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General Studies – 1
Topic: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc.,
Difficulty level: Easy
Reference: Insights on India
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 1 and mentioned as part of Mission-2022 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question:
To understand the cause of urban floods and ways to mitigate them
Directive word:
Comment- here we must express our knowledge and understanding of the issue and form an overall opinion thereupon.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by explaining what is urban flood and the widespread nature of this issue.
Body:
Mention the causes of urban floods such as lake bed encroachments, deforestation etc.
Next, mention the need for a city wise strategic approach and recourse in the building codes and by-laws of cities to ensure proper drainage channels and provision for perforation of rainfall into ground water to avoid urban floods.
Conclusion:
Conclude by giving examples of few regions that have mastered the techniques of managing floods and stress on the need for other cities to follow suit.
Introduction
Urban flooding is the inundation of land or property in a built environment, particularly in more densely populated areas, caused by rainfall overwhelming the capacity of drainage systems, such as storm sewers. Due to rapid, unscientific, unplanned urbanization across the globe, the carrying capacity of urban areas is often breached leading to impending disasters. Floods and water-logging show that urban planners have paid scant respect to hydrology.
Body
Increasing trend of urban flooding
- In many Indian cities, the urban floods have become a frequent phenomenon in recent years.
- There has been an increasing trend of urban flood disasters in India over the past several years whereby major cities in India have been severely affected.
- The most notable amongst them are Hyderabad in 2000, Ahmedabad in 2001, Delhi in 2002 and 2003, Chennai in 2004, Mumbai in 2005, Surat in 2006, Kolkata in 2007, Jamshedpur in 2008, Delhi in 2009 and Guwahati and Delhi in 2010.
- In Patna, severe water logging in 2019 had brought the city to a halt, with hospitals and residential areas filled with waist-deep water.
- The recent cases of floods in Bangalore & Chennai in 2021 add to the list.
Urban flooding: a challenge to urban planners
- Excess Rainfall: The changing weather pattern resulted in more high intensity rain in fewer rain days.
- Inadequate Drainage Infrastructure:Urban areas generate high volumes of polluted run-off, often resulting in the breakdown of the urban drainage system..
- In the last 20 years, the Indian cities have grown manifold with its original built-up area.
- As the city grew beyond its original limits, not much was done to address the absence of adequate drainage systems.
- even moderate rainfall events can lead to flash floods in low-lying areas and can overwhelm drainage systems of cities.
- Poor maintenance of Stormwater drains: Stormwater drains in cities are generally in poor conditions, with operation and maintenance largely inadequate and ineffective.
- Stormwater drains are often choked with municipal solid waste and construction and demolition waste.
- One such example is the choked drain in south Delhi’s Taimoor Nagar area, where garbage has piled up over the years.
- Terrain Alteration:Lasting irreversible damage has been done to the city by property builders, property owners, and public agencies by flattening terrain and altering natural drainage routes.
- Reducing Seepage:Indian cities are becoming increasingly impervious to water, not just because of increasing built up but also because of the nature of materials used (hard, non-porous construction material that makes the soil impervious).
- Lax Implementation:In terms of non-structural deficiencies, there are no national / state level policy frameworks and / or guidelines for urban stormwater management in India.
- Urban infrastructure development missions — including the Smart Cities Mission, the Swachh Bharat Mission and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation — fail to provide a comprehensive vision and strategy to address issues of urban flooding.
- Encroaching Natural Spaces:Overlooking environmental regulations in mega-projects is fairly common in the country. Open spaces and water bodies are victims of ‘planned’ encroachments. Urban streams and water bodies are compromised for urban land uses.
- A section of the Barapullah drain in Delhi, for example, is covered to construct a bus depot.
- Back in the 2000’s, Delhi’s Akshardham Temple Complex and Commonwealth Games Village (CWG) were built right on the Yamuna’s floodplain.
- The secondary runway of Chennai International Airport was also built right over the Adyar river. Most of the airport was constructed on the riverine floodplains, leading to massive flooding during the 2015 Chennai floods.
- Even recent developments such as Andhra Pradesh’s Amaravati Capital City Project, had major areas proposed to be built on the floodplains of Krishna river.
- A systemic change — which comprehensively resolves structural and non-structural issues — is required to address issues of urban flooding.
- Water-Sensitive Urban Design and Planning (WSUDP) and a green infrastructure approach for stormwater management:Identification, protect and use of open spaces and water bodies as critical green infrastructure to manage run-off and mitigate urban flooding. This must be done in addition to identification of urban catchments and prioritisation based on level of risk and vulnerability.
- Prepare drainage master plansfor cities with short-, medium-, long-term and periodic strategies to augment stormwater infrastructure in cities. This must be aided by state-of-the-art urban watershed modelling.
