1. THE ORGANIZATION OF THE PETROLEUM EXPORTING PLUS COUNTRIES

TAG: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

THE CONTEXT: The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, a group known as OPEC+ which pumps around 40% of the world’s crude, agreed on a new oil output deal.

EXPLANATION:

• Saudi Arabia, the group’s biggest producer, will make a deep cut to its output in July on top of a broader OPEC+ deal to limit supply into 2024 as the group faces flagging oil prices.
• A surprise announcement by OPEC+ in April to deepen production cuts helped to raise prices by about $9 a barrel to above $87 per barrel in the days followed.
• The changes, however, included lowered targets for Russia, Nigeria and Angola simply to bring them into line with current production levels.

Reasons why OPEC+ cut output:

• Concerns about weak global demand as data from China has aroused fears that the economic recovery after coronavirus lockdowns by world’s second-largest oil consumer is losing steam.
• Fears of another banking crisis in recent months have led investors to sell out of riskier assets.
• A global recession could lead to lower oil prices.
• Punishing speculators as the planned cuts will also punish oil short sellers betting on oil price declines.

Reactions:

• The United States is considering passing legislation known as NOPEC, which would allow the seizure of OPEC’s assets on U.S. territory if market collusion is proven.
• OPEC+ has criticised the International Energy Agency, the West’s energy watchdog for which the United States is the biggest financial donor, for advocating oil stocks releases last year.

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

• It refers to a group of 13 of the world’s major oil-exporting nations.
• OPEC was founded in 1960 to coordinate the petroleum policies of its members and to provide member states with technical and economic aid.
• Members Countries of OPEC include Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela (the five founders), plus Algeria, Angola, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Libya, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates.

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Plus:

• Opec+ is a group of 23 oil-exporting countries which meets regularly to decide how much crude oil to sell on the world market.
• These nations came to an accord towards the end of 2016 “to institutionalize a framework for cooperation between OPEC and non-OPEC producing countries on a regular and sustainable basis.” These nations aim to work together on adjusting crude oil production to bring stability to the oil market.
• The list of non-OPEC nations includes Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mexico, Malaysia, South Sudan, Sudan and Oman.

2. PLASTIC POLLUTION AND WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

TAG: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: Since the early 20th century, plastics have become a ubiquitous part of human life, despite their many adverse impacts on the environment. This year’s World Environment Day (June 5) has the theme of #BeatPlasticPollution, calling for global solutions to combat the pandemic of plastic pollution.

EXPLANATION:

50th anniversary of the World Environment Day:

• The World Environment Day, led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), has been held annually on June 5, since 1973.
• The date was chosen by the UN General Assembly during the historic 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment considered to be the first world conference to make the environment a major issue.

#BeatPlasticPollution

• Hosted by Côte d’Ivoire and supported by the Netherlands, this year’s World Environment Day campaign is aimed towards discussing and implementing solutions to the problem of plastic pollution.
• According to UN data, more than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year worldwide, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled. Consequently, an estimated 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas annually.

What is Plastic?

• The word plastic is derived from the Greek word plastikos, meaning “capable of being shaped or moulded.”
• It refers to a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient with their defining quality being their plasticity the ability of a solid material to undergo permanent deformation in response to applied forces. This makes them extremely adaptable, capable of being shaped as per requirement.
• Broadly speaking, single-use is a term which can refer to any plastic items which are either designed to be used for one time by the consumer before they are thrown away or recycled, or likely to be used in this way
• Most modern plastics are derived from fossil fuel-based chemicals like natural gas or petroleum. However, recently, variants made from renewable materials, such as corn or cotton derivatives have also emerged.
• Around 70 per cent of global plastic production is concentrated in six major polymer types – referred collectively as commodity plastics. These include: Polyethylene terephthalate or PET, High-density polyethylene or HDPE, Polyvinyl chloride or PVC, Low-density polyethylene or LDPE, Polypropylene or PP, and Polystyrene or PS. Each of these have different properties and can be identified by their Resin Identification Code (RIC) denoted by symbols found on plastic products.
• Resin identification coding system

Microplastics:

• Plastic doesnot decompose but do crumble into smaller particles called as microplastics.
• It is officially defined as plastics less than five millimetres in diameter.
• There are two categories of microplastics. Primary microplastics are tiny particles designed for commercial use, such as in cosmetics or textiles. On the other hand, secondary microplastics are particles that are a product of the breakdown of larger plastic items due to exposure to environmental factors such as sun’s radiation or ocean’s waves.
• The problem with microplastics, like all plastics, is that they do not break down easily into more harmless particles. Instead, they find their way across the planet, from the depths of the Pacific Ocean to the heights of the Himalayas.
• According to the most recent global estimates, an average human consumes at least 50,000 microplastic particles annually due to contamination of the food chain, potable water, and air.
• Notably, microplastics contain a number of toxic chemicals which pose severe risks to human health. The biggest health risk associated is with the chemical BPA or Bisphenol A , which is used to harden the plastic.
• BPA contaminates food and drinks, causing alterations in liver function, insulin resistance, foetal development in pregnant women, the reproductive system and brain function.

