Current Affairs 10 June 2025

Content :

1. Delimiting by electors rather than population offers a fairer approach
2. How drones are the new face of warfare
3. How extracting and producing nickel can be made more sustainable
4. Weather plays spoilsport with Shukla’s mission; NASA moves launch to tomorrow
5. Foreign investors shift money out of Delhi to ‘promising’ Maharashtra
6. Govt. eases SEZ norms for chip, electronic units

Delimiting by electors rather than population offers a fairer approach

Core Argument

• Electors, not population, should be the primary basis for delimiting parliamentary constituencies (PCs).
• This ensures true adherence to the principle of “One person, one vote, one value.”

Relevance : GS 2(Delimitation , Governance)

Why Electors, Not Population?

• Census counts all residents, including:
  • Under-18s (non-voters)
  • Migrants who may not be registered voters
• Elector rolls capture actual voters, not merely residents.
• Using elector data is timely, doesn’t depend on delayed Census.
• Better reflects real democratic participation.

Elector Disparity & Vote Value

• Vote value ∝ 1 / number of electors in a PC.
• Disparities observed:
  • Idukki (Kerala) vote = 4.5× that of Malkajgiri (Telangana).
  • Southern States dominate both the largest and smallest elector-PCs.
• Indicates the need for rationalisation within the South itself, not just North-South debate.

Historical Trends in Vote Value

• Southern States had higher vote value in:
  • 1951, 2009, 2019, 2024
• Lower vote value in:
  • 1961, 1971, 1980, 1991, 1999
• Suggests cyclical shifts, not a consistent bias against the South.

Parliamentary Representation Imbalance

• Southern States (22.45% of electors):
  • Hold 23.8% of Lok Sabha seats
  • 24.4% of Rajya Sabha seats
• Rest of India (71.2% electors):
  • Hold only 67.4% Lok Sabha and 64.4% Rajya Sabha seats
• Tamil Nadu (TN) anomaly:
  • 39 Lok Sabha seats (less than Bihar/West Bengal)
  • 18 Rajya Sabha seats, higher than both.

Proposed Reform Model

• Raise Lok Sabha strength to 800 (with 810 total to accommodate smaller States/UTs).
• States that gain most:
  • Rajasthan (+76%)
  • Karnataka (+60.7%)
  • Telangana (+58.8%)
• Ensures equity without penalising population control success.

Debunking Misconceptions

1. Population-only basis – historically not true; geographical & minimum representation always mattered.
2. Southern States penalised for family planning – oversimplified narrative; even within South disparities exist.
3. Dangerous precedent – linking representation to fertility rates could lead to demands based on religion or caste.
4. Migration & outdated methods – original population criteria didn’t account for current demographic fluidity.

Conclusion

• Elector-based delimitation is:
  • More democratically valid
  • More data-available and real-time
  • Less prone to political manipulation via fertility narratives
• A necessary modern reform to ensure fair representation in line with India’s changing demographics.

How drones are the new face of warfare

The Rise of Drones in Modern Warfare

• Drones (UAVs) have become the weapon of choice due to their versatility, affordability, and ability to achieve strategic objectives.
• They blur lines between military-grade and commercial technologies, with civilian drones now easily repurposed for combat.

Relevance : GS 3(Technology , Defence)

India’s Tactical Shift

• Operation Sindoor (post-Pahalgam attack) shows India’s shift towards integrated drone use in live combat.
• Reflects a broader doctrinal evolution aligning with global trends like Ukraine’s Operation Spider Web.

Global Precedents

• Nagorno-Karabakh War (2020): Loitering munitions (Harop drones) destroyed enemy air defences, reshaping aerial combat.
• Ukraine War: Real-time testing ground for mass-produced, improvised drones with rapid innovation-counterinnovation cycles.
• Myanmar: Rebel groups use 3D-printed drones to level the battlefield.

Drone Effectiveness Hinges on Resilience

• Drones are vulnerable to electronic warfare, jamming, and air defences.
• Countermeasures (soft & hard kill) require innovation to evade detection, e.g.:
  • AI-based navigation
  • Terrain mapping & machine vision
  • Frequency hopping
  • Fibre-optic tethers (Ukraine example)

Counter-Drone Strategies

• India uses Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) with S-400, MR-SAM, Akash systems.
• Indigenous counter-UAV tech successfully used against Pakistan’s drone incursions.
• Swarm drone attacks (e.g. Russia’s Shahed drones) can overwhelm air defences — need for magazine depth and redundancy.

 Asymmetric Edge & Mass Production

• Drones provide asymmetric capability against stronger adversaries (e.g., China).
• India must build volume and modularity into drone fleets to sustain prolonged conflicts.
• China’s drone fleet (Wing Loong, Soaring Dragon, CH-901, etc.) gives it an edge, especially in swarm tactics at LAC.