- Identify vulnerable and high-risk areasand prepare monsoon action plans for those areas, based on context. Informal areas are more vulnerable due to high built-up area density and lack of infrastructure. This needs to be aided by a state-of-the-art rain atlas for cities, providing spatial rainfall maps with 15-minute intervals. The rain atlas can also feed in as a flood-warning system.
- Formulate a nodal authority for urban stormwater managementwhich should be responsible for preparation of drainage masterplan at the local level and coordinate strategies with city master plan preparations.
- Modifications of design standards and detailed project reports to accommodate run-off control measuresbased on spatially variable rainfall statistics. Municipalities and development authorities can take the lead in implementing high visibility-high impact pilot projects that showcase the potential of capturing rainfall and flood-control measures.
- Prepare a national / state-level framework for urbandrainage, with modified service-level benchmarking, like percentage of municipal area under water-harvesting features, etc.
- Develop capacity of practitioners at the academic level by upgrading the curriculumto include WSUDP and green infrastructure strategies for infrastructure provision and continuous professional development of municipal functionaries and consultants in order to update with latest tools and techniques for planning and designing rain / stormwater harvesting features.
Conclusion
Disabling spawning of squatter settlements in sensitive zones by providing adequate affordable housing will reduce number of persons vulnerable to changing climate. All this means urban local bodies will continue to have a central role to play in cities’ battle with extreme weather events such as flooding and their overall resilience.
Value addition
Measures by cities
- Several cities in India have attempted to address issues regarding urban stormwater management.
- Mumbai launched a state-of-the-art Integrated Flood Warning System (IFLOWS). The warning system helps identifying imminent floods due to high rainfall or cyclones.
- The Chennai Flood Warning System — that provides spatial flood warnings for the city — was launched in October 2019.
- These systems help build resilience and can inform the public and authorities regarding risks. The India Meteorological Department launched the Mausam mobile application that provides rain forecasts including warnings.
- The Karnataka government launched the Meghasandesha mobile application, which provides real-time rainfall measurements, along with forecasts for rain, flooding and thunderstorms for capital city Bengaluru.
- Delhi has prepared several multi-dimensional strategies to address the issues of urban flooding.
- The city was the first to have a drainage master plan, prepared by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
- The Delhi Jal Board also took up the revival of 159 water bodies in the city, along with floodwater harvesting projects in the floodplains of Yamuna. All these measures have multiple economic, environmental, social and urban benefits for the citizens of Delhi.
- Both Chennai and Delhi also recommended for properties to implement rainwater harvesting structures as run-off control measures.
- The Odisha government’s housing and urban development department issued an advisory for implementing rainwater harvesting in public parks and open spaces in urban areas across the state.
Topic: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc.,
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Insights on India
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 1 and mentioned as part of Mission-2022 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question:
The article explains why forest fires break out and why they have been so frequent.
Directive word:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you must debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You must give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start with some data relevant to forest fires in India.
Body:
Draw a small illustrative diagram showing major forest fire prone areas.
Discuss first the reasons of forest fires; Thunderstorms are the most likely natural cause for forest fires. Slash and burn techniques etc. The reasons are mainly manmade, particularly in cases where people visit forests and leave burning bidis, cigarette stubs or other inflammable materials.
Next, explain the concerns posed by it. Explain why they are difficult to control.
Next, discuss the efforts being taken in this direction.
Conclusion:
Conclude with way forward.
Introduction
Forest fires are considered as one of the most widespread hazards in a forested landscape. They have a serious threat to forest and its flora and fauna. Forest fires essentially are ‘quasi-natural’, which means that they are not entirely caused by natural reasons (like volcanoes, earthquakes and tropical storms), but are caused by human activities as well. In India’s case, a combination of hot weather, oxygen and dry vegetation is a potent recipe for forest fires.
Body
Forest fires: A regular phenomenon in India
- Every year large areas of forests are affected by fires of varying intensity and extent.
- Since the start of 2021, there has been a series of forest fires in Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland-Manipur border, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, including in wildlife sanctuaries.
- At least 5,291 forest fires were recorded in Odisha between February 22 and March 1, 2021 — the highest in the country for the same period, according to FSI biennial report.
- Telangana recorded the second-highest fires in the country at 1,527 during the same period, followed by Madhya Pradesh (1,507) and Andhra Pradesh (1,292), according to FSI data.
- Around 95 percent of the forest fires in India are on account of human activity.
- Around 21 percent of the total forest cover is highly to extremely fire prone, adds the latest forest survey.
- Based on the forest inventory records, 40% of forests in India are exposed to occasional fires, 7.49% to moderately frequent fires and 2.405 to high incidence levels while 35.71% of India’s forestshave not yet been exposed to fires of any real significance.
