[Mission 2024] Insights SECURE SYNOPSIS: 16 December 2023

NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are providing is content that both meets demand of the question and at the same

Answer the following questions in 150 words:

General Studies – 1

1. How did the revolutionary movement evolve under Bhagat Singh? Elaborate upon his idea of ‘revolution’.

Reference: Indian Express , Insights on India

Introduction

Bhagat Singh, an iconic revolutionary, thinker, voracious reader and one of the well-read of political leaders at that time, was a giant of an intellectual. He pursued his passion for reading and writing relentlessly, despite fighting violently against Britishers. He studied to arm himself with arguments in favour of his cult of patriotism and enabled himself to face the arguments advanced by opposition.

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Bhagat Singh: a hero of the masses:

• He was revered by the youth, loathed by British Raj and opposed by none other than Mahatma Gandhi, like other revolutionaries he dreamt of freedom for motherland.
• As much as he was involved in violence against the government, he exercised his conscience and used non-violence and fasting as a tool to break the hegemony of British power.
• He always vouched for human dignity and rights beyond sectarian divide.

A new idea and interpretation of revolution:

• Revolution was no longer equated with militancy and violence.
• Its objective was to be national liberation—imperialism was to be overthrown but beyond that a new socialist order was to be achieved, ending “exploitation of man by man”.
• As Bhagat Singh said in the court, “Revolution does not necessarily involve sanguinary strife, nor is there a place in it for personal vendetta. It is not the cult of bomb and pistol. By revolution we mean the present order of things, which is based on manifest injustice, must change.”
• Bhagat fully accepted Marxism and the class approach to society—”Peasants have to free themselves not only from the foreign yoke, but also from the yoke of landlords and capitalists.”
• He also said, “The struggle in India will continue, so long as a handful of exploiters continue to exploit labour of common people to further their own interests.
• It matters little whether these exploiters are British capitalists, British and Indian capitalists in alliance, or even purely Indians.”
• He defined socialism scientifically as abolition of capitalism and class domination.
• Bhagat was fully and consciously secular—two of the six rules drafted by Bhagat for the Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha were that its members would have nothing to do with communal bodies and that they would propagate a general feeling of tolerance among people, considering religion to be a matter of personal belief.
• Bhagat Singh also saw the importance of freeing people from the mental bondage of religion and superstition—”to be a revolutionary, one required immense moral strength, but one also required criticism and independent thinking”

Conclusion:

Bhagat Singh and his comrades  made an abiding contribution to the national freedom movement. Their deep patriotism, courage and determination, and sense of sacrifice stirred the Indian people. They helped spread nationalist consciousness in the land.

Value addition:

Vision of Bhagat Singh:

At tender age he realised the larger goals of life rather than being circumscribed to accomplishing personal goals. He transformed the revolution ‘terrorism’ movement to a socialist one. He was a great innovator in two areas of politics

• Raised the serious issues and threats of communalism
• Raised the conscience of people in freeing them from mental bondage of religion and superstition.

Revolutionary ideology and goals of revolution:

• A real breakthrough was made by Bhagat Singh and his comrades in terms of revolutionary ideology, forms of revolutionary struggle and the goals of revolution.
• The Hindustan republican association’s (HRA) Manifesto (1925) declared that the it stood for abolition of all systems which made exploitation of man by man possible. Its founding council had decided to preach social revolutionary and communistic principles.
• The HRA had also decided to start labour and peasant organizations and to work for an organized and armed revolution.
• Emphasizing the role of ideas in the making of  revolution, Bhagat Singh declared that the sword of revolution is sharpened on the whetting-stone of ideas. This atmosphere of wide reading and deep thinking pervaded the ranks of the HSRA leadership. 
• Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha:
  • Singh had turned to Marxism and had come to believe that popular broad-based mass movements alone could lead to a successful revolution.
  • That is why Bhagat Singh helped  establish the Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha in 1926 as the open wing of the revolutionaries. 
  • The Sabha was to carry out open political work among the youth, peasants and workers. 
• Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev also organized the Lahore Students Union for open, legal work  among the students. 
• Patient intellectual and political work appealed to be too slow and too akin to the Congress style of politics which the revolutionaries wanted to transcend. 
• Effective acquisition of new ideology is a prolonged and historical process whereas the need of the time was a quick change in the way of thinking.
• These young intellectuals faced the classic dilemma of how to mobilise people and recruit them. Here, they decided to opt for propaganda by deed, i.e., through individual heroic action and by using courts as a forum for revolutionary propaganda.

2. Assess the vulnerability of India to earthquakes. Discuss the factors that have led to an increase in the number of earthquakes in the country.

Reference: Down to Earth ,Insights on India

Introduction

An earthquake is the shaking of the surface (occurs without warning) of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth’s lithosphere that creates seismic waves. It is tectonic in origin and results from the release of accumulated stress of the moving lithospheric or crustal plates.

There has been an increase in the number of earthquakes in January to November, 2023 compared to the last three years, Union Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju told the Lok Sabha.

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The Earthquake Risk in India:

• India has been divided into four zones– II, III, IV and V – according to the seismic zoning map of India prepared by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Zone V is seismically the most active region, while Zone II is the least.
• Around 11% of the country falls in Zone V, 18% in Zone IV, 30% in Zone III and the remaining in Zone II.

Reasons for the Earthquake proneness in India:

• The Indian plate is driving into Eurasiaat a rate of approximately 47 mm/year.
• Himalayan belt:Collision between Indo-Australian plate with Eurasian plate causes lots of strain in underlying rocks’ energy, which is released in the form of earthquakes.
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands: Seafloor displacement and underwater volcanoes disturb the equilibrium of earth’s surface.
• Deccan Plateau: The emergence of a fault line and energy build-up along the fault line of the river Bhima (Krishna) near Latur and Osmanabad (Maharashtra).
• Increasing population and unscientific land usefor construction make India a high-risk land for earthquakes.

