Content
- Vehicle Scrappage Policy & Road Safety Initiatives
- Deep-Sea Fishing & Blue Economy Initiatives
Vehicle Scrappage Policy & Road Safety Initiatives
Context
- India faces a severe road safety crisis with 1.68 lakh annual fatalities (NCRB 2023), making road crashes a leading cause of death among productive-age population, imposing ~3% GDP economic loss (World Bank estimates).
- Rising motorisation (30+ crore registered vehicles), ageing fleet, and rapid highway expansion increase exposure risk, necessitating fleet renewal, safer infrastructure, and post-crash care systems.
- India is a signatory to the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030, targeting 50% reduction in road deaths, aligning domestic reforms with global safe-system approach.
- PIB highlights scaling of Vehicle Scrappage Policy, ATS network, cashless trauma care, and AI-based enforcement, reflecting integrated strategy across engineering, enforcement, and emergency care.
Relevance
- GS-3 (Environment): Tackles transport sector’s ~12% CO₂ share, supports BS-VI, EVs, ethanol blending, and resource-efficient metal recovery.
- GS-3 (Internal Security/Disaster): Trauma response systems, MVAF funding, and golden-hour care reduce fatalities and improve emergency preparedness.
Vehicle Scrappage Policy: Rationale & Outcomes
- End-of-Life Vehicles (15–20 years) show higher pollution, poor fuel efficiency, and mechanical unreliability; scrappage promotes cleaner fleet turnover and resource-efficient metal recycling ecosystems.
- As of 30 Jan 2026, 129 Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSFs) in 21 States/UTs scrapped 4,30,306 vehicles, formalising recycling and reducing informal-sector environmental risks.
- Transport sector contributes nearly 12% of India’s energy-related CO₂ emissions (IEA); scrappage synergises with BS-VI, ethanol blending, and EV adoption for decarbonised mobility transition.
- Scientific disposal recovers steel, aluminium, rare metals, reducing mining pressure, import dependence, and lifecycle emissions, supporting circular economy objectives under Resource Efficiency policy.
Fiscal, Legal & Institutional Architecture
- SASCI 2025–26 provides Rs.2,000 crore incentives on FCFS basis, linking disbursement to MV tax concessions, ATS operationalisation, and scrapping performance, promoting competitive federal reforms.
- Graded incentives: Rs.50,000–1,50,000 (government vehicles) and Rs.5,000–20,000 (private vehicles) reduce owner resistance, expand formal recycling markets, and improve traceable disposal.
- Section 162, Motor Vehicles Act 1988 legally anchors Cashless Treatment Scheme 2025, ensuring uniform nationwide applicability and precedence over other schemes for trauma care.
- Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVAF) financed by insurers + budgetary support ensures sustainable trauma funding, quicker hospital reimbursements, and wider hospital network participation.
Road Safety Engineering & Enforcement
- Black-spot rectification uses signages, markings, crash barriers, traffic calming, alongside junction redesign and grade separators, targeting high-conflict points to reduce fatal crash probability.
- Mandatory third-party Road Safety Audits (RSA) across design–construction–O&M institutionalise safety checks and align projects with IRC codes and global safe-system standards.
- Electronic Monitoring Rules mandate devices on high-risk corridors and million-plus cities/NCAP cities, strengthening automated enforcement and deterrence against violations.
- Ambulances at NH toll plazas with trained EMTs improve golden-hour survival probability, crucial as trauma response time strongly influences mortality outcomes.
Technology & Vehicle Safety Regulations
- Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) deploy ANPR, PTZ, VIDES, surveillance, enabling real-time violation detection, traffic analytics, and quicker incident response.
- Mandatory ABS and endurance braking for M2/M3/N-category vehicles effective 2027, improving braking reliability in heavy vehicles and reducing run-off-road crashes.
- ADAS mandates (2027–28) include VSF, LDWS, drowsiness alerts, blind-spot detection, shifting policy from post-crash response to predictive crash avoidance.
- Centre of Excellence for Road Safety (IIT Madras) promotes research–policy–industry collaboration, enabling evidence-based design, crash forensics, and safety innovation diffusion.
Governance, Data & Behavioural Measures
- e-DAR platform builds a centralised accident repository, improving data-driven interventions, insurance processing efficiency, and targeted engineering corrections.
- Rah-Veer Scheme increases Good Samaritan reward to Rs.25,000, strengthening bystander intervention and community-based emergency response networks.
- Cashless Treatment Scheme 2025 offers up to Rs.1.5 lakh cover per victim for maximum 7 days, addressing catastrophic health expenditure and improving trauma access.
- National Road Safety Month drives behavioural change through helmet distribution, public campaigns, and stakeholder outreach, addressing human-factor contribution (~70–80%) in crashes.
Conclusion
- Vehicle scrappage and road safety reforms mark a shift from reactive regulation to preventive, technology-driven mobility governance.
- Long-term success depends on state capacity, behavioural change, and data-led targeting of high-risk corridors.
- Aligns with SDG-3 (Health), SDG-11 (Sustainable Cities), and climate goals, turning road safety into a public-health and development priority.