Reasons for Increasing frequency of forest fires
- Forest fires can be caused by a number of natural causes, but officials say many major fires in India are triggered mainly by human activities.
- Emerging studies link climate change to rising instances of fires globally, especially the massive fires of the Amazon forests in Brazil and in Australia in the last two years.
- Fires of longer duration, increasing intensity, higher frequency and highly inflammable nature are all being linked to climate change.
- In India, forest fires are most commonly reported during March and April, when the ground has large quantities of dry wood, logs, dead leaves, stumps, dry grass and weeds that can make forests easily go up in flames if there is a trigger.
- Under natural circumstances, extreme heat and dryness, friction created by rubbing of branches with each other also have been known to initiate fire.
- In Uttarakhand, the lack of soil moisture too is being seen as a key factor.
- In two consecutive monsoon seasons (2019 and 2020), rainfall has been deficient by 18% and 20% of the seasonal average, respectively.
Measures to control forest fires
- Forest fire line:Successive Five-Year Plans have provided funds for forests fighting. During the British period, fire was prevented in the summer through removal of forest litter all along the forest boundary. This was called “Forest Fire Line”.
- This line used to prevent fire breaking into the forest from one compartment to another.
- The collected litter was burnt in isolation.
- Firebreaks: Generally, the fire spreads only if there is continuous supply of fuel (Dry vegetation) along its path. The best way to control a forest fire is therefore, to prevent it from spreading, which can be done by creating firebreaksin the shape of small clearings of ditches in the forests.
- Forest Survey of India monitors forest fire events through satellites on two platforms– MODIS and SNPP-VIIRS, both in collaboration with the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
- While the SNPP-VIIRS identifies, alerts and tracks fire incidents on real time data at 375X375 sq meter pixel, the older version MODIS detects it in the range of 1kmX1km.
- Forest fire suppression relies very heavily on “dry” firefighting techniques because of poor water availability.
- Integrated forest protection: The main objective is to control forest fires and strengthen the forest protection. The works like Fireline clearing,assistance to Joint Forest Management committees, creating water bodies, purchase of vehicles and communication equipment, purchase of firefighting tools, etc., needs to be undertaken.
- Prevention of human-caused firesthrough education and environmental modification. It will include silvicultural activities, engineering works, people participation, and education and enforcement. It is proposed that more emphasis be given to people participation through Joint Forest Fire Management for fire prevention.
- Prompt detectionof fires through a well-coordinated network of observation points, efficient ground patrolling, and communication networks. Remote sensing technology is to be given due importance in fire detection. For successful fire management and administration, a National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) and Fire Forecasting System are to be developed in the country.
- Introducing a forest fuel modification system at strategic points.
- National Action Plan on Forest Fires (NAPFF): It was launched in 2018 to minimize forest fires by informing, enabling and empowering forest fringe communities and incentivizing them to work with the State Forest Departments.
Conclusion
It is important to prevent the lungs of the nation from ravages of fire. With climate change and global warming on the rise, India must prevent human-made disaster to ensure our carbon sinks are protected.
General Studies – 2
Topic: devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question:
In early November 2021, a potentially game-changing and transformative development went by, almost unnoticed — the release of ₹8,453.92 crore to 19 States, as a health grant to rural and urban local bodies (ULBs), by the Department of Expenditure, the Ministry of Finance.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about how healthcare cab bolstered by giving a greater administrative and financial role for local bodies.
Directive word:
Analyse – When asked to analyse, you must examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them in a summary.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by mentioning how local bodies can play an important part in health care of India.
Body:
First, explain how a greater role in administrative and financial capabilities can help healthcare in India – Mohalla clinics of elhi.
Next, discuss the various administrative obstacles to it – excessive bureaucracy, lack of infrastructure, corruption and leakages etc.
Next, explain the steps that are needed to be taken in the above regard to address it.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward.
Introduction
In 1992, as part of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments, the local bodies (LBs) in the rural (Panchayati raj institutions) and urban (corporations and councils) areas were transferred the responsibility to deliver primary care and public health services.
Body
Background
- The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, has released an amount of ₹8,453.92 crore as health sector grant for rural and urban local bodies of 19 States.
- The grants have been released as per the recommendations of the Fifteenth Finance Commission.
- The commission, in its report for the period from 2021-22 to 2025-26, had recommended a total grant of ₹4,27,911 crore to local governments.
- The grants recommended by the commission inter alia include health grants of ₹70,051 crore.
- Of this amount, ₹43,928 crore has been recommended for rural local bodies and ₹26,123 crore for urban local bodies.
