At the request of Ajay Narayan Jha’s resignation on June 7, 2025, T Rabi Sankar, RBI Deputy Governor, was made a part-time member of the 16th Finance Commission. Under Arvind Panagariya’s leadership, the Finance Commission decides how tax money will be shared between the federal government and the state administrations. If the Commission’s report isn’t presented before October 31, Sankar will finish on that date. Thanks to his appointment, the Commission can continue performing its tasks smoothly. This step was confirmed by the Finance Ministry to guarantee institutional strength in the Commission’s functions.

Context

• After Ajay Narayan Jha resigned, T Rabi Sankar was appointed as part-time member to the 16th Finance Commission. 

• With the appointment, the Commission will give valuable advice about future finances in the weeks ahead.

Key Details

• Appointment

  • The resignation of Ajay Narayan Jha as a full-time member for personal reasons led to his appointment

  • T Rabi Sankar was named a part-time member by the President.

• Role and Tenure

  • He will hold the position until October 31, 2025 or when the final report is ready.

  • Depicts the RBI’s view on fiscal matters in the Commission.

• 16th Finance Commission structure

  • The position of Chairman was held by Arvind Panagariya during the NITI Aayog’s formative years (this individual served as the NITI Aayog’s Chairman between 2015-2018 and later went on to be the Vice Chairman).

  • Besides, the team consists of Annie George Mathew, Manoj Panda, and Soumya Kanti Ghosh on a part-time basis.

  • Officers assisting the finance minister include Ritvik Pandey as secretary, two joint secretaries, and one economic advisor

• Related Development: EAC-PM Appointment

  • S Mahendra Dev has been selected as the full-time Chairman of Economic Advisory Council to PM (EAC-PM).

  • After the passing of Bibek Debroy, Suman Bery was holding both positions until Rakesh Sarwal took over.

Conclusion

Because of the appointment of T Rabi Sankar to the 16th Finance Commission, fiscal policy making remains steady in the country and supports cooperative federalism. At the same time, these changes in the EAC-PM are part of an effort to strengthen economic advisory bodies with people who have experience.

UPSC Prelims Practice Question (MCQ)

Q. Who among the following was appointed as a part-time member of the 16th Finance Commission in June 2025, following the resignation of Ajay Narayan Jha?

A. Arvind Panagariya
B. S Mahendra Dev
C. T Rabi Sankar
D. Soumya Kanti Ghosh

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q. Discuss the role and significance of the Finance Commission in India’s fiscal federalism. In light of recent appointments, how do part-time members contribute to its functioning?

At Udampatti village, Melur taluk in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, the foundation of a 800-year-old Shiva temple from the late Pandya dynasty was found during an archaeological excavation. In the year 1217 or 1218 CE, during Maravarman Sundara Pandya’s rule, the Thennavanisvaram temple was constructed. Many inscriptions uncovered at the site cover temple endowments, land sales, and the temple’s independence with money, clarifying aspects of the medieval Tamil community and its economy. We can appreciate this discovery since lots of similar temples have faded or disappeared as time has passed.

Context

• Archaeologists have found a 800-year-old Shiva temple in Tamil Nadu that had Tamil scripts detailing the economy and running of the place. 

• The knowledge about the culture and the organization of the Mongol empire in the 13th century comes from this discovery.

Key points of discovery

Discovery site:

• Udampatti is the town where Sridevi Amman is located, in Melur Taluk of Madurai in Tamil Nadu.

• The Region During Its History: Later Pandya Dynasty

• This event happened between 1217 and 1218 CE.

• The reigning king of that time was Maravarman Sundara Pandya.

• The name for this temple is Thennavanisvaram.

• Before it was changed, the village was known as Attur.

Inscriptions and economic details

• Inscriptions include sale deeds involving a waterbody (Nagankudi) and adjacent lands.

• The chieftain Alagaperumal sold the land to the Trust.

• The name is Nambi Perambala Kuthan, some people know him as Kangeyan.

• 64 ancient coins were the value of the transaction.

• The temple leaders were in charge of spending the earnings on the temple deity’s daily expenses.

Cultural and historical significance

• Showed that temples in the Pandya era did not rely on the help of others for their finances.

• Clear boundaries are provided, as well as the way the government is organized.

