Despite a vast coast line and a number of waterways, why has India not been able to

achieve its potential in bringing a significant modal shift from Rail and Road to
Waterways?

Division
1. India has vast coast line and a number of waterways: ELABORATE + HOW it helps;
2. but still IW has not been able to achieve its potential: SUBSTANTIATE + WHY
3. Conclude: WHAT can be done to achieve these objectives

Approach:
1. Brief description Potential of Inland River Transport and Marine Water Transport in India and present share of different mode of
transport in Traffic.
However, point to be kept in mind while answering is that demand of the question is the challenges towards modal shift from Rail
and Road to Waterways.
o So, it is talking about Domestic Transport and not Maritime Water Transport viz External transport
2. Elaborate on the reasons for under-development of Water Transport vis-à-vis Rail and Road. Examples where needed to be
included.
3. Conclude with thrust Areas of development – Since there is a renewed focus on Water Transport in the recent decades both due to
rising cost of transport in other modes of transport and its pollution load and energy demand, conclude the answer by focusing on
thrust areas of development in WT rather than its Inherent Limitations.

India has
1. more than 7500 km long coastline and peninsular shape of India offers great opportunities for Coastal Shipping
2. large navigable waterways comprising a variety of rivers, canals, backwaters, etc which extend to nearly 15000 kms providing
large potential for the development of Water Transport.
Besides Water Transport enjoy certain advantages compared with other modes of Transport -
1. cheapest mode as practically no investment needed. The only requirement is navigable water.
2. most efficient modes of transport from the point of view of energy consumption.

Despite these inherent advantages and opportunities, transportation of goods in India is heavily in favour of road, accounting for
nearly 60% of the cargo moved, followed by rail at 30%. Thus WT carries less than 10pc domestic transportation.

Such development is on account of various constraints.

1. Only 33% is navigable: Of total navigable waterways which extend to 15000 kms. Only about 5000 kms are suitable for operation
of mechanised crafts.
2. River Water Regime and Inconsistent flow: Seasonal concentration of rainfall, fluctuating river regime, shallow water and narrow
width of channels during dry weather, siltation and bank erosion and Increase in Uptake from habitation, industry and
agriculture, lack of navigational aids affects free movement of vessels
3. Inadequate co-ordination: There has been inadequate coordination in hydel power, flood control navigation and irrigation
projects.
4. Expenses are Analogous: When such expenses of maintaining the canals and other navigable waterways (e.g. Dredging or
Repairing or both) expenses on waterways are much more and the waterways need improvement then Water Transport expenses
seem to be analogous to Rail and Road expenses
5. High Transit Time: Time bound supply of goods through this mode due to high transit time remains a challenge because industrial
and market locations are not always in the vicinity of water bodies. This means that cargo has to be loaded and unloaded more
than while transporting by rail or roadways
6. Consistent demand - The practicality of Water Transport depends on consistency in cargo volumes. Even large cargo volumes in
one direction cannot make a river service viable. A stable two-way traffic is a must.
7. Weak Infrastructure: There is lack of dedicated infrastructure at ports, berths for coastal ships, no night navigation, below-par
handling facilities at the loading and unloading points.
Connectivity between the hinterland and minor ports or river jetties is poor. Also, no attempt has been made to modernise the
craft, most of which is overawed and inefficient
8. Neglected Leadership - Till the Sixth Plan, inland Water Transport was neglected. It was, only with the Sixth Plan that IWT was
given high priority.

Thus, proper analysis of the problem’s shows that the

 Foremost challenge is to bolster the movement on our inland waterways to a much greater extent than is being done now. And
Large investment and incentives are required for making the national waterways worthy of navigation of goods. The existing five
national waterways possess undoubtedly high potential. It requires development of basic infrastructure, maintenance of LAD

In order to achieve these objectives, the GoI is adopting the following measures:
(a) Indian has notified more than 100 National Waterways (NWs) identified for the purposes of inland water transport. These would
include dredging and conservancy works to attain and maintain depth and width of channels, providing adequate navigation aids
and setting up integrated terminals enable navigation throughout the year and 24-hour navigation on selected stretches.
(b) under the ‘Sagarmala Programme’, additional potential of 130 million MT per annum by 2025 for Indian coastal shipping has been
identified

The move to establish a National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development, to
reverse the drag on India's growth potential will have its own set of challenges. Discuss

Division:
1. There is the drag on India's growth potential: WHAT
2. NBFID established to reverse it: HOW
3. Creation NBFID has its own challenges: WHAT are they

Approach
1. Brief description on the need for NBFID and the outcomes it is intended to achieve
2. Describe the challenges or issues wrt post NBFID creation or in its functioning

Today, India faces huge infrastructural challenges. Indian Infrastructure has not kept pace and the existing infrastructure is creaking
under the weight of a rapidly modernizing nation. Without an adequate infrastructure, a nation cannot grow beyond a point. And one
of the important reasons for underdevelopment in infrastructure is access to long term finance as development of infrastructure is
capital intensive which demands large investments and involves long gestation period.

However, availability of medium to long-term funds for infrastructure projects has experienced its fair share of difficulty - asset
liability mismatch predominantly endemic in bank finance, corporate bond market is not developed.

In this context, NaBFID was created as a development finance institution for lending & investing in infrastructure projects and
facilitating the development of the market for bonds and derivatives for infrastructure financing.

Besides NaBFID shall perform following functions

1. Taking over or refinancing existing loans.
2. Attracting investment from private sector investors for infrastructure projects.
3. facilitating foreign participation in infrastructure projects.
4. Facilitating negotiations with various government authorities for dispute resolution.
5. Providing consultancy services in infrastructure financing

However, creation of NaBFID will also likely lead to following challenges

Regulatory and Structural Challenges:

1. Infrastructure projects get delayed due to delays in acquiring land and environmental clearances, and rehabilitation issues. These
add to the cost of the projects.
2. Projects bids to Infrastructure projects are often made without proper study, and projects are awarded in a hurry. This results in
stalling of projects, and concessionaires leave midway and Loans turn into NPA. Thus banks should take due diligence while
disbursing loans to concessionaires
3. Besides poor performance of concessionaires due to economic slowdown or macroeconomic shocks and law and order issues can
dramatically increase the cost of project financing.
4. Lack of dispute resolution is one of the major hurdles in clearing stressed or delayed projects. Thus proper dispute redressal
mechanism must be developed.

Operational Challenges:
DFI that is concentrated exclusively on medium/long-term infrastructure lending is likely to face substantial operational challenges.
1. Resources are raised by DFIs through financial instruments crafted to meet its specific needs. That makes resource raising costlier
and inflexible, with its implication on relative product pricing, and institutional asset and liability management (ALM) profile over
time.
2. India’s rapid economic growthmake it an attractive destination investment. With Competition from Debt and equity capital
markets, Insurance companies, fund houses, commercial banks, etc., NaBFID is likely to face challenges of intense competition
from multiple players.
3. While NaBFID with support of appropriate government mobilise low-cost resources upfront, over a period of time it could
encounter challenges in maintaining the cost advantage.
4. Avoiding a high level of Non-Performing Loans is as important for DFIs as it is for commercial banks. Moreover, making good
credit decisions has other dimensions and face specific challenges like underwriting weak loans for the sake of volume targets and
corruption.
Thus, move to establish a NaBFID to reverse the drag on India's growth potential is a positive step, must make sure the policy
bottlenecks and the checks and balances of the other arms are not overlooked.

Highlighting the issues related to the current fertilizer subsidy regime in India, discuss
the need for reforms in this context.

Question division
1. issues related to the current fertilizer subsidy regime: WHAT
2. need for reforms: WHAT

Approach:
1. Brief description current fertilizer subsidy regime and highlight its issues
2. Elaborate on the need for the reforms in fertilizer subsidy

Fertilizer subsidy schemes have been an integral part of the Government policy to sustain agricultural productivity by timely providing
fertilizer at affordable price which in turn plays critical role in ensuring the food security and in promoting rural livelihood and
employment.

Presently the government is implementing separate subsidy schemes for urea, P&K fertilizers and city compost. However, new
challenges have emerged largely a result of administered-pricing and subsidy which requires improvement or change in the policy.
These are
1. Rising Imports: Fertiliser subsidy has increased consumption of fertilisers but domestic production has increased only marginally
This implies increased consumption is met through imports as India lack raw material for potassic and phosphatic fertilisers and
falling investment.
2. Imbalanced Use: Fertiliser subsidy did not give right signals to the farmers to use fertilisers in a balanced manner, leading to soil
degradation, widespread deficiency of secondary and micro nutrients, decreasing responsiveness of crops to fertiliser use, soil
acidity, and contaminates the groundwater resources
3. Lagging Investments: Subsidy regime has not encouraged these fertilizer manufacturing plants to shift to modern technology
methods and highest efficiency as subsidy is provided directly to manufactures. The government bears the cost of their
inefficiency in the form of higher subsidy.
4. Diversion of urea: Presently subsidized fertilizer is sold on no denial basis with no fixed purchase quantity limit and there is no
system to verify that the fertilizer purchased on behalf of other farmers actually reaches them or diverted elsewhere or smuggled
into neighbouring countries.
5. Use of Plant Nutrients received Scant Attention: Present subsidy regime excludes liquid fertilizers, bio-fertilizers, and farm organic
manure, among others. These are considered to be more effective in restoring soil health, and are environment friendly.
6. Rising Subsidies: while it is necessary to keep providing the subsidy, it is also necessary to contain this expenditure by adopting
innovative ways without increasing the prices.

