The Hindu Editorial Analysis- 11th August 2025

Language lessons

Why in News?

 The focus on Hindi in school education is diverting attention from more important issues. 

Introduction

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are choosing to follow a two-language system in their school education, emphasizing their local languages along with English. This decision goes against the three-language policy suggested by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. It reflects the regional goals and concerns about imposing languages, pointing out the need for education policies that honor linguistic variety while concentrating on quality learning.

Two-Language Formula vs Three-Language Policy

• Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are adopting a two-language formula in school education, challenging the NEP 2020's three-language policy.
• Both states prioritize their local languages- Tamil in Tamil Nadu and Kannada in Karnataka-alongside English.
• Tamil Nadu has officially endorsed its State Education Policy (SEP), reaffirming its two-language approach.
• Karnataka's commission recommends:
  • Kannada or the child's mother tongue as the medium of instruction up to Class 5, ideally till Class 12.
  • Kannada/mother tongue and English as the two compulsory languages.
  • Dropping Hindi as a compulsory third language.
• Additional recommendations for Karnatakainclude:
  • Moving away from NCERT textbooks.
  • Creating a Karnataka-specific curriculum.
  • Implementing bilingual teaching methods.

Tamil Nadu's State Education Policy Highlights

• Tamil is made compulsory up to Class 10 across all education boards.
• The policy rejects NEP's three-language proposal, especially the imposition of Hindi.
• Focus areasinclude:
  • Promoting critical thinking, digital literacy, climate education, and social justice.
  • Incorporating a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) approach.
  • Providing special support to tribal students, first-generation learners, and students with disabilities.
• The government commits to strengthening public education quality and access.

Issues with the Central Three-Language Policy

• The Centre's push for the three-language formula is often seen as politically motivated and unproductive.
• Despite not officially enforcing Hindi promotion, the policy is perceived as an attempt to impose Hindi.
• The policy overlooks the demand for English language learning and its role as a medium of instruction in many States, including Hindi-speaking ones, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
• Education policies in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have historically contributed to their development; forced central interventions could be counterproductive.
• Tamil Nadu is currently demanding the release of ₹2,152 crore in rightful education funds from the Centre.

Way Forward: Collaboration and Focus

• Learning Hindi or any other language is not inherently problematic, but when language promotion is seen as political domination, it breeds resistance.
• The Centre should abandon rigid language policies.
• Priority must be given to addressing critical challenges in school education.
• The Centre should collaborate constructively with State governments rather than impose uniform language rules.

Conclusion

• The Centre should respect State preferences and move beyond rigid language mandates.
• Emphasizing collaboration and addressing broader educational challenges will better serve India's diverse student population.
• Language learning must be a choice, not a political imposition, ensuring equitable, high-quality education across States without compromising cultural identities.

The difficult path for Trump's 'one big budget bet'

Why in News?

 Increasing government revenues is crucial for successfully lowering America's deficit and debt alongside DOGE-style expenditure reforms. 

Introduction

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative was a controversial government downsizing reform during Donald Trump's second term, aimed at reducing federal spending, deficit, and debt. With Elon Musk's advisory, the initiative seeks to streamline government operations by cutting the number of federal agencies from over 400 to 99, significantly lowering the deficit and interest burden.