Risks of high magnitude Earthquakes

• Primary damage: Damage occurs to human settlement, buildings, structures and infrastructure, especially bridges, elevated roads, railways, water towers, pipelines, electrical generating facilities.
• Aftershocks of an earthquake can cause much greater damage to already weakened structures.
• Secondary effects include fires, dam failure and landslides which may block water ways and also cause flooding, landslides, Tsunami, chemical spills, breakdown of communication facilities, human loss.
• There is also a huge loss to the public health system, transport and water supply in the affected areas.
• Tertiary impactof earthquake includes Post Trauma Stress Disorder (PTSD), long term psychological issues, loss of livelihood, disruption of social capital due to relocation related issues, etc.

India’s current policy on earthquake preparedness

• Operates primarily at the scale of structural details
• National Building Codes: Includes specifying dimensions of the structural members – columns, beams, etc.
• National Retrofitting Programme 2014: Under the programme, the RBI directed banks to deny loans for buildings that do not meet the earthquake-resistant design.

Earthquake preparedness measures needed

• Earthquake monitoring centres (seismological centres) for regular monitoring and fast dissemination of information among the people in the vulnerable areas should be established. Currently, Centre for Seismology (CS) is the nodal agency of Government of India responsible for monitoring seismic activity in and around the country.
• A vulnerability map of the country along with dissemination of vulnerability risk information among the people can be done to minimize the adverse impacts.
• Planning: The Bureau of Indian Standards has published building codes and guidelines for safe construction of buildings against earthquakes. Before the buildings are constructed the building plans have to be checked by the Municipality, according to the laid down by-laws.
• Important buildingssuch as hospitals, schools and fire stations need to be upgraded by retrofitting techniques.
• Community preparedness and public educationon causes and characteristics of an earthquake and preparedness measures is important. It can be created through sensitization and training programme for community, by preparation of disaster management plans by schools, malls, hospitals etc. and carrying out mock drills, by preparing documentation on lessons from previous earthquaes and widely disseminating it.
• Engineered structures: The soil type should be analysed before construction. Building structures on soft soil should be avoided. Similar problem persists in the buildings constructed on the river banks which have alluvial soil.
• Encouraging use of Indigenous methods – Indigenous earthquake-resistant houses like the bhongas in the Kutch Region of Gujarat, dhajji diwari buildings in Jammu & Kashmir, brick-nogged wood frame constructions in Himachal Pradesh and ekra constructions made of bamboo in Assam are helpful in this regard.

Way forward

• Earthquake preparedness needs to act –
  • In the realm of policy and not just legal enforcement.
  • At the scale of building details as well as that of cities.
• A comprehensive policyto create a system of retrofitting existing structures and enforcing seismic codes with more efficiency. Such a policy should include measures –
  • To create a system of tax-based or development rights-based incentives for retrofitting one’s building up to seismic codes.
  • To ensure better enforcement of seismic codes through a similar model.
• Generate earthquake vulnerability mapswith the percentage of vulnerable structures in the area, the availability of evacuation routes, the location of nearest relief services, etc.

Conclusion

It is not possible to prevent the occurrence of an earthquake; hence, the next best option is to lay emphasis on disaster preparedness and mitigation rather than curative measures. A policy on earthquake preparedness will require a visionary, radical and transformative approach. It would be unwise to wait for another earthquake to learn how to be better prepared for one. Hence, a robust early warning system, decentralised response mechanism is the best way forward.

Value addition

Best practices (Japan and San Francisco):

• Japan has invested heavily in technological measures (skyscrapers with counterweights, small houses on flexible foundations, public infrastructure with automated triggers) by cultivating an industry around earthquake mitigation and fostering expertise.
• San Franciscois the world’s most famous earthquake-prone city which implemented policy changes similar to Japan.
• The Gujarat government:Immediately adopted (after the 2001 Bhuj earthquake) new town planning schemes that widened roads and created routes for evacuation and relief work.
• Programmes like the ongoing Urban 20 meetings: An excellent opportunity for international knowledge exchange on earthquake preparedness.

General Studies – 2

3. Throw light on the key takeaways from the recently held COP28 climate summit in Dubai. Discuss further actions that are needed to tackle climate change.

Reference: Indian Express , Indian Express

Introduction

COP28, the 28th annual United Nations (UN) climate meeting, took place from November 30 to December 12, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). COP stands for the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The conference is where governments discuss how to prepare for and limit future climate change.

Recently concluded COP28 to UNFCCC in Dubai, delivered significant outcomes.

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Important outcomes of COP28:

COP28 Shortcomings:

• Lacked clear timelinesfor fossil fuel phase-out
• Ambiguity in the tripling of renewable energycapacity, raising uncertainty
• Absence of specific measurement criteria for the phase-down of coal
• Opposition from countries hindering progress on methane emission cuts including India. India is not a part of the Global Methane Pledge
• Challenges in meeting urgent climate action expectations
• The global adaptation frameworkadopted lacks financial provisions and requires further development
• With the current $100 billion goal of Climate Finance unmet, developing countries face debt distress
• Loopholes Criticized:Some stakeholders, including the Alliance of Small Island States, criticize the agreement for containing “a litany of loopholes,” challenging its transformative potential.
• Compromise on Absolute Phase-Out:The absence of language mandating an absolute phase-out of hydrocarbons underscores the challenging negotiations and compromises made to secure the agreement.
• Call for Greater Ambition: Climate leaders like Manuel Pulgar-Vidalstress the need for enhanced ambition and implementation to limit global warming effectively.

Conclusion

Developing nations urge wealthy countries to attain negative carbon emissions, not just reach net zero by 2050. They assert that affluent nations, having used over 80% of the global carbon budget, should grant developing nations their equitable portion of future emissions. Emphasis is placed on the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR–RC) in the fight against climate change.

Also, experts advocate for global financial architecture reform to address structural issues and support sustainable development.

General Studies – 3

4. Public goods create a foundation for inclusive growth by ensuring that essential services, resources, and opportunities are widely available. Analyse.

Reference: Live Mint

Introduction

In economics, a public good refers to a commodity or service that is made available to all members of society. Typically, these services are administered by governments and paid for collectively through taxation.

Examples of public goods are education, infrastructure, lighthouses, flood control systems, knowledge, fresh air, national security, official statistics, etc.

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Characteristics

• public goods have two defining characteristics: they are nonexcludable and nonrivalrous.
• The first characteristic, that a public good is nonexcludable, means that it is costly or impossible to exclude someone from using the good.
• The second main characteristic of a public good—that it is nonrivalrous—means that when one person uses the public good, another can also use it.