Possible mechanisms which can improve the policy further are

1. Direct subsidy to farmers: companies should be set free to manufacture, supply, and sell fertilizers as per their own system. A
farmer should have the choice of buying from various brands of fertilizers, while getting the subsidy directly in his bank account.
Such a system will push manufacturers to produce and sell fertilizers in the most cost-effective manner, and push the inefficient
ones out.
2. Direct cash transfer to the farmers: Instead of subsidising fertiliser plants, government could transfer cash to farmers equivalent
to the current fertiliser subsidy subsidy entitlement can be linked to holding size. This is politically feasible. Also with
conditionality imposed to get their soils tested, say every 2-3 years for subsidy disbursement it will lead to balanced use of NPK..
However without digitization of land records, it will be impossible to transfer the subsidy to beneficiaries or to issue soil health
cards.
3. Reduce its expenditure on subsidy: By (i) modernising fertilizer manufacturing plants, (ii) adopting best practices of
manufacturing and strict energy norms, and (iii) building a strong research and development base for continuously upgrading the
manufacturing technology.
4. Tie-up with Gulf Countries: gas price for urea plants is three times higher than in Gulf countries. Since the major cost of producing
urea is the gas price, it makes sense to get into a long-term urea off take agreement with countries where gas supplies are abundant
and gas price is considerably lower than in India. So, the future way to produce urea more efficiently might lie in setting up joint
ventures in countries

There is a need to continue subsidizing the fertilizers as they constitute the most critical input for the farmers and any such drastic
change must be effected only after an in-depth study and wider consultations with all stakeholders also keeping in mind the interests
of food security, small and marginal farmers and best international practices.
Identifying the need for a climate resilient agriculture in India, discuss how it can be
achieved.

Division
1. need for a climate resilient agriculture: What and Why
2. How it can be achieved: How

Approach
1. Very briefly define what is climate resilient agriculture and what are the components of this system
2. Elaborate on why India needs climate resilient agriculture systems and methods to build such a system

Currently, climate change and its impact in form of extreme weather events has an important implication towards on crop yields, food
security and development. While climate change is inevitable, steps have to be taken for mitigating the crisis and adaptation to new
realities thereby increasing our resilience to Climate Change. Towards this climate-resilient agriculture is considered as apt strategy in
new realities.

Need for Climate Resilient Agriculture

1. Even bigger Gamble: Since there is large scale spatial and temporal variations in monsoon rainfall, there are also corresponding
large scale spatial and temporal variations in agricultural outputs and climate change is likely to accentuate these spatial and
temporal variations in both rainfall and agricultural production further as it influences the water availability, intensity and
frequencies of drought, microbial population, soil organic matter reduction, yield reduction, depletion of soil fertility etc.
2. Bigger plate: India’s population is 1.38 billion and by 2027, it will surpass China to become the most populated country in the
world. While number of mouths to be fed increased more than 3 times since Independence, it is nearly impossible to bring more
are under cultivation due to demand for land for different sectors. However despite the challenges food production must double
by 2050 to match the country’s population and income growth.
3. Food security and Development issue: Consequently, this creates food shortages, nutrient deficiencies, reducing annual
agriculture income and problem compound into a development issue.
4. Impact on Animal Husbandry: Higher susceptibility to heat stress feeding by poultries will come down which leads to lesser body
weight and egg production, and affects quality of meat. It also leads to the low milk yields by Dairy sector. It also enhances the
dangers to the fish populations living away from the thermal tolerance zone.

Following Strategies and technologies are considered crucial in climate-resilient agriculture

1. Improved varieties: Cultivation of early maturing and tolerant breeds of crops to overcome the climate stress, Development of
tolerant breeds in livestock and poultry highly adaptive to the unpredictable nature and have low resource footprints.
2. Feed management: better feeding systems as an adaptation measure can improve livestock production by decreasing excessive
heat load, reducing animal malnutrition and mortality and reducing the feed insecurity during dry seasons.
3. Water management: Water-smart technologies like micro-irrigation, rainwater harvesting structure, cover-crop method, reuse
wastewater, deficit irrigation and drainage management, cultivating less water requiring varieties help farmers to reach
satisfactory crop yields, even in deficit rainfall and warmer years.
4. Agro-Advisories: It is necessary to provide better extension services, suitably linked with research organisation of scientists. For
this, demonstrations, group discussions, seminars of farmers and other mass media be pressed into service. This is a thrust area
which promises much better results with marginal addition of costs.
5. Insurance: knowing that building resilience and adapting to these changes is not enough, we need to vastly strengthen systems to
compute farmers’ loss and pay for damage—quickly and properly. At present, our crop insurance schemes are poorly designed and
even more poorly executed. We need to insure farmers to ensure our future.

Keeping these challenges in view several proactive policies like Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana to address the issues of water
resources, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana mission to extensively leverage adaptation of climate-smart practices and technologies,
Green India Mission To mitigate climate extreme actions, Soil Health Card scheme To protect the soil health and MGNREGA enhancing
employment opportunities, additionally, providing economic security and protecting the environment are steps in right direction and
and implemented more rigorously along with prioritising reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from all agriculture and non-
agricultural sources.

Mega Food Parks (MFPs) were considered to be a gamechanger for the food processing
sector in India, but their progress remains stunted. Discuss.

Division:
1. Issues in food processing sector and MFPs were considered to be a gamechanger: What issues and How it addresses
2. MFPs progress remains stunted: Why

Approach:
1. Briefly explain What MFPs is and what it plans to address
2. Elaborate on why MFPs progress remains stunted
3. Conclude with what should be done

Mega Food Park is a modern infrastructure facility for food processing along the value chain from farm to market with strong forward
and backward linkages through a cluster-based approach. It seeks to facilitate setting up of food processing units. These units are to be
located at a central processing centre with infrastructure required for processing, packaging, quality control labs, and trade facilitation
centres.

The total food production in the country is likely to be doubled and lack of processing facilities means that there is wastage of
agricultural produce. Also Increasing Urbanization Lifestyle and Aspirations, Changing Demographics Rise in disposable incomes is
leading to shift in demand wrt processed food.
1. It is in this backdrop that Mega food parks have become a necessity to provide the crucial link that helps in the reduction of
wastage, improves value addition, promotes crop diversification, ensures better return to the farmers, promotes employment as
well as increases export earnings. This sector is also capable of addressing critical issues of food security, food inflation and
providing wholesome, nutritious food to the masses.
2. Also MFP seeks to facilitate establishment of an integrated value chain, with food processing at the core and supported by requisite
forward and backward linkages.
Providing solution to these multitude issues MFPs have indeed become gamechangers.

Despite its huge potential, progress of MFPs and realisation of its objectives remains stunted. There are some major issues which need
to be addressed to get the desired results
1. land acquisition: land acquisition is major issue. It is very difficult to get minimum 50 acres of contiguous land for setting up MFP,
particularly in small and hilly states. The government needs to provide flexibility to this requirement
2. Capital or Loans: Even when Land was available, promoters have faced difficulties to secure loans to build the parks because it is a
infrastructure projects needs large capital and long gestation and new business model have acted as hindrances .
3. Cooperatives: since most agri-business in our country happens through cooperatives, their integration into food parks is critical.
4. Regulatory issues: difficulty in getting loans from banks for the project; delay in obtaining clearances from the state governments
and agencies for roads, power, and water at the project site,
5. Operational issues: Despite setting up of MFPs, SPV finds itself unable to attract the PPCs and CCs as there is lack of special
incentives for setting up food processing units in MFPs as entrepreneurs had apprehensions about relocating in food parks. Some
felt that a lease agreement would impact their freedom of operations
6. One-size doesn’t fit all: scheme requires a minimum area of 50 acres, it does not to promote smaller or individual food processing
and preservation units. Thus approach of the scheme is basically ‘one-size-fit-all’. Need of processing and value addition units at
strategic places is not exploited. This includes rural or production areas for pulses, millets, fruits, vegetables, dairy, fisheries, and
poultry in public private-partnership mode.

The idea of shared infrastructure to boost the food processing sector may appear sound but questions around the economic viability of
these projects seemed to have raised doubts in the minds of entrepreneurs, big and small. Unless these issues are looked into, the
scheme for mega food parks may not realise its full potential

Give an account of the challenges associated with rapidly increasing biomedical waste in
India. Also, State the key features of the Bio-medical Waste Management (Amendment)
Rules, 2018.