• The temple’s name connects it to Pandya kings because Thennavan means “king” in Tamil.

• Also, it supports the use of endowment money by temples, which was widespread in medieval South India.

About Pandya Art and Architecture

Education and Literature

• People went to temples to study and to recite Bhakti hymns.

• Among the ancient texts there, the works of Sanskrit and Tamil were included in Kadigai, Salai, and Vidyastanam.

• Some literary works are Tiruppavai, Tiruvasagam, and Tirumantiram.

Religion

• At first, the Pandyas followed Jainism, then became believers in Saivism and Vaishnavism.

• Among the Vedic rituals that were supported were Ashvamedha and Vajapeya.

• Visited different temples that were dedicated to Shaivism and Vaishnavism.

• Donated idols, for example, Sundarapandyan’s gift to Srirangam.

Temples

• They built temples using the methods of rock-cut architecture (for Kalugumalai) and of structural construction (for Meenakshi Temple).

• Medieval Pandyas attached gopurams and mandapas to their temples.

• The architecture is distinguished by huge ornamental pillars.

Sculpture

• Carvings made of a single piece of rock and with ornate features.

• Many famous characters are, for example, Somaskandar, Nataraja, Vishnu, Durgai.

• Sculptures around Kunnakudi, Kalugumalai have the same qualities as those discovered at Chola-Pallava sites.

Paintings

• An entire series of Thirumalapuram caves is found in Sittannavasal.

• Make deities, animals, and lotus tanks with colors that come from minerals.

• The painting has a scene of Srivallabha king and his wife showing deity while offering respect.

Conclusion

Exploring the Thennavanisvaram Shiva temple from around 800 years back gives us more insight into Tamil Nadu’s past. It highlights, besides its religious meaning, the fact that the Pandya era was economically independent, well-administered, and culturally advanced. Such discoveries play a key part in saving India’s architectural and writing heritage, as well as helping with research and planning conservation.

UPSC Prelims MCQ Question

Q. Excavations in Tamil Nadu have brought to light the Thennavanisvaram Shiva temple that dates from which dynasty and period?

A. Chola Dynasty, 9th century CE
B. Pallava Dynasty, 8th century CE
C. Later Pandya Dynasty, early 13th century CE
D. Vijayanagara Empire, 15th century CE

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q. Recent archaeological findings, like the Thennavanisvaram Shiva temple in Tamil Nadu, offer insight into medieval South Indian society. Discuss the economic and cultural significance of temples during the Pandya period.

In the latest report by India’s Registrar-General, Bihar is reported to have the lowest SRB in the country at 891 girls for every 1,000 boys. 2023’s figure is far less than 964 reported in 2020 and 908 reported in 2021. The report is released before the Bihar Assembly elections due to happen this year, and it concerns gender equality. Low SRBs were reported in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Telangana, but northeastern India did very well. Besides birth and death data, the CRS report is included in a comprehensive demographic report.

Context

• In the past two years, Bihar has seen a big drop in its sex ratio at birth, from 964 in 2020 to 891 in 2022, the lowest for India as a whole. 

• The CRS 2022 report also shows national increases in birth registrations and reductions in stillbirths.

Key highlights of CRS 2022 report

• Reduced sex ratio in Bihar

  • Bihar’s SRB:

    • 2020: 964

    • 2021: 908

    • 2022: 891 cases (the lowest level ever recorded in India).

    • Bihar saw a steady decrease in disability only in the last 3 years.

• States with Low & High Sex ratio 

  • Low SRB States (2022):

    • Maharashtra: 906

    • Telangana: 907

    • Gujarat: 908

  • High SRB States (2022):

    • Nagaland: 1,068

    • Arunachal Pradesh:1,036

    • Ladakh: 1,027

    • Kerala: 971

• Patterns in Children’s Birth Registration

  • The number of registered births has gone up across the country.