Civil-Military Crossover

• Commercial drones + open-source software = new war potential.
• Dual-use drones lower cost but may compromise on performance.
• Innovations like 3D printing allow:
  • Decentralised, rapid manufacturing
  • Bypass of complex supply chains
  • Scalability for high attrition warfare (e.g. Titan Falcon in Ukraine)

Internal Security Implications

• Weaponised commercial drones pose emerging threats from terrorists and non-state actors.
• Counter-drone measures must extend beyond military — involve home ministry, local police, airport security, etc.

Defence Industrial Base – The Key Lesson

• Ukraine war shows the need for a responsive, scalable defence industry.
• India’s low procurement rate disincentivises domestic production.
• Uncertain demand, lack of surge capacity, and limited R&D deter innovation.

Way Forward for India

• Strengthen the defence manufacturing ecosystem through:
  • Stable procurement commitments
  • Surge-capacity infrastructure
  • Public-private partnerships
• Invest in AI, drone swarm tech, and counter-UAV systems.
• Frame civil-military integration policy for drone deployment and threat mitigation.

How extracting and producing nickel can be made more sustainable

Background: Why Nickel Matters

• Key component in clean energy tech, especially lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs).
• Global nickel demand expected to exceed 6 million tonnes/year by 2040.
• Ironically, nickel extraction is highly polluting — 1 tonne of nickel = 20+ tonnes of CO₂ emissions.

Relevance : GS 3(Minerals)

Conventional Process: High Carbon Footprint

• Involves multiple steps: calcination → smelting → reduction → refining.
• Uses carbon as a reducing agent to extract nickel from nickel oxide.
• Results in high energy usage and large amounts of CO₂ emissions.

New Methodology: Hydrogen Plasma-Based Extraction

• Developed by Max Planck Institute researchers (published in Nature, April 2025).
• Single-step metallurgical process in one electric arc furnace.
• Replaces carbon with hydrogen plasma as the reducing agent.
• Uses electricity (preferably renewable) to generate high-energy hydrogen ions (plasma).

Advantages of Hydrogen Plasma Method

• Carbon-free: Byproduct is water, not CO₂.
• Energy efficient: ~18% less energy consumption.
• Emissions cut: Up to 84% reduction in direct CO₂ emissions.
• Faster & cleaner reaction kinetics due to reactive plasma.
• Produces high-purity ferronickel, reducing need for further refining.

Strategic Focus on Laterite Ores

• Laterites: Abundant in tropical regions (e.g., India’s Odisha-Sukinda belt), but hard to process.
• Traditional methods favor high-grade sulphide ores (depleting fast).
• New process makes low-grade ores economically viable, reducing dependency on imports.

Relevance for India

• Can leverage domestic laterite reserves, especially overburden in chromite mines.
• Supports India’s goals of:
  • Net-zero emissions by 2070
  • Industrialisation & green infrastructure
  • Reducing reliance on imported ores

Challenges & Caveats

• Scalability: Industrial deployment requires high initial capital and robust renewable energy supply.
• Infrastructure demand: Setting up electric arc furnaces and hydrogen systems.
• Technical hurdles:
  • Need for continuous oxygen supply at the melt interface.
  • Further studies on thermodynamic and kinetic behavior essential.
• Ore applicability: May not suit all types of nickel ores.

Conclusion

• Hydrogen plasma-based nickel extraction presents a transformative step toward sustainable metallurgy.
• Reduces the hidden carbon cost of clean energy technologies.
• With appropriate policy, funding, and R&D, it can help align industrial development with climate goals, especially for developing economies like India.

Weather plays spoilsport with Shukla’s mission; NASA moves launch to tomorrow

Mission Overview

• Mission: Axiom-4 (Ax-4), a private spaceflight mission to the ISS.
• Astronaut: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut on a commercial space mission.
• Launch Vehicle: SpaceX Falcon 9 with Dragon spacecraft.
• Launch Site: Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
• Mission Duration: Approx. 14 days on the ISS.

Relevance : GS 3(Space)

Launch Schedule History

• Originally planned for June 8, 2025.
• Postponed to June 10, and now further delayed to June 11, 2025.
• New launch time: 5:30 p.m. IST / 8 a.m. ET, June 11, 2025.

Reason for Delay

• Adverse weather conditions, specifically high winds in the ascent corridor.
• Safety-first approach by NASA and SpaceX to ensure mission success and crew safety.

Planned Activities on ISS

• Microgravity research.
• Technology demonstrations.
• Public outreach events.
• Scientific objectives are part of expanding commercial space activities and research.

Crew Status

• Ax-4 crew, including Group Captain Shukla, is currently under quarantine as part of standard pre-launch protocol.
• Expected to dock at ISS on June 12 (originally June 11), depending on actual launch timing.