Role of public goods

• Collective Benefits: Public goods benefit society as a whole, addressing collective needs such as national defense, public infrastructure, and environmental protection. These goods contribute to the overall well-being of the population.
• Equality and Accessibility: Public goods promote equality by ensuring that essential services and resources are accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay. This helps reduce disparities and fosters a more inclusive society.
• Market Failure Correction: Private markets may fail to efficiently provide public goods due to the free rider problem and the absence of clear property rights. Government intervention becomes necessary to ensure the provision of these goods.
• Infrastructure Development: Public goods often include critical infrastructure like roads, bridges, and public transportation systems. These facilitate economic activities, enhance connectivity, and contribute to the overall development of communities and regions.
• Environmental Stewardship: Protection of the environment, clean air, and water resources are considered public goods. Preserving these resources benefits everyone, and government involvement is essential to prevent overuse or degradation.
• Research and Knowledge: Public goods extend to knowledge and information, as seen in public education and scientific research. Open access to information contributes to societal progress and innovation.
• Public Health: Disease prevention, sanitation, and healthcare infrastructure are essential public goods. Ensuring the health and well-being of the population is a shared responsibility with public goods playing a central role.
• Security and Rule of Law: Public goods like a legal system and law enforcement contribute to social stability and the rule of law. These institutions help maintain order, protect individual rights, and create a conducive environment for economic and social activities.
• Cultural and Recreational Spaces: Public goods include cultural institutions, parks, and recreational areas that enhance the quality of life. These spaces foster community engagement, leisure, and cultural exchange.
• Long-Term Planning: Public goods often involve long-term planning and investments. Governments are better positioned to make sustained commitments to projects that may not yield immediate profits but contribute to the public welfare over time.

Limitations of Public goods

• Non-excludability:
  • Public goods are non-excludable, meaning that individuals cannot be easily excluded from using the good. Once the good is provided, it is challenging to prevent non-contributors from benefiting. This can lead to the “free rider” problem, where individuals may choose not to contribute to the provision of the public good since they can enjoy its benefits without paying.
• Free Rider Problem:
  • The free rider problem occurs when individuals benefit from a public good without paying for it. Since it is difficult to exclude people from using the good, some individuals may choose not to contribute, assuming that others will cover the costs. This can lead to under-provision or the complete failure of the public good.
• Difficulty in Pricing:
  • Public goods lack a clear price mechanism because they are non-excludable and non-rivalrous. Determining a fair and efficient price for access to the good is challenging, which can complicate funding and resource allocation.
• Tragedy of the Commons:
  • Public goods often involve shared resources, and in some cases, users may exploit them to the point of depletion. This is known as the tragedy of the commons. Overuse and degradation of common resources can occur when individuals pursue their self-interest without considering the negative impact on the overall resource.
• Underproduction by the Market:
  • Due to the free rider problem and the difficulty in excluding non-contributors, the private market may under-produce public goods since there is a lack of incentives for private providers to invest in their provision.
• Risk of Government Failure:
  • While government intervention is often necessary to address public goods problems, it is not without its challenges. Governments may make inefficient decisions, allocate resources poorly, or be subject to corruption, leading to a phenomenon known as government failure.
• Heterogeneity of Preferences:
  • People have different preferences, and it can be challenging to determine what level of a public good should be provided to meet the diverse needs of the population. This can lead to disagreements and conflicts over the quantity and quality of the public good.
• Technological Change and Obsolescence:
  • Public goods may become obsolete or less valuable due to technological advancements. Investments in public goods that do not adapt to changing technologies may result in wasted resources.

Conclusion

Addressing these limitations often requires a combination of government intervention, well-designed policies, and innovative solutions to encourage contributions and ensure the efficient provision of public goods.

5. India’s informal sector plays a crucial role in the country’s economy and has several notable contributions. Examine.

Reference: Live Mint , Insights on India

Introduction

According to the ILO, the informal sector can be characterized as a range of economic units which are mainly owned and operated by individuals and employ one or more employees on a continuous basis. Informal sector includes farmers, agricultural labourers, owners of small enterprises and people working in those enterprises and also the self-employed who do not have any hired workers.

As per OECD, employees are considered to have informal jobs if their employment relationship is, in law or in practice, not subject to national labour legislation, income taxation, social protection or entitlement to certain employment benefits (advance notice of dismissal, severance pay, paid annual or sick leave, etc.)

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State of Informal economy in India

• While the informal sector produces almost half of the country’s GDP,more than 90% of the overall workforce is employed in the informal economy.
• According to e-Shram portal, over 94% of the informal sector workers enrolled on the e-Shram platform earn less than Rs 10,000 per month.
• Agricultureranks first, accounting for11% of all enrolments, followed by domestic and household employees and construction workers.
• The social-security benefitsremain available to only around half of people working for a salary.

Challenges faced in Informal sector

• Inadequate safety and health standards: Most industries, especially mining, have inadequate safety and health standards. Environmental hazards are evident in the case of the informal sector.
• Irregularities in Minimum Wages: Most of the studies on conditions of employment in the unorganised sector have examined the wage levels and earnings of workers are identified that the daily wages are below the minimum rate of wages.
• Long Hours of work:Long hours work in the unorganised sector beyond the labour and regulatory norms are common in India. The long working hours have a severe repercussion on the social and family life of labourers in general and women labourers in particular.
• Poverty and Indebtedness:Workers in the unorganised sector had a much higher incidence of poverty than their counterparts in the organised sector. Due to low level of income and uncertain employment in the unorganised sector make the workers unable to meet their basic necessities and other social and other cultural responsibilities.
• Non-Applicability of Social Security Measures:There are many times when a worker cannot be economically active. For instance, due to biological circumstances such as sickness or old age, on account of personal calamities such as an accident or unemployment. There are no social security measures to provide risks coverage and ensure maintenance of basic living standards at times of crises such as unemployment or health issues.
• Lack of Proper Physical Environment:Lack of sanitation facilities has an impact on health of the workers. But, sanitary conditions are precarious in most of the industries in the unorganised sector due to lack of proper toilet facilities. The facilities such as washing, urinal and toilet facilities at work are found to be low standard.

