted commitment to building long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships. Unlike extractive models of engagement, India believes in capacity-building, skill development, and technology transfer, ensuring that African countries not only benefit from investments but also develop self-sustaining growth ecosystems
• “India is Africa’s fourth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching nearly USD 100 billion and growing steadily. India has also made a significant commitment to Africa’s connectivity and infrastructure development, with over USD 12 billion in concessional credit and more than 200 completed projects spread across the continent in areas such as railways, power generation, agriculture, and water supply. India’s development projects in various sectors, such as drinking water schemes to irrigation, rural solar electrification, power plants, transmission lines, cement, sugar & textile factories, technology parks, and railway infrastructure, have generated local employment and, in fact, changed life in Africa.”
• Reiterating India’s focus on creating sustainable growth ecosystems, Jaishankar highlighted various initiatives undertaken by India to support Africa’s development.
• Programmes such as the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC), the Pan-African e-Network project, and high-impact community development projects that have strengthened capacities in sectors such as healthcare, education, and digital public infrastructure.
• Informing about India’s e-learning and telemedicine initiatives, Jaishankar mentioned, “The e-VidyaBharti and e-ArogyaBharti network was launched in 2019 for tele-education and tele-medicine.
•  Under this initiative, youth from 19 African countries have enrolled for various courses in undergraduate, postgraduate and diploma courses.”
• The Japan-India-Africa Forum represents a strategic trilateral collaboration aimed at fostering sustainable development, economic growth, and infrastructure development in Africa. This partnership leverages the unique strengths of Japan, India, and African nations to address challenges and unlock opportunities in one of the fastest-growing regions in the world.

Background and Objectives

• The forum builds on the shared vision of Japan and India to promote a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. It extends this vision to Africa, emphasizing the importance of inter-regional connectivity and cooperation. The primary objectives of this partnership include:
• Economic Growth Resilience: Supporting Africa in its hope to achieve economic resilience and open inclusivity.
• Infrastructure Development: Developing quality infrastructure to facilitate connectivity and foster industrial growth.
• Human Resource Development: Support for capacity building and enhancement of skills in Africa.
• Global South Representation: Hence fortifying Africa’s voice on global platforms.
• Key Areas of Cooperation
• The Japan-India-Africa collaboration focuses on several critical areas:

Economic Connectivity:

• The enhancement of trade and investment connections between India, Japan, and Africa.
• Facilitating India as a business hub and a springboard for Japanese companies in Africa.
• Balanced supply chain creations in strategic alternatives such as digital technology, clean energy, and manufacturing.

Infrastructure Development:

• Jointly developing quality infrastructure projects under initiatives such as AAGC (Asia Africa Growth Corridor).
• Prioritizing transport networks, communication networks, and urban planning to promote connectivity in the region.

Skill Development and Education:

• Promote the training of the ever-increasing African workforce in skill-based subjects.
• Facilitate technology transfer and knowledge-sharing programs.

Healthcare and Agriculture:

• Having investments in infrastructure and manufacturing to strengthen the health systems.
• Cooperating on agricultural projects for food security and agriculture sustainability. 

Strategic Importance of Africa

• Africa is emerging as a key region in the Global South for its vast natural resources, young demography, and growing markets. It holds contests for the potential of its economy due to indirect structural failures, unemployment, and lack of advanced technology. Therefore, the Japan-India-Africa partnership seeks to overcome:
• Income Generation through Industrial Clusters.
• Providing support for the establishment of Japanese investments in industries in Africa.
• Prioritizing national development projects through a consultative strategy involving African countries.

Significance for India-Japan Relations

• The forum also furthered the bilateral relation between India and Japan by fusing their competitive strengths:
• Japan: Exceptionally capable in providing financial resources, high-end technology, experience in development of quality infrastructure.
• India: Furthermore, India holds a strong position with its industrial core, digitalization, and cultural affinity with Africa.
• This partnership shows the synthesis of Japan’s Partner for Quality Infrastructure and India’s Act East policy. It also denotes commitment from both parties toward upholding a rules-based international order against the backdrop of growing geopolitical uncertainties.

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)

• One of the focus themes of the forum is to make use of public-private partnership (PPP) towards sustainable development. Various approaches have been shared by the participants, namely:
• Encouraging joint financing between Indian and Japanese companies in Africa for the execution of constructions.
• Creating industrial clusters to facilitate the integration of small and medium enterprises with the global supply chain.
• Instituting financing models to underpin integrated programs relating to achieving economic competency.
• Global Implications
• The trilateral partnership has broader implications for global stability and economic governance:

Strengthening the Global South

• Enhancing Africa’s influence in global decision-making platforms like the G20.
• Supporting inclusive growth across developing nations.

Geopolitical Stability

• Promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region that includes Africa as a vital stakeholder.
• Countering protectionist trends by fostering multilateral cooperation.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• Aligning trilateral initiatives with global priorities such as poverty alleviation, climate action, and gender equality.

Conclusion

• The Japan-India-Africa Forum exemplifies a forward-looking approach to international cooperation. By combining their technological expertise, financial resources, and industrial capabilities, Japan and India are playing pivotal roles in shaping Africa’s economic future. This trilateral partnership not only fosters sustainable development but also reinforces global stability by strengthening ties among key regions in the Global South.