7 March 2023

• Landslide risk mapped: NRSC released the first comprehensive Landslide Atlas of India, covering 17 states and 2 UTs over 24 years.
• Heat and labour: projected summer warming of 2 to 3.5°C by 2050 could cost India 5.8% of working hours by 2030.
• Green hydrogen push: the National Green Hydrogen Mission targets 5 MT production by 2030 with a Rs 19,744 crore outlay approved in January 2023.
• Big cat diplomacy: India proposed the International Big Cat Alliance with USD 100 million support covering seven big cat species.
• Electoral bonds under scrutiny: the Supreme Court referred the Electoral Bond Scheme to a larger bench over anonymity concerns.

GS Paper 1: Geography; Disaster Management.

The National Remote Sensing Centre released the Landslide Atlas of India in March 2023. The atlas draws on data from 1998 to 2022 across 17 states and two union territories.

• NRSC: the National Remote Sensing Centre operates under ISRO and is responsible for earth observation and geospatial data products.
• India's global rank: India is among the four countries with the highest landslide risk in the world. The others are China, the United States, and Italy.
• Regional distribution: the Northwest Himalayas account for 66.5% of India's landslides. The Northeast accounts for 18.8% and the Western Ghats for 14.7%.
• Himachal Pradesh: all 12 districts of the state are landslide-prone, making it the most uniformly vulnerable state.
• Top five vulnerable districts: Rudraprayag and Tehri Garhwal in Uttarakhand; Thrissur and Palakkad in Kerala; Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir.

The atlas is a planning tool for state disaster management authorities and for the National Disaster Management Plan. For prelims, note that NRSC is the institution and ISRO is its parent.

Revises: Disaster Management; Physical Geography of India.

GS Paper 3: Environment; Economy.

India faces a compounding heat stress problem. Maximum temperatures have already risen 0.9°C and minimum temperatures 0.5°C between 1990 and 2019. February 2023 was the hottest February recorded since 1901.

• 2050 projection: under moderate emissions scenarios, summer maximum temperatures are projected to rise 2 to 3.5°C above current levels by mid-century.
• Labour loss: the International Labour Organization estimated in 2019 that India would lose 5.8% of working hours by 2030 because of heat stress. This is one of the highest national shares globally.
• Global mortality: between 2000 and 2019, more than 5 million deaths per year were attributed globally to extreme temperatures, covering both heat and cold.
• Sector exposure: outdoor labour in agriculture, construction, and sanitation bears the greatest burden. These workers have no formal cooling infrastructure.

The link between climate data and labour economics is a recurring UPSC angle. The ILO figure (5.8% working hours lost) is the number examiners use.

Revises: Climate Change; Labour and Employment; Disaster Preparedness.

GS Paper 2: Polity; Electoral Reforms.

The Electoral Bond Scheme was introduced in the Union Budget of 2017 and notified in January 2018. The Supreme Court referred a challenge to the scheme to a larger constitutional bench in March 2023.

• What an electoral bond is: a financial instrument purchased from the State Bank of India in denominations from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1 crore. Any registered political party can redeem bonds within 15 days of receipt.
• The anonymity concern: only SBI, a government-controlled institution, knows the identity of the buyer. The party receiving the bond does not know the donor, and the public does not know either party.
• Constitutional issue: critics argue this violates the right to information of voters under Articles 19(1)(a) and 21, and creates a structural incentive for the ruling party to receive more donations.
• Jharkhand Mukti Morcha: the first political party to voluntarily disclose the identities of its electoral bond donors, cited as a transparency benchmark in public debate.
• Larger bench referral: the Supreme Court sent the matter to a five-judge bench because the questions involve interpretation of fundamental rights.

The institutional trap examiners set: SBI is the only bank authorised to issue bonds, not the RBI or any private bank.

Revises: Electoral Reforms; Fundamental Rights; Supreme Court Jurisdiction.

GS Paper 3: Energy; Environment.

The Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission in January 2023 with a total outlay of Rs 19,744 crore.

• SIGHT fund: the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition fund has an allocation of Rs 13,000 crore. It supports domestic production and offtake.
• Electrolyser PLI: Rs 4,500 crore is reserved for a production-linked incentive for electrolyser manufacturing in India.
• R&D allocation: Rs 400 crore is set aside for research and development in green hydrogen technologies.
• 2030 target: India aims to produce 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030.
• Green steel ambition: the mission positions India to become the world's largest producer of green steel, which uses hydrogen in place of coking coal.
• Green hydrogen definition: hydrogen produced by electrolysis powered by renewable energy. It emits no carbon at the point of production.

For prelims, note all four monetary figures and the 5 MT target. The ministry responsible is the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Revises: Energy Security; Climate Commitments; Industrial Policy.

GS Paper 3: Environment; Biodiversity; International Relations.

India proposed the International Big Cat Alliance in March 2023. The government committed USD 100 million in guaranteed support over five years to operationalise the body.

• Seven big cats covered: tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar, and cheetah. These are the seven species the IBCA is mandated to protect.
• Range countries: 97 countries across the natural ranges of these species are eligible to join the alliance.
• India's domestic big cat count: India hosts tigers, lions (Gir), leopards, and snow leopards. The cheetah was reintroduced in Kuno National Park in September 2022.
• Institutional model: the IBCA is envisaged as an intergovernmental body for data sharing, anti-poaching cooperation, and habitat corridor planning.