Division
1. rapidly increasing biomedical waste and its challenges: Why and What
2. key features of the Bio-medical Waste Management: What

Approach
1. Briefly explain what is biomedical waste and why biomedical waste is rapidly increasing and what challenges it poses
2. Mention key features of the Bio-medical Waste Management

Biomedical waste is defined as any waste, which is generated from biological and medical sources and activities, such as the diagnosis,
prevention, or treatment of diseases. These include human and animal anatomical waste, treatment apparatus like needles, syringes
and other materials used in health care facilities in the process of treatment and research.

Covid-19 pandemic has posed numerous challenges before India on multiple fronts and one such impact is the exponential increase in
biomedical waste generation. The total quantity of BMW generation is approximately 600 tonnes/day and average quantity of Covid--
19 related biomedical waste generation in the year 2020 was 200 tonnes/Per Day thus Covid waste is only 25% of it.

The challenges with rapidly increasing biomedical waste in India include

1. Health risk: Biomedical waste is a biologically and chemically hazardous waste containing biological and microbiological
contamination. It has the potential of spreading various types of diseases. It poses a health risk to sanitation workers and garbage
collectors.
2. Improper segregation: local hospitals are not as updated in facilities and infrastructure and hence, don’t have proper biomedical
waste management facilities. Besides, the Covid related biomedical waste is generated not just in the hospitals but also at homes.
Only 20% of the patients had to go to hospital. There is no proper facility for the management of the biomedical waste generated at
home; it is being dumped in the ordinary municipal waste. While the ratio of waste infected with COVID-19 virus is lower in USW
than in bio-medical waste generated from medical facilities, its infection risk cannot be ignored. The risk is high given the
probability of improper segregation and the staff’s lack of know-how about the handling of waste.
3. Unequal Distribution: India has about 200 Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facilities across the country but they are located
only in a few cities/districts. Thus these wastes in tier 2 cities end up in incinerators at waste treatment plants thereby increasing
pollution.
4. Lack of Awareness: The legal provisions for the same are designed to tackle biomedical waste at hospitals only.They do not provide
any information about how to manage such waste at home or any place other than hospitals. People are also not aware of how to
segregate the waste at source and this is a bigger concern.

The key features of Bio-medical Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2018 include
1. Pre-treatment of waste: Waste generated in laboratories, microbiological waste, blood samples and blood bags to be pre-treated
through disinfection or sterilisation on-site in the manner as prescribed by the WHO.
2. Segregation: Bio-medical waste has been classified into 4 categories i.e. untreated human anatomical waste, animal anatomical
waste, soiled waste and biotechnology waste and has to be disposed accordingly.
3. Storage of waste: Provision within the premises for a safe, ventilated and secured location for storage of segregated biomedical
waste. • Transportation and handling: Bio-medical waste collected from the occupier should be transported, handled, stored,
treated and disposed without any adverse effect to the human health and the environment.
4. Procedure of disposal: Biomedical waste must be segregated in coloured bags (yellow, red, white and blue) according to the
category of the waste. It can be stored up till 48 hours after which it either needs to be treated in-situ or collected by the worker
from a treatment facility.
5. Maintenance and monitoring: There should be maintenance and updates regarding biomedical waste management register and
record of operation of incineration etc

The ultimate goal of biomedical waste management is to drastically reduce the environmental damage that is posed by this waste. The
present time under COVID-19 has provided opportunity to holistic address different issues under BMMW to ensure that no stone
should be left unturned in the safe handling and disposal.

What do you understand by impact-based forecasting in disaster management? How can

such forecasting strengthen the disaster management preparedness?

Division
1. What do you understand by impact-based forecasting in disaster management: What
2. How can it strengthen the disaster management preparedness: How

Approach:
1. Explain what is impact-based forecasting
2. Explain How can such forecasting strengthen the disaster management preparedness

Conventional weather forecasts focus on “what the weather will be or predict the conditions of the atmosphere for a given location and
time”. Impact-based forecasting signals an evolution to “what the weather will do or what will be the potential impacts of climate
hazards on the people and key sensitive sectors”. Thus, IBF is considered as effective Instruments for Mitigation of Hazards

How does it do:

1. Seasonal forecasts on climate conditions are combined with the location’s hazard/risk, exposure and vulnerability information at
the national and local levels to identify risk hotspots for climate-related hazards in the upcoming months.
2. Thus, this will give fine-grained high-resolution spatial information, not only for hazards but also for exposure and vulnerability
characteristics
3. When the potential hazard risk and vulnerabilities are assessed at local levels, steps can be taken for preventing and mitigating the
crisis and preparing for actual occurrence
4. For instance, if above normal precipitation is expected in flood-prone areas, it increases the risk of flood more than above normal
precipitation in non-flood-prone areas. On the other hand, if below normal precipitation is expected in drought-prone areas; the
risk is higher than below normal precipitation in non-drought-prone areas.

Thus it helps in moving away from the traditional disaster management approach which the focus was on emergency relief and
immediate rehabilitation towards management of disaster.
Crisis Management
1. Pre-Crisis: Preparedness and risk management
2. During Crisis - Emergency Response
3. Post-Crisis: Recovery and rehabilitation

How it will strengthen the disaster management preparedness

1. Early Warning: National meteorological and hydrological agencies can closely monitor the developments of climaterelated
hazards for early warning;
2. Better preparedness: While this information is not enough for early action, it supports risk-informed and strategic decision-
making for preparedness and policy interventions.
3. Early action: Estimating the potential impacts, Planning ministry can reserve some resources ahead; and national disaster
management authorities can monitor the developments of climate related hazards as well as prepare appropriate measures in
advance for early action.
4. Plan alternative policies: Sectoral ministries can also utilize the information generated for their decision making For example,
energy ministries can plan alternative electricity supply if less precipitation is expected. With information on precipitation and
regional/subregional supply of agricultural products, agricultural ministries can better guide farmers about the types of plants,
production systems and water efficiency levels for their farming practices. Health ministries can have a better understanding of
potential occurrence of waterborne diseases. Finally, with additional forecasting information such as temperature, the impact
based forecasting can be strengthened in supporting strategic decisions.
5. Minimise worst impacts: Advance planning, though IBF, can help alleviate the worst impacts of disasters or, at the very least, speed
up rescue attempts.

Thus, it holds more significance for mitigation of risk, resilience building by strengthening our adaptation. However, this approach
demands collaboration between national and regional governments; different government ministries; climate, soil, hydrological and
remote sensing experts; farmer groups and extension workers; the private sector, such as insurance companies; and disaster-planning
authorities. Breaking down silos and taking an integrated approach to disaster management is vital if we are to help agriculture
bounce back from climate shocks and meet the global goals of achieving sustainable development for all. Thus, while every disaster is a
crisis, but every crisis may not lead to a disaster. Focus should be on management of crises so that their degeneration into a disaster is
prevented and impact-based forecasting are considered effective measures in this milieu.

Low Earth Orbit is becoming increasingly crowded as countries race to launch satellites
into space. Highlighting the associated issues, discuss international efforts taken in this
regard

Division:
1. Low Earth Orbit is becoming increasingly crowded: Substantiate
2. Highlighting the associated issues: What
3. discuss international efforts: What

Approach:
1. Briefly illustrate the issue of overcrowding of the Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
2. List the associated with overcrowding of space.
3. Mention the international efforts to address this issue.

Today, every country is dependent on outer space for wide area of requirements consequently thousands of satellites have been
launched since Sputnik. In the year 2020 alone more than 100 satellite were launched. In addition to state players, there are also
several private sector actors in outer space with SpaceX with its Starlink satellite constellation for internet services which wants to add
30,000 satellites. Beijing is planning its own constellation of 13000 satellites to meet satellite-based internet services. Thus Low Earth
Orbit is increasingly becoming crowded. Besides satellites there are more million pieces of debris travelling at speeds up to 17,500 mph

Issues with overcrowding of LEO

 Congestion: intensifying use of outer space has resulted in growing congestion which increases the risk of collision, such as with
other active satellites, untracked debris, and meteoroids.
 Single interference: Crowding generates signal interference leading to fall in quality of service and high latency.
 Space Debris: Debris makes near space activities as well as astronomical study of near space difficult. Even a single collision in
outer space can cause significant cascade effects, creating future collisions, as ‘collisions give rise to more debris and lead to more
collisions.
 Unavailability of space: Over the coming decades, the overcrowding of LEO could also make certain areas of space unusable for
space flight
 Security: Malicious actors are already capable of manoeuvring a single unprotected satellite to deliberately collide with another
satellite or with a space object through cyber means this could lead to loss of services. This congestion and its related problems are
only likely to increase this is likely to lead to frayed tempers, grievances, suspicions and conflict.
International efforts taken to address these challenges

Mitigating Damage:
 Space debris is tracked by a number of countries, including Germany, France, the UK and the USA.
 ISRO has come up with ‘Project NETRA’ - an early warning system in space to detect debris and other hazards to Indian satellites.

Avoiding future debris: Various space organisations have been working on reducing the amount of trash by adopting better designs of
rockets and other objects. For example, making rockets reusable could vastly cut down waste. De-orbiting process: As it enters Earth’s
atmosphere, the spacecraft will burn up, leaving no debris behind.