- The earmarked health allocation recommended by the 15th Finance Commission can fulfil a mandate on primary care.
A greater role and devolution of funds for local bodies can boost healthcare
- The 73rd & 74th amendment increased autonomy of local governments.
- Rural and urban local bodies can play a key role in the delivery of primary healthcare services, especially at the ‘cutting-edge’ level and help in achieving the objective of universal healthcare.
- Strengthening the local governments in terms of resources, health infrastructure and capacity building can enable them to play a catalytic role in epidemics and pandemics too
- Local bodies are best placed to understand the needs of the population in their wards. They are closer to the communities they serve.
- They are more responsive to the demands of citizens, given their greater direct accountability and accessibility.
- Experiences from Argentina and Brazil, and closer home in Kerala, show that the decentralization of healthcare to ULBs is beneficial.
- For example, Argentina’s Plan Nacer—where city governments receive funds from the national health ministry based on population coverage—has had a positive effect. The probability of low birth weight, a key health outcome, fell by 23% in Argentina.
- FC grants to local bodies provide an opportunity to reshape health.
Challenges
- Most local bodies lack the technical and managerial capacity to utilize the grants
- The challenge in rural areas is the poor functioning of available primary health-care facilities while in urban areas, it is the shortage of primary health-care infrastructure and services both.
- Urban India, with just half of the rural population, has just a sixth of primary health centres in comparison to rural areas.
- Contrary to what many may think, urban primary health-care services are weaker than what is available in rural India.
- Regular outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya and the struggle people have had to undergo to seek COVID-19 consultation and testing services in two waves of the novel coronavirus pandemic are some examples.
- The low priority given to and the insufficient funding for health is further compounded by the lack of coordination between a multitude of agencies which are responsible for different types of health services (by areas of their jurisdiction).
- A few years ago, there were a few reports of three municipal corporations in Delhi refusing to allocate land for the construction of mohallaclinics (an initiative of the State Health Department) and even the demolition of some of the under-construction clinics.
Way forward
- The grant should be used as an opportunity to sensitise key stakeholders in local bodies, including the elected representatives and the administrators, on the role and responsibilities in the delivery of primary care and public health services.
- Awareness of citizens about the responsibilities of local bodies in health-care services should be raised. Such an approach can work as an empowering tool to enable accountability in the system.
- Civil society organisations need to play a greater role in raising awareness about the role of LBs in health, and possibly in developing local dashboards to track the progress made in health initiatives.
- The Fifteenth Finance Commission health grants should not be treated as a ‘replacement’ for health spending by the local bodies, which should alongside increase their own health spending regularly to make a meaningful impact.
- Mechanisms for better coordination among multiple agencies working in rural and urban areas should be institutionalised. Time-bound and coordinated action plans with measurable indicators and road maps need to be developed.
- Local bodies remain ‘health greenfield’ areas. The young administrators in charge of such RLBs and ULBs and the motivated councillors and Panchayati raj institution members need to grab this opportunity to develop innovative health models.
- Before the novel coronavirus pandemic started, a number of State governments and cities had planned to open various types of community clinics in rural and urban areas. But this was derailed. The funding should be used to revive all these proposals.
- This should be accompanied by a broader conception of public health, in line with the comprehensive primary healthcare vision of HWCs.
General Studies – 3
Topic: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Indian Express
Why the question:
Supporters of nuclear energy say it can help us wean our economies off polluting fossil fuels. But what about the facts? Can nuclear power really help save the climate?
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the efficacy of nuclear energy in fight against climate change.
Directive word:
Evaluate – When you are asked to evaluate, you have to pass a sound judgement about the truth of the given statement in the question or the topic based on evidence. You must appraise the worth of the statement in question. There is scope for forming an opinion here.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by writing about global approach to Nuclear energy and cite statistic to its contribution to energy security.
Body:
First, write about the potential of nuclear energy – clean energy, reduced emissions, emerging technology etc
Next, Mention risks associated with nuclear energy. Highlight why we shouldn’t depend completely on nuclear.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward to harness nuclear energy while exploring other sources of clean energy.
Introduction
Nuclear Energy plays a critical role in achieving sustainable economic and social development. Modern civilization heavily depends on energy for daily activities. Energy is like a lifeline for the sustenance and progress of the entire world. Nuclear energy plays a vital role in the world economy by generating jobs, income and facilitating trade on a massive scale.
Body
Expanded use of nuclear technologies offered immense potential to meet important development needs. In fact, to satisfy energy demands and to mitigate the threat of climate change — two of the 21st century’s greatest challenges — there are major opportunities for expansion of nuclear energy.
