• Under Section 22 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, electoral registration officers (EROs) of parliamentary constituencies have the authority to correct entries or remove names from electoral rolls.
• They may do this either on their own initiative or in response to applications made to them. Before passing any order, the ERO is legally bound to conduct an inquiry, allow the voter concerned to present their case, and only then take a decision.
• Names can be deleted from the rolls if the individual has passed away, no longer resides in the constituency, or has been found ineligible — such as being under 18 years of age or not holding Indian citizenship.
• The Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 prescribes the formats for new registrations, corrections, and deletions. Among these, Form 7 is specifically meant for filing objections to the inclusion of a voter’s name or for requesting the removal of an existing entry. Any elector may file Form 7 either to remove their own name or to raise objections regarding another voter in their constituency.
• Form 7 can be downloaded from the Election Commission of India’s voter portal (voters.eci.gov.in), submitted physically to the Booth Level Officer (BLO), or filed digitally through the same portal or the ECINet app.
• Applicants are required to provide details such as their own name, EPIC number, and phone number, along with the name, address, and EPIC number (if available) of the individual being objected to. The form does not require submission of evidence at the time of filing, though the applicant must sign a declaration.
• Since 2018, the processing of such applications has been standardised through ERONet, a nationwide portal for EROs, which replaced the earlier state-level systems. Even though the platform is centralised, applications continue to be handled locally by the ERO concerned.
• Each application triggers a formal process: the ERO must send a notice to the elector whose inclusion is being challenged, provide them seven days to respond, conduct a hearing, and order a field verification by the BLO before issuing a final decision.
• A key issue is that the online system does not automatically verify whether the EPIC number and phone number submitted actually belong to the applicant.
• This loophole allows for the possibility of filing a Form 7 by linking someone else’s EPIC with another individual’s phone number. Such misuse reportedly occurred in Karnataka’s Aland constituency, a fact acknowledged by the Election Commission itself.
• Nevertheless, ECI officials have clarified that attempts to delete names were detected during the ERO’s inquiry. They stress that safeguards exist within the framework of the RP Act and the Registration of Electors Rules. Even though the initial filing may not require proof, any deletion is finalised only after a thorough investigation by both the ERO and the BLO at the local level

What is the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)?

Know about the Indus Water river system

Key takeaways:

• India and Pakistan signed the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) on September 19, 1960, to regulate the sharing of waters from the Indus River system. The agreement, signed in Karachi by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan’s President Ayub Khan, divided the river basin between the two countries.
• Under this arrangement, India, as the upper riparian, gained exclusive control over the three eastern rivers—Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—amounting to nearly 33 million acre-feet (about 20% of the basin’s waters). Pakistan, the lower riparian, received rights over the three western rivers—Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab—giving it access to around 135 million acre-feet, or 80% of the system’s flow.
• The Indus system itself is composed of six rivers: Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. Of these, the Indus and Sutlej are antecedent rivers that predate the rise of the Himalayas and carve through deep gorges after originating in Tibet. The remaining four rivers begin in Indian territory.
• The Indus, which originates near Lake Mansarovar in Tibet (called Singi Khamban or the Lion’s Mouth), enters India at Demchok in Ladakh. Its major right-bank tributaries include the Shyok, Shigar, and Gilgit, while the Zaskar and Hanle flow in from the left bank.
• The treaty was not just about dividing waters but also about creating mechanisms for governance, arbitration, and infrastructure building. For Pakistan, it enabled the construction of canals, barrages, and dams to transfer water from western rivers for irrigation, reducing dependence on the eastern rivers.
• For India, exclusive rights over the eastern rivers made possible projects such as the Bhakra–Nangal dam, irrigation of 15 million hectares in Punjab, the Rajasthan Canal, and the Ravi–Beas link canal.
• More than six decades later, however, the treaty faces new pressures. Political tensions and terror-related incidents have strained its cooperative framework; for example, following the Pahalgam attack, India suspended participation in IWT mechanisms. Yet, the rivers themselves remain oblivious to politics, even as the basin faces unprecedented challenges.
• Climate change is transforming the hydrology of the region. Rapid glacier retreat in the Hindu Kush–Himalayan ranges is altering flows in the Upper Indus Basin. Extreme floods, like those that devastated Punjab recently, point to a new water reality. In Pakistan’s Punjab, millions were displaced during similar flooding episodes, highlighting shared vulnerabilities that extend beyond treaty provisions.
• Equally alarming is the problem of siltation. Reservoirs are losing storage capacity, canals are carrying less water, and rising riverbeds are intensifying floods. The recent floods in Punjab deposited heavy layers of silt over farmland, compounding crop losses. The realisation is clear: silt is not waste but a resource that, if managed, can enrich soils, support construction, and mitigate floods. A coordinated national silt management strategy is urgently needed.
• The IWT was a product of its time, when water was viewed largely in terms of irrigation, canals, and hydropower projects. Today, water management is about far more—resilience against climate shocks, preparedness for disasters, and the sustainability of ecosystems.
• What matters now is not rigid adherence to a 1960s document but real-time sharing of hydrological data and flood warnings.
• A lean, flexible framework—similar to the Memorandum of Understanding India already has with China for Brahmaputra flood data—may be more effective than detailed, outdated treaty clauses.
• As the treaty completes 65 years, it calls for a re-examination in light of contemporary challenges. Dialogue and cooperation remain essential, but equally critical is India’s need to adopt a national siltation policy and modernise its approach to basin management. The true danger lies not in the past divisions of water but in failing to prepare for the escalating climate and ecological crises of the future

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs)

For Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international Significance like Foreign Portfolio investment

For Mains Examination: GS III - Economy

Context:

Recently, SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey said that a proposal to permit foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to trade in non-cash settled, non-agricultural commodity derivatives contracts is currently under review.

Read about:

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI)

Key takeaways:

Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) refers to the investment made by non-residents in a country’s financial assets, such as shares, government bonds, corporate debt, mutual funds, and other market instruments. Unlike Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), it does not involve management control or long-term interest in a company.

Key Features:

• Nature of investment: Short-term, liquid, and primarily profit-oriented.

• Assets targeted: Stocks, bonds, money market instruments, mutual funds.

• No control: Investors only hold a financial stake; they do not take part in management or operations.

• Highly volatile: FPIs can enter or exit the market quickly depending on global conditions, making them sensitive to exchange rates, interest rates, and policy changes.

• Regulation in India: FPIs are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999.

Difference from FDI:

• FPI is short-term, market-driven, and does not provide management control.

• FDI is long-term, involves investment in physical assets (factories, infrastructure), and often brings technology and management expertise.

Importance for India:

• Provides foreign capital inflows to support economic growth.

• Improves liquidity and depth of financial markets.

• Reflects global investor confidence in the Indian economy.

• However, sudden withdrawal of FPIs can trigger stock market volatility and currency depreciation (known as “hot money”)

Follow Up Question

1.Which of the following is issued by registered foreign portfolio investors to overseas investors who want to be part of the Indian stock market without registering themselves directly? (UPSC CSE 2019)

(a) Certificate of Deposit

(b) Commercial Paper

(c) Promissory Note

(d) Participatory Note