Removal of the debris:

 End-of-Life Services by Astroscale Demonstration (Elsa-D), by Japan was launched to locate and retrieve used satellites and other
space junk.
 RemoveDebris is an EU research project to give in orbit demonstrations of cost-effective technologies that can be used to observe,
capture and dispose of space debris. It has performed key technology demonstrations including:

Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC), an international governmental forum, facilitate opportunities for
cooperation in space debris research and debris mitigation options.

Thus, with new space age of Space 2.0 will lead to even more intensifying use of outer space addressing these critical issues of
overcrowding and space debris is a must for further exploration and to make future space missions sustainable.

Enumerating the existing measures to counter bio-terrorism in India, highlight the need
for a bio-terrorism law

Division
1. Enumerating the existing measures to counter bio-terrorism: What
2. highlight the need for a bio-terrorism law: Why

Approach
1. Briefly define bio-terrorism
2. Enumerate the existing measures in India to counter bio-terrorism.
3. Highlight the need for bio-terrorism law in India

Bio-terrorism attack is defined as the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or other agents used to cause illness or death in people,
animals, or plants.

Dense population, poor hygiene and deprived sanitation facilities, congenial climatic conditions, along with these, with absence of
adequate medical facilities most people remain untreated and spread of disease becomes quite easy leading to the outbreak of
bioterrorism. These factors make India particularly vulnerable to bioterrorism.

Existing Measures to Counter Bioterrorism:

1. Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 provide for the better prevention of the spread of dangerous epidemic diseases by providing special
powers to authorities.
2. The national health sector guidelines provide directions and technical support for capacity building in surveillance and in the
early detection of any outburst. MoHFW also helps in employment of Rapid Response Teams’ manpower and logistic support.
3. Integrated Disease Surveillance Project maintain decentralized IT enabled laboratory-based disease surveillance system to monitor
disease trends and to detect and respond to outbreaks in early rising phase through trained Rapid Response Team.
4. NDMA is mandated to plan, prepare and respond to both natural and man-made disasters and NDRF is trained as a
multidisciplinary force for specialised response to natural and in manmade disasters including bioterrorism.
5. MHA nodal ministry for prevention of bioterrorism providing intelligence inputs and establish and implement preventive
mechanisms.
6. DRDO is actively engaged in research on hazardous chemicals, biological agents and is also developing protective systems and
equipment for troops to fight against nuclear, biological and chemical warfare

Also, Biological Weapons Convention, Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety for which India is party to also deal with treats emanating from
biological agents.

Need for Bio terrorism law in India

1. High vulnerability needs strong deterrence: Given India’s high vulnerability, this era of biotechnology and nanotechnology has
created an easy accessibility to more sophisticated biologic agents. These biologic weapons can cause large-scale mortality and
create mayhem in the shortest possible time. This calls for law which acts as strong deterrence, prevention protection increased
preparedness and response and streamlining entire issues to address threats of Bioterrorism
2. Reactive polices
 a. As per the Indian Constitution, health is a state subject Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 does not provide any power to
the centre to intervene even in case of a biological emergency.
b. The Indian Penal Code is inadequate to deal with bioterrorism.
c. Also India’s response tends to be reactive with multiple ministries issuing multiple guidelines and different
ministries often do not coordinate and share data with each other which makes it difficult to ensure the
implementation of biosafety guidelines and responding to biological disaster.
d. The new act is needed to comprehensively address all biosecurity and biosafety issues and have provisions for the
central and state governments and local authorities to act with impunity.
3. Full-time organisation: While MoD has armed forces suitable as first responders, coordinating war related matters, and for
managing the consequences of biowarfare. However, there is per se no separate central organisation holistically addressing
different facets of bioterrorism threat. Also, the main focus of both NDMA and NDRF, however, has remained on post-disaster
response to natural calamities. This calls for creation of full-time organisation to prepare and respond to pandemics and events
related to bioterrorism.

Adverse effects of Covid-19 pandemic have taught the lesson on the importance of controlling biological agents and the need of
strategic partnerships among different nations. the present time is the most appropriate for the Government draft dedicated policy and
formulate effective laws to counter bio-terrorism.

Discuss the potential of “Integrated Law Enforcement Centres” and “Smart Walls” on
India's border areas to address the prevailing security challenges.

Division
1. prevailing security challenges in border areas: What
2. Potential of ILEC and Smart walls: What

Approach
1. Briefly explain prevailing security challenges in border areas
2. Explain the Potential of ILEC and Smart walls in addressing above challenges

Since many of our borders are man-made artificial boundaries and not based on natural features such as rivers, watersheds etc, they
are extremely porous and easy to cross. Besides borders meanders through villages, agricultural lands, and rivers, rendering the border
extremely porous and becomes very difficult to ensure strict vigil and long boundaries makes deploying manpower and patrolling
difficult. This presents numerous challenges which includes illegal migration, separatist movements, presence of militant outfits and
their ability to indulge in hit and run operations, illegal activities like trafficking and smuggling among others have only added to the
complexities in Border Management.

Besides Present Border Security Mechanism has several challenges

1. Multiple Agencies & Silo mentality: different agencies active on India’s land borders operating the silos with a lesser degree of
inter-agencies cooperation, coordination and complementarity.
2. Lack of strategic thinking: Absence of policy to check infiltration / illegal migration from eastern borders; inability to stop or
contain cross-border terrorism; absence of an integrated approach to tackle, trafficking / smuggling in drugs, FICN, cattle, humans
and other contrabands across international boundary.

In this context, ILECs and Smart walls are to be seen to promote Integrated Border Management to address security challenges in
border areas.

Integrated Law Enforcement Centre

1. ILECs is expected to work on the lines of police stations inside the existing Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) and will have different
stakeholder government agencies on border to work together with the mandate to register, investigate, dispose and address of all
types of cross-border crimes.
2. Break silo mentality and lead to synergy: ILEC is seen as ideal solution towards Integrated Border Management by ensuring
collaboration of different stakeholder agencies at one place on the borders, which will be stationed at existing and proposed
Integrated Check Posts. Thus, they break silo mentality and lead to synergy in the efforts of different agencies.
3. Strategic Thinking: Besides, detecting, registering and investigating the cases related to different types of border crimes. Each ILEC
maintain cross-border crime data and analyse information for trends of border-crimes and for planning routine operations and
suggesting real-time situations. This will bring strategic thinking in border management.
4. Effective border management: ILEC is likely to significantly enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the overall law
enforcement on the border and ensure strong deterrence against the criminals and greater compliance with law.

Smart Walls
1. As already mentioned, owing to different factors border management in India faces numerous challenges and existing system of
border guarding with physical and armed patrolling is inadequate and there is need for effective technical means and finding
high-tech solutions to secure the border. And Smart walls has to be seen in this context.
2. Smart walls are a collection of discrete technologies that work together to prevent illegal entry, smuggling, and all the various
threats posed by a porous border. It uses drones, scanners, and sensors, Internet-of-Things (IoT) technologies like in-ground
sensors, security cameras and software solutions.
3. Thus Smart wall provide great potential to address to secure the border:
a. Unlike a physical barrier, a smart wall would allow border security officials to continuously adjust tactics to changing
conditions.
b. Ground sensors and IoT devices are quick and easy to deploy and inexpensive to move and update.
c. They require only a fraction of the costs to maintain, and can be implemented gradually and as needed.
a. Most smart devices can tell the difference between people and animals, alerting officers when a human attempts to cross
the border illegally while leaving wildlife alone.
b. Digital technology allows for enhanced surveillance across vast terrain and Real-time alerts make it easy to respond to
activity from immigrants approaching the border or to a lost hiker looking for supplies.

Farm loan waivers are neither adequate nor recommended for promoting sustained
agricultural growth. Analyse.

Division
1. Farm loan waivers are neither adequate nor recommended: Why.
2. Promoting sustained agricultural growth vs Farm loan waivers: What.

Approach
1. Briefly describe the issue of the problem of Problem of Rural Indebtedness.
2. Briefly Explain why is there a demand or need for farm loan waivers.
3. Briefly explain why Farm loan waivers are neither adequate nor recommended.
4. Recommend a sustainable solution.

The Indian farmer borrows year after year but he is not in a position to clear off the loans, either because the loans are larger or because
his agricultural output is not large enough to pay off his debt. Therefore, the debt of the farmer goes on increasing-this is what is
known as rural indebtedness.