Climate threats being faced currently
- The latest figures on global carbon dioxide emissions call into question the world’s efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
- CO2 emissions are set to soar 4.9% in 2021, compared with the previous year, according to a study published earlier this month by the Global Carbon Project (GCP), a group of scientists that track emissions.
Role of nuclear energy in climate change mitigation measures
- Nuclear power is a low-carbon source of energy.
- In 2018, nuclear power produced about 10 percent of the world’s electricity.
- Nuclear power – as a dispatchable low carbon source of electricity – can play a key role in the transition to a clean energy future. Currently nuclear power avoids 2–3% of total global GHG emissions per year.
- Nuclear power plants produce no greenhouse gas emissions during operation, and over the course of its life-cycle, nuclear produces about the same amount of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions per unit of electricity as wind, and one-third of the emissions per unit of electricity when compared with solar.
- According to current planning this value will decrease even further until 2040.
- Nuclear plants are not only emissions-free and carbon-free, they are by far the most reliable assets in power generation mix, operating 93 percent of the time—even during extreme weather events when some fossil fuel plants may be forced to shut down or curtail their operations.
- Case study: France generates over 70% of its electricity from nuclear power – the largest nuclear share of any country globally – and its electricity sector emissions are one-sixth of the European average. In around 15 years, nuclear power went from playing a minor role in the French electricity system to producing the majority of its electricity, showing that nuclear energy can be expanded at the speed required to effectively combat climate change.
However, challenges exist
- Nuclear energy is also responsible for greenhouse gas emissions.
- The initial steps of uranium extraction, transport and processing produces emissions
- The long and complex construction process of nuclear power plants also releases CO2, as does the demolition of decommissioned sites.
- A report released in 2014 by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), for example, estimated a range of 3.7 to 110 grams of CO2 equivalent per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
- In one life cycle study, the Netherlands-based World Information Service on Energy (WISE) calculated that nuclear plants produce 117 grams of CO2 emissions per kilowatt-hour.
- Nuclear power plants are about four times as expensive as wind or solar, and take five times as long to build. When you factor it all in, you’re looking at 15-to-20 years of lead time for a new nuclear plant.
- Nuclear waste also has to be transported and stored under strict conditions — here, too, emissions must be taken into account.
- Due to the high costs associated with nuclear energy, it also blocks important financial resources that could instead be used to develop renewable energy.
- High-profile accidents like Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Three Mile Island have helped to make both policymakers and the general public skittish about nuclear energy
Way forward
- we urgently need clear-eyed, balanced discussions of the overall costs and benefits of pursuing nuclear energy, especially as some nuclear power plants reach the end of their functional lives and the public and policymakers have to decide how, or if, to replace such energy sources.
- Together, public and private partners can drive a new generation of smaller, cheaper, safer nuclear reactors that satisfy the world’s growing energy demands while lowering carbon emissions and reducing proliferation risks.
Conclusion
Nuclear power can help to improve energy security. However, it’s not a panacea. India needs to come up with a durable energy strategy to meet present and future energy demands of its population and industries
Topic: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
Difficulty level: Easy
Reference: Indian Express
Why the question:
India is the fifth largest car market in the world and has the potential to become one of the top three in the near future — with about 40 crore customers in need of mobility solutions by the year 2030.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the impact of shifting to electric vehicles on the environment and economy.
Directive:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you must debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You must give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start by describing the electric vehicles (EV) technology vis-à-vis fossil fuel-based vehicles.
Body:
Mention the impact the EV can have on India economically in terms of reducing dependence on crude oil and reduced import bill and improved domestic energy independence.
Write about the environmental benefits of shift to EV – Give facts and figures relation to vehicular emission in India, the impact of it and how shifting to EV can be environmentally advantageous as well as sustainable in the long run.
Mention the various measures taken in this regard so far such as FAME-I, FAME-II, Developing domestic battery manufacturing capacity, mining for Lithium and Cobalt etc.
Suggest further steps need in this regard.
Conclusion:
Suggest further steps that are needed to be taken in this regard.
Introduction
An electric vehicle, uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion. An electric vehicle may be powered through self-contained battery, solar panels or an electric generator to convert fuel to electricity. India is among a handful of countries that supports the global EV30@30 campaign, which aims for at least 30 per cent new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030.
Body:
Potential of EVs in India
- Help tackle Climate change and air pollution:
- India has committed to cutting its GHG emissions intensity by 33% to 35% percent below 2005 levels by 2030.
- As per NITI Aayog’s report EVs will help in cutting down as much as 1 Gigatonne (GT) of carbon emissions by 2030.
- Electric vehicles don’t produce emissions that contribute to climate change and smog than conventional vehicles.
- All-electric vehicles produce zero direct emissions, which specifically helps improve air quality in urban areas.
