16 September 2023

• Governance: Jal Jeevan Mission's coverage data: over 66 per cent of rural households now have piped water connections, but quality and sustainability concerns persist.
• Defence: India's Air Force took delivery of the first C-295 MW transport aircraft, part of a 56-aircraft deal with 95 per cent indigenous production target.
• International: NavIC integration in smartphones was mandated by the government by January 2025.
• Economy: The European Parliament approved the Critical Raw Materials Act, aiming to reduce dependence on Chinese rare earth metals.

GS area: Governance (water supply, rural development)

The Jal Jeevan Mission reported that over 66 per cent of rural households now have functional household tap connections (FHTC). Only three states had achieved 100 per cent tap connectivity.

• Jal Jeevan Mission: launched in August 2019 with the goal of providing safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections to all rural households (19 crore) by 2024.
• Coverage leaders: Goa, Telangana and Haryana achieved 100 per cent FHTCs. Large states like Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh lag behind.
• Quality concerns: critics pointed to three layers of problems. First, "connections" do not guarantee water supply; dry taps are common. Second, water quality testing is sporadic. Third, third-party verification of reported figures is absent.
• Sustainability gap: pipes have been laid but operation and maintenance (O&M) budgets are inadequate. Many Gram Panchayats lack trained operators.
• SDG 6: the mission is India's principal vehicle for Sustainable Development Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation). Its achievement by 2024 appears uncertain.

Static linkage: governance (water, rural development, JJM), Sustainable Development Goals.

GS area: Economy (defence manufacturing), International Relations

The Indian Air Force received the first C-295 MW transport aircraft from Airbus Defence and Space. India ordered 56 aircraft, of which the first 16 will be delivered in flyaway condition from Spain. The remaining 40 will be manufactured in India by Tata Advanced Systems Limited.

• C-295 MW profile: a medium transport aircraft designed for tactical operations including paratrooping, logistics, aeromedical evacuation and maritime patrol. It replaces the aging HS-748 Avro.
• Tata manufacture: this is the first time a military transport aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company. The manufacturing facility is at Vadodara, Gujarat.
• 95 per cent indigenisation target: this is aspirational and covers the local content in the 40 aircraft built in India over a decade-long programme.
• Significance: the deal is a model for the defence public-private partnership encouraged under the Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy (DPEPP) 2020.

Static linkage: economy (defence manufacturing, Make in India), international relations (India-Spain).

GS area: Science and Technology (space, navigation)

The government mandated integration of the NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) system in smartphones to be sold in India starting January 2025.

• NavIC: India's regional satellite navigation system operated by ISRO. It provides positioning accuracy of 5 metres or better across India and approximately 1,500 km beyond its borders.
• Current constellation: seven operational satellites (IRNSS-1A to 1I series). Two more are planned to extend coverage.
• Coverage area: NavIC covers India and a region extending to South Asia, the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
• Why domestic GPS: GPS is a US military-operated system. India saw disruptions during the 1999 Kargil war when US GPS access was temporarily limited. NavIC ensures navigation sovereignty.
• Chipmaker adoption: Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon chipsets support NavIC. Apple's iPhone 15 (launched September 2023) included NavIC support.
• Mandating in phones: the government's mandate will create scale that drives down NavIC chip costs for other applications including agriculture, fishery and disaster management.

Static linkage: science and technology (ISRO, NavIC), governance (technology sovereignty).

GS area: Economy (raw materials, clean energy), International Relations

The European Parliament approved the Critical Raw Materials Act, aiming to reduce EU dependence on China for rare earths, lithium, cobalt and other materials critical for clean energy and defence.

• Why now: China controls approximately 60 per cent of global rare earth extraction and 85 per cent of processing. The EU, like India, wants to diversify its supply chain.
• Act's targets: the EU will domestically produce at least 10 per cent, process at least 40 per cent and recycle at least 15 per cent of its annual consumption of strategic raw materials by 2030. No single country should supply more than 65 per cent of any strategic material.
• Listed materials: 34 strategic raw materials including lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earths, gallium and germanium.
• India linkage: India is also developing domestic rare earth processing capacity. Private players including Reliance and Vedanta expressed interest in Andhra Pradesh's beach-sand mineral deposits (approximately 211 million tonnes).
• KABIL: India's Khanij Bidesh India Limited is acquiring mineral blocks abroad (lithium in Argentina, for example) to secure supply.

Static linkage: economy (raw materials, clean energy transition), international relations (EU, China).

GS area: Government schemes (social protection, gender)

Tamil Nadu's Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam provides a monthly cash transfer of 1,000 rupees to women heads of households. The scheme was a key campaign promise of the DMK government.

• Target: approximately one crore women beneficiaries across Tamil Nadu.
• Implementation: beneficiary identification through an online application portal linked to ration cards and bank accounts.
• Larger trend: direct cash transfers to women have been adopted by several states (Madhya Pradesh's Ladli Bahna, Odisha's Subhadra). They are popular but face questions about fiscal sustainability.
• Gender and economic security: women controlling income independently improves child nutrition, education and household decision-making outcomes. This is the evidence base for targeting women.

Static linkage: government schemes (social protection, women), state-level initiatives.

GS area: Polity (judiciary, governance)

The Supreme Court of India joined the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) platform, enabling public tracking of case pendency and disposal statistics at the highest court.

• NJDG: a real-time database of cases in High Courts and District Courts. The Supreme Court's addition completes the three-tier coverage.
• Scale of pendency: approximately 50 million cases are pending across all courts in India. The Supreme Court alone had over 80,000 pending cases.
• NJDG data use: advocates, researchers and government departments can track case status, identify bottlenecks and monitor disposal rates.
• Mission Mode Project: NJDG is part of the e-Courts Mission Mode Project under the National e-Governance Plan.

Static linkage: polity (judiciary, e-governance), governance.

• Red Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta): ranked fifth in the global list of costliest invasive species. Detected in Europe for the first time; likely entered via shipping containers. A biosecurity concern given their aggressive colony expansion.
• OIML certification: India became the 13th country authorised to issue International Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML) certificates for measuring instruments. This improves India's exports of precision instruments.
• Women as temple priests in Tamil Nadu: Tamil Nadu's government began a programme to train women as temple priests in public temples. A quiet governance story with social significance.