Deep-Sea Fishing & Blue Economy Initiatives
Context
- India has a 11,098 km coastline, 2.02 million sq. km EEZ, and strategic location in IOR, making marine resources, fisheries, and seabed minerals central to Blue Economy and food security.
- Fisheries sector contributes about 1.1% to national GVA and ~7% to agricultural GVA, supporting 3+ crore livelihoods, making sustainable deep-sea expansion economically and socially critical.
- Near-shore waters face overfishing and resource depletion, pushing policy towards deep-sea fishing, mariculture, and value-chain modernisation to maintain incomes and ecological balance.
- PIB 2026 updates highlight scaling of PMMSY, FIDF, cooperative-led fisheries, and Deep Ocean Mission (DOM), indicating convergence of livelihood, technology, and strategic resource goals.
Relevance
- GS-2 (Governance): Whole-of-government model linking PMMSY, FIDF, cooperatives, and DOM, improving institutional convergence in marine governance.
- GS-3 (Economy): Fisheries contribute 1.1% GVA, support 3+ crore livelihoods; deep-sea push boosts exports, value chains, and coastal incomes.
- GS-3 (Environment): Promotes sustainable fishing, biodiversity mapping, and climate-resilient coastal planning via ocean observation systems.
PMMSY & Deep-Sea Fisheries Push
- PMMSY (₹20,050 crore, since 2020-21) is India’s largest fisheries scheme, targeting production enhancement, export growth, and fisher welfare through infrastructure, technology, and value-chain investments.
- Financial support for deep-sea vessels and vessel upgradation improves export compliance, catch efficiency, and safety, enabling transition from coastal overfishing to offshore resource utilisation.
- Scheme supports boats, nets, GPS, communication devices, sea-safety kits, and insurance, reducing vulnerability, improving traceability, and enhancing disaster preparedness for marine fishers.
- Investment in Fishing Harbours, Landing Centres, cold chains, and marketing reduces post-harvest losses, which historically range 20–25% in fisheries value chains.
Cooperative & Institutional Architecture
- Whole-of-Government approach integrates Department of Fisheries + Ministry of Cooperation, aligning policy, finance, and collectivisation for inclusive marine growth.
- Fishery Cooperatives and FFPOs improve bargaining power, formal credit access, and aggregation, countering middlemen dominance and income volatility among small-scale fishers.
- NCDC financing support enables cooperative-led asset creation, processing units, and export linkages, strengthening local marine economies and coastal employment multipliers.
- FIDF (₹7,522.48 crore) provides concessional finance for harbours, cold chains, mariculture, and markets, crowding-in private and state investments in fisheries infrastructure.
Deep Ocean Mission (DOM): Strategic Blue Economy Pillar
- DOM has six verticals covering deep-sea mining, robotics, climate services, biodiversity, energy, and marine biology stations, integrating science, security, and sustainability objectives.
- MATSYA-6000 submersible designed for 6,000 m depth with 3 aquanauts; system engineering completed and wet tests conducted, marking India’s entry into human deep-ocean exploration capability.
- Scientists gained operational exposure via French submersible NAUTILE (2025), enhancing pilot skills and international technology benchmarking.
- New oceanographic research vessel designed and blocks constructed by GRSE, strengthening indigenous deep-sea research logistics and Atmanirbhar Bharat goals.
Ocean Observation, Climate & Disaster Preparedness
- 100-year return extreme sea-level projections and coastal vulnerability maps prepared, aiding climate adaptation planning for cyclone-prone coastal districts.
- 11 glider missions, 60 wave drifters, and 92 Argo floats deployed, strengthening real-time ocean observation and monsoon–cyclone modelling.
- ITEWC-INCOIS operational since 2007 provides tsunami alerts to all coastal States/UTs and 26 IOR countries, positioning India as regional disaster-warning hub.
Biodiversity & Resource Exploration
- 1,845 deep-sea microbes isolated from Indian EEZ, including rare species, expanding bio-prospecting potential for pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.
- 25 seamounts surveyed in Lakshadweep and A&N, documenting 195 deep-sea species including 39 potential new taxa, strengthening biodiversity inventories.
- Discovery of 2 active and 2 inactive hydrothermal vents signals potential polymetallic sulphide deposits, critical for future strategic minerals.
- 141 collaborative projects across ~69 institutions foster academia–industry–government synergy in deep-ocean R&D ecosystem.
Blue Economy Integration & Strategic Significance
- DOM integrates living and non-living resources including biodiversity and polymetallic nodules, aligning with India’s Blue Economy and resource security vision.
- Deep-sea capabilities enhance strategic autonomy in critical minerals, reducing dependence on imports for energy transition technologies.
- Climate-linked datasets improve coastal resilience, port planning, and disaster mitigation, supporting SDG-14 and Sendai Framework commitments.
- International collaborations with France and Germany institutions strengthen technology transfer, joint research, and capacity building in ocean sciences.
Conclusion
- Blue Economy policies signal transition from coastal extraction to technology-led, sustainable ocean management.
- Deep-sea capabilities enhance strategic autonomy in minerals, food security, and climate resilience.
- Success hinges on balancing exploitation with conservation, ensuring India’s oceans remain engines of growth without ecological overreach.