- According to a recent study by WHO, India is home to 14 out of 20 most polluted cities in the world. EVs will help in tackling this problem by reducing local concentrations of pollutants in cities.
- Cost reduction from better electricity generating technologies. This has introduced the possibility of clean, low-carbon and inexpensive grids.
- Energy security:
- India imports oil to cover over 80 percent of its transport fuel.
- Electric mobility will contribute to balancing energy demand, energy storage and environmental sustainability.
- Electric vehicles could help diversify the energy needed to move people and goods thanks to their reliance on the wide mix of primary energy sources used in power generation, greatly improving energy security.
- Cutting edge Battery Technology:
- Advances in battery technology have led to higher energy densities, faster charging and reduced battery degradation from charging.
- Innovation:
- EVs manufacturing capacity will promote global scale and competitiveness.
- Employment:
- Promotion of EVs will facilitate employment growth in a sun-rise sector.
Challenges for EV Industry in India
- The Electric Vehicle industry in India is far behind, with less than 1% of the total vehicle sales.
- Lack of a stable policy for EV production: Anuncertain policy environment and the lack of supporting infrastructure are major roadblocks.
- Technological challenges: India is technologically deficient in the production of electronics that form the backbone of EV industry, such as batteries, semiconductors, controllers, etc.
- Lack of associated infrastructural support: The lack of clarity over AC versus DC charging stations, grid stability and range anxiety (fear that battery will soon run out of power) are other factors that hinder the growth of EV industry.
- Lack of availability of materials for domestic production: India is dependent on countries like Japan and China for the import of lithium-ion batteries. Local production of inputs for EVs is at just about 35% of total input production.
- Lack of skilled workers: EVs have higher servicing costs and higher levels of skills is needed for servicing. India lacks dedicated training courses for such skill development.
- The Indian electric vehicle (EV) market currently has one of the lowest penetration rates in the world.
- Capital costs are high and the payoff is uncertain.
- Affordability of e-vehicles (EVs) and the range they can cover on a single battery charge.
- The Indian EV industry has been hit hard due to rupee’s dramatic depreciation in recent months.
- The Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (Fame) framework has been extended repeatedly.
- High rate of GST on EVs when government is trying to promote EVs.
- Lack of attention on building charging infrastructure.
Way Forward:
- For EVs to contribute effectively, we need commensurate efforts in developing an entire ecosystem.
- Need to shift the focus from subsidizing vehicles to subsidizing batteries because batteries make up 50% of EV costs.
- Increasing focus on incentivizing electric two-wheelers because two-wheelers account for 76% of the vehicles in the country and consume most of the fuel.
- A wide network of charging stations is imminent for attracting investment.
- Work places in tech parks, Public bus depots, and Multiplexes are the potential places where charging points could be installed. In Bangalore, some malls have charging points in parking lots.
- Corporates could invest in charging stations as Corporate Social Responsibility compliances.
- Addressing technical concerns like AC versus DC charging stations, handling of peak demand, grid stability etc.
- Private investment in battery manufacturing plants and developing low cost production technology is needed.
- India is highly dependent on thermal sources, which account for about 65% of current capacity. As EV adoption increases, so should the contribution of renewables.
- Need for a policy roadmap on electric vehicles so that investments can be planned.
- Acquiring lithium fields in Bolivia, Australia, and Chile could become as important as buying oil fields as India needs raw material to make batteries for electric vehicles.
- Providing waiver of road tax and registration fees, GST refunds and free parking spaces for EVs.
Topic: Security challenges and their management in border areas – linkages of organized crime with terrorism.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question:
According to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), opium production in Afghanistan has crossed 6,000 tonnes for the fifth consecutive year.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about increasing trend in drug trafficking, what way India’s location makes it more vulnerable and counter measures taken by India.
Directive word:
Elaborate – Give a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the context. You must be defining key terms wherever appropriate and substantiate with relevant associated facts.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by mention the presence of Golden Crescent and the Golden Triangle and draw a small map to represent the same.
Body:
First, India’s vulnerability to the trafficking of narcotics and drugs such as heroin, hashish, and synthetic drugs produced in these areas.
Increased production of opium in Afghanistan, greater domestic demand in India, and connivance of state government officials and border guarding forces together contributed towards this increase in heroin trafficking, especially in the Punjab sector. Then explain the trends in drug and narcotics trafficking; explain how it’s a threat to national security.
Discuss efforts of the government in this direction.
Conclusion:
Conclude with way forward.
Introduction
India is wedged between the world’s two largest areas of illicit opium production, the Golden Crescent and the Golden Triangle. This proximity has traditionally been viewed as a source of vulnerability, since it has made India both a destination and a transit route for opiates produced in these regions. the lockdown restrictions during Covid-19 have accelerated drug trafficking using the Internet. The drug trafficking scenario in India is largely attributed to various external and internal factors.