Root cause of deficit and debt

• Government Size: The U.S. has the smallest government size as a percentage of GDP among major advanced economies, at 36.49%. In contrast, countries like France and Italy have much larger government sizes, at 56.53% and 49.81% of GDP, respectively.
• Fiscal Balance: The U.S. fiscal balance is -6.0% of GDP, indicating a higher deficit compared to the MAE average of -4.1%. This reflects the U.S. government's ongoing struggle to balance its budget.
• Government Debt: The U.S. government debt stands at 119.5% of GDP, higher than the MAE average of 108.6%. This indicates a significant burden of debt relative to the country's economic output.
• Total Revenue: The total revenue as a percentage of GDP in the U.S. is 30.55%, significantly lower than other MAE countries. For instance, France collects 51.48% of GDP in total revenue. This lower revenue collection contributes to the U.S. fiscal deficit and debt levels.
• Tax-GDP Ratio: The tax-GDP ratio in the U.S. is 19.27%, which is lower than countries like Canada (27.99%) and the United Kingdom (26.89%). This indicates that the U.S. government collects a smaller portion of GDP in taxes compared to other advanced economies.
• Comparison with Other Countries: Despite having a smaller government size, the U.S. faces a higher fiscal deficit and debt due to lower revenue collection. In contrast, countries like France and Germany manage better fiscal balances and debt levels due to larger government sizes and higher revenue collection.

Major Expenditure Reforms by DOGE

• Termination of Unused Federal Office Space Leases: This measure aims to reduce overhead costs by cancelling leases for federal office spaces that are no longer needed.
• Cancellation of Wasteful Contracts: DOGE focuses on cancelling contracts that are deemed wasteful and recovering misallocated funds to save taxpayer money.
• Federal Workforce Optimisation: This includes hiring restrictions, workforce reductions, and voluntary buyouts to streamline the federal workforce and reduce payroll costs.
• Deregulatory Measures: DOGE aims to reduce bureaucracy and ensure lawful governance by implementing deregulatory measures that simplify processes and reduce unnecessary regulations.
• Use of Artificial Intelligence: AI is being used to monitor federal employee activity, assess productivity, detect inefficiencies, and identify overlapping functions across departments for consolidation.
• Reduction of Overseas Humanitarian and Development Spending: To save costs, DOGE is reducing spending on overseas humanitarian and development programs.

Transparency and Communication

• DOGE maintains transparency by publicly sharing updates on platforms like X and its portal.
• Federal grant payments are made transparent through a payments portal, allowing citizens to view recipient-wise payments.
• The Workforce Portal provides data on the agency-wise size of the U.S. civilian workforce, promoting transparency in workforce management.

Workforce Reshaping and Layoffs

• DOGE has implemented the "Workforce Reshaping Tool", an advanced version of the Pentagon's AutoRIF software, to streamline layoffs based on seniority and performance criteria.
• Approximately 260,000 federal employees have been affected through layoffs, early retirements, or voluntary buyouts as part of the workforce reshaping initiative.

Regulatory Reforms and Cost Savings

• DOGE has repealed or modified several federal regulations, leading to an estimated cost savings of $30.1 billion due to reduced compliance burdens on businesses and individuals.
• Over 1.8 million words have been removed from federal regulatory texts to simplify governance and reduce complexity in regulatory compliance.
• DOGE publishes a unique Unconstitutionality Index (UI) that highlights the bureaucracy's influence, revealing that for every law passed by Congress in 2024, about 19 rules were created by bureaucracy.

Estimated Savings Overview

The path ahead

• Elon Musk publicly disagreed with U.S. President Donald Trump over a provision in the OBBB to remove tax credits for electric vehicles.
• The OBBB is a legislative extension of the DOGE reform, aiming to combine various fiscal priorities and government efficiency reforms into a single law.
• Musk's opposition to the OBBB contradicted his initiatives as an adviser to DOGE.
• The bigger challenge is that the OBBB's proposed tax cuts far exceed spending cuts.
• This imbalance is expected to add approximately $3.2 trillion to the U.S. national debt over the next decade.
• As a result, the OBBB is unlikely to effectively resolve the U.S. deficit and debt problem.

Conclusion

 The U.S. currently has the lowest corporate tax rates among major advanced economies, along with lower effective tax rates on the wealthy. Tighter secrecy laws also facilitate tax evasion by affluent individuals and corporations. Without significant efforts to increase government revenues, Mr. Trump's 'One Big Budget Bet'-aiming to reduce America's deficit and debt through DOGE-style expenditure reforms-is unlikely to succeed.