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  • Electric and Hybrid Cars – FAME, National Electric Mobility Mission, etc.

    India’s Lithium Dependency Worries

    | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Lithium has been among the most sought-after mineral during the past few years, largely on the back of its usage in battery manufacturing.

    India is at odds with a major import source for the mineral, China.

    About Lithium

    • Lithium is a chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3.
    • It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard conditions, it is the lightest metal and the lightest solid element.
    • Like all alkali metals, lithium is highly reactive and flammable and must be stored in mineral oil.
    • When cut, it exhibits a metallic lustre, but moist air corrodes it quickly to a dull silvery grey, then black tarnish.
    • Lithium metal is isolated electrolytically from a mixture of lithium chloride and potassium chloride.
    • It is a crucial building block of the lithium-ion rechargeable batteries that power electric vehicles (EVs), laptops and mobile phones.

    Lithium-ion batteries

    • A lithium-ion battery or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery.
    • They are commonly used for portable electronics and electric vehicles and are growing in popularity for military and aerospace applications.
    • A prototype Li-ion battery was developed by Akira Yoshino in 1985, based on earlier research by John Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham, Rachid Yazami and Koichi Mizushima during the 1970s–1980s.
    • In 2019, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was given to this trio “for the development of lithium-ion batteries”.

    Global producers of lithium

    • Australia and Chile have swapped positions as the world’s leading lithium-producing country over the past decade. In 2019, the world’s Top 5 lithium producers were:
    1. Australia – 52.9% of global production
    2. Chile – 21.5%
    3. China – 9.7%
    4. Argentina – 8.3%
    5. Zimbabwe – 2.1%
    • The U.S. ranked 7th with 1.2% of the world’s lithium production.
    • In 2019, the world’s Top 5 lithium reserves by country were:
    1. Chile – 55.5% of the world’s total
    2. Australia – 18.1%
    3. Argentina – 11.0%
    4. China – 6.5%
    5. U.S. – 4.1%

    Why is India looking for lithium?

    • India has been scouting for lithium reserves since the Centre’s push to boost the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the country.
    • The ₹18,000 crore production-linked incentive scheme for advanced chemistry cell (ACC) battery storage, a flagship incentive scheme for the industry has kicked off.
    • However, the supply of lithium, which is largely an imported product, has declined.
    • With India being in a diplomatic tussle with China, the supplies from the neighbouring country have declined and India too is looking for other import avenues.

    Why has the supply of lithium declined?

    • The supply of lithium has not been in line with the surge in demand from electric vehicle makers across the world.
    • China also is witnessing a mismatch between demand and supply, which has led to a rise in prices.

     

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  • Social Media: Prospect and Challenges

    Social media platforms must be held accountable for subjugating rights: Centre to HC

    | Polity | Mains Paper 2: Indian Constitution – historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure

    The Centre told the Delhi High Court that social media platforms must be held accountable for “subjugating and supplanting fundamental rights like the right to freedom of speech and expression, otherwise the same would have dire consequences for any democratic nation”.

    What is the news?

    • The Ministry’s submission came in response to a petition filed by a Twitter user whose account was suspended by the microblogging site for alleged violations of platform guidelines.
    • The Twitter user said his account was suspended for the reason of “ban evasion” (creating an account when a similar account was earlier banned).
    • The complainant said Twitter suspended his accounts without giving him an opportunity for a hearing.

    Centre’s argument

    • The Centre said when a Significant Social Media Intermediary (SSMI) such as Twitter takes a decision to suspend the whole or part of a user’s account on its own due to its policy violation, it should afford a reasonable opportunity to the user to defend his side.
    • The exception, the Centre said, where the SSMIs could take such a decision include certain scenarios such as rape, sexually explicit material or child sexual abuse material, bot activity or malware, terrorism-related content etc.
    • If an SSMI fails to comply with the above, then it may amount to a violation of IT Rules 2021, the Centre clarified.
    • No platform or intermediary will be allowed to infringe upon the citizens’ rights, including but not limited to Articles 14, 19 and 21 guaranteed under the Constitution of India under the guise of violation of the platform’s policies unless it constitutes a violation of extant law in force.