Body
Background
- According to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), opium production in Afghanistan has crossed 6,000 tonnes for the fifth consecutive year.
- The reported rise in global opium prices has resulted in the exponential production of opiates increasing by 8%.
- The Taliban, cash-strapped and still looking to establish a semblance of order in the country they captured in August 2021, could indeed be looking to generate revenue from the illegal cash crop, as cases of smuggling and seizures of large consignments of drugs in India have started increasing, indicating a turn towards this trend.
Implications of Drug trafficking in India
- Challenges in the Northeast
- Indo-Myanmar border encounters non-conventional security challenges as it provides a secure channel for the movement of insurgents, narcotics trafficking, gunrunning, smuggling of wildlife etc.
- Proxy-wars: In the context of the proxy war in J&K, Pakistan’s ISI has been using the narcotics trade to
- Generate funds to sustain militancy.
- Erode the vitality of the populace in the border belt.
- Win over the local youth, as informers.
- Increase the level of criminal activity.
- Narco-terrorism: Terrorism and militancy in India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, waged by Islamist extremist groups based in and supported by Pakistan. This is mainly funded by trading narcotics illegally.
- Drug Abuse on rise: The easy availability of drugs in Indian market is increasing drug abuse cases, particularly amongst the youth.
- According to a report by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, around 2.1% of Indians use opioids like opium, heroin, and non-medical sedatives.
- Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram have the highest prevalence of this opioid use.
- Drug-peddling is taking place over the Dark Web eluding the scrutiny of enforcement officers.
- Endangering lives: The illicit drug cultivation causes environmental damage in the form of river pollution.
- Toxic chemical wastes generated are stealthily dumped into rivers flowing in the region.
- Militancy: The nexus between Pakistan ISI and Pakistan Army with the drug mafia is a well-documented and established fact.
- This brought in a lot of easy money to the Pakistan’s ISI.
- With time, this money had been increasingly diverted towards fomenting, sustaining and exalting militancy in the peaceful paradise state of J&K in India.
- Funds Naxalism: The region is near the Naxal affected areas who exploit the corridor for expanding their revenues and arms smuggling.
- Due to lack of infrastructural development, they illicitly grow opium and cannabis providing them ready money.
- Socio Economic impact:
- The Covid-19 crisis has pushed more than 100 million people into extreme poverty, and has greatly exacerbated unemployment and inequalities, as the world lost 255 million jobs in 2020.
- Mental health conditions are also on the rise worldwide. Such socioeconomic stressors have likely accelerated demand for the drugs.
Measures taken by the government
Government of India has devised a well laid out strategy to ensure inter agency coordination and revamp the prosecution mechanism to end the menace of drug trafficking.
- There is zero tolerance policy followed by Government of India against narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances trade.
- Strong Legislation: Accordingly, the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) was enacted in 1985.
- Under this act, cultivation, manufacturing, transportation, export and import of all narcotics drugs and psychotropic substances is prohibited except for medicinal and scientific purposes and as authorised by the government.
- The Act provides for rigorous punishment for any person violating this act and if a person is caught peddling drugs for the second time, death penalty could be awarded to the offender.
- In addition, the government of India has also enacted the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in 1988, which allows detention of persons suspected to be involved in illicit trafficking of drugs.
- The Government has taken several policy and other initiatives to deal with drug trafficking problem.
- It constituted Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) in November, 2016 and revived the scheme of “Financial Assistance to States for Narcotics Control”.
- In 2017, the government approved new Reward Guidelines with increased quantum of reward for interdiction or seizure of different illicit drugs.
- Global Cooperation: For effective coordination with foreign countries, India has signed 37 Bilateral Agreements/Memoranda of Understanding.
- Narcotics Control Bureau has been provided funds for developing a new software i.e. Seizure Information Management System (SIMS) which will create a complete online database of drug offences and offenders.
- The government has constituted a fund called “National Fund for Control of Drug Abuse” to meet the expenditure incurred in connection with combating illicit traffic in Narcotic Drugs; rehabilitating addicts, and educating public against drug abuse, etc.
- The government is also conducting National Drug Abuse Survey to measure trends of drug abuse in India through Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment with the help of National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre of AIIMS.
- Pro-active border patrol: For instances, in 2009, the BSF seized 23 kg of heroin along with 12 pistols and several rounds of ammunition in Punjab. In the same year, consignments of 58 kg of heroin, 10 kg of hashish as well as pistols and RDX were seized by the BSF along Rajasthan border.
- Cooperation with neighbours: India is a signatory to the SAARC Convention on Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic substances, 1993.