Steps taken by the government to improve workers’ condition in the informal sector:

• Directive principles:A number of directive principles of state policy relating to aspects of social security were incorporated in the Indian constitution. The legal initiatives like the Employees State Insurance Act (1948), the Minimum Wages Act (1948), the Coal Mines Provident Funds Act (1948), The Employees Provident Fund Act (1952), the Maternity Benefit Act (1961) and the Contract Labour Act (1970) etc. are important for labour welfare.
• National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector:India is perhaps the first country to set up, a commission named National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS) in 2004 to study the problems and challenges being faced by the informal economy.
• Poverty related development schemes:The Government of India initiated several poverty related development schemes which indirectly benefited the urban informal sector since independence. Schemes like the Nehru Rozgar Yojana, MGNREGA and the Swarna Jayanti Shahri Rozgar Yojana were launched to provide support to the poor who constitute bulk of the informal sector.
• Social security: To provide social security benefits, the Parliament enacted the Unorgnaised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008. The government has also launched Atal Pension Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana etc.
• Skill development: To take care of the need for skills of workers in the informal economy, the government has started various programs such as the Skill India Mission, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushal Yojana, recognition of prior learning etc.

Way forward

• Overhauling labour laws: Labour, as well as tax policies, are key to improving the business environment. Labour regulations have to allow for more flexible work arrangements. Moreover, the right to associate freely should be vigorously protected.
• Preventing occupational hazards: Innovative means to prevent occupational accidents and diseases and environmental hazards need to be developed through cost-effective and sustainable measures at the work-site level to allow for capacity-building within the informal sector itself.
• Local support: Building-on local institutional support to progressively extend social protection will be critical.
• Sensitization:Special attention should be paid to the sensitization of policy makers, municipal authorities and labour inspection services to change their traditional role towards a preventive and promotional approach.
• Health protection: The extension of occupational health care to workers in the informal sector should be promoted incorporating occupational health into public health care services at district and local levels and establishing a link between first aid and prevention at the work-site’s level.

Conclusion

India’s informal sector is the backbone of the economy. The nation’s quality of life hinges on things becoming better for masses of informally employed people.Improving the conditions of workers in the informal sector assumes significance from the perspective of inclusive growth. Keeping in mind the low incomes of informal works, the Government should take steps to prescribe minimum wages for the informal sector.

Answer the following questions in 250 words(15 marks each):

General Studies – 1

6. Showcasing lesser-known tourist attractions of historical and cultural importance and celebrating their intangible heritage is crucial to the overall well-being of both the cultural heritage and the people associated with it. Discuss.

Reference: Indian Express

Introduction

Every region in India is identified with its handicraft, fairs, folk dances, music and its people. Hence, India is a country with a great potential for tourism. The tourism industry employs a large number of people, both skilled and unskilled. It promotes national integration and international brotherhood. There is no other country in the world which offers such a wide choice of destinations like India.

The ministry of tourism has planned a mega initiative — a series of festivals — to showcase lesser known tourist attractions of historical and cultural importance by celebrating their intangible heritage.

First in the series will be a three-day Carnatic music festival — Krishnaveni Sangeetha Neerajanam — starting Sunday, which is to be held in Vijayawada, known for its Undavalli caves featuring ancient rock-cut temples.

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Tourism Status in India

• In the Pre- pandemic times, tourism sector contributed ~US$ 250 billion in 2018 to India’s GDP.
• It crumbled down to US$ 122 billion in 2020 due to pandemic.
• The share of Tourism to GDP has hovered around ~5-6%. With post-pandemic recovery, the tourism industry is  expected to reach US$ 512 billion by 2028.
• In 2020, the Indian tourism sector accounted for 39 million jobs, which was 8% of the total employment in the country. By 2029, it is expected to account for about 53 million jobs.
• India ranked 34th in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019 published by the World Economic Forum.
• Data show that domestic tourism has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, even exceeding it in some cases. This is evident in a record 1.84 crore domestic tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir in 2022

Positive effects of Tourism in India

• Employment generation: Tourism sector provides diverse opportunities for jobs like in hospitality/hotels/accommodation, transportation, tour guides, travel operations etc.
• Revenue Generation: Tourism contributes 6.23% to the national GDP and 9.3% of the total employment in India. More than 20 million people are now working in the India’s tourism industry.
• Source of Foreign Exchange Earnings:Tourism Sector was the third-largest foreign exchange earner for the country in 2019. Tourism is an important source of foreign exchange earnings in India. This has favorable impact on the balance of payment of the country. By 2028, Indian tourism and hospitality is expected to earn US$ 50.9 billion as visitor exports compared with US$ 28.9 billion in 2018.
• Preservation of National Heritage and Environment:Tourism helps preserve several places which are of historical importance by declaring them as heritage sites. For instance, the Taj Mahal, the Qutab Minar, Ajanta and Ellora temples, etc. would have been decayed and destroyed, if the efforts had not been taken by Tourism Department to preserve them. Likewise, tourism also helps in conserving the natural habitats of many endangered species.
• Developing Infrastructure:Tourism tends to encourage the development of multiple-use infrastructure that benefits the host community, including various means of transports, health care facilities and sports centers, in addition to the hotels and high-end restaurants that cater to foreign visitors. The development of infrastructure has in turn induced the development of other directly productive activities.
• Promoting Peace and Stability:The tourism industry can also help promote peace and stability in developing country like India by providing jobs, generating income, diversifying the economy, protecting the environment and promoting cross-cultural awareness. However, key challenges like adoption of regulatory frameworks, mechanisms to reduce crime and corruption, etc, must be addressed if peace-enhancing benefits from this industry are to be realized.

