Content
- Migration essential to globalisation; diverse languages, communities in country matter of pride: Amartya Sen
- Supreme Court Modifies Stray Dogs Order
- The Great Nicobar Project – Forest Rights Issue
- Why not all viruses led to a pandemic after transmission
- ISRO’s 2040 Roadmap: 100+ Satellites, Private Sector Integration, and India’s Heaviest Rocket
Migration essential to globalisation; diverse languages, communities in country matter of pride: Amartya Sen
Context
- Speaker: Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate in Economics.
- Themes Addressed:
- Role of migration in globalisation and progress.
- Diversity as India’s strength.
- Concerns about electoral roll revisions and exclusion risks.
- Broader reflections on human rights, discrimination, and political climate.
Relevance: GS 1(Globalisation , Migration)
Migration and Globalisation
- Migration as Driver of Progress:
- Across history, movement of people enabled knowledge-sharing, trade, and cultural synthesis.
- Example: Brahmagupta’s mathematics → translated into Arabic → influenced global knowledge.
- Types of Migration:
- Voluntary (for opportunities, education, trade).
- Forced (due to wars, climate, persecution).
- Globalisation Link:
- Migration is not just a consequence of globalisation but its core enabler.
- Without migration, “almost nothing would happen” in terms of cultural or scientific progress.
Diversity as India’s Strength
- Pluralism: India has hundreds of languages, communities, and faiths.
- Civilisational Pride: Diversity is not a weakness but a core asset of Indian civilisation.
- Social Harmony: Coexistence and interaction among diverse groups fuel innovation, tolerance, and resilience.
- Contemporary Relevance: In times of polarisation, reaffirming diversity is vital for democracy and development.
Human Rights and Equality
- Sen’s Stand: Policies must be guided by the motto of human rights for all.
- Warning Against Discrimination: Laws and practices must avoid exclusion on caste, class, language, religion, gender.
- Social Climate Concern: Normalisation of communal and exclusionary narratives erodes India’s democratic ethos.
Broader Context & Implications
- For India:
- Migration → economic growth (migrant labour essential for construction, services, industries).
- Diversity → democratic vibrancy, but needs protection from identity-based politics.
- For Governance:
- Electoral reforms must balance accuracy vs inclusion.
- Documentation requirements should not disenfranchise poor and migrant workers.
- For Society:
- Need for inclusive nationalism, valuing India’s composite culture.
- Avoiding stigmatization of linguistic/religious minorities strengthens unity.
Strategic Significance
- Economic: Migrants → cheap, flexible labour force; drivers of remittances and consumption.
- Political: Electoral roll exclusions could fuel alienation and conflict.
- Geopolitical: India’s image as a plural democracy matters for global partnerships.
- Social: Migration + diversity promote social mobility and innovation but also test state capacity for inclusion.
Conclusion
- Amartya Sen’s intervention underscores that migration and diversity are not threats but engines of progress and strength.
- India must ensure that administrative exercises like electoral revisions do not undermine democratic rights.
- Human rights, inclusive policies, and protection of diversity are essential to preserve India’s democratic and civilisational ethos in the age of globalisation.
Supreme Court Modifies Stray Dogs Order
Case Background
- Original Order (August 11, 2025): SC directed civic authorities in Delhi & 4 adjoining districts to capture all stray dogs and confine them in shelters within 6–8 weeks.
- Rationale: To protect citizens from aggressive and rabid dogs.
- Problem: The order effectively mandated mass incarceration of strays, which was logistically unfeasible, scientifically questionable, and legally inconsistent.
Relevance : GS 2(Judiciary , Governance )
Modified Order (August 22, 2025)
- Court’s Position: August 11 order was “too harsh.”
- New Directive:
- Stray dogs to undergo sterilisation, deworming, immunisation.
- After treatment, dogs to be released back into the localities they were captured from.
- Reasoning:
- Total ban on release contradicts Rule 11(19), Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023.
- These Rules are framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
- Rule 11(19) explicitly provides for release of sterilised, immunised strays into their original habitat.
Legal & Policy Framework
- Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960: Governing law for animal welfare in India.
- ABC Rules, 2023:
- Mandates catch-neuter-vaccinate-release (CNVR) policy.
- Recognises right to life of strays in their environment while balancing public health concerns.
- SC Jurisprudence: Previously upheld animal rights as part of Article 21 (Right to Life – extended to non-human animals in Animal Welfare Board of India v. A. Nagaraja, 2014).
Issues at Stake
- Public Safety vs Animal Welfare:
- Public: Concerned about rising dog-bite cases, rabies spread.
- Animal Rights: Confinement violates ABC Rules & animal welfare ethics.
- Implementation Challenges:
- Inadequate sterilisation & vaccination coverage in cities.
- Lack of infrastructure & funding for shelters and ABC programs.
- Legal Ambiguity: Need to harmonise citizen safety with statutory protections for strays.
Significance of the Modified Order
- Corrective Balance: Avoids mass confinement → aligns with existing law & humane practices.