    What are the IT Rules 2021?

    Why is this a matter of concern?

    • Social media platforms must respect the fundamental rights of the citizens and should not take down the account itself or completely suspend the user account in all cases.
    • Taking down the whole information or the user account should be a last resort.
    • Only in cases where the majority of the contents/posts/tweets on an account are unlawful, the platform may take the extreme step of taking down the whole information or suspending the whole account.

    Conclusion

    • Hence it can be argued that undue discontinuance of social media accounts of any person is violative of fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 19 and 21.

     

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  • ISRO Missions and Discoveries

    What is Project NETRA?

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is building up its orbital debris tracking capability by deploying new radars and optical telescopes under the Network for Space Objects Tracking and Analysis (NETRA) project.

    Project NETRA

    • The project will give India its own capability in space situational awareness (SSA) like the other space powers — which is used to ‘predict’ threats from debris to Indian satellites.
    • NETRA’s eventual goal is to capture the GEO, or geostationary orbit, scene at 36,000 km where communication satellites operate.
    • The initial SSA will first be for low-earth orbits or LEO which have remote-sensing spacecraft.
    • Under NETRA the ISRO plans to put up many observational facilities: connected radars, telescopes; data processing units and a control centre.
    • They can, among others, spot, track and catalogue objects as small as 10 cm, up to a range of 3,400 km and equal to a space orbit of around 2,000 km.
    • The NETRA effort would make India a part of international efforts towards tracking, warning about and mitigating space debris.

    What NETRA consists of?

    • In the plans are a high-precision, long range telescope in Leh and a radar in the North East.
    • Along with them, we will also use the Multi-Object Tracking Radar (MOTR) that we have put up at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, and the telescopes at Ponmudi and Mount Abu to get a broad SSA picture.
    • NORAD, or the North American Aerospace Defense Command, is an initiative of the U.S. and Canada that shares selective debris data with many countries.
    • The new SSA centre would consolidate debris tracking activities that are now spread across ISRO centres.
    • Currently there are 15 functional Indian communication satellites in the geostationary orbit of 36,000 km; 13 remote sensing satellites in LEO of up to 2,000 km; and eight navigation satellites in medium earth orbits.

    Why Space debris matters?

    • Space junk or debris consists of spent rocket stages, dead satellites, fragments of space objects and debris resulting from ASAT.
    • Hurtling at an average speed of 27,000 kmph in LEO, these objects pose a very real threat as collisions involving even centimetre-sized fragments can be lethal to satellites.
    • Last year, ISRO monitored 4,382 events in LEO and 3,148 events in the geostationary orbit where space objects closely approached Indian assets.
    • Fragments from the Fengyun-1C satellite (part of the anti-satellite test (ASAT) by China in 2007) and the Cosmos 2251-Iridium satellite collision in 2009 accounted for the maximum number of these threats.
    • The observations also covered 84 “close approaches of less than one km” between Starlink satellites and Indian assets.

    Enhancing Space situational awareness (SSA)

    • India, as a responsible space power, should have SSA as a part of a national capability, as in the U.S. This is a vital requirement for protecting our space assets and a force multiplier.
    • The SSA has a military quotient to it and adds a new ring to the country’s overall security.
    • It uses satellites, ground and air radars to secure its two countries against attacks from air, space or sea.
    • With long-range tracking radars, the SSA also provides us the capability of an early warning system against ballistic missiles coming in at a height.
    • Apart from radars and telescopes, he said India should also think of deploying satellites that track other satellites — as the U.S. and other space powers had done.
    • Combined with other elements of military intelligence SSA would help us to understand motives behind any suspicious orbit changes of other satellites and to know if they were spying on or harming our spacecraft.

     

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  • For deeper, richer India-Mexico ties

    | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India

    Context

    In 2021, Mexico and India commemorated 71 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations. This article is written by the Foreign Minister of Mexico, who has been on his official visit to India.