Measures needed to boost Tourism sector

• Infrastructure: The Government has been increasing investments in strengthening of the country’s road and rail networks and promoting port development is a significant driver for the growth of the Tourism sector. The Adarsh Station Schemeis helping modernize railway stations, while the Regional Connectivity Scheme – UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), is helping make air travel more economical and widespread to hitherto unserved routes. The Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD schemes aim to stimulate growth in niche tourism segments such as religious, heritage, wellness, medical, adventure, MICE, wildlife etc. Under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, the Government has launched several theme based circuits like Buddhist circuit which covers destinations associated with the life of Lord Buddha.
• Promotional Campaign: Promotional activities such as the Incredible India 2.0campaign focuses on niche tourism products including yoga, wellness, luxury, cuisine wildlife among others. “Find the Incredible You” Campaign focuses on the promotion of niche tourism products of the Country on digital and social media.
• Information Helpline: The government has introduced the concept of e-tourist and e-medical visaswhich has helped increase inbound tourists to the country. Additional initiatives such as Atithi Devo Bhava, a 24×7 multi-lingual Tourist Helpline, among others have helped improve the safety and security of tourists. On a pilot basis, an ‘Incredible India Helpline’ has been set up to guide the tourists.
• Safety: The Ministry of Tourism has adopted a code of conduct for safe tourism, which contains a set of guidelines to encourage tourism activities to be undertaken with respect to basic rights like dignity, and  safety of both tourists and local residents, in particular women and children.
• Investment: The government allows 100% Foreign Direct Investment in the Travel and Tourism sector through the automatic route to increase investments across the sector. More recently, the GST rate cut on hotel room tariffs across the board has been a positive move for the industry and is expected to boost the sector’s competitiveness globally.
• Cleanliness and Hygiene: Major cleanliness campaign has been launched under the Swachh Bharatmovement for protecting and preserving the sanctity of monuments of national heritage. The Ministry of Tourism has also launched awareness campaign to ensure cleanliness of surroundings and help create a Swachh Bharat, Swachh Smarak.
• Assistance to States: Financial assistance to states, including places of religious importance, for various tourism projects in consultation with them subject to availability of funds, inter-se priority, liquidation of pending utilisation certificates and adherence to the scheme guidelines.
• Digital Database: In September 2021, the Government launched NIDHI 2.0(National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry), a scheme which will maintain a hospitality database comprising accommodation units, travel agents, tour operators and others. NIDHI 2.0 will facilitate digitalisation of the tourism sector by encouraging hotels to register themselves on the platform.
• Skilling: The Ministry of Tourism has introduced the Incredible India Tourist Facilitator(IITF) and Incredible India Tourist Guide (IITG) Certification Programme to create an online learning platform of well-trained tourist facilitators and guides across the country.

Way forward

• The government should continue to promote India’s diversity and rich heritage to re-establish its position as a tourist paradise.
• The promotional campaigns should target both domestic and foreign tourists. Similarly, the extent of theme-based tourist circuits can be expanded.
• Tourism sector has a potential to provide lot of livelihood opportunities in smaller cities/towns. Upskilling and Reskilling can help address the issue of jobless growth.
• The government should also promote green and sustainable tourismto tackle issues relating to water crisis, pollution, waste management, etc.
• There is need to balance the promotion of tourism with safeguarding the physical, social, and cultural environment in the destination areas.
• The Government should further reform the tourist visa norms and processes to facilitate tourism. The Government should also explore the possibility of expanding the visa-on-arrival facility.
• The focus should also be on supporting and promoting the emerging segments of tourism.

Conclusion

If the goal of positioning of India as one of the world’s best tourism destinations by 2047, there is need to integrate various schemes of different ministries. Need to involve various stakeholders, and local communities; necessary interventions at urban and rural level should be a priority.

General Studies – 2

7. In the context of the recently introduced Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP), while ethanol blending can reduce carbon emissions and contribute to energy security, concerns persist regarding the potential implications for food security. Analyse.

Reference: Indian Express , Live Mint

Introduction

An ethanol blend is defined as a blended motor fuel containing ethyl alcohol that is at least 99% pure, derived from agricultural products, and blended exclusively with petrol. Blending ethanol with petrol to burn less fossil fuel while running vehicles is called ethanol blending. Ethanol is an agricultural by-product which is mainly obtained from the processing of sugar from sugarcane, but also from other sources such as rice husk or maize. Currently, 10% of the petrol that powers your vehicle is ethanol. 

The government has temporarily banned the use of sugarcane juice and sugar syrup for ethanol production due to uncertainties in cane output for the current season as per the Sugar (Control) Order 1966.

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the economic and ecological benefits of promoting ethanol blending in India:

• Ethanol has become one of the major priorities of 21st Century India.
• Mixing 20 percent ethanol in petrol holds multiple attractions for India.
• First, it can potentially reduce the auto fuel import bill by a yearly $4 billion, or Rs 30,000 crore.
• Second, it also provides for farmers to earn extra income if they grow produce that helps in ethanol production.
• Third, and no less important, is the fact that ethanol is less polluting than other fuels and, per the NITI Aayog paper, “offers equivalent efficiency at lower cost than petrol”.
• Using ethanol fuel to power automobiles results in significantly low levels of toxins in the environment.
• Specifically, ethanol to gasoline ratio of 85:15. The little composition of gasoline acts as an igniter, while ethanol takes up the rest of the tasks. This ratio of ethanol to gasoline minimizes the emission of greenhouse gases to the environment since it burns cleanly compared to pure gasoline.
• The combustion of ethanol fuel only releases carbon dioxide and water. The carbon dioxide released is ineffective regarding environmental degradation.
• Use of ethanol-blended petrol decreases emissions such as carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), the expert committee noted. Higher reductions in CO emissions were observed with E20 fuel — 50 per cent lower in two-wheelers and 30 per cent lower in four-wheelers.
• It also helps in energy security, lower carbon emissions, better air quality, self-reliance, use of damaged food grains, increasing farmers’ incomes, employment generation, and greater investment opportunities.

