MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS
Q1. India might develop into the world’s next space hub. Discuss the successes and difficulties India has faced in realising its space potential.
GS III – Space Technology related issues
Introduction:
- The Indian space mission has been remarkably daring, ranging from the launch of small rockets with payloads as light as 30-70 kg to the space shuttle’s 4,000 kg delivery of cargo. Currently, ISRO is one of the world’s top six government space agencies.
India’s potential in the space sector:
- With support from ISRO, the private sector in India’s space industry can increase its share of the global space economy from 2% to 8%.
- Most of the restrictions encountered by private players are anticipated to be lifted by the soon-to-be-unveiled new space policy.
- India has the capacity to produce hundreds of space entrepreneurs, and its youth will write the country’s destiny (demographic dividend).
Achievements in the field of space:
- PSLV: First launch vehicle in India to be outfitted with liquid stages, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is the country’s third generation launch vehicle.
- Indian space exploration began with the Chandrayaan-1 mission. Even though communication with the spacecraft was lost in 2009, leading to the mission’s termination, India’s space programme benefited greatly from it.
- The first interplanetary mission from India was the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also known as Mangalyaan. With the mission, India became the first nation in Asia and the fourth worldwide to reach the planet, following NASA, ROSCOSMOS, and the European Space Agency.
- GSLV: Another space launch vehicle intended to place satellites and other spacecraft into geosynchronous transfer orbits is the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). GSLV, a three-stage rocket with strap-on motors, can carry bigger payloads into orbit than PSLV.
- Liquid hydrogen serves as the fuel and liquid oxygen as the oxidizer in cryogenic engines. This technology was exclusive to the US, Japan, France, Russia, and China. India and them are now tied for first place.
- The NETRA Project is an early warning system designed to identify potential threats to Indian satellites in space, such as debris.
Issues facing the space industry:
- GDP Contribution: India invests between $1.5-2 billion in the space industry, however the GDP gain is not commensurate with the amount of money invested.
- Space Spending: India continues to trail behind the US, China, and Russia in terms of space spending, according to Economic Survey 2020–21. China spends six times as much on space exploration as India does, despite the US spending ten times more.
- Grievance Redressal: The Antrix-Devas aborted satellite agreement demonstrated India’s inadequate grievance redressal and dispute settlement mechanisms.
- Brain Drain: Every year, thousands of highly qualified engineers leave the country, and many of them immigrate abroad because there aren’t enough job prospects there. A 2008 government poll found that 36 percent of NASA’s scientists are Indian.
- Regulatory Issues: The absence of a stable regulatory framework and policies is impeding private sector participation in the space economy.
- FDI: One major obstacle to FDI in the sector is the requirement for sectoral approvals.
Way ahead:
- Forming new alliances with private business owners and other space organisations.
- Introducing a business platform that aids in reducing the time needed to create satellites and rocketry in order to achieve first-time right quality for successful launches.
- Less obstacles to entry for private companies and greater synergies between ISRO and private partners would result from improved regulatory clarity.
- allowing the private sector access to ISRO testing facilities.
- The national security policy incorporates the space industry in two ways. It is essential from the standpoint of strategic autonomy and promotes the socioeconomic advancement of the nation. Thus, the space economy needs to take the necessary actions to contain the problems it is facing.
Q2. There are several factors that are endangering India’s geographical sovereignty. Analyse. What strategy has India used to address these issues?
GS III – Internal Security
Introduction:
- India’s frontiers are beset by intricate and dynamic security problems that jeopardise the nation’s sovereignty and integrity.
- A State can exercise all of its sovereignty over a particular territory thanks to its territorial sovereignty. There are several fronts attacking India’s territorial sovereignty, both eastern and western:
Front of the West:
- Problem with Gilgit-Baltistan: Apparently, in 2020, Pakistan intended to make Gilgit-Baltistan a province in its own right. India disagreed with Pakistan’s directive to incorporate Gilgit-Baltistan into the nation’s federal system.
- Siachen Issue: With China to the right and Pakistan to the left, Siachen is situated in a very vital area. Therefore, Pakistan reinterpreted the cease-fire agreement to assert its sovereignty over the territory that lies beyond Siachen and the Saltoro Ridge.
- Aksai Chin: China claims this area as part of its autonomous Xinjiang province. Originally, it was a part of the state of J&K. China has governed it since the conflict of 1962. While the Shaksgam Valley (Indian territory granted to China by Pakistan) and the entire Aksai Chin area are claimed by India. This is commonly linked to a recent military conflict in the Galwan Valley.
- India is concerned about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) because they pass through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which it believes violates its territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Front Eastern:
- Problem with Arunachal Pradesh: China asserts territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh. It refers to the region as both South Tibet and “Zangnan.” The Indian government has categorically denied the Chinese assertions.
- North East insurgency: A number of rebel organisations have expressed interest in severing a portion of India’s territory and establishing it as a separate nation. The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM), for instance, asserts that India invaded Nagalim and calls for the division of Arunachal, Nagaland, Assam, and Manipur into the new Greater Nagalim.
- India has implemented a multifaceted strategy to address intricate and ever-changing threats to its territorial sovereignty.
- Diplomacy: The Indian Minister of External Affairs has repeatedly said through a variety of diplomatic channels that the dispute between China and India serves no party’s interests. Furthermore, to discuss the LAC situation, the relevant foreign ministers of the participating nations convened off-site at the G-20 Summit.
- Deterrence: India has increased its military presence on the LAC in an effort to stave off further invasions and to put pressure on China to use force to reestablish the pre-invasion status quo. For instance, following the Galwan Valley Incident, the Indian army took control of Kalatop, a strategically important site in the Pangong Tso region.
- Strategic Cooperation with Friendly Countries: The United States of America (USA) promptly provided the defence equipment that New Delhi requested, vocally supported India in its efforts to oppose China’s occupation of the disputed territories, and provided India with operational intelligence on Chinese military activities in real time.
- One can guarantee territorial sovereignty via diplomacy or by having the capacity to prevent war. India is attempting each. We have made efforts to increase deterrence through indigenization and capacity building, but we have also taken various steps to resolve the unresolved issues diplomatically. We need to concentrate more on finding early solutions to these problems if India is to grow into a global force and avoid being isolated in South Asia.