    • 2021: 242 lakh

    • 2022: 254.4 lakh

• State-wise trends:

  • Rising: UP, Bihar, MP, Telangana, Uttarakhand

  • Declining: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi

• Birth Share by Gender

  • Male: 52.4%

  • Female: 47.6%

• Rural and urban areas distribution

  • Births:

    • Rural: 43%

    • Urban: 56.5%

  • Deaths:

    • Rural: 59.5%

    • Urban: 40.5%

• Stillbirths and deaths

  • Stillbirths:

    • 2021: 1.24 lakh

    • 2022: 1.15 lakh

    • Total deaths in 2022: 86.5 lakh (drop from 102.2 lakh in 2021 — a pandemic year)

Important Points about Sex Ratio

• One thousand males were recorded for every 940 females in India’s population in 2011.

• As for CSR, 914 boys existed for every 100 girls in the state.

• The number of females in birth data is more than 9 million because of gender-based abortions during that time (2000–2019).

Factors Contributing in lower sex ratio

• A. Factors related to social environments

  • In patrilocality, women live at their husband’s house after they get married.

  • In some societies, a father’s property and family position is given to his son.

  • People tend to see daughters as a cost due to the system of dowry.

  • As they become older, children are expected to look after their parents.

  • In some societies, sons are given priority to look after last rites.

• B. Improvements in technology

  • In the 1980s, new ultrasound technology made early discovery of the sex of a baby possible.

  • Each year, more than half of all legal abortions in India are performed for sex-selection even though it is not allowed by law and is illegal.

• C. Issues caused by poor management.

  • Enforcing the law and the schemes is not strong.

  • It Is Hard to Track: Illegal diagnostic centers are usually left undetected.

• E. Lack of political will

  • BBBP suffered due to ineffective and poor execution of the program.

  • Gender equality is not given priority by the government in a number of states.

Negative Impact on society

• Less number of women means that fewer women are available to marry.

• Levels of Gender-based violence and crimes are going up.

• Because the ratio is unfair, many women and girls are exploited in various ways.

• Unmarried men can experience more loneliness and high levels of stress.

• Disturbance in gender equality undermines the progress of all people in the community.

Ways to Strengthen sex ratio in india

• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: This new scheme started in 2015 with the goal of changing people’s perception toward girls and their education.

• Sukanya Samruddhi Yojana offers a tax saving plan for people saving money for their girls.

• National Girl Child Day: Every year on 24th January, National Girl Child Day helps to achieve gender justice.

• The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act: This act was passed in 1994 and forbids sex selection, as well as controls diagnostic technology.

• As per NFHS-5 (2019–21), there was a drop in sex-selective abortions and CSR increased to 929.

Conclusion 

Bihar’s declining ratio shows a big issue in society that is difficult to fix, despite the many rules put in place to change attitudes. As birth registration increases, and death rates have gotten back to normal after the pandemic, it is important to keep attention on gender imbalance by improving laws against sex-selective abortion, raising awareness about it, and helping to support women in the country.

UPSC Prelims Practice Question (MCQ)

The report by the CRS for 2022 revealed which state recorded the lowest Sex Ratio at Birth in India?

A. Gujarat

 B. Maharashtra

 C. Bihar

 D. Telangana

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q. Despite policies like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and legal safeguards, India continues to struggle with a skewed sex ratio at birth. Discuss the key reasons behind this trend and suggest corrective measures.

MHI has released the details for the Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Electric Passenger Cars in India, which people were waiting for. The purpose of this policy is to grow local EV manufacturing as it also allows some import exemptions for global electric vehicle players. It mainly involves mixing foreign investment as well as domestic manufacturing. Many experts are questioning the guidance on technology sharing, the environment, and the main focus on cars instead of affordable and public transport. Today, people are debating how to grow industry without harming the environment or reducing Turkey’s ability to make important decisions on its own.

Context

• India waives import duties on electric vehicles as long as businesses invest and make them locally. 

• Legal changes may hurt the local manufacturing industry unless they are accompanied by the necessary research and training, officials say.

Key Points

• Reducing the import duty rate

  • The customs duty on SUVs and passenger cars priced more than $35,000 was lowered to 15% (from 70–100%) for five years.

• Investment Requirements:

  • Any foreign company needs to invest ₹4,150 crore over a period of three years.

• Localization Targets:

  • Vehicles made in Serbia have to increase to 25% within 3 years of the agreement being reached.

  • Close to half of hearings should be concluded within 5 years.

• Import Cap:

  • At most, 8,000 vehicles can be imported into Thailand using the reduced duty system.