    Areas of cooperation between two countries

    • Mexico and India are members of the G-20, which brings together 20 of the largest economies in the world and whose presidency in 2023 will be assumed by India.
    • Non-permanent members of the security council: Both countries are non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council this year.
    • At both forums, India and Mexico will contribute decisively to world peace and security, and will put poverty reduction at the centre of the multilateral debate.
    • The health sector is another cornerstone of our exchanges.
    • Mexico will strengthen its cooperation with India as one of the leading global producers of medicines and will also seek joint pharmaceutical manufacturing.
    • Another key focus area of cooperation will be aerospace.
    • Although it was started less than a decade ago, this has enormous potential for the Mexican Space Agency and for regional initiatives such as the recently established Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE) of which Mexico is the founder.
    • In the economic sphere, Mexico’s links with India, the sixth-largest economy in the world and our tenth-largest trading partner, undoubtedly offers a wide range of prospects for Mexico’s productive sectors.

    Conclusion

    Links between India and Mexico have evolved positively in recent years, demonstrating the complementarities between two ancient countries, rich in history and diversity. In this spirit, we will take a firm step towards a tangible alliance to showcase this evolution, which could result in mutual benefits.

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  • Foreign Policy Watch: India-SAARC Nations

    Bridging the bay in quest of a stronger BIMSTEC

    | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India,India & Its Neighborhood – Relations

    Context

    Sri Lanka is gearing up to host the Fifth Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit, now in its silver jubilee year. The summit is being held in virtual/hybrid mode and Sri Lanka is the current BIMSTEC chair.

    Why BIMSTEC matters for India and the region

    • The unique ecology of BIMSTEC is witnessing enriched political support and commitment from India.
    • India has made the Bay of Bengal integral to India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ and ‘Act East’ policies which can accelerate the process of regional integration.
    • Significance in economic and strategic space: Finalising the BIMSTEC Charter; BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity; BIMSTEC Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters; BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility (TTF); cooperation between diplomatic academies/training institutions; and a template of Memorandum of Association for the future establishment of BIMSTEC centres/entities present signs of optimism.
    • BIMSTEC as a centre of Indo-Pacific: With a re-emergence of the idea of the ‘Indo-Pacific’ region, the growing economic, geopolitical and security connections between the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean regions are creating a shared strategic space.
    • The Bay of Bengal is evolving as the centre of the Indo-Pacific region again.
    • The renewed focus has given a new lease of life to the developmental efforts in the region, in particular BIMSTEC.

    Way forward for BIMSTEC

    1] Political support and strong commitment from all member countries

    • With a changed narrative and approach, the Bay of Bengal has the potential to become the epicentre of the Indo-Pacific idea — a place where the strategic interests of the major powers of East and South Asia intersect.
    • Potential of BIMSTEC: There is a greater appreciation of BIMSTEC’s potential due to geographical contiguity, abundant natural and human resources, and rich historical linkages and a cultural heritage for promoting deeper cooperation in the region.
    • Political support and strong commitment from all member countries are crucial in making BIMSTEC a dynamic and effective regional organisation.

    2] Boost connectivity

    • Connectivity is essential to develop a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable Bay of Bengal region.
    • The BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity will provide the necessary boost to connectivity.
    •  Therefore, BIMSTEC needs to address two dimensions of connectivity – one, upgrading and dovetailing national connectivity into a regional road map; and two, development of both hard and soft infrastructures.

    3] Enhance cooperation in different areas

    • There is growing involvement of educational institutions, industries and business chambers through various forums and conclaves which are helping to enhance cooperation in the areas of education, trade and investments, information technology and communication among others.
    • India has implemented its promise to set up a Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies (CBS) at Nalanda University, Bihar for research on art, culture and other subjects related to the Bay of Bengal.

    4] Strengthen the institutional capacity of the BIMSTEC Secretariat

    • The BIMSTEC Secretariat coordinates, monitors and facilitates the implementation of BIMSTEC activities and programmes. The leaders must agree to strengthen the institutional capacity of the BIMSTEC Secretariat.
    • Charter for BIMSTEC: Approval of a charter for BIMSTEC during the summit will further augment its visibility and stature in international fora.