Challenges involved:

• Less Production: Currently, domestic production of bioethanol is not sufficient to meet the demand for bio-ethanol for blending with petrol at Indian OMCs.
  • Sugar mills, which are the key domestic suppliers of bio-ethanol to OMCs, were able to supply only 57.6% of the total demand.
  • Sugar mills do not have the financial stability to invest in biofuel plants.
  • There are also concerns among investors on the uncertainty on the price of bioethanol in the future as the prices of both sugarcane and bio-ethanol are set by the central government.
  • Compatible vehicles: vehicles need to be produced with rubberised parts, plastic components and elastomers compatible with E20 and engines optimally designed for use of E20 fuel”
  • The NITI Aayog paper said that two-wheelers and passenger vehicles that are now being made in the country “are designed optimally for E5 (5 percent ethanol blend with petrol) while rubber and plastic components are “compatible with E10 fuel”.
• Water Footprint: While India has become one of the top producers of ethanol but it lags top producers, the USA and Brazil, by a huge margin and remains inefficient in terms of water usage.
  • India’s water requirements for producing ethanol are not met through rainwater and the groundwater is used for drinking and other purposes.
  • Water footprint, that is water required to produce a litre of ethanol, includes rainwater at the root zone used by ethanol-producing plants such as sugarcane, and surface, ground water, and fresh water required to wash away pollutants.
• Limited Sugarcane Availability: Sugarcane is another limited resource that affects the ethanol blending in the country.
  • In order to achieve a 20% blend rate, almost one-tenth of the existing net sown area will have to be diverted for sugarcane production. Any such land requirement is likely to put a stress on other crops and has the potential to increase food prices.
  • India’s biofuel policy stipulates that fuel requirements must not compete with food requirements and that only surplus food crops should be used for fuel production, if at all.
• Lack of Alternatives: Producing ethanol from crop residue can be a good alternative but the annual capacity of biorefinery is still not enough to meet the 5% petrol-ethanol blending requirement.
  • Other biofuels such as Jatropha have often proven to be commercially unviable.
• Handling issues: Ethanol being a highly flammable liquid marks obligatory safety and risk assessment measures during all phases of production, storage and transportation, thus increasing the cost and risk factor.

Way forward:

• In order to introduce vehicles that are compatible the committee recommends roll out of E20 material-compliant and E10 engine-tuned vehicles from April 2023 and production of E20-tuned engine vehicles from April 2025.
• The Centre must look at ways to reduce the programme’s dependence on the sugarcane.
• Alternative feedstock like agricultural waste, recycled cooking oil, provides for more environmentally friendly bio-fuels.
• There is a need to focus on raising the non-cane contribution to the ethanol mix.
• This can be done by incentivising both public and private players to set up second-generation ethanol facilities.
• as we progress towards higher blending of ethanol, careful monitoring and assessment of emissions changes will be needed to make sure that emission reduction potential can be enhanced both for regulated and unregulated pollutants.

Value addition

Ethanol blending programme in India:

• the Centre had “launched pilot projects in 2001 wherein 5 percent ethanol blended petrol was supplied to retail outlets”.
• Success of field trials eventually paved the way for the launching of the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme in January, 2003 for sale of 5 percent ethanol blended petrol in nine States and four UTs.
• Currently, 5 per cent of ethanol is blended with petrol in India.
• The government of India has advanced the target for 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol (also called E20) to 2025 from 2030. E20 will be rolled out from April 2023.
• The central government has also released an expert committee report on the Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India by 2025.
• The roadmap proposes a gradual rollout of ethanol-blended fuel to achieve E10 fuel supply by April 2022and phased rollout of E20 from April 2023 to April 2025.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India has achieved its target of blending 10% sugarcane-extracted ethanol in petrol, ahead of schedule.
• the prime minister said India has also achieved its goal of having 40 per cent of its installed power generation from non-fossil fuel-based sources nine years before the deadline.

Differences between first generation and second generation ethanols

• First-generation ethanolare produced from crops directly from the fields, such as cereals, maize, sugar beet and cane, and rapeseed. In Europe rapeseed oil is primarily used for biodiesel.
• Second-generation ethanolsare produced from residual and waste products from, for example, industry and households. Large quantities of used frying oil and slaughterhouse waste are also used.

8. The Supreme Court judgment upholding the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A has paved the way for development opportunities and good governance in Jammu and Kashmir. Discuss.

Reference: Indian Express , Indian Express

Introduction

On 11^th December 2023, the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India delivered a historic judgment on the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A. Through its judgment, the Court has upheld the sovereignty and integrity of India, something that every Indian cherishes. The Supreme Court observed that the decision taken on 5^th August 2019 to abrogate Article 370 which ended the special status of the erstwhile state of J&K, was done to enhance constitutional integration and not disintegration. The Court has also recognised the fact that Article 370 was not permanent in nature.

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Supreme court judgement on Article 370

• Art 370 was a Temporary Provision:The court held that Article 370 was a temporary provision and that the State of J&K had no internal sovereignty.
  • The court held that Article 370 was meant to be a ‘temporary provision’ for two primary reasons.
  • It served a transitional purposewhich was to make an interim arrangement to establish a Constituent Assembly of J&K which would draft the State Constitution.
  • It was meant to ease the integration of J&K into the Union of Indiain the light of the prevailing war-like situation in the State back in 1947.
• Governor can Assume“all or any” Roles of the State Legislature: The court upheld the proclamations by referring to the landmark 1994 ruling in ‘SR Bommai v Union of India, 1994’ which dealt with the powers and limitations of the Governor under President’s rule.
  • TheCJI said that the governor (President in J&K’s case) can assume “all or any” roles of the state legislature and such action must be tested judicially only in extraordinary cases.
• Concurrence of the State Government isn’t Required:The court ruled that the President in the exercise of powers under Article 370 (3) of the Constitution can unilaterally notify that Article 370 ceases to exist.
  • It further said that there was no requirement for the President to secure the concurrence of the State governmentin this regard as mandated by the provisos to Article 370(1)(d).
• Upheld the 2019 Law: The court upheld the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 to the extent it carved out the Union Territory of Ladakhout of the State of J&K.
  • The court also observed that theviews of the State legislature regarding the proposed reorganisation are recommendatory in nature and not binding on the Parliament.
• Parliament is Not a mere Law Making Body During President’s Rule:The Chief Justice held that the power of the Parliament in a State under the President’s rule was not restricted to mere lawmaking. It also extended to executive action.
  • The Court also held that when a Proclamation under Article 356 is in force, there are innumerable decisions which are taken by the Union Government on behalf of the State Government for the purpose of day-to-day administration.
  • Every decision and action taken by the Union Executive on behalf of the State is not subject to challenge.
    • Opening up challenge to every decision would lead to chaos and uncertainty.
  • Conduct Elections & Restore Statehood:The court stated that J&K’s statehood should be restored as soon as possible, it ordered that elections to the legislative assembly of J&K should be held by 30th September 2024.
  • Establishment of ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’:Justice Kaul in his concurring opinion mooted the constitution of a Truth-and-Reconciliation Commission along the lines of the one set up in South Africa after apartheid to address human rights violations both by state and non-state actors in Jammu and Kashmir since the 1980s.