Causes of Rural Indebtedness

1. Poverty: Crops failure, under recovery of input cost to farmers; small landholdings, single source of income (crops)
2. Improvement on land: low saving, low prices, make borrow for these purposes.
3. Social customs: marriages, religious festivals, Births and deaths
4. Money-lenders: charge very high rates of interest

Thus, owing to these factors average outstanding farm debt is nearly Rs. 75000 Cr. Various states have cumulatively written off farm
loan address farmer’s distress. However, Farm loan waivers are neither adequate nor recommended for promoting sustained
agricultural growth

Structural Problem:
1. loan waivers are a one-time relief from partial indebtedness and do nothing to stop the recurrence of widespread rural
indebtedness.
2. Loan waivers do not alleviate agrarian crises that have deep structural roots in India’s economy, including uneven access to
subsidies, skewed landownership patterns, and a degeneration of government-supported agricultural extension programmes.
3. The agrarian crisis has not only persisted, but has become more acute. Climate change and extreme weather patterns have further
exacerbated the insecurities of farmers. The lack of quality capital assets in surface irrigation and rainwater harvesting continues
to be a challenge. This has led to a growing dependence on depleting groundwater as the main source of irrigation. About half of
the country’s cropped area still does not have access to assured irrigation facilities.
4. There are a host of other factors that have adversely affected the “balance sheets” of Indian farmers. While costs of production
continue to rise, returns remain low and uncertain. Dwindling farm incomes and rural indebtedness need to be understood in this
light.

Moral Hazard:
1. loan waivers entail moral hazard that discourage honest borrowers from repaying their loans on time. loan waivers undermine
credit discipline and result in higher government borrowing which, in turn, increases the costs of borrowing by others and “could
eventually affect the national balance-sheet.”

Targeting Problems
1. Agricultural loan waivers and subsidies do not benefit the poorest in rural India. In fact, loan waivers do little to relieve the
indebtedness of the most vulnerable farmers who are either landless or possess smallholdings. These farmers are not considered
creditworthy, have no access to institutional credit and are entirely dependent on usurious moneylenders.
2. Unless concerted efforts are made to address these systemic problems, little will be achieved to break this vicious cycle.
Loan waivers are band-aid solutions at best. They are no panacea for the deep-rooted agrarian crisis in general and rural indebtedness
in particular. A loan waiver is at best an immediate response to an emergency situation. The sustainable way out of the current mess is
to increase food production and productivity and this cannot come without right prices. If the farmer does not get remunerative price
for his produce, even the loan waiver package may not deliver.

A number of initiatives in recent years have focussed on the MSME sector. Why is there a
need to focus on this sector? Also, identify the measures taken by the government and
further scope of action

Division
1. Why is there a need to focus on MSME sector: Why.
2. identify the measures taken by the government and further scope of action: What.

Approach:
1. Briefly explain contribution of MSME sector to Indian Economy and why is there a need to focus on this sector.
2. Enlist number of initiatives in recent years on this sector.
3. Enlist the measures taken by the government and further scope of action.

MSME sector has emerged as a highly vibrant and dynamic sector of the Indian economy.
1. Contributes about 45% of manufacturing output and 40% of total exports and of 29 percent of GDP
2. Employs about 100 million persons in over 30 million units throughout the country.
3. There are over 6,000 products ranging from traditional to high-tech items manufactured by the MSMEs.

Despite its great contribution and potential to economy there are some inherent challenges faced by the sector which have a strong
impact on its growth.
1. Structural Constraints in MSMEs:
o Most of them are not registered anywhere being out of formal network, and they don’t maintain accounts, pay taxes or
adhere to regulatory norms etc. This brings down their costs. However because often, there isn’t a robust cash flow
analysis available it difficult to get access to credit.
2. Credit and finance: The total amount of loans granted to small industries forms a very small part of the total loans to Indian
industry. Their credit-worthiness should not be judged in terms of the value of the assets but in terms of the ability of an
enterprise to do the job and earn profit.
3. Marketing Assistance: These challenges range from procurement of raw materials, lack of market information, Marketing of
produce. Small-scale firms suffer from marketing difficulties as their products are often unstandardised and of variable quality.
4. Outdated technology and innovation: Low technology, generally used by the MSME Sector is a major cause for poor
competitiveness of the sector. Provision of technical service is therefore, an important and justified form of aid to stimulate
increased productive efficiency and encourage new product lines.
5. Need for skill development and training : Lack of skilled manpower and information as well as lack of reach to modern technology
are affecting the growth of the MSME Sector.
6. Lack of Infrastructure: Land and infrastructure constraints are a major problem, particularly in metros and bigger cities.
7. Institutional Structure: The following issues need to be immediately addressed to unshackle the growth of the MSME Sector (i)
environmental issues, (ii) labour issues, (iii) exit policy, (iv) amendment of MSMED Act
8. Cheap imports: High competition from the cheap imports as seen in case of Chinese toys makes the domestic players
uncompetitive

Thus, there is a need to address these issues

1. Credit: To address the risk perception of banks, particularly for lending to MSEs, the Credit Guarantee Scheme needs to be
strengthened, with enhanced budgetary support. Towards this Mudra Bank was created for providing Credit Guarantee scheme for
providing guarantees to the loans and refinancing all Last Mile Financiers. Also there should be substantial increase in the number
of MSEs covered under the Performance and Credit Rating Scheme which is a facilitating factor for easy access to credit with liberal
terms.
2. Marketing: While marketing of products of MSMEs mostly depends upon the market forces and individual efforts of the
enterprises, Government and its organisations can play the role of a facilitator to help MSME Sector in these endeavours. Public
Procurement Policy for the MSME, Setting up of marketing organisations in clusters in PPP mode through formation of SPVs,
Organizing International SME Convention for utilizing the reach and market access of International Counterparts for promoting
and exporting msme products, Digital MSME Scheme for bringing MSMEs on digital platform are right steps.
3. Technology: The main focus needs to be on developing appropriate technologies for various manufacturing processes to bring
down cost, develop collaborations between private and public sector on boosting R&D, and facilitate absorption of globally
competitive technologies. Credit Linked Capital Subsidy and Technology Up-gradation Scheme aims at improving the
competitiveness of MSMEs by integrating various ongoing schematic interventions aimed at up-grading technology through CLCS,
hand holding for zero defect zero effect manufacturing (ZED), increasing productivity through waste reduction (Lean), design
 intervention (Design), cloud computing (Digital MSMEs), facilitation of intellectual property (IPR) and nurturing new ideas
(Incubation).
4. The Ministry of MSME has been mandated to provide skill to 42 lakh persons.
5. New criteria for classification of MSMEs: It is expected to bring more number of industries under the definition of MSMEs.
6. Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) is an initiative of RBI to facilitate MSME receivable payments from Corporates.

Small enterprises are presently seriously handicapped in comparison with larger units it is, therefore, essential to develop an overall
approach to remove these disabilities so as to strengthen their competitive position and contribute further to the economy.

Skilling the Indian population faces a 3E challenge - Education, Employment and

Employability. Discuss. Also suggest interventions required to effectively manage this
challenge.

Division:
1. Skilling the Indian population faces Education, Employment and Employability challenge: What and How
2. interventions required to effectively manage this challenge: What

Approach
1. Briefly explain what is the Skill development problem of Indian population - Education, Employment and Employability
2. Elaborate on the interventions required to effectively manage this challenge

India has a younger population. Demographic window of opportunity available to India would make India the skill capital of world. As
per the Census 2011 data, India has more than 700 million people in the age group of 15-59 years, which gives India an opportunity to
reap a significant demographic dividend.

However, while India possesses large sections of the educated workforce there is also a challenge of severe paucity of quality labour.
The common denominator for the above two is the needs to equip its workforce with employable skills and knowledge.

This is the present Indian skill development challenge: Education: does not translate into actual usable skills; Employment: India has
millions of educated unemployed; Employability: Paucity of highly-trained quality labour leading to acute shortage of skilled
manpower. If these trinity issues are not resolved then, then India realising the benefits of “demographic dividend” will become
impossible.

Education does not translate into actual usable skills

1. Present education system is built on the Industrial Revolution model to supply workers with a relatively fixed set of skills and
knowledge. This system is losing its relevance in an era of innovation, disruption and constant change, where adaptability and
learning agility are most needed. Quality and success have to move beyond memorization, standardization and test scores.
2. There is a disconnect between higher education and demands of industry, namely inadequate learning, inappropriate learning, old
curriculum, focus on general as opposed to specialized learning most importantly quality of learning
3. Besides Level of Education of the Labour Force remains extremely low with only about 17 per cent have higher levels of education
including higher secondary and higher. Low education levels of the labour force, especially those engaged in agriculture would
make transition to non-farm sector difficult except as low paid laborers in the construction industry
4. Share of Vocationally Trained in the Labour Force is only 10 per cent and if we exclude non-formal vocational training – which
constitutes or 7.5%. then only 2 pc of the Labour Force have received formal vocational training. Dependence on non-formal
vocational training to such an extent highlights the grossly inadequate system of vocational training that currently exists in the
country.

