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GS Paper: GS3

  • ISRO tests system recoverable rocket ‘Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD)’

    The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully tested a technology that could aid the cost-effective recovery of spent rocket stages and safely land payloads on other planets.

    What is IAD?

    • IAD is a technique used for an atmospheric entry payload.
    • An inflatable envelope and an inflatant (anything that inflates the envelope, like air or helium) make up the inflatable aerodynamic decelerator.
    • While entering the atmosphere, it inflates like a balloon and decelerates the lander.
    • The inflatant is designed to fill the inflatable envelope to a condition such that it surrounds the payload meant to enter the atmosphere of a planet or satellite and causes aerodynamic forces to slow it down.
    • In simpler words, IAD is designed to increase drag upon entering the atmosphere of any planetary body, like Earth, Mars, or even Moon.
    • Its shape is maintained by a closed, gas-pressured body and the inflatant gas is also generated internally. Some versions also use ram air or both.

    How significant is this IAD?

    • Some space agencies, including NASA, have already successfully tested advanced versions of the technology, including the supersonic and hypersonic variants.
    • However, for near future missions of ISRO, the current version that it tested is perfect.
    • Its use was first proposed by NASA more than 50 years ago for planetary entries.

    Minuscule of ISRO’s IAD

    • The IAD tested by ISRO was inflated at an altitude of around 84 km and the sounding rocket’s cargo dropped through the atmosphere on it.
    • It is fitted with a booster motor. It also has a spin rocket that is ejectable.
    • The inflatable structure is made out of Kevlar fabric, which is a very strong synthetic fibre and also heat resistant to withstand atmospheric pressure and temperature changes.
    • On top of it, it’s coated with polychloroprene, an oil and wax resistant rubber, to withstand extreme temperatures.
    • In the inflation system, it uses compressed nitrogen stored in a bottle.
    • It has consistently decreased the payload’s velocity through aerodynamic drag while maintaining the expected trajectory during the test flight.

    Where does ISRO intend to use it?

    • The IAD will help ISRO in performing many space tasks effectively including recovery of spent stages of rockets, for landing payloads on missions to other planetary bodies.
    • This is the first instance where an IAD has been specially created for spent stage recovery.
    • So inter-planetary missions are certainly one aspect that ISRO wishes to explore.

     

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  • India’s first Dark Sky Reserve to come up in Ladakh

    In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Department of Science & Technology (DST) has announced the setting up of India’s first dark sky reserve at Hanle in Ladakh in the next three months.

    What is a Dark Sky Reserve?

    • A dark-sky reserve is an area, usually surrounding a park or observatory that is kept free of artificial light pollution.
    • The purpose of a dark sky preserve is generally to promote astronomy.
    • Because different national organizations have worked independently to create their programs, different terms have been used to describe the areas.

    How is it designated?

    • A dark sky reserve is a designation given to a place that has policies in place to ensure that a tract of land or region has minimal artificial light interference.
    • The International Dark Sky Association is a US-based non-profit that designates sites as international dark sky places, parks, sanctuaries and reserves, depending on the criteria they meet.
    • Several such reserves exist around the world but none so far in India.

    Dark Sky Reserve at Hanle

    • Hanle, which is about 4,500 metres above sea level, hosts telescopes and is regarded as one of the world’s most optimal sites for astronomical observations.
    • However, ensuring that the site remains well-suited for astronomy implies keeping the night sky pristine, or ensuring minimal interference to the telescopes from artificial light sources such as electric lights and vehicular lights from the ground.
    • The site will have activities to help in boosting local tourism and economy through interventions of science and technology.

    The Himalayan Chandra Telescope, High Energy Gamma Ray Telescope, Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment Telescope and GROWTH-India are the prominent telescopes located at the Hanle observatory.

    Ideal conditions in India

    • The Indian Astronomical Observatory, the high-altitude station of the IIA, is situated to the north of Western Himalayas, at an altitude of 4,500 metres above mean sea level.
    • Located atop Mt. Saraswati in the Nilamkhul Plain in the Hanle Valley of Changthang, it is a dry, cold desert with sparse human population.
    • The cloudless skies and low atmospheric water vapour make it one of the best sites in the world for optical, infrared, sub-millimetre, and millimetre wavelengths.

     

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  • What is Kurki, and why is it a big issue in Punjab?

    A farmer in Punjab has committed suicide outside the office of the Muktsar DC against kurki orders for his land based on a court case filed against him by the local moneylender for defaulting on loan payment.

