29 May 2023

• Space: ISRO launched NavIC's second-generation NVS-01 satellite via GSLV. First NavIC satellite with the L1 frequency for wearable device compatibility.
• Water: The Atal Bhujal Yojana groundwater scheme was extended by two additional years to 2027.
• Environment: Rajasthan made M-Sand mandatory at 25 per cent in government construction to reduce river sand extraction.
• Parliament: The new Parliament building opened for business the day after inauguration. Opposition parties maintained their boycott stance.
• Polity: Article 239AA debate deepened as the services ordinance drew comparison to the Supreme Court's 11 May ruling.

GS area: Science and Technology (Space)

ISRO launched the NVS-01 satellite, the first of the second-generation Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) series, via the GSLV-F12 rocket.

• What is NavIC?
  • India's own regional navigation satellite system (equivalent to GPS for India and surrounding regions).
  • Coverage: India and up to 1,500 km beyond its borders.
  • Funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and coordinated by ISRO.
  • Primary users: defence, maritime and civil aviation sectors.
• NVS-01 new features:
  • L1 frequency: First-generation NavIC satellites transmitted in L5 and S frequencies. NVS-01 adds the L1 frequency (1,575.42 MHz), compatible with GPS receivers. This enables wearable devices and consumer electronics (phones, watches) to use NavIC.
  • Rubidium atomic clock: More compact and reliable than foreign clocks used in earlier satellites. Gives precise time signals needed for navigation accuracy.
  • Mission life: Exceeds 12 years.
• Launcher: GSLV-F12 with a cryogenic upper stage. NavIC geosynchronous orbit (>36,000 km altitude).

Static linkage: ISRO, satellite navigation, GSLV, space applications (Science and Technology).

GS area: Environment (Water management, Governance)

The Government of India extended the Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY) by two additional years, now running to March 2027.

• What ABY does: A demand-side groundwater management scheme. Aims to achieve sustainable groundwater use through community participation, not just supply-side infrastructure.
• Operational states: 7 states: Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• Funding: 50:50 cost-sharing between India and the World Bank (World Bank loan component: 450 million US dollars).
• Block-level focus: The scheme targets 8,774 gram panchayats across 80 over-exploited or critical groundwater blocks.
• Key instruments:
  • Groundwater-level monitoring through piezometers.
  • Community-based Water Security Plans at the gram panchayat level.
  • Incentive grants to panchayats that improve groundwater monitoring.
• Rationale for extension: Many ABY states saw improvement, but the 2023 review found that institutional strengthening and community behaviour change need more time.

Static linkage: Groundwater, World Bank, inter-state water, gram panchayat (Environment/Governance).

GS area: Environment (Mining, Natural resources)

Rajasthan mandated a minimum 25 per cent share of M-Sand in all government construction projects. M-Sand units are classified as industrial units under the Rajasthan Industrial Promotion Scheme.

• What M-Sand is: Crushed stone aggregate produced by processing granite, basalt or similar hard rock in a factory using a vertical shaft impactor. It replaces river sand in construction.
• Why it matters:
  • River sand scarcity: Unregulated river sand mining causes riverbed degradation, erosion, aquifer recharge disruption and loss of biodiversity in riparian habitats.
  • M-Sand advantages: Consistent grain size, no silt content, manufactured under controlled conditions. Suitable for concrete and plastering.
  • India's mining regulation: Sand is a minor mineral. States regulate under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act 1957.
• Policy tools: State-level mandates, industrial classification and subsidy are the levers used because M-Sand is slightly more expensive than river sand in some markets.

Static linkage: MMDR Act, minor minerals, environmental regulation (Environment/Economy).

GS area: Polity (Constitutional conventions, Parliamentary democracy)

The Parliament inauguration controversy continued. The central question: whether the President or the Prime Minister is the appropriate person to inaugurate a constitutional institution.

• Government's legal position: No provision in the Constitution requires the President to inaugurate public buildings. The President acts on aid and advice under Article 74.
• Opposition's democratic argument: The President is constitutionally part of Parliament (Article 79). Bypassing the President for a ceremonial function sets a precedent that weakens the symbolic role of the constitutional head of state.
• Factual record: Previously, the President has inaugurated Parliament sessions, courts and significant public institutions.
• INS Vikrant inauguration comparison: The President commissioned INS Vikrant in September 2022. INS Vikrant is a defence asset, not a constitutional institution.
• Sengol in context: The Sengol installation was praised by supporters of the ceremony. Critics argued no historical records confirm Nehru intended it as a formal transfer symbol.

Static linkage: Article 74, Article 79, President's role, parliamentary democracy (Polity).

• INS Tarinia circumnavigation: The Indian Navy's INSV Tarini completed its second circumnavigation voyage under an all-women crew commanded by Lieutenant Commander Dilna K and Lieutenant Commander Roopa A. The crew covered over 21,000 nautical miles.
• Odisha pension scheme: The State government extended the Madhu Babu Pension Yojana to include additional categories of destitute persons. This is one of the largest social pension programmes in India, covering the elderly, widows and disabled persons.
• World No Tobacco Day (31 May): Theme 2023: "We need food, not tobacco." Focus on shifting land from tobacco cultivation to food crops. India is the second-largest producer of tobacco globally. The FCTC (Framework Convention on Tobacco Control) obliges India to reduce tobacco land use.