Employment: India has millions of educated unemployed

1. The employment elasticity of the manufacturing sector has witnessed a decline in spite of increase in the GVA in the sector. The
usual structural transformation associated with high growth does not seem to have happened in India and more people continued
to be employed in agriculture and other forms of informal employment
2. However Informal sector creates a bigger issue wrt employment creation leading to vicious cycle: Greater workforce informality
leads to lower incentives to acquire new skills. Faced with inadequately skilled workers, businesses often choose replacing labour
with machinery. That’s because “skilled labour and technology are complementary, but unskilled labour and technology are
substitutes”. This, in turn, leads to still fewer formal jobs.
3. Regulatory Framework: multiplicity of labour laws, industrial laws and regulation administered both by the Central and the State
governments are not conducive for the congenial development of the factory sector. To generate greater overall employment, at
least labour-intensive manufacturing industries must be permitted to adjust its labour force, in response to fluctuations in
demand

Employability: Acute shortage of skilled manpower

1. A distinct disadvantage with India’s approach towards skilling has been to ignore the demands of the market. For the most part,
skills have been provided in a top-down fashion. Thus, most skilling efforts focus almost solely on providing certain skills but fail
 to “match” them with the needs of the market. Thus general, vocational and technical education are disengaged from the demands
of the industry.
2. Given the way market demands fluctuate skilling efforts must try to anticipate the needs of the market. However, Entities like the
NSDC have important mandates to boost apprenticeship numbers. Thus, skill development has become more of a target fulfilment
scheme rather than fulfilling the demands of the market and industries. Technical and vocational education are too supply-driven
and short term

Realising the benefits of “demographic dividend

Update education with job readiness

1. Reset education and learning to meet 21st-century needs, shaping a path from education to employability: this demands reforms
in curriculum, assessments inadequate learning, inappropriate learning, old curriculum, focus on general as opposed to
specialized learning most importantly quality of learning
2. To link skills to schools and colleges, children must be exposed to skills-based learning early on and vocational training should be
integrated with Education.
3. Apprenticeships for learning-by-doing and learning-while-earning
4. Industry clusters for supplying skills to meet local demand conditions

Upgrade Skills
1. Quality and relevance of skill development are key as well as improving an individual’s access to decent employment.
2. Establishing a mechanism for providing access to information on Skill Inventory and Skill Map on real time basis.
3. Building skills training as a mainstream and inclusive programme to be promoted by creating a formal arrangement among the
three key stakeholders in the delivery process: Government, Industry and Skills providers.
4. Focus on Industrial and International Collaborations to have better understanding of the fast changing skills demands and
provide skills solutions that transpose the models and practices and Reverse transfer the best practices from India to world.
5. Industry participation: In order to make the skill development system relevant and driven by labour market signals, it is necessary
to increase participation of industries through Sector Skill Councils. Functions of SSCs could include inter alia, identification of
skill gaps, preparation of Skill Development Plans and establishment of well-structured sector specific Labour Market Information
System to assist planning and delivery of training.
6. Developing the Labour Market Information System for real time information on sectoral basis to help trainees and make training
relevant

Creating employment
1. Clear policy distortions in labour and industrial laws and regulations.
2. Promote investments in those sectors identified as the most promising in generating jobs directly within that sector and indirectly
across sectors.
3. Skill the workforce such that they match employers’ needs. In skilling, particularly look for opportunities to skill workers as close
to their likely jobs destination so that the matching and anticipating of skills is that much easier

Thus to realise the benefits of “demographic dividend” it is essential that these trinity issues are resolved.

Despite its importance, agricultural marketing faces various institutional and

infrastructural related issues in India. Elaborate. Also, enlist the measures that have been
taken in this context.

Division:
1. agricultural marketing importance: What
2. agricultural marketing faces various institutional and infrastructural related issues: What
3. enlist the measures that have been taken: What

Approach
1. Briefly explain importance agricultural marketing
2. explain various institutional and infrastructural related issues faces agricultural marketing
3. Mention the measures that have been taken

Agricultural marketing covers the services involved in moving an agricultural product from the farm to the consumer. These include
grading, packing and packaging, transport, storage, agro and food processing, provision of market information, distribution,
advertising and sale

Well-functioning markets besides marketing and monetising farmers produce, drive growth, ensure food security, employment and
economic prosperity in rural areas. Besides agricultural marketing benefits farmer in following way
 Source of market information and price signal providing relevant information on quantity, desired quality, standards and
specifications of the produce and the supply chain to become efficient by indicating logistical and infrastructural weaknesses such
as post-harvest and storage losses.
 Reducing the role of intermediaries: role of intermediaries is replaced by institutional mechanisms or market structures.
 Will encourage Capital formation. investment and penetration of better technologies in the sector.
 Value addition in agriculture: provide access of agricultural produce to downstream industries, creating potential for large scale
value addition.

However agricultural marketing faces various challenges

Institutional Issues
1. Cartelization: Traders, commission agents, and other functionaries organise themselves into associations, which do not allow easy
entry of new persons into market yards, stifling competition.
2. Regulated trade: First sale in notified agricultural commodities produced in region can be conducted only under aegis of APMC,
through its licensed commission. Thus Regulated markets have been restrictive in promotion of multiple channels of marketing
(such as more buyers, private markets, direct sale to businesses and retail consumers, and online transactions) and competition in
system
3. Market Fee: Market fee and commission charges are to be levied on traders, but instead are collected from farmers
4. Low bargaining power: The method transaction is generally against the interest of farmer. In the mandis the farmer makes use of
services of a broker to sell his output to Trader. The broker is often in collusion with Trader and, therefore, the price which is
settled is generally to the advantage of the Trader and not the farmer. Moreover, through unnecessary deduction on the plea that
his produce is of inferior quality, the farmer often loses in going to the mandis.

Infrastructural Issues:
1. Limited Access: There is a huge variation in the density of regulated markets in different parts of the country, which varies from
few 100 sq km, in Punjab to more than 10000 sq km in Meghalaya, while ideally a regulated market should be available to farmers
within a radius of 5 Km.
2. Poor Infrastructure: Absence of Storage facilities including cold storage, grading facilities.
3. Poor economic viability: Marketing infrastructure projects have a long gestation period. The seasonality and aggregation of small
surpluses of agricultural produce further affects the economic viability of the projects, which deters investments.
4. Market information: farmers do not ordinarily get information about the ruling prices in the big markets. As a result, the farmers
have to accept whatever price is quoted to them and have to believe whatever the traders tell them. Also, with no information and
proper storage facilities he was no capacity to wait for better and such distress sales weaken the already miserable position of the
Indian farmer.
5. Transport: transport conditions in rural areas continue to be bad that even richer farmers, who large amounts of surplus, may not
be interested going to the mandis. Most roads are kachcha roads and in rainy season they are unusable.

Measures that have been taken in this context include:

1. Marketing Surveys. Government has undertaken marketing surveys of various goods and has published these surveys. These
surveys have brought out the various problems connected with the marketing of goods and have made suggestions for their
removal.
2. Grading and Standardisation. To facilitate grading, standards have been laid down for 162 agricultural and allied commodities.
The graded goods are stamped with the seal of AGMARK. The 'Agmark' goods have a wider market and command better prices.
3. Provision of Warehousing Facilities. To prevent distress sale by the farmers rural godowns have been set up by CWC and FCI.
4. Promotion of direct marketing and contract farming: Farmers (empowerment and protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and
Farm Services Act, 2020 promotes contract farming guaranteeing sale and price to be paid for such produce and Farmers’ Produce
Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 promotes barrier-free inter-state and intra-state trade and
commerce.
5. Creation of an Electronic-National Agricultural Market (e-NAM) to unify mandis across the nation into a single national market
and to break the monopoly of intermediaries
6. Introduction of negotiable warehouse receipt system;
7. Use of information technology to provide market-led extension services to the farmers.

Marine litter is not just an environmental issue but poses a socio-economic challenge as
well. Discuss. Also, enumerate the initiatives taken by the global community to reduce
marine litter.

Division:
1. Marine litter is not just an environmental issue but poses a socio-economic challenge: What
2. enumerate the initiatives to reduce marine litter: What

Approach
1. Briefly explain marine litter
2. Explain how marine litter is environmental issue and also poses socio-economic challenge
3. Mention the initiatives taken by the global community to reduce marine litter

Marine litter is human-created waste that has deliberately or accidentally been released in a sea or ocean. These include plastic bags,
balloons, rope, medical waste, glass and plastic bottles, cigarette stubs, beverage cans, polystyrene, lost fishing line and nets, and
various wastes from cruise ships and oil rigs are among the items commonly found to have washed ashore. Eighty percent of marine
debris is plastic. Plastics accumulate because they typically do not biodegrade as many other substances do. They photodegrade on
exposure to sunlight, although they do so only under dry conditions, as water inhibits photolysis.

Due throwaway consumer culture and excessive commercialisation, magnitude of marine litter has increased significantly causing not
just an environmental issue but also socio-economic challenge.