Avenues for development and good governance

• Decline in violence: There has been a significant decline in violencein Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370.
  • According to official data, the number of terrorist incidents has decreasedby over 50% and security forces have killed over 300 militants in the last four years.
  • This can be attributed to a combination of factors, including increased security measures, better intelligence gathering, and a decline in public support for militancy.
  • Improved Economic Development:The government has implemented several initiatives to boost economic development in Jammu and Kashmir, such as the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) and the Industrial Development Scheme (IDS).
    • These initiatives have led to increased investment, job creation, and economic growth in the region.
    • The UT witnessed tax revenue growth of 31%.During 2022-23, the GSDP of J&K grew at 8% at constant prices, as against 7% at the national level.
  • Enhanced Infrastructure: The government has also invested heavily in infrastructure development in Jammu and Kashmir. This includes projects such as the construction of new roads, bridges, tunnels, and power lines.
    • These improvements have made it easier for people to travel and do business within the region.
  • Increased Tourism:The number of tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir has increased significantly since the abrogation of Article 370. This is due to a combination of factors, including improved security, better marketing, and the launch of new tourism initiatives.
    • According to a report, the region of Jammu and Kashmir hasseen 1.62 crore tourists in 2022, the highest in India’s 75 years of independence.

Conclusion

The recent judgment by the Supreme Court has not only upheld the principles of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’, but it has also served as a powerful reminder of the importance of unity and a collective dedication to good governance. This decision showcases the court’s commitment to strengthening the fabric of our nation and reinforcing the values that define us as a society.

Value Addition

Article 370

• Article 370 in the Indian constitution gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, a region disputed by India, Pakistan and China.
• It was drafted by N Gopalaswami Ayyangar, a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, and was added to the constitution as a ‘temporary provision’ in 1949.
• It allowed the state to have its own constitution, flag and autonomy over most matters except defence, foreign affairs and communications.
• It was based on the terms of the Instrument of Accession, which was signed by the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh, in 1947 to join India after an invasion by Pakistan.

General Studies – 3

9. Energy efficiency is a fundamental component of a sustainable and resilient economy. Prioritizing energy efficiency in conjunction with energy generation is vital for sustainable development in India. Examine.

Reference: Live Mint

Introduction

Energy efficiency simply means using less energy to perform the same task – that is, eliminating energy waste. Energy efficiency brings a variety of benefits: reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing demand for energy imports, and lowering our costs on a household and economy-wide level. For example, a compact fluorescent bulb is more efficient than a traditional incandescent bulb as it uses much less electrical energy to produce the same amount of light. Similarly, an efficient boiler takes less fuel to heat a home to a given temperature than a less efficient model.

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Importance of energy efficiency

• COST SAVINGS
  • At home, you can save money on energy bills by making energy-efficient and weatherization upgrades—such as adding insulation, using LED lighting, and installing a heat pump—that reduce your energy use and can improve comfort.
  • Energy-efficient buildings cost less to heat, cool, and operate, while industry and manufacturing plants can make products at lower cost. Energy-efficient transportation results in fuel savings.
• COMMUNITY BENEFITS
  • Energy-efficiency programs improve community resilience and address energy equity by bringing efficient, cost-effective technologies and infrastructure to underserved communities, including communities of color.
  • These communities are disproportionately affected by air pollution and have a higher energy burden, which is the percentage of gross household income spent on energy costs.
• ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
  • Reducing energy use is essential in the fight against climate change, because traditional power plants burn fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases and contribute to air pollution.
  • Energy-efficient homes and buildings are also better equipped to switch to renewable energy, which does not produce harmful emissions.
• RESILIENCE AND RELIABILITY
  • Energy-efficiency improvements reduce the amount of electricity on the grid at one time, known as load, minimizing congestion and stress on the U.S. electric grid. Less load prevents power disruptions.
• HEALTH BENEFITS
  • Reducing fossil fuel use results in cleaner air, water, and land, all of which directly affect human health—especially those in marginalized communities and people with conditions that are exacerbated by pollution.

India’s energy efficiency initiatives:

• Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC):
  • India has expressed a strong resolve to work towards low carbon emissions, while simultaneously achieving all developmental targets. We aim to reduce the emission intensity of GDP by 33 to 35% by 2030.
  • To protect the poor and vulnerable from the adverse impacts of climate change, it is an imperative that the world adopts a sustainable lifestyle.
  • India’s INDC proposal also highlights the need for a sustainable lifestyle as one of the integral solutions to climate change.
• The National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) seeks to achieve a total avoided capacity addition of 19,598 MW, annual fuel savings of around 23 million tonne and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 98.55 million tonne per year at its full implementation.

Way forward:

• The standards and labelling programme provide the consumer an informed choice about energy saving and thereby the cost saving potential of the products.
• We are also building capacity of discoms to help them reduce peak electricity demand.
• To incentivise efficiency in energy-intensive industries, we have launched a market-based mechanism called Perform Achieve and Trade scheme which allows trading of energy-saving certificates.
• Electric vehicles and chargers have penetrated almost every state, and smart metres are rapidly making headway into homes.

Conclusion:

Through nationwide initiatives promoting the affordability of energy efficiency solutions, the government has showcased its strong commitment to the fundamentals of sustainability. Our ultimate purpose is to promote energy efficiency as a way of life for every Indian. This vision is aligned with our commitments made under the Paris Agreement.

10. Addressing urban floods in the country requires a comprehensive approach that involves better urban planning, sustainable infrastructure development, and proactive measures to mitigate the impact of both natural and human-made factors contributing to urban floods. Analyse.

Reference: The Hindu

Introduction

Urban flooding is the inundation of land or property in a built environment, particularly in more densely populated areas, caused by rainfall overwhelming the capacity of drainage systems, such as storm sewers. Due to rapid, unscientific, unplanned urbanization across the globe, the carrying capacity of urban areas is often breached leading to impending disasters. Floods and water-logging show that urban planners have paid scant respect to hydrology.

The southern and northern areas of Chennai experienced severe flooding; the only exceptions were the central parts. The neighbouring districts of Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, and Tiruvallur were equally affected.