- Strengthens CNVR Model: Reaffirms sterilisation + immunisation as the only sustainable solution.
- Judicial Sensitivity: Court acknowledged overreach in previous order, showing adaptability to law and science.
- Precedent for Urban Governance: Reinforces responsibility of municipalities to expand sterilisation-vaccination drives instead of opting for culling or confinement.
Challenges Going Forward
- Execution Gaps: Scaling sterilisation/immunisation requires massive resources & coordination with NGOs.
- Urban Management: Stray menace linked to poor waste disposal and urban planning failures.
- Monitoring: Ensuring local bodies comply with ABC Rules uniformly across states.
- Public Awareness: Community engagement is critical to reduce hostility and encourage adoption of humane solutions.
Implications
- For Judiciary: Shows judicial course-correction and deference to statutory frameworks.
- For Policy: Highlights urgent need for scientific, humane, and resource-backed stray management policy.
- For Society: Balances human safety with ethical animal rights – reflecting constitutional morality.
Conclusion
- The SC’s modification restores legal and scientific balance in stray dog management.
- It underscores that sustainable solutions lie in sterilisation, vaccination, waste management, and community participation, not in mass confinement.
- This ruling reaffirms India’s commitment to animal welfare principles within the framework of public health and safety.
The Great Nicobar Project – Forest Rights Issue
Great Nicobar Project
- Project Components: Transshipment port, airport, power plant, and township.
- Cost: ₹72,000 crore.
- Forest Land Diversion: ~13,075 hectares (largest-ever clearance for a project in the islands).
- Location: Great Nicobar Island, part of Andaman & Nicobar Islands (A&N).
Relevance : GS 3(Environment and Ecology)
Legal Framework Involved
- Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006:
- Recognises rights of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDSTs) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs).
- Diversion of forest land requires settlement of rights + Gram Sabha consent.
- Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Act, 1956 (PAT56):
- Gives Administrator powers to divert forest land for “public purpose”.
- No requirement of Gram Sabha consent under PAT56.
- Conflict: A&N administration claimed FRA compliance but also argued FRA not applicable due to PAT56 protections.
Tribal Council’s Complaint
- Claim: FRA process not even initiated; hence rights cannot be considered “settled”.
- Allegation: A&N administration issued a false certificate (Aug 18, 2022) stating rights were identified and settled.
- Consent Issue:
- Council says Gram Sabha of Nicobarese was not consulted.
- Govt claims Gram Sabha meeting on Aug 12, 2022, gave consent.
- Current Action: Council has written to Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram; awaiting response.
Concerns Raised by Tribals
- Loss of Forests: 13,000+ hectares = ecological threat to fragile island ecosystems.
- Cultural Impact: Tribal land, livelihood, and identity at risk.
- Legal Bypass: Consent claimed without genuine participation.
- Vulnerability: Particularly impacts Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in Nicobar Islands.
Larger Issues
- Governance Ambiguity: Whether forest clearance was under FRA (requiring Gram Sabha consent) or PAT56 (Administrator’s discretion).
- Rights vs Development: Clash between mega-infrastructure project and indigenous rights.
- Due Process Concerns: Possible misrepresentation by local administration to secure clearances.
- Accountability: Lack of clarity on Centre’s role in verifying compliance.
Strategic Significance of Project
- Economic: Transshipment port to rival Singapore/Colombo; enhance India’s role in global trade routes.
- Strategic/Security: Strengthens India’s position in Indo-Pacific, close to Malacca Strait.
- Energy & Connectivity: Power plant + airport + township to support large civilian and military presence.
- Environmental Costs: Huge ecological footprint in a biodiversity hotspot.
Challenges Ahead
- Balancing strategic imperatives vs indigenous rights.
- Reconciling FRA and PAT56 legal frameworks.
- Ensuring free, prior, informed consent (FPIC) of tribals.
- Addressing ecological fragility and disaster risks (seismic zone, tsunami-prone region).
Implications
- For Tribals: Risk of marginalisation, loss of traditional rights, and displacement.
- For Governance: Highlights loopholes in implementation of FRA, need for stronger safeguards.
- For Environment: Raises red flags about large-scale deforestation in ecologically sensitive zones.
- For India’s Strategy: While project enhances national security and trade, it could face long-term legitimacy and legal challenges.
Conclusion
- The Great Nicobar Project epitomises the development vs rights dilemma.
- Allegations of bypassing FRA raise serious questions about transparency and due process.
- Going forward, India must ensure legally sound, participatory, and environmentally sustainable decision-making to balance strategic needs with tribal rights and ecological preservation.
Why not all viruses led to a pandemic after transmission
Virus Transmission and Pandemics
- Zoonotic Spillover: When a disease-causing virus jumps from one species to another.
- Transmission Challenge: Most spillovers fail to establish sustained human-to-human (or host-to-host) transmission.
- Pandemic Trigger: Only rarely, when the virus adapts successfully in the new host environment, it can lead to a pandemic.