    What is Kurki?

    • Kurki means attachment of a farmer’s land, already pledged to the money lending institution or individual, in case of a loan default.
    • Apart from banks, private moneylenders, commission agents also get these decrees against farmers from time to time.

    How is kurki executed?

    • Kurki orders are executed under Section 60 of Civil Procedure Code, 1908.
    • The land which is pledged by the farmer to the bank or money lender gets registered in their name. In some cases, the land is auctioned as well.
    • The process begins after the money lender moves court to get kurki orders in case the farmer is unable to pay back his loan.
    • In kurki, attachment of farmer’s land as well as his tractor can be done as per the Section 60.

    Was kurki not banned in Punjab?

    • Both Akali Dal and Congress governments of the past have claimed to have banned kurki.
    • Congress fought the 2017 Assembly polls on the slogan ‘karza kurki khatam, fasal di poori rakam’.
    • Soon after winning polls in 2017, the then government abolished Section 67-A of Punjab Cooperative Societies Act that enabled cooperatives to recover unpaid loans through auctioning of land mortgaged by farmers.
    • However, Section 63-B, 63-C of the Act were not dropped to prevent attachment of land.
    • Former Punjab CM has also claimed that kurki was abolished by his government. Activists accuses governments of issuing vague orders on the matter.

    Why has a total ban on the century-old kurki law not been achieved?

    • A plea filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2018 sought complete ban on kurki.
    • However, the Punjab government in its affidavit stated that there was no need to ban kurki as relief was being given to farmers in terms of loan waiver, compensation etc.
    • Moreover, it stated that Section 60 of Civil Procedure Code, 1908 – under which kurki takes place — was over 110 years old and needed complete revision.

    What is the ground reality?

    • Farmers point out that they are made to give post-dated cheques for loan, which are then used to get arrest orders issued in cheque bounce cases.
    • They have also accused money lenders of using pronotes signed by them to get kurki orders.
    • “Pro-notes” (promissory notes) are written documents taken from farmers, and signed by them at the time of giving the loan.
    • In April 2022, over 2,000 arrest warrants were issued against farmers for non-payment of loans to cooperative societies and Punjab agriculture development banks.

     

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  • Exercise Vostok-22

    Russia is holding Vostok exercises. However, India has only sent its army contingent of the 7/8 Gorkha Rifles, and will not take part in the maritime section of the two-part event.

    Vostok-2022

    • It is an annual, multilateral, strategic and command exercise hosted by Russia.
    • This year it will see the participation of more than 50,000 troops from 13 countries such as India, China, Algeria, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Syria and many more.
    • While the exercises in Vostok-2022 are routine, they are the first such multilateral exercises to be held since the Russian war in Ukraine began.

    Why in news now?

    • India has only sent its army contingent and will not take part in the maritime section of the two-part event.
    • This is because the maritime part of the exercises would be held in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan.
    • These are near the disputed South Kuril Islands.
    • India’s decision not to take part in the naval exercises is believed to be in deference to Tokyo’s sensitivities.

    What does India’s participation mean?

    By sending an army contingent to join Russian and Chinese troops in the exercises at this time, New Delhi is aiming to send a four-pronged message:

    1. Continuing relationship with Russia despite the Ukraine war: The Modi government has decided not to join the Western sanctions regime, or to curb oil imports and other economic engagement with Moscow.
    2. Signal balance and non-alignment in the current crisis: India has mostly abstained from votes at the United Nations seeking to criticise Russia.
    3. India also takes part in routine Indo-Pacific exercises: This is with its Western partners including the Quad, as well as in bilateral exercises, like the India-US Ex. Yudh Abhyas.
    4. Willingness to conditional engagement with China: The message the government continues to give is that it is willing to engage with China on a number of fronts, even as military talks at LAC (Line of Actual Control) remain stuck.

    Conclusion

    • There might be some discomfort for Indian soldiers in dealing with their counterparts at a time when they are facing each other off along the LAC.
    • But that’s a small price to pay if it means keeping India-Russia ties on an even keel.
    • India needs to start communicating its intent better.
    • Strategic communication is an art. It’s time to master it.

     

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  • Energy Atmanirbharta

    EnergyContext

    • The Prime Minister has called for “Energy Atmanirbharta” by 2040.

    What is Atmanirbharta?

    • Atmanirbharta translates literally to self-reliance.

    What is the main purpose of Atmanirbhar Bharat?

