4 September 2024

• Governance: The Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill 2024 introduced sweeping changes to the DM Act 2005, including Urban Disaster Management Authorities.
• Security: Drone warfare in conflict zones prompted analysis of India's counter-drone policy and indigenous development.
• Polity: The Supreme Court issued warnings against "bulldozer justice," promising nationwide guidelines on demolitions without due process.
• History: IIT Gandhinagar research confirmed the existence of Lothal's ancient dockyard via geological evidence.

GS area: Polity (disaster management), Governance

The Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill 2024 proposed significant changes to the Disaster Management Act 2005. The original Act created the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs).

Key additions in the 2024 Bill:

• National and state disaster databases: The NDMA and SDMAs will compile comprehensive databases of disaster risks, vulnerabilities and resources. Plans must be reviewed every three years and updated every five.
• Urban Disaster Management Authorities (UDMAs): New bodies to be created for state capitals and major cities. Municipalities and urban local bodies will be brought under a formal disaster planning framework.
• National Crisis Management Committee: Granted statutory status. The NCMC coordinates national-level response for major disasters and was previously a non-statutory body.
• State Disaster Response Forces: States may now form their own SDRFs separate from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). The NDRF was established under the 2005 Act.
• Section 60A: Grants central and state governments power to direct individuals on disaster management. Non-compliance attracts penalties up to Rs 10,000.
• Exclusions: Delhi and Chandigarh were excluded from the UDMA framework, drawing criticism.

Criticism: The Bill creates additional governance layers between municipal commissioners and district collectors, potentially causing confusion during disaster response. Urban local bodies often lack the financial capacity to run their own disaster management structures.

Static linkage: Disaster Management Act 2005, NDMA, cooperative federalism.

GS area: Security, Science and Technology

Analysis of drone use in active conflict zones (Ukraine-Russia, Houthi attacks on shipping, Middle East) prompted a review of India's drone policy framework.

• Drone Rules 2021: India's primary regulatory framework for drone operations. It incentivises indigenous manufacturing and regulates drone movement over Indian territory. Foreign drone imports are banned under the Drone Import Policy 2022; component imports are permitted.
• Indrajaal: Indigenous anti-drone system developed by Grene Robotics. It provides wide-area drone detection and neutralisation.
• DRDO drones: Nishant (surveillance), Rustom series (MALE-class), and various tactical variants.
• PLI Scheme for drones: Production-Linked Incentive support for domestic drone manufacturing.
• Security threats to India: Cross-border drone drops in Jammu (the first attack on an Indian military installation in 2021), contraband smuggling via drones from Pakistan, and surveillance of military facilities.
• Indian Army Aviation Corps: Assigned primary responsibility for counter-drone measures in the Army's operational doctrine.

Static linkage: Defence indigenisation, border security, Science and Technology.

GS area: Polity (judiciary, fundamental rights)

The Supreme Court indicated it would issue nationwide guidelines on property demolitions after receiving petitions challenging demolitions carried out by state governments against alleged offenders without due process.

Key legal and constitutional dimensions:

• Article 21: The right to life includes the right to a dwelling, as elaborated by the Supreme Court in multiple judgments. Demolition without notice violates this right.
• Article 14: Equal protection of law. Courts noted allegations that demolitions targeted specific communities disproportionately.
• Article 300A: No deprivation of property except by authority of law. Demolitions without legal process directly violate this provision.
• Collective punishment: The Court flagged the practice of demolishing the homes of family members of persons accused (not even convicted) of crimes as unconstitutional.
• State frameworks: States including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have laws requiring notice periods ranging from 15 to 40 days before demolitions. The controversy arose because these notice requirements were being bypassed.

Static linkage: Rule of law, property rights, judicial review (Polity).

GS area: History (Indus Valley Civilisation)

A study by IIT Gandhinagar used geological and remote-sensing evidence to confirm that the structure at Lothal was indeed an ancient dockyard, and that the Sabarmati River once flowed approximately 20 kilometres closer to the site.

Key facts about Lothal:

• Location: Bhal region of Gujarat.
• Built: Around 2200 BCE.
• Southernmost IVC site: Lothal is considered the southernmost major site of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
• Name meaning: "Mound of the dead" in Gujarati, paralleling Mohenjo-daro ("Mound of the dead" in Sindhi).
• Trade connections: Beads, gemstones and ornaments found at Lothal show trade connections with Dholavira, Mesopotamia, West Asia and Africa.
• Dockyard: The rectangular basin at Lothal is considered the world's earliest known artificial dock connected to a river channel.

Static linkage: Indus Valley Civilisation, ancient India (GS Paper 1).

GS area: Economy (technology), Governance

The Cabinet approved a Rs 3,300-crore semiconductor unit for Kaynes Semicon in Sanand, Gujarat.

• Production capacity: Approximately 60 lakh chips per day for automotive, consumer electronics and telecom sectors.
• India Semiconductor Mission (ISM): A specialised division within the Digital India Corporation. It has full administrative and financial powers and serves as the nodal agency for the Semicon India Programme.
• Market projection: India's semiconductor market is projected to reach $64 billion by 2026.
• Government support model: The government provides up to 50 per cent capital expenditure support for semiconductor fabrication units under Semcon India.
• Strategic context: India's near-total dependence on imported chips became a critical vulnerability during the 2020-21 chip shortage. The mission aims to reduce this exposure.

Static linkage: India's semiconductor policy, Atmanirbhar Bharat, electronics manufacturing.

GS area: Environment (climate), Disaster management

A central team visited Tenchungkha Lake in Sikkim as the first of 16 critical glacial lakes identified by NDMA for early warning system installation.

• Definition: A Glacial Lake Outburst Flood occurs when a dam containing a glacial lake (formed by meltwater at the glacier snout or beneath a melting glacier) fails suddenly, releasing large volumes of water downstream.
• Triggers: Earthquakes, heavy rainfall, ice avalanches or thermal erosion of the ice dam.
• NDMA assessment: 188 critical glacial lakes were identified across the Indian Himalayan Region.
• Sikkim context: The South Lhonak Lake GLOF in October 2023 devastated Singtam and parts of the Teesta river valley. It serves as the most recent Indian example.
• Implementing agency: NDMA collaborates with ISRO for remote-sensing monitoring and with state governments for on-ground early warning systems.

Static linkage: Glaciology, Himalayan rivers, disaster management.

• AgriSURE Fund: Established to support innovative, high-risk agricultural start-ups in farm mechanisation and rural enterprises. Part of the 2022-23 Budget announcement.
• Krishi Nivesh Portal: Launched on 5 December 2022 to simplify agricultural investments and enhance transparency in scheme access.
• Brunei visit: PM Modi's visit to Brunei marked the first Indian PM's visit in 40 years of diplomatic relations. Brunei is a tiny sultanate on the northern coast of Borneo Island, surrounded by Malaysia's Sarawak state.