Environmental Issue
1. Death of marine species due to ingestion, suffocation and entanglement of marine species.
2. Marine litter functions like natural floating debris, providing a means of travel for both native and non-native – and potentially
invasive – species and is therefore increasingly recognised as a vector for marine invasive alien species with negative impacts on
the receiving ecosystems.
3. Microplastics can become embedded in animals' tissue through ingestion or respiration and biomagnified up the food chain.
4. Plastic litter can become concentrated in certain areas called gyres as a result of oceanic currents. E.g., North Pacific Gyre, known
as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Socio-economic challenge
1. Fish and other marine life ingest microplastics which in turn can find their way into the human food chain through
biomagnification and bioaccumulation. These pose significant health issues.
2. Long term impacts on fisheries through reduced coastal protection due to degradation of coral reefs affected by invasive alien
species. Also Ingestion could lead to lower quality fish and hence lesser market value.
3. Potential perceived (subjective) risk from chemical contamination in fish, shellfish and aquatic plants can lead to lower demand
for and/or value of fish/ seafood.
4. Coastal communities are facing increased expenditure on beach cleaning, public health and waste disposal.
5. Polluted beaches can discourage visitors, reducing visitor numbers and leading to lost revenues and jobs for the tourism sector.
6. Marine litter and fishing nets can get entanglement in propellers and damage to fishing vessel causing related loss of fishing time,
loss of fish and associated revenues.
7. They can also lead to social costs including reduced opportunities for recreational activities, health risks to coastal visitors (e.g.
contaminated swimming water, cuts from sharp items) foregone benefits from access to coastal environments (e.g. reduced
tension and stress) and potential risks associated with the consumption of contaminated marine products
8. Degradation of the natural environment within their jurisdiction. Potential increased cost of waste water treatment.

Initiatives to reduce marine litter

1. GloLitter Partnerships by IMO and FAO aim to prevent and reduce marine plastic litter from shipping and fisheries
2. Global Partnership on Marine Litter was launched at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) seeks to
address the global problem of marine litter through cooperation and coordination, sharing the expertise, resources.
3. Global Partnership on Waste Management also seeks to enhance international cooperation, outreach, advocacy, knowledge
management and sharing, and identifying and filling information gaps on Marine Litter
4. Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter regulates the dumping of wastes from
ships, permitting only certain types of non-harmful waste to be dumped

Marine litter is a pressing and growing global environmental challenge, but also an economic opportunity; preventing marine litter
will help to reducing further inputs of plastic to the ocean and mitigate the impacts of plastic debris that is already there can enable
materials and their value to remain in a circular economy

Assess India's vulnerability to flash floods and suggest measures for better resilience to
flash floods. In this context, also briefly highlight the significance of recently launched
Flash Flood Guidance System (FFGS) operated by the Indian Meteorological Department
(IMD).

Division:
1. India's vulnerability to flash floods: Why
2. Suggest measures: What
3. highlight significance of Flash Flood Guidance System: What

Approach
1. Briefly explain what is flash flood and list factors which leads to India’s vulnerability to flash floods
2. Suggest measures for better resilience to flash floods
3. highlight the significance of recently launched Flash Flood Guidance System

Flood means inundation of extensive land area with water for several days in continuation. Flash flood is very quick flooding of low-
lying land with great volume of water, usually without prior warning. It may be caused by heavy rain or water from melted ice or snow
or after the collapse of a dam.

Like Floods, Flash floods are generally caused by combination of one or more unfavourable meteorological and physical factors. In
recent times, the impact of meteorological and physical factors has been accentuated by unwanted human activities.

Following are the major causes of Flash floods in India.

 Meteorological Factors: Increase in extreme weather events i.e., Heavy Rainfall, Cloud Burst.
 Physical Factors: Inadequate or Blocked Drainage Arrangement.
 Human Factors: Deforestation, Accelerated Urbanisation, bad urban planning, encroachment of water bodies and lack of
preparedness, Bursting of Dams.

Increase in extreme weather events:

1. Scientific research has already linked such intense weather phenomena to a changing climate.
2. A spell of 24 hours of very heavy rainfall yielding a record rainfall created hovoc of disastrous flood in Mumbai, Chennai and
Bengaluru among others.
3. Uttarakhand Flood Disaster of 2013 caused by heavy downpour was result from severe widespread cloudbursts

Unplanned urbanisation in India

1. Moreover, the population in India is increasing at a rapid pace and with rapid urbanisation even the areas prone to floods, such as
flood plains and even river beds are inhabited by the people
2. Unchecked urban growth reduces infiltration of rainwater and rainwater resulting from torrential rainfall is quickly disposed off
through the city storm drains has been responsible for water logging and consequent flash flood in Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore
where the rainwater could not find easy exit due to chocking of storm drains.
3. In South India, the loss of lakes had been widespread. In 1960, Bengaluru had 262 lakes, but today not even 10 lakes are in a
healthy state. These lakes and marshes are natual sponges which absorb excess water during heavy rain.

Deforestation
1. Floods are becoming more frequent and furious due to ecological degradation such as deforestation. Large-scale deforestation
decreases infiltration capacity and consequently increases surface runoff which helps tremendously in increasing the magnitude
of floods. in the absence of forests and other vegetation covers raindrops stike the ground surface directly and in case of heavy
downpour the rainfall exceeds the limit of infiltration soon and thus maximum runoff is generated causes flash floods.

Pollution:
4. Explosive increase in the urban population without corresponding expansion of civic facilities esp for disposal of waste. The
dumping of solid waste, sewage discharge, and construction of new buildings and a new road have shrunk this wetland to a great
extent which severely reducing their flow.

Measures that can be taken in this regard are:

2. Internalising climate change adaptation: We will have to accept that climate change is going to affect us more and more in the
future. We will, therefore, have to start preparing to adapt to the changing climate. India should start internalising climate change
adaptation in all developmental policies and programme
3. Impact based forecasting: There is a need to move away from the traditional disaster management approach which focus on
emergency relief and immediate rehabilitation to management of crises so that their degeneration into a disaster is prevented and
impact-based forecasting are considered effective measures in this milieu.
4. Land use planning: Urban planning should be integrated with the study of the geology and the hydrogeology of the area so that
new developments are not at the cost of the lakes and wetlands. Policy-makers should also revisit the development projects to see
that they do not interfere with the hydrogeological cycles

Significance of recently launched Flash Flood Guidance System (FFGS)

1. In this context, IMD has come up with the Flash Flood Guidance system which will serve India and other South Asian countries-
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka designed to provide the necessary products in real-time to support the development of
warnings for flash floods about 6- 12 hrs. in advance
2. Under this, IMD will issue impact-based forecasting at the watershed and also city level, of floods which are very sudden and of
short duration. It will help in streamlining the resources in mitigation efforts and reducing the loss of life and property in the
South Asian region

There is ample evidence that excessive dependence on the structural measures has failed to control floods in the past. Therefore the
need of the hour is to shift the focus to the non-structural measures like flood resilience and adaptation, including afforestation,
controlling population growth in the low-lying inundation-prone zones and increasing awareness among the people whereby the
damage from floods can be reduced significantly.
Hydrogen based energy production can play a key role in a clean, secure and affordable
energy future. In this context, identify the potential and opportunities for utilising
hydrogen-based technologies. What are the challenges that need to be addressed to fullfill
the potential?

Division
1. Hydrogen based energy production can play a key role: How
2. identify the potential and opportunities: What
3. challenges that need to be addressed to fulfill the potential: What

Approach
1. Briefly explain how Hydrogen based energy production can play a key role in a clean, secure and affordable energy future.
2. Highlight the potential and opportunities for utilising these technologies.
3. Highlight the challenges involved in their adoption

Hydrogen (H2) is an alternative fuel is abundant in our environment and it's stored in water, hydrocarbons, and other organic matter
thus can be produced from diverse domestic resources. Hydrogen with its abundance, high energy density, better combustion
characteristics, non- polluting nature etc. can play key role towards providing clean, secure and affordable energy future

Potential and opportunities for utilising hydrogen-based technologies

Energy production
1. Direct fuel in internal combustion: Fuel cell used for generating electricity has vehicular applications (Fuel cell cars, buses, etc.) in
place of fossil fuels or as blended mixture with fossil fuels H-CNG
2. Portable Devices: It can also power portable devices (Laptops, phones, etc.)
3. Power stationary power generation plants

Flexibility
1. H based energy help to mitigate challenges to grid management due to intermittent and variable nature of renewable energy
generation and therefore, help to integrate higher quantum of renewable energy resources into grid
2. Unlike battery-electricity vehicle, it does not store energy and, instead, relies on constant supply of fuel & oxygen — in same way
that an internal combustion engine relies on constant supply of petrol or diesel, & oxygen. In that sense, it may be seen as being
similar to conventional internal combustion engine. But unlike combustion engine cars, there are no moving parts in fuel cell, so
they are more efficient & reliable by comparison. Also, there is no combustion on board, in conventional sense.

Challenges to fulfill the potential

1. Storage: Hydrogen as fuel is usually either compressed or liquefied. High-pressure tanks weigh much more than hydrogen they
can hold.
2. Safety: Also Hydrogen fuel is hazardous because of low ignition energy and high combustion energy of hydrogen, and because it
tends to leak easily from tanks. Explosions at hydrogen filling stations have been reported.
3. Emissions: The most of the current global demand of hydrogen is being produced from fossil fuels. Hence, not climate friendly
Further, producing hydrogen from lowcarbon energy cost of production is higher
4. Additional costs: Cost of hydrogen Transmission & Distribution (T&D) costs are higher.
5. Code of standard: The biggest challenge to the commercialization of the hydrogen-based technologies is the requirement of code
and standards to get a sort of consistency and encourage deployment

Despite the huge promise of satellite-based internet connectivity, it hasn’t gained traction
on a significant commercial scale, especially in India. Discuss

Division
1. promise of satellite-based internet connectivity: what
2. satellite-based internet connectivity hasn’t gained traction: why

Approach
1. Briefly explain what is satellite-based internet connectivity
2. Elaborate on the potential and its challenges

Rather than using an underground copper/fibre network, satellite based broadband connection operates by sending and receiving
broadband signal to a satellite in space.