    • The aim is to make the country and its citizens independent and self-reliant in all senses. Five pillars of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat are – Economy, Infrastructure, System, Vibrant Demography and Demand.

    How to achieve energy self-reliance?

    • Definitional clarity: Atmanirbharta translates literally to self-reliance. Many interpret it to mean self-sufficiency. That should not be our goal. Energy self-sufficiency is infeasible and uneconomic. A better statement of intent would be “strategic autonomy”.
    • Affordable access to fuel: Our policy must continue to emphasise affordable and secure access to oil and gas. Part of this objective could be met by intensifying domestic exploration.
    • Prioritise access to the building blocks of green energy: The sine qua non for realising this forecast will be cost-competitive access to minerals/components (copper, cobalt, lithium, semiconductor chips etc) required to build EVs, solar panels, wind turbines and batteries.
    • Infrastructure development: We must expand our strategic petroleum reserves to cover at least 30 days of consumption and upgrade the transmission grid and battery storage systems to scale up renewables and smoothen its supplies. We will need to develop innovative financing mechanisms to fund green infrastructure. It should be emphasised that all such investments will get impaired if state discoms are financially insolvent.
    • Green incentives: The government’s production-linked incentive scheme (PLI) offers benefits for investment in green energy.
    • Demand conservation and efficiency: Energy usage norms must be standardised and tightened. Legislation should be contemplated to ensure compliance.
    • Energy diplomacy: Our diplomats should add the arrows of energy diplomacy to their quiver. This is because of our dependence on the international energy supply chains. Success in navigating the cross-currents of economic and geopolitical uncertainties will rest greatly on skilful diplomacy.
    • Holistic governance: The current siloed structures of energy governance are suboptimal. A root and branch administrative overall is required. Institutions should be created to facilitate integrated energy planning and implementation.

    Case study for value addition

    • Costa Rica lasted 300 consecutive days on renewable energy alone. Costa Rica set the record in 2017 for most consecutive days with renewable energy. The previous record for this feat was in 2015 when Costa Rica lasted 299 consecutive days on pure, clean energy.

    Challenges ahead

    • Anti-nuclear public sentiment: The Fukushima-Daiichi accident resulted in growing concern over the safety of nuclear plants in India .The construction of a nuclear plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu, brought the issue directly into the public domain in 2012.
    • Management autonomy: Power sector is dominated by public sector companies or PSUs (owned by the central and state government). Some parts of the energy sector have made very little progress in attracting private investment since 2007.
    • Pricing: is the key to ensure the commercial viability of business entities and to attract investment into each fuel sector.
    • Rigid tariff setting mechanism: Theoretically,  prices should be supervised and adjusted in a timely manner and adequately by independent regulators to reflect changing costs. However, in India, regulators including CERC and SERCs operate in a very rigid way due to political considerations. This jeopardises the operational profitability of companies.

    EnergyConclusion

    • We need leadership that can reconcile temporal differences and balance the short-term pressures of elections with the longer-term imperatives of sustainability in energy security which calls for bold and pragmatic decision making by the leadership.

    Mains question

    Q. How India can achieve “Energy Atmanirbharta” by 2040 an ambitious target stated by prime minister? What are the challenges in achieving this goal?.

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  • Cybercrime in India

    cybercrimeContext

    • There has been a steady spike in cases of cybercrime in the last five years.

    What is a cybercrime?

    • Cybercrime is any criminal activity that involves a computer, networked device or a network. While most cybercrimes are carried out in order to generate profit for the cybercriminals, some cybercrimes are carried out against computers or devices directly to damage or disable them.

    What data states?

    • India reported 52,974 cases of cybercrime in 2021, an increase of over 5 per cent from 2020 (50,035 cases) and over 15 per cent from 2019 (44,735 cases), according to latest government data.

    How many cyber criminals are caught in India?

    In 2020, over 18.4 thousand people were arrested on account of cyber-crimes across India.

    Who is responsible for cyber security centre or state?

    • With ‘police’ and ‘public order’ being in the State List, the primary obligation to check crime and create the necessary cyberinfrastructure lies with States.
    • At the same time, with the IT Act and major laws being central legislations, the central government is no less responsible to evolve uniform statutory procedures for the enforcement agencies.

    cybercrimeStatus of cyber investigation

    • There is no separate procedural code for the investigation of cyber or computer-related offences.
    • As electronic evidence is entirely different in nature when compared with evidence of traditional crime, laying down standard and uniform procedures to deal with electronic evidence is essential.

    What are general guidelines for cyber investigation?