Significance for India

• Marks a milestone in India’s space diplomacy and private sector participation.
• Enhances India’s collaboration with NASA and SpaceX.
• Builds momentum for India’s own Gaganyaan mission, which will be entirely indigenous.

Challenges & Implications

• Multiple delays (3 times now) reflect the complexity and unpredictability of space launches.
• Underscores the importance of weather monitoring and risk assessment in modern space missions.
• Highlights SpaceX’s and NASA’s strict safety standards for human spaceflight.

Foreign investors shift money out of Delhi to ‘promising’ Maharashtra

FDI Trend Overview (2015–2025)

• FDI concentration remains high in India — top 5 States account for 75–90% of all FDI inflows.
• Significant reallocation of investor preference among these states over the last decade.

Relevance : GS 3(FDI)

Declining Share of Delhi

• 2015–16: Delhi had the highest FDI share at 32% (~$12.7 billion).
• 2024–25: Fell drastically to 12% (~$6 billion).
• Indicates relative loss of investor confidence, possibly due to slower infrastructure growth or policy uncertainties.

Maharashtra’s Rise as FDI Magnet

• 2015–16: Accounted for 24% (~$9.5 billion) of FDI.
• 2024–25: Rose to 39% (~$19.6 billion), becoming the top FDI destination.
• Driven by:
  • Mumbai’s financial ecosystem.
  • Strong industrial base and logistics infrastructure.
  • Policy stability and “predictable returns.”

Karnataka’s Consistent Performance

• In top 5 for 9 of 10 years.
• Share increased from 10% (2015–16) to 13% (2024–25).
• Anchored by Bengaluru’s tech and innovation ecosystem.

Gujarat’s Steady Improvement

• Share grew from 6% to 11% over the decade.
• Benefited from:
  • Industrial corridor development.
  • Investor-friendly policies.
  • Strategic focus on manufacturing and exports.

Tamil Nadu’s Decline

• FDI share dropped from 11% to 7% (2015–25).
• Yet, remained in the top 5 for 7 out of 10 years.
• Suggests relative stagnation compared to faster-growing states.

Expert Insight: “Flight to Quality”

• Investors are more risk-averse amid global uncertainty.
• Shift toward mature, low-risk ecosystems with:
  • World-class infrastructure.
  • Proven policy frameworks.
  • Stable regulatory environments.
• Maharashtra and Karnataka exemplify these “safe havens” for capital.

Implications for India

• Widening regional disparity in FDI inflows.
• Need for Delhi and other lagging states to:
  • Improve ease of doing business.
  • Enhance infrastructure and governance.
  • Create sector-specific investment policies.

Govt. eases SEZ norms for chip, electronic units

Policy Reforms Announced

• Relaxation of SEZ norms specifically for semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing.
• Objective: Boost high-tech manufacturing, attract capital-intensive industries, and reduce import dependence.

Relevance : GS 2(Governance) ,GS 3(Minerals , Manufacturing)

Key Amendments to SEZ Rules

1. Minimum Land Requirement Reduced:
   1. Rule 5 amended: Minimum contiguous land area reduced from 50 hectares to 10 hectares.
   1. Aims to lower entry barriers and attract more investors.

• Permission to Sell Domestically:
  • Rule 18 amended: SEZ units can now sell to the domestic market (DTA) after paying applicable duties.
  • Shifts SEZs from being purely export-oriented to hybrid export-domestic supply hubs.

• Flexibility in Land Encumbrance:
  • Rule 7 amended: SEZ land can be mortgaged or leased to government agencies; no need for encumbrance-free land.
  • Helps firms access financing without regulatory bottlenecks.

Major Investment Approvals Post-Reform

• Micron Semiconductor Technology India: To set up a ₹13,000 crore unit in Sanand, Gujarat.
• Hubballi Durable Goods Cluster Pvt. Ltd. (Aequs): To invest ₹100 crore in Dharwad, Karnataka.
• Total approved investment: ₹13,100 crore.

Strategic and Economic Significance

• Semiconductors and electronics are:
  • Capital-intensive, import-dependent, and have long gestation periods.
• India aims to:
  • Build a resilient semiconductor ecosystem.
  • Reduce reliance on foreign chip imports.
  • Position itself as a global electronics manufacturing hub.

Expected Benefits

• Encourages pioneering investments in high-tech sectors.
• Boosts Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat goals.
• Facilitates the creation of high-skilled jobs in manufacturing and R&D.
• Strengthens supply chain resilience in strategic sectors like semiconductors.

Potential Challenges Ahead

• Timely infrastructure support and clearances.
• Ensuring availability of skilled manpower.
• Competitive policy support compared to China, Taiwan, or Vietnam.