Relevance : GS 2(Health ) ,GS 3(Science and Technology)
Key Findings from the Study
- Determinants of Viral Persistence after spillover:
- Infection Prevalence: Fraction of exposed population that gets infected.
- Viral Shedding: Ability of infected hosts to release copies of the virus into the environment.
- Host Susceptibility: How vulnerable the hosts are to infection.
- Research Context:
- Study published in PLOS Biology.
- Conducted by David Kennedy (Pennsylvania State University).
- Aimed at predicting which viruses could potentially cause outbreaks and pandemics.
Experiment Conducted
- Model Used: Worms exposed to the Orsas virus.
- Observation:
- Worms reproduced and grew for 5–13 days.
- 20 adult worms were then transferred to a new virus-free Petri dish → process repeated until no trace of the virus remained.
- Data Collected:
- Fraction of worms infected.
- Amount of virus shed into the air.
- Transmission ability across repeated cycles.
Implications of Study
- Why Most Spillovers Fail:
- Insufficient infection prevalence.
- Low or unstable viral shedding.
- Low host susceptibility.
- Why Some Become Pandemics:
- Combination of high infection prevalence + high viral shedding + high host susceptibility.
- Public Health Utility:
- Helps identify which outbreaks to prioritize for monitoring.
- Guides allocation of public health resources to prevent and respond effectively.
- Provides a scientific basis for pandemic preparedness strategies.
Conclusion
- Most viruses that jump species fail to establish sustained transmission, hence pandemics are rare.
- Key determinants of viral persistence: infection prevalence, viral shedding, and host susceptibility.
- The study offers a predictive framework to identify high-risk spillovers before they escalate.
- Findings strengthen pandemic preparedness by enabling targeted public health interventions.
- Emphasizes the need for scientific surveillance + One Health approach to manage emerging infectious diseases.
ISRO’s 2040 Roadmap: 100+ Satellites, Private Sector Integration, and India’s Heaviest Rocket
ISRO’s Future Plans
- Timeline: Next 15 years (till ~2040).
- Satellites: Over 100 satellite launches planned.
- Purpose: Earth observation, communication, navigation, science missions (Moon, Mars, Venus), and human spaceflight (Gaganyaan).
- Current pace: ISRO launches 6–7 satellites annually, but roadmap aims to scale to ~7–8 launches per year consistently.
Relevance : GS 3(Space) , GS 2(Governance)
Key Developments
1. Satellite Missions
- Targets: >100 launches, averaging 7–8 per year.
- Includes flagship planetary missions (Chandrayaan, Mars, Venus) and Gaganyaan (human spaceflight).
- Expansion beyond routine launches → focus on deep space, exploration, human presence in space.
2. Private Sector Role
- ~350 private space firms in India, many working on innovative technologies.
- ISRO increasingly depending on private players for applications and hardware.
- Private sector success seen as crucial for ISRO’s 2047 vision (India@100).
3. Heaviest Rocket Development (LMV3 Successor / NGLV)
- LMV3 (GSLV Mk-III): Currently India’s most powerful rocket, used for Chandrayaan-3, Gaganyaan, and future human space missions.
- Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV):
- Height: Equivalent to a 40-storey building.
- Timeline: Expected readiness by 2035.
- Payload capacity: 80 tonnes to low-Earth orbit (LEO), 27 tonnes to Moon.
- Designed for human missions to the Moon by 2040.
Strategic Significance
- Space Transformation: ISRO shifting from a “slow but steady” approach to a high-frequency, mission-intensive strategy.
- Global Positioning: India emerging as a major space power, competing with NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, CNSA, and SpaceX.
- Human Spaceflight Capability: Chandrayaan-3 success + Gaganyaan + future Moon missions → stepping stones toward long-term human presence.
- Technology Development: Heavy-lift rockets essential for lunar bases, deep space missions, and international collaborations.
- Atmanirbhar Push: Indigenous heavy rockets, satellite technology, and growing private ecosystem reduce dependence on foreign launches.
Challenges
- Scaling Up: From 6–7 launches/year → 7–8 consistently for 15 years.
- Cost & Funding: Large missions require sustained funding and global partnerships.
- Human Spaceflight Risks: India’s first human mission (Gaganyaan) still pending; lunar human missions far more complex.
- Private Sector Integration: Success depends on smooth collaboration between ISRO and startups/private firms.
Implications for India
- Economic: Expanding commercial satellite launches and global space services market.
- Strategic: Strengthens India’s position in global space diplomacy, exploration race, and security.
- Scientific: Advances in planetary science, deep space studies, and human physiology in space.
- Geopolitical: Enhances India’s bargaining power in space governance regimes and multilateral initiatives.
Conclusion
- ISRO’s roadmap to launch 100+ satellites and build its heaviest rocket marks India’s shift from regional space player to a global space leader.
- Success hinges on innovation, private sector collaboration, and sustained political-economic support.
- By 2040, India aims to achieve human lunar missions, robust satellite infrastructure, and a dominant space industry ecosystem.