    • The broad ‘guidelines for the identification, collection, acquisition and preservation of digital evidence’ are given in the Indian Standard IS/ISO/ IEC 27037: 2012, issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
    • This document is fairly comprehensive and easy to comprehend for both the first responder (who could be an authorised and trained police officer of a police station) as well as the specialist (who has specialised knowledge, skills and the abilities to handle a wide range of technical issues).
    • The guidelines, if followed meticulously, may ensure that electronic evidence is neither tampered with nor subject to spoliation during investigation.

    cybercrime
    What is the meaning of digital evidence or electronic evidence?

    • Digital evidence is information stored or transmitted in binary form that may be relied on in court. It can be found on a computer hard drive, a mobile phone, among other places. Digital evidence is commonly associated with electronic crime, or e-crime, such as child pornography or credit card fraud.

    Arjun Khotkar vs Kailash Gorantyal Judgement

    • The Court held that a certificate under Section 65B(4) of the Indian Evidence (IE) Act was a mandatory pre-requisite for the admissibility of (secondary) electronic record if the original record could not be produced.

    What is Indian evidence act?

    • The Indian Evidence Act, originally passed in India by the Imperial Legislative Council in 1872, during the British Raj, contains a set of rules and allied issues governing admissibility of evidence in the Indian courts of law.

    Judicial activism for cyber security

    • A significant attempt has been made by the higher judiciary in this field also. As resolved in the Conference of the Chief Justices of the High Court in April 2016, a five judge committee was constituted in July 2018 to frame the draft rules which could serve as a model for the reception of digital evidence by courts.
    • The committee, after extensive deliberations with experts, the police and investigation agencies, finalised its report in November 2018, but the suggested Draft Rules for the Reception, Retrieval, Authentication and Preservation of Electronic Records are yet to be given a statutory force.

    What needs to be done?

    • Upgrade cyber labs: The cyber forensic laboratories of States must be upgraded with the advent of new technologies.
    • Digital rupee: Offences related to cryptocurrency remain under-reported as the capacity to solve such crimes remains limited. The central government has proposed launching a digital rupee using block-chain technology soon.
    • Empowering states: State enforcement agencies need to be ready for new technologies. The Centre helps in upgrading the State laboratories by providing modernisation funds, though the corpus has gradually shrunk over the years.
    • Need for localisation of data: Most cybercrimes are trans-national in nature with extra-territorial jurisdiction. The collection of evidence from foreign territories is not only a difficult but also a tardy process.

    Conclusion

    • Centre and States must not only work in tandem and frame statutory guidelines to facilitate investigation of cybercrime but also need to commit sufficient funds to develop much-awaited and required cyber infrastructure.

    Mains question

    Q.With the increasing use of computers in society, cybercrime has become a major issue. Analyse the loopholes in cyber security regime of India by giving suggestions to rectify the same.

     

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  • Millet crop is the best solution for climate smart agriculture

    milletContext

    • Government push to coarse cereals as climate change affects wheat, paddy cultivation

    What are millets crops?

    • Millets are a group of highly variable small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for human food and as fodder.

    Features Millet crops in India

    • Big three: The three major millet crops currently growing in India are jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl millet) and ragi (finger millet).
    • Examples: India also grows a rich array of bio-genetically diverse and indigenous varieties of “small millets” like kodo, kutki, chenna and sanwa.
    • Area of production: Major producers include Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana.

    milletWhat are Advantages of millet cultivation?

    • Low input cost: cereals are good for the soil, have shorter cultivation cycles and require less cost-intensive cultivation.
    • Climate resilience: These unique features make millets suited for and resilient to India’s varied agro-climatic conditions.
    • Drought tolerance: cereals are not water or input-intensive, making them a sustainable strategy for addressing climate change and building resilient agri-food systems.

    milletReduction in millet production

    • Effects of Green Revolution: The Green Revolution succeeded in making India food sufficient, however, it also led to water-logging, soil erosion, groundwater depletion and the unsustainability of agriculture.
    • Deficit mind-set: Current policies are still based on the “deficit” mind-set of the 1960s.
    • Biased policies: The procurement, subsidies and water policies are biased towards rice and wheat.
    • Skewed cropping pattern: Three crops (rice, wheat and sugarcane) corner 75 to 80 per cent of irrigated water.
    • Lack of diversification: Diversification of cropping patterns towards cereals, pulses, oilseeds, horticulture is needed for more equal distribution of water, sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture.

    What can be done to promote millets as nutri-cereals?