The IBCA is a new institution. Distinguish it from Project Tiger (1973, domestic) and the Global Tiger Forum (1994, international). The seven species listed are the testable fact.

Revises: Biodiversity Conservation; Protected Areas; Wildlife Law.

GS Paper 3: Science and Technology; Infrastructure.

Indian Railways announced a partnership with ISRO to use the NavIC satellite navigation system for real-time train tracking, routed through the Bhuvan web utility.

• NavIC: Navigation with Indian Constellation is India's regional satellite navigation system. It provides positioning services over India and up to 1,500 km beyond its borders.
• Bhuvan: ISRO's geoportal and web mapping platform, used for visualisation of satellite data including disaster and terrain information.
• Use case: the integration enables live train location data during disaster response and accident investigation, supplementing existing signal-based systems.
• Wider significance: NavIC reduces dependence on the US GPS system for critical infrastructure. It uses seven satellites in geostationary and geosynchronous orbits.

The NavIC-Railways-ISRO triangle is a typical multi-institution question. NavIC's seven-satellite configuration and regional (not global) coverage are frequently tested facts.

Revises: Space Technology; Transport Infrastructure; Disaster Management.

GS Paper 3: Environment; International Institutions.

The World Meteorological Organization announced work on the Global Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Infrastructure in March 2023, designed to give policymakers reliable data on atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations.

• WMO: the World Meteorological Organization is a UN specialised agency. It provides authoritative scientific data on weather, climate, and the atmosphere.
• Three major GHGs tracked: carbon dioxide contributes approximately 66% of the enhanced greenhouse effect. Methane and nitrous oxide account for the rest of the anthropogenic forcing.
• CO2 trend: the increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration between 2020 and 2021 exceeded the average increase over the previous decade, indicating accelerating emissions.
• Purpose of GGGMI: to provide consistent, independent monitoring of GHG concentrations separate from national self-reported emissions data, enabling verification of climate pledges.

The WMO is distinct from the UNEP and the IPCC. IPCC assesses climate science; WMO monitors the atmosphere and provides operational data.

Revises: Climate Change; International Environmental Institutions.

GS Paper 3: Environment; Biodiversity.

The Great Seahorse is declining along India's Coromandel Coast due to overfishing and habitat loss.

• Taxonomic classification: the Great Seahorse is a fish, classified in the order Syngnathiformes. It is not a mammal. This is a frequent MCQ trap.
• IUCN status: listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
• Coromandel Coast threat: overfishing, bycatch in trawl nets, and destruction of seagrass beds are the primary pressures on wild populations.
• Seahorse biology: males carry fertilised eggs in a brood pouch and give birth to live young. This reproductive biology is also a tested fact.
• Trade: seahorses are among the most traded marine animals globally. They are used in traditional medicine, aquariums, and as curiosities.

Revises: Marine Biodiversity; IUCN Red List; Coastal Ecosystems.

GS Paper 2: Polity; Anti-Money Laundering Framework.

The Delhi High Court directed the government to expedite appointment of the Appellate Authority under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, which had remained vacant.

• PMLA, 2002: the Prevention of Money Laundering Act is the primary law governing money laundering in India. Enforcement is by the Enforcement Directorate.
• Provisional attachment: the ED can provisionally attach property suspected to be proceeds of crime. The attachment must be confirmed or overturned within 180 days.
• Appellate Authority: adjudicates disputes arising from attachment orders. Absence of the authority delays hearings, affecting both enforcement and accused rights.
• Adjudicating Authority vs Appellate Authority: both are PMLA tribunals. The Adjudicating Authority confirms provisional attachment. The Appellate Authority hears appeals against those orders.

The distinction between the ED's investigative role, the Adjudicating Authority, and the Appellate Authority is a standard three-tier question.

Revises: Anti-Money Laundering; Enforcement Directorate; Tribunals.

GS Paper 2: Polity; Consumer Protection.

The Supreme Court reduced the mandatory professional experience requirement for appointments to consumer commissions under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

• President of a District Commission: experience requirement reduced from 20 years to 10 years.
• Members of a District Commission: experience requirement reduced from 15 years to 10 years.
• New selection elements: written examinations and viva voce interviews are now part of the appointment process, replacing purely seniority-based selection.
• Consumer Protection Act, 2019: replaced the 1986 Act. Established a three-tier redress system: District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, State Commission, and National Commission (NCDRC).
• NCDRC: the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission sits in New Delhi and hears appeals from state commissions.

Revises: Consumer Rights; Quasi-Judicial Bodies; Judicial Appointments.

• Nano-DAP fertiliser: the Department for Promotion of Quality and Standardisation approved a three-year production window for IFFCO and Coromandel International. IFFCO launched Nano-Urea in 2021. Nano-potash, nano-zinc, and nano-copper are in the pipeline. Nano-DAP reduces the soil and water loading of conventional diammonium phosphate.
• NavIC operational status: NavIC's seven-satellite constellation provides 20-metre positioning accuracy over India. The system is independent of GPS and is now being embedded in civilian infrastructure including railways and fisheries alerts.