    Conclusion

    The quest for economic growth and the development of the BIMSTEC region can be achieved with single-minded focus and cooperation among the member counties. In this endeavour, India has a key role in accelerating regional cooperation under the BIMSTEC framework and in making it vibrant, stronger and result-oriented.

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  • Indian Ocean Power Competition

    India seeks closer BIMSTEC partnership

    IOCR | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India

    Addressing the ministerial of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi–Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), EAM S. Jaishankar urged closer cooperation and connectivity among the members.

    What is BIMSTEC?

    • The BIMSTEC formed in 1997 is an international organisation of seven South Asian and Southeast Asian nations, housing 1.73 billion people and having a combined gross domestic product of $3.8 trillion (2021).
    • The BIMSTEC member states – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand – are among the countries dependent on the Bay of Bengal.
    • Leadership is rotated in alphabetical order of country names. The permanent secretariat is in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
    • A BIMSTEC free trade agreement is under negotiation (c. 2018), also referred to as the mini SAARC.

    Objectives of BIMSTEC

    There are 14 main sectors of BIMSTEC along technological and economic cooperation among South Asian and Southeast Asian countries along the coast of the Bay of Bengal.

    1. Trade & Investment
    2. Transport & Communication
    3. Energy
    4. Tourism
    5. Technology
    6. Fisheries
    7. Agriculture
    8. Public Health
    9. Poverty Alleviation
    10. Counter-Terrorism & Transnational Crime
    11. Environment & Disaster Management
    12. People-to-People Contact
    13. Cultural Cooperation
    14. Climate Change

    About the proposed BIMSTEC FTA Framework

    • The BIMSTEC FTA has been signed by all member nations to stimulate trade and investment in the parties, and attract outsiders to trade with and invest in the BIMSTEC countries at a higher level.
    • Subsequently, the “Trade Negotiating Committee” (TNC) was set up, with Thailand as the permanent chair, to negotiate in areas of trade in goods and services, investment, economic co-operation, trade facilitations and technical assistance for LDCs.
    • Once negotiation on trade in goods is completed, the TNC would then proceed with negotiation on trade in services and investment.

    Others

    (1) BIMSTEC Coastal Shipping Agreement draft

    • It was discussed on 1 December 2017 in New Delhi, to facilitate coastal shipping within 20 nautical miles of the coastline in the region to boost trade between the member countries.
    • Compared to the deep sea shipping, coastal ship require smaller vessels with lesser draft and involve lower costs.
    • Once the agreement becomes operational after it is ratified, a lot of cargo movement between the member countries can be done through the cost effective, environment friendly and faster coastal shipping routes.

    (2) BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity

    • The BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity, finalized under India’s chairmanship of the expert group last year, envisages a seamless multimodal transport system across the region.
    • This will stimulate intra-regional trade and investment in the region.
    • It identifies 264 projects requiring an investment of $ 126 billion over a ten year horizon from 2018–2028.

     

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  • Start-up Ecosystem In India

    Startup India Initiative and its Success

    Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways Etc.

    A research, reviewing India’s entrepreneurial policy Startup India, affirmed its positive impact in reducing regional entrepreneurial disparities.

    Startup India Initiative

    • The Startup India campaign was first announced by PM Modi during his speech on 15 August 2015 address from the Red Fort.
    • The action plan for this initiative is focusing on three areas:
    1. Simplification and Handholding.
    2. Funding Support and Incentives.
    3. Industry-Academia Partnership and Incubation.
    • An additional area relating to this initiative is to discard restrictive States Government policies within this domain, such as License Raj, Land Permissions, Foreign Investment Proposals, and Environmental Clearances.
    • It was organized by the Department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPI&IT).