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Increasing trend of urban flooding

• In many Indian cities, the urban floodshave become a frequent phenomenon in recent years.
• There has been an increasing trend of urban flood disasters in India over the past several years whereby major cities in India have been severely affected.
• The most notable amongst them are Hyderabad in 2000, Ahmedabad in 2001, Delhi in 2002 and 2003, Chennai in 2004, Mumbai in 2005, Surat in 2006, Kolkata in 2007, Jamshedpur in 2008, Delhi in 2009 and Guwahati and Delhi in 2010.
• In Patna, severe water logging in 2019 had brought the city to a halt, with hospitals and residential areas filled with waist-deep water.
• The recent cases of floods in Bangalore & Chennai in 2021 add to the list.

Urban flooding caused by both man-made & natural factors

• Excess Rainfall: The changing weather pattern resulted in more high intensity rain in fewer rain days.
• Inadequate Drainage Infrastructure: Urban areas generate high volumes of polluted run-off, often resulting in the breakdown of the urban drainage system..
  • In the last 20 years, the Indian cities have grown manifold with its original built-up area.
  • As the city grew beyond its original limits, not much was done to address the absence of adequate drainage systems.
  • even moderate rainfall events can lead to flash floods in low-lying areas and can overwhelm drainage systems of cities.
• Poor maintenance of Stormwater drains:Stormwater drains in cities are generally in poor conditions, with operation and maintenance largely inadequate and ineffective.
  • Stormwater drains are often choked with municipal solid waste and construction and demolition waste.
  • One such example is the choked drain in south Delhi’s Taimoor Nagar area, where garbage has piled up over the years.
• Terrain Alteration: Lasting irreversible damage has been done to the city by property builders, property owners, and public agencies by flattening terrain and altering natural drainage routes.
• Reducing Seepage: Indian cities are becoming increasingly impervious to water, not just because of increasing built up but also because of the nature of materials used (hard, non-porous construction material that makes the soil impervious).
• Lax Implementation: In terms of non-structural deficiencies, there are no national / state level policy frameworks and / or guidelines for urban stormwater management in India.
  • Urban infrastructure development missions — including the Smart Cities Mission, the Swachh Bharat Mission and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation — fail to provide a comprehensive vision and strategy to address issues of urban flooding.
• Encroaching Natural Spaces: Overlooking environmental regulationsin mega-projects is fairly common in the country. Open spaces and water bodies are victims of ‘planned’ encroachments. Urban streams and water bodies are compromised for urban land uses.
  • A section of the Barapullah drain in Delhi, for example, is covered to construct a bus depot.
  • Back in the 2000’s, Delhi’s Akshardham Temple Complex and Commonwealth Games Village (CWG) were built right on the Yamuna’s floodplain.
  • The secondary runway of Chennai International Airport was also built right over the Adyar river. Most of the airport was constructed on the riverine floodplains, leading to massive flooding during the 2015 Chennai floods.
  • Even recent developments such as Andhra Pradesh’s Amaravati Capital City Project, had major areas proposed to be built on the floodplains of Krishna river.

Measures needed

• A systemic change — which comprehensively resolves structural and non-structural issues — is required to address issues of urban flooding.
• Water-Sensitive Urban Design and Planning (WSUDP) and a green infrastructure approach for stormwater management:Identification, protect and use of open spaces and water bodies as critical green infrastructure to manage run-off and mitigate urban flooding. This must be done in addition to identification of urban catchments and prioritisation based on level of risk and vulnerability.
• Prepare drainage master plansfor cities with short-, medium-, long-term and periodic strategies to augment stormwater infrastructure in cities. This must be aided by state-of-the-art urban watershed modelling.
• Identify vulnerable and high-risk areasand prepare monsoon action plans for those areas, based on context. Informal areas are more vulnerable due to high built-up area density and lack of infrastructure. This needs to be aided by a state-of-the-art rain atlas for cities, providing spatial rainfall maps with 15-minute intervals. The rain atlas can also feed in as a flood-warning system.
• Formulate a nodal authority for urban stormwater managementwhich should be responsible for preparation of drainage masterplan at the local level and coordinate strategies with city master plan preparations.
• Modifications of design standards and detailed project reports to accommodate run-off control measuresbased on spatially variable rainfall statistics. Municipalities and development authorities can take the lead in implementing high visibility-high impact pilot projects that showcase the potential of capturing rainfall and flood-control measures.
• Prepare a national / state-level framework for urbandrainage, with modified service-level benchmarking, like percentage of municipal area under water-harvesting features, etc.
• Develop capacity of practitioners at the academic level by upgrading the curriculumto include WSUDP and green infrastructure strategies for infrastructure provision and continuous professional development of municipal functionaries and consultants in order to update with latest tools and techniques for planning and designing rain / stormwater harvesting features.

Conclusion

Disabling spawning of squatter settlements in sensitive zones by providing adequate affordable housing will reduce number of persons vulnerable to changing climate. All this means urban local bodies will continue to have a central role to play in cities’ battle with extreme weather events such as flooding and their overall resilience.

Value addition

Measures by cities

• Several cities in India have attempted to address issues regarding urban stormwater management.
• Mumbai launched a state-of-the-art Integrated Flood Warning System (IFLOWS). The warning system helps identifying imminent floods due to high rainfall or cyclones.
• The Chennai Flood Warning System — that provides spatial flood warnings for the city — was launched in October 2019.
• These systems help build resilience and can inform the public and authorities regarding risks. The India Meteorological Department launched the Mausam mobile application that provides rain forecasts including warnings.
• The Karnataka government launched the Meghasandesha mobile application, which provides real-time rainfall measurements, along with forecasts for rain, flooding and thunderstorms for capital city Bengaluru.
• Delhi has prepared several multi-dimensional strategies to address the issues of urban flooding.
• The city was the first to have a drainage master plan, prepared by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
• The Delhi Jal Board also took up the revival of 159 water bodies in the city, along with floodwater harvesting projects in the floodplains of Yamuna. All these measures have multiple economic, environmental, social and urban benefits for the citizens of Delhi.
• Both Chennai and Delhi also recommended for properties to implement rainwater harvesting structures as run-off control measures.
• The Odisha government’s housing and urban development department issued an advisory for implementing rainwater harvesting in public parks and open spaces in urban areas across the state.

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