Compared to underground copper/fibre network satellite based broadband connection has certain advantages
1. Instant service: Satellite broadband provides instantaneous service as it does not require laying cable. As there are no cables
involved, consumers will have unhindered connectivity. Also they handle high bandwidth usage with 1000 Gbit/s downlink rate,
so internet speed/quality isn’t affected
2. Cost: Cost to cover one sq km from space varies between $1.5 and $6, vis-a-vis $3,000 to $30,000 required by ground
infrastructure to cover the same area Such drastic cost reduction will benefit consumers.

Potential of satellite-based internet connectivity

1. Services: OTT services, high speed seamless internet access, connecting underserved areas, e-Sims are just a few sectors that will
witness phenomenal growth. Besides it will have huge impact on AI, cloud and big data and Internet of Things (IoT).
2. Remote health services: Telemedicine, Ambulance and medical logistics tracking in remote areas, live monitoring of patient’s
vitals etc.
3. Internal security: Tracking patrol vehicles, monitoring critical logistics supplies in remote areas, monitoring of vessels at sea.
4. Disaster management: Real-time delivery of alerts and geolocation services in case of natural calamities, emergency broadcast
alerts and SOS messaging, managing logistics of NDRF vehicles, boats, fire engines, ambulances etc.
5. Railways: Real-time geo-location of assets, monitoring of safety systems in the trains, mission-critical communication etc.
6. Supply-Chain Management: Asset tracking, vehicle fleet management, and cold-chain management for food/medicines etc.
7. Smart Agriculture: Monitoring soil conditions for critical inputs such as water, fertilizers and pesticides, etc.; Harvest prediction,
crop infestation/damage, yield, severe weather prediction, etc.; Reaching out to remote villages, farmland
8. Smart Grids: Remote transmission towers monitoring, load distribution, supply/demand management, Sensorbased applications
for Remote Industries and Connected Healthcare, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)

Despite having such huge potential it hasn’t gained traction on a significant commercial scale because
1. Space Debris: With each player adding constilation of thousands of satellites there is possibility of crowding out the LEO and
increased collisions.
2. Operational challenges: Signal interference, Weather pattern, high latency affects the quality of internet. Many of the existing
satellites may not be suitable for direct satellite to device connections
3. Regulation: Despite India’s impressive achievements in the space sector, growth has been at snail’s pace.
a. Satellite broadband services is possible only if there is a conducive policy environment. However, to achieve success, India
needs to have conducive regulations and policy along with sufficient spectrum allocation, ease of doing business, dropping
capacity prices, etc.
b. The use of traditional satellites technology in India despite the proliferation of high throughput satellites makes it unfeasible
for satellite broadband to be commercially viable.
c. However, an urgent re-look at deregulation and privatisation is required. Advanced space-faring nations have privatised most
of these blocks in the value chain. There is a need for building systems to help nurture the industry and create an extensive
ecosystem to generate a ‘Space 2.0’ in India.

With right policy intervention SatCom has a tremendous scope to contribute a sizeable chunk to the GDP growth, with the potential to
open floodgates for greater innovation, R&D, employment, investment and connectivity.

India’s attempts at strengthening its intelligence infrastructure and capabilities have

historically been reactive and incremental, rather than holistic. Discuss. Also, provide a
concrete framework in transforming the country’s intelligence capabilities

Division:
1. India’s attempts at strengthening its intelligence infrastructure and capabilities have historically been reactive and incremental
rather than holistic and sustainable: Why
2. provide a framework in transforming the country’s intelligence capabilities: What

Approach
1. briefly explain India’s intelligence infrastructure and capabilities.
2. Illustrate why India’s approach has been reactive and incremental.
3. Provide a concrete framework for strengthening India’s intelligence capabilities in holistic and sustainable manner.

Intelligence infrastructure and capabilities includes multitude of institutions including Joint Intelligence Committee, National
Security Council, Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing, Multi Agency Centre, National Intelligence Grid etc…However
such intuitions were created following events and necessitating subsequent responses to address particular demand and situation.
1. Research and Analysis Wing which deals with external intelligence was the result of bifurcation of external and internal
intelligence entrusted with the Intelligence Bureau created in the aftermath of Indo-China war of 1962 and Indo-Pakistani war of
1965.
2. National Technical Research Organisation was established in 2004 however events motivated its creation was the Kargil war
3. After the Mumbai 26/11 attack the Multi Agency Centre was revamped in 2009 to streamline intelligence gathering and sharing
Thus intelligence infrastructure and responses have been reactive and incremental rather than following a strategic vision which seeks
to address the challenges holistically.

Piecemeal and incremental approaches to implement corrective measures have led to certain challenges
1. Synergy: India’s existing intelligence apparatus comprises an assortment of agencies that have specific mandates. They do,
however, tend to overlap in their functions, either by design or as a natural consequence of their activities. But impact of these
efforts at fortifying India’s intelligence capabilities and lead to Intelligence Failures.
2. Generating actionable intelligence: There are no specifics to guide enforcement officials. The bulk of intelligence inputs churned
out every day and wired across the intelligence grid are completely generic, theoretical and hence un-actionable.
3. Replication: some of them were simply copied from existing models in Western countries, leading to mismatches with India’s
political and bureaucratic systems, resulting in below-par capabilities.
4. Accountability: There is no mechanism for monitoring their performance and reviewing their records to evaluate their quality.
Nor is there any oversight of the overall functioning of the agencies

Thus, there is a need for concrete framework in transforming the country’s intelligence capabilities:
1. Joint Intelligence: There is need for fortifying India’s intelligence capabilities to collect and analyse the vast volumes of data to
create actionable intelligence
2. Legal status: Most modern intelligence organisations in the world today, function under the ambit of enacted legislation. Thus
there is need to give Indian intelligence agencies the support of legislative enactments.
3. Recruitment: There is a need to have open and separate direct recruitment mechanisms for different intelligence agencies and
need to Improve training modules, including specialised training for analysts
4. Technology Upgrade: There is a need to enhance in-house technical research and development capabilitiesespecially in relation to
signals decryption work, and cryptography capabilities
5. Coordination Of Intelligence: to bring about better interagency coordination, remove overlaps and duplications, end ‘turf-wars’
and ensure better utilisation of national resources there is a need to Appoint a National Intelligence Coordinator/Director of
National Intelligence

Thus given India is facing massive challenges in filling the gaps in its intelligence systems, substantial reforms are needed to improve
the collection, processing and dissemination of intelligence on a real-time basis.

In light of the prominent instances of drone attacks by both state and non-state actors,
assess the challenges and capabilities of India in dealing with such security threats.

Division
1. prominent instances of drone attacks by both state and non-state actors: Substantiate
2. assess the challenges with such security threats: What
3. capabilities of India in dealing with such security threats: What

Approach
1. Give examples of instances of drone attacks by both state and non-state actors
2. illustrate challenges associated with drone attacks.
3. Mention the capabilities of India in dealing with such attacks.

Few years ago, Drones were used to drop weapons and drugs along the Punjab border and recently drones were used attack on the Air
Force station in Jammu. Outside India recent Nagorno-Karabkh conflict between Azerbeijan and Armenia drones played a critical role.
And state actors have been using drones both for military use and recognisance.

Challenges in dealing with such security threats

1. Security Threats: Conventional radar systems are not meant for detecting low flying objects. Technologies to disable their
navigation or interfere with their radio frequency are still not fool proof. Technology is easily accessible to terrorist groups and it
also provides them the capability of air strikes.
2. Accessibility: Drones are relatively cheaper, compact and smaller in comparison to conventional weapons and yet can achieve far
more destructive results. Moreover, they are easily accessible for purchase at retail outlets. There is a possible threat of them being
used deliver weapons of mass destruction.
3. Regulation issues: regulating global supply chains for manufacturing and usage of civilian drones’ products and components is an
immensely difficult task. The manufacturers revealed that they often do not know who the final buyer is, and it is increasingly
becoming difficult thanks to online markets to find out whether the buyer is genuine or not.

Capabilities in dealing with such security threats

1. DRDO has developed an ‘Anti Drone System’ and it will be deployed this year.
2. Indian Air Force has decided to procure Counter Unarmed Aircraft System (CUAS) that can be armed with laser directed energy
weapons to bring down rogue drones.
An international process to define the limits of what is acceptable with respect to the possession and use of drones by states is urgently
needed. It is imperative for India to remember that fighting DIY and crude armed technologies could well be more difficult to achieve
than traditional warfare