• Duty Forgone Cap:

  • Customs duty under the scheme is limited to ₹6,484 crore.

Industry’s Shift & Changes in the International Scene

• Foreign Capital-Centric Approach:

  • Some say that the approach puts too much importance on foreign capital without boosting the country’s own tech systems.

• Comparison with global EV policy

• Europe (EU, EFTA, UK)

  • Plan of Action: Use tax policies, make certain areas emission-free.

  • In India, it is important to keep supporting finances and enforcing new rules.

• China

  • The government helps new startups a lot while competitors between them grow.

  • Increase internal competition and make sure policies are well coordinated in India.

• USA

  • Approach: Tesla and GM come up with new ideas, and funding from the government.

  • India is advised to develop R&D infrastructure and decrease its use of subsidies little by little.

Benefits of EV

• Urban air quality and health concerns decrease as there are no emissions coming out of electric cars.

• Electricity is more efficient to use and costs less per Kilometer than gasoline/diesel.

• Makes cities and towns less noisy by running smoothly.

• Electric motors are able to use electricity more efficiently than engines that run on gasoline or diesel.

Important Challenges Related to the Use of EVs

• Financial issue

  • It costs virtually double to buy a Tata Nexon EV compared to its ICE variation.

  • Expensive items are squealing demand in the market.

• Lack of charging stations

  • Most development is in cities, little is being done outside of urban areas.

  • Causes certain buyers to worry about not being able to finish their trips.

• Battery import dependence

  • India gets its lithium-ion batteries mostly from China, Japan, and S. Korea.

  • Over 1 billion US dollars’ worth of batteries was imported into the country in 2022.

• Grid Emissions

  • Depending on coal makes it difficult for cars to be greener in India.

  • For our emissions to go down, we need cleaner grids.

• Skill Gap

  • Not enough skilled people to service and check EVs.

• Climatic Constraints

  • When it is really hot outside, car’s battery efficiency can drop by up to 17%.

• Problems in battery recycling

  • No one system has been established for handling used lithium-ion batteries.

• Range Anxiety

  • It is hard to be confident about long trips because many chargers are not available and electric cars have limited range.

Steps to Speed Up the Adoption of Electric Vehicles

• Battery Lease-to-Own Scheme

  • Reduces the initial cost of an EV by 30- 40%.

  • Recycling or buying new batteries does not require users to spend a lot of money.

• Battery research and development.

  • Develop batteries that are strong and yet light, made from alternative energy systems.

  • Make use of the National Mission on Battery Storage (2019).

• Increase Charger Density

  • As per CII, India needs 1.3 million chargers by the year 2030.

  • In urban areas, “Charge-as-You-Park” models should be used.

• Standardized Fast-Charging Protocols

  • A common charging system makes it easy to use electric vehicles.

• The program for EV Rural Entrepreneurs

  • Smaller loans provided to people who want to install chargers in their rural areas.

• Electric highways made for battery swapping

  • Support dhaba owners so that they can add battery swap stations to what they offer.

  • The use of online booking systems to solve the problem of high travel during peak seasons.

• Equal Subsidies for EVs and Hybrids

  • It affects the environment and how much energy they help save.

  • Helps people transfer to new brands in a market that concerns prices.

• Second-Life Battery Bazaar

  • Resell the used EV batteries to make microgrids, solar systems, and e-rickshaws.

  • Encourages recycling and limits the amount of e-waste.

Conclusion 

Although the EV manufacturing policy is important for India’s green objectives, its success depends on making sure foreign investments match with the growth of domestic players. Transferring new technologies, enhancing research and training programs, and promoting electric buses will help the country become environmentally friendly and self-sufficient.

UPSC Prelims Practice Question

Q. As stated in India’s (EV policy), this is what it means:

1. It is estimated that ₹4,150 crore must be invested in 3 years.

2. People buying EVs over $35,000 are now subject to customs duty of 15%.

3. The duty rate is reduced when less than 8,000 electric vehicles are imported.

4. 3 years from now, half of the workforce is expected to be local.

Select the correct code:

A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 1, 2 and 3 only
D. All of the above

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q. Briefly discuss the main challenges in EV adoption in India and suggest short-term solutions to support both industry and environment.