    The success of the scheme

    • Minister for Commerce and Industry has informed the Lok Sabha that the entrepreneurial portal had more than 65,000 startups registered.
    • Of which, 40 attained the ‘unicorn’ status in the last twelve months, bringing the total as of date to 90.
    • India now ranks third among global startup eco-systems.
    • The networking, training and mentoring facilities provided by Startup India alongside entrepreneurship outreach campaigns in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, helped address regional entrepreneurial disparities in India.

    Limitations to its success

    (1) Heavy concentration in megacities

    • Entrepreneurship continues to be “highly concentrated” in three megacities, namely, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi NCR.
    • India’s venture capital industry is also clustered in and around these three cities.
    • Such concentration can lead to increased economic inequality and hinder emergence of entrepreneurs from industries other than those belonging to the clusters.

    (2) Narrow Representation

    • The Startup India Action Plan document has no mention of the words ‘caste’, ‘tribe’, ‘marginalised’, ‘indigenous’ or ‘social group’.
    • Additionally, the policy’s reliance on technology does not take into consideration India’s digital divide, especially with respect to urban and rural areas.

    (3) Few Women in the industry

    • There is an under-representation of women and marginalized caste groups in the national startup ecosystem.

    Dedicated measures to support Women

    • 10% of the fund in the Fund of Funds operated by Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has been reserved for women-led startups.
    • Further, all the alternate investment funds where the SIDBI takes equity have been mandated to contribute 20% in business which are women led.
    • There is a capacity-building program and a dedicated webpage for women on the portal.

    Way ahead

    • There is a need for policies and progressive strategies from governments to encourage startups and provide access and assistance in key areas including tax clarity, incubation, affordability and licensing.
    • In any case, governments should be well prepared and dedicated to creating a culture of startups to impact the entrepreneurial ecosystem in their cities, countries and citizens.

     

    Also read:

    [Burning Issue] Five Years of Startup India Scheme

     

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  • Wildlife Conservation Efforts

    Rhino population up by 200 in Kaziranga

    Species | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    The population of the greater one-horned or Indian rhinoceros in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve has increased by 200 (from 2413 in 2018) in four years, the latest census of the flagship animal has revealed.

    About Indian Rhino

    • The Indian rhinoceros also called the greater one-horned rhinoceros and great Indian rhinoceros is a rhinoceros native to the Indian subcontinent.
    • It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and Schedule I animal in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
    • It once ranged across the entire northern part of the Indian Subcontinent, along the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra River basins, from Pakistan to the Indian-Myanmar border.
    • Poaching for rhinoceros horn became the single most important reason for the decline of the Indian rhino.

    Why are Rhinos poached for horns?

    • Ground rhino horn is used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure a range of ailments, from cancer to hangovers, and also as an aphrodisiac.
    • In Vietnam, possessing a rhino horn is considered a status symbol.
    • Due to demand in these countries, poaching pressure on rhinos is ever persistent against which one cannot let the guard down.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. Consider the following statements:

    1. Asiatic lion is naturally found in India only.
    2. Double-humped camel is naturally found in India only.
    3. One-horned rhinoceros is naturally found in India only.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

     

    Post your answers here.

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  • Forest Fires

    Places in news: Sariska Tiger Reserve

    Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    A massive fire has broken out in the Sariska Tiger Reserve and Air Force helicopters equipped with water sprays are battling to bring it under control.

    Sariska Tiger Reserve

    • Sariska Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve in Alwar district, Rajasthan.
    • It stretches over an area of 881 sq km comprising scrub-thorn arid forests, dry deciduous forests, grasslands, and rocky hills.
    • This area was a hunting preserve of the Alwar state and was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1958.
    • It was given the status of a tiger reserve making it a part of India’s Project Tiger in 1978.
    • It is the first reserve in the world with successfully relocated tigers.
    • It is a part of the Aravalli Range and the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests eco-region.

    Existential threats

    • It is rich in mineral resources, such as copper.
    • In spite of the Supreme Court’s 1991 ban on mining in the area, marble mining continues to threaten the environment.

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  • [Sansad TV] Perspective – NLMC: Utilising Unused Land

    | | Mains Paper 3: Mobilization Of Resources

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