- India is also a party to the Pentalateral Cooperation on Drug Control, which focuses on the prevention of illicit trade of precursor and other chemicals used for the manufacture of heroin.
Way Forward:
- Combating misinformation on the impact of the use of cannabis products is crucial.
- Awareness-raising and communication efforts that disseminate scientific information without stigmatizing people.
- Increasing the capacity of law enforcement agencies to address drug trafficking over the darknet remains a priority.
- Joint responses by Governments and the private sector can involve controlling and removing advertisements and listings of illegal drugs on the Internet.
- Continuously update scientific standards to keep abreast of the acceleration of Internet-based services.
- Prevention and solid support are the ways in which drug abuse can be dealt with.
- Prevention programmes involving families, schools and the immediate communities are important in this regard.
- Government must notify minimum standards for running de-addiction centres.
- Fast track courts.
- Integrating drug de-addiction centre’s with rehabilitation centres.
- Unlicensed centres and those committing human rights violations must be liable to closure.
- A chapter on the impact of drug abuse should be included in school curriculum so that children understand how addiction destroys lives of people.
- Focused sensitisation programmes on drug abuse in schools and a substance abuse policy could go a long way in curbing the menace.
- Parents must consult specialists in case there is change in behaviour of their children as it could be signs of drug abuse.
Conclusion
Prevention of drug trafficking has to be accorded greater priority. At present it forms part of the larger mandate of the border guarding forces to ‘prevent smuggling and any other illegal activity’. Special measures need to be formulated to check trafficking of drugs through the borders. Various domestic laws enacted for the control of drug trafficking should be implemented stringently and severe punishments should be accorded to drug stockists.
General Studies – 4
Topic: Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators;
7. What does this quote means to you? (150 words)
Difficulty level: Moderate
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4 and part of ‘Quotes Wednesdays’ in Mission-2022 Secure.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by explaining the literal meaning of the quote and highlighting its core link of poverty and inequalities in the society.
Body:
Elaborate on the various dimensions of the above quote which shows how poverty is an outcome of injustice in the society – Excessive greed, corruption, hoarding of wealth etc.
Substantiate the about with facts and examples.
Conclusion:
Summarise by highlighting the importance of the quote in the present day and measures to create social justice.
Introduction
Poverty is not only an economic, social and political challenge but also an ethical challenge. Poverty and Inequality leads to hunger and ignorance and thus present more of ethical challenge than simply developmental.
Despite huge resources across globe, the poverty and inequality exists. It is both a cause and consequence; and it needs serious ethical consideration.
Body
Unjust and ill-organised society
- Corruption impacts societies in a multitude of ways. In the worst cases, it costs lives. Short of this, it costs people their freedom, health or money. The cost of corruption can be divided into four main categories: political, economic, social and environmental.
- Outdated Social institutions: The social structure of our country is full of outdated traditions and customs like caste system, laws of inheritance and succession. These hamper the growth of economy.
- Social customs: The rural people spend a large percentage of annual earnings on social ceremonies like marriage, death feast etc. As a result, they remain in debt and poverty.
- Unequal distribution of land and other assets: Land and other forms of assets constitute sources of income for the rural people. But, unfortunately, there has been unequal distribution of land and other assets in our economy. The size-wise distribution of operational holdings indicates a very high degree of concentration in the hands of a few farmers leading to poverty of many in the rural sector.
- Unemployment and under employment: Due to continuous rise in population, there is chronic unemployment and under employment in India. There is educated unemployment and disguised unemployment. Poverty is just the reflection of unemployment.
- Increase in Price: The steep rise in prices has affected the poor badly. They have become poorer.
- Gender imparity: This has led to poor participation of women in economic activities and labour force, thereby aggravating poverty in many families.
- Ethnic discrimination: leads to non-diversification of jobs especially at the village levels. Incidences of communal riots have further discouraged people from migration leading to poverty.
It is not just the economic factors that lead to poverty. The societal structure and dynamics directly impact the poverty. Poverty and other social miseries are in large part due to social structure, which is how society functions at a macro level. Some societal issues, such as racism, sexism and segregation, constantly cause disparities in education, employment and income for marginalized groups.
Conclusion
Equality and resourcefulness compliments the ethical behaviour of a person and the policies formulated must be inclined towards them. A due ethical scrutiny is required while formulating developmental policies. The governments need to be empathetic, moral, pro-poor, pro-weaker. The people needs to be sensitize regarding the weaker sections The International collaboration requires high morale. All endeavours require love, compassion and sense of brotherhood at their core to ensure promising and happy future of humanity.
As Nelson Mandela said “Poverty is not an accident like slavery and apartheid it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of Human Beings”. Thus, there is a need for all of us to work to establish an egalitarian society.
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