    1) Rebranding the cereals as nutri-cereals

    • The first strategy from a consumption and trade point of view was to re-brand coarse cereals/millets as nutri-cereals.
    • As of 2018-19, millet production had been extended to over 112 districts across 14 states.

    2) Incentive through hiking MSP

    • Second, the government hiked the MSP of nutri-cereals, which came as a big price incentive for farmers.
    • From 2014-15 to 2020 MSPs for ragi has jumped by 113 per cent, by 72 per cent for bajra and by 71 per cent for jowar.
    • MSPs have been calculated so that the farmer is ensured at least a 50 per cent return on their cost of production.

    3) Providing steady markets through inclusion in PDS

    • To provide a steady market for the produce, the Modi government included millets in the public distribution system.

    4) Increasing area, production and yield

    • The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare is running a Rs 600-crore scheme to increase the area, production and yield of nutri-cereals.
    • With a goal to match the cultivation of nutri-cereals with local topography and natural resources, the government is encouraging farmers to align their local cropping patterns to India’s diverse 127 agro-climatic zones.
    • Provision of seed kits and inputs to farmers, building value chains through Farmer Producer Organisations and supporting the marketability of nutri-cereals are some of the key interventions that have been put in place.

    5) Intersection of agriculture and nutrition

    • The Ministry of Women and Child Development has been working at the intersection of agriculture and nutrition by -1) setting up nutri-gardens, 2) promoting research on the interlinkages between crop diversity and dietary diversity 3) running a behaviour change campaign to generate consumer demand for nutri-cereals.

    Conclusion

    • India should aim for a food systems transformation, which can be inclusive and sustainable, ensure growing farm incomes and nutrition security. As the government sets to achieve its agenda of a malnutrition-free India and doubling of farmers’ incomes, the promotion of the production and consumption of nutri-cereals seems to be a policy shift in the right direction.

    Mains question

    Q. Promotion of millet crops serves the dual purpose of securing health and supporting farmers. Elucidate.

     

     

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  • What causes Rainbow Clouds (Cloud Iridescence)?

    Last week, pictures of an unusually-shaped rainbow cloud that appeared over China were widely shared on social media.

    What is the news?

    • The cloud in question resembles a pileus cloud.
    • Such phenomenon of bright colours appearing on a cloud is called cloud iridescence.

    What is a Pileus Cloud?

    • A pileus cloud is usually formed over a cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud.
    • It is formed when the base cloud pushes a moist current of air upwards and the water vapour from the current condenses to somewhat resemble wave-like crests, or umbrellas.
    • In popular western culture, it is called as an “accessory cloud” that is “rather like a cloud haircut”.
    • A pileus cloud is transient in nature and lasts barely for a few minutes, making it difficult, and at the same time, exciting, to spot.

    What is cloud iridescence?

    • Cloud iridescence or Irisation is an optical phenomenon that mostly occurs in wave-like clouds, including pileus and Altocumulus lenticularis.
    • Iridescence in clouds means the appearance of colours on clouds, which can either be in the form of parallel bands like in a rainbow, or mingled in patches.
    • In ancient Greek mythology, Iris is the goddess of rainbow. “Irisation”, the phenomenon of rainbow-like colours in clouds, is derived from her name.

    What is a photometeor?

    • Iridescence of clouds is a photometeor.
    • It is an optical phenomenon produced by the reflection, refraction, diffraction or interference of sunlight.

    What causes cloud iridescence?

    • In pileus clouds, small water droplets or ice crystals, usually of a similar size, diffract the sunlight falling on them.
    • The thinness of the cloud ensures more exposure to sunlight for each water droplet or ice crystal.
    • To ensure its wave crest-like appearance, water droplets or ice crystals in these clouds are always moving – droplets form at one side of the cloud and evaporate from the other end – and hence these clouds remain small and thin since the droplets have no way of combining and growing in size.
    • In its International Cloud Atlas, the World Meteorological Organisation says that iridescence or Irisation is caused by diffraction within 10 degrees from the sun.
    • Beyond ten degrees and up till about 40 degrees, interference of light is the main cause of iridescence.

     

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  • Cervavac: India’s first indigenously developed Vaccine for Cervical Cancer

    Cervavax

    Union Minister of Science and Technology has announced the scientific completion of Cervavac, India’s first indigenously developed quadrivalent human papillomavirus (qHPV) vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer.

    What is Cervavac?

    • Cervavac was developed by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India in coordination with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
    • The project to develop the vaccine was implemented by the then secretary of the DBT, Dr. M K Bhan in 2011.
    • Since then, 30 meetings of scientific advisory groups and site visits conducted by DBT have helped review the scientific merit of the entire journey to develop the vaccine.
    • Cervavac received market authorisation approval from the Drug Controller General of India on July 12 this year.

    What is so unique about Cervavac?

    • HPV vaccines are given in two doses and data has shown that the antibodies that develop after both are administered can last up to six or seven years.
    • Unlike Covid vaccines, booster shots may not be required for the cervical cancer vaccine.
    • Until now, the HPV vaccines available in India were produced by foreign manufacturers at an approximate cost of Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,500 per dose.
    • Cervavac is likely to be significantly cheaper, slated to cost approximately Rs 200 to 400.
    • It has also demonstrated a robust antibody response that is nearly 1,000 times higher than the baseline against all targeted HPV types and in all dose and age groups.

    Significance of the vaccine

    • Despite being largely preventable, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women globally, according to the WHO.
    • In 2018, an estimated 57000 women were diagnosed with the disease and it accounted for 311,000 deaths across the world.

    How common is cervical cancer in India?

    • India accounts for about a fifth of the global burden of cervical cancer, with 1.23 lakh cases and around 67,000 deaths per year.
    • Almost all cervical cancer cases are linked to certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that is transmitted through sexual contact.
    • The body’s immune system usually gets rid of the HPV infection naturally within two years.
    • However, in a small percentage of people, the virus can linger over time and turn some normal cells into abnormal cells and then cancer.

    How dangerous is cervical cancer?

    • Cervical cancer is preventable if detected early and managed effectively.
    • Screening and vaccination are two powerful tools that are available for preventing cervical cancer.
    • Still, there is little awareness among women about the prevention of this cancer and less than 10% of Indian women get screened.
    • All women aged 30-49 must get screened for cervical cancer even if they have no symptoms and get their adolescent daughters vaccinated with the HPV vaccine.

    What are the challenges?

    • The biggest task will be in allocating adequate resources and manpower for vaccinating the massive demographic of adolescent girls aged between 9 and 15, to ensure that they are protected from HPV early.
    • There is a huge need for stepping up awareness about the disease and the vaccine in the community.
    • Unlike Covid and the vaccination programme, there is very little awareness about cervical cancer.
    • Overall awareness and screening are very low in the community and that is a concern.
    • Since this is a preventable disease and hence a huge awareness programme is required

    Way forward

    • School-based vaccination programmes might work effectively.
    • Currently, none exist and therefore planning will have to be done along those lines.
    • Those accessing public health programmes will get the vaccine free of cost at government-aided schools.
    • However concerted efforts will have to be made to ensure the involvement of private healthcare facilities and NGOs towards an effective rollout.

     

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  • Why are the fisherfolk protesting over Vizhinjam Port Project?

    Vizhinjam near Thiruvananthapuram, is on the boil due to the under-construction Vizhinjam Port Project, from both sea and land.

    Vizhinjam Port Project

    • The Vizhinjam International Transhipment Deep-water Multipurpose Seaport is an ambitious project taken up by Government of Kerala.
    • It is designed primarily to cater container transhipment besides multi-purpose and break bulk cargo.
    • The port is being currently developed in landlord model with a Public Private Partnership component on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer (“DBFOT”) basis.

    Why protests are erupted?

    • The protestors have been opposing the construction work by the Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited.
    • Adani group is developing the port on DBFOT basis.

    What lies at the heart of the protest?

    • According to fisherfolk, the port work has aggravated the coastal erosion along the coast of Thiruvananthapuram.
    • A scientific study to assess the impact of the port work on the shoreline has to be conducted urgently by stopping the construction.
    • Further, around 300 families along the coastline were shifted to relief camps after their houses were destroyed due to high-intensity coastal erosion.
    • The protesters demand a comprehensive rehabilitation package, an assured minimum wage when the sea turns rough due to inclement weather and subsidised kerosene for boats.

    Why the Vizhinjam project is considered important?

    • The port is located on the southern tip of the Indian Peninsula, just 10 nautical miles from the major international sea route and east-west shipping axis.
    • It has a natural water depth of more than 20 m within a nautical mile from the coast.
    • The Vizhinjam port is likely to play a pivotal role in the maritime development of the country and Kerala.
    • The commissioning of the port is expected to leverage the growth of 17 minor ports in the State along with creating thousands of employment opportunities.

     

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