Great Pacific Garbage Patch:

• The largest collection of plastics and microplastics in the ocean is in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. Also known as the trash vortex, it is located between California and Japan, and formed due to converging ocean currents.
• As per estimates, the GPGP covers a surface area of 1.6 million sq km– roughly half the size of India There are other, smaller such garbage patches in other oceans.
• The GPGP comprises majorly of single-use plastics.

3. GENOME SEQUENCING AND BLACK DEATH

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: The ‘Black Death’ causing bacteria’s prehistoric trail has been traced by scientists by advanced gene-sequencing techniques.

EXPLANATION:

What is the black death?

• The ‘black death’, or the Great Plague was one of the deadliest epidemics in human history that happened in 14th century.
• The ‘black death’ is believed to have killed more than 25 million people in Europe and possibly up to 40-50% of the population in some of the continent’s major cities
• It was caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis, which infects mammals. This bacteria’s discovery has been attributed separately to Alexandre Yersin, a Swiss-French physician, and Kitasato Shibasaburō, a Japanese physician and microbiologist during the plague outbreak in Hong Kong in 1894.
• Humans typically get infected through fleas or through close handling/contact with an infected human or animal.
• One possible reason for the humongous proportions of the ‘black death’ outbreak is the human-to-human transmission of the bacteria.

Plague outbreak in India:

• India has experienced plague epidemics of varying intensities from as early as 1896 in Bombay to outbreaks in Karnataka (1966) and Surat (1994) and to a more recent isolated outbreak (2004) in a village in Uttarakhand.
• India also prominently figures in the history of the plague. The plague vaccine was developed by Waldemar Haffkine in 1897 during the outbreaks in Bombay.

History of plague:

• Historical archives suggest the Plague of Justinian in the sixth century A.D. was possibly the first to be documented.
• The evidence also suggests that plague outbreaks were possibly common in Asia and Europe as early as the Late Neolithic-Early Bronze Age (LBNA), as implied by genetic material isolated from a Swedish tomb dated to 3000 BC.
• The LBNA period is estimated to have lasted 5,000-2,500 years before present. This era was also characterised by human contact, exchange across Europe, and a consequent social, economic, and cultural transformation of human society.

Genome-sequencing technologies:

• The advent of genome-sequencing technologies has allowed scientists to trace the trail of infectious diseases that ailed people in prehistoric times.
• This is possible in particular due to deep-sequencing of genetic material isolated from well-preserved human remains, with the help of advanced computational analysis.
• Deep-sequencing involves sequencing the genomic material multiple times to retrieve even small amounts of DNA, since the material is likely to degrade over time.

What has deep-sequencing revealed?

• Scientists have also traced the prehistoric trail providing an unparalleled view of the evolution and adaptation of human pathogens.
• They found that the reconstructed genomes lacked the gene to create a molecule called yapC, short for ‘yersinia autotransporter C’, associated with the bacteria’s ability to bind to mammalian cells and form biofilms and thus important for causing infections.
• However, they also found the presence of a functional urease D gene, which could make them toxic to fleas.
• The genome sequences from the latter also lacked the yapC and ymt genes, reinforcing the previous findings that the plague in that period was possibly not transmitted through fleas.
• The ambit of such technologies is also expanding to include studies of animal and plant diseases, along with human diseases, contributing to the unified understanding of our well-being called ‘One Health.

4. GDP ESTIMATES

TAG: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: Recently, government released the so-called Provisional Estimates (PE) of India’s national income for the financial year 2022-23 (or FY23). According to the PEs, the size of India’s economy calculated by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or the market value of all final goods and services produced within the country grew by 7.2 per cent in FY23. This means, India’s GDP was 7.2% more than what it was in the previous financial year (2021-22).

EXPLANATION:

About GDP growth estimates:

• For any financial year, the GDP estimates go through several rounds of revisions.
• Each year in January, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) releases the First Advance Estimates (FAEs) for that financial year.
• In February end, after incorporating the data from Q3 (third quarter, which includes October, November and December), come the Second Advance Estimates (SAEs).
• By May-end come the Provisional Estimates (PEs) after incorporating the Q4 (Jan to March) data.
• Then with each passing year, the PEs are revised to give the First Revised Estimates, the Second Revised Estimates and the Third Revised Estimates before settling on the “Actuals”. Each revision benefits from more data, making the GDP estimates more accurate and robust.

Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE):

• However, there is a fly in the (GDP data) ointment. It is called the Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE).
• As is evident, the PFCE is the biggest engine of growth. Typically, if it is growing robustly then one would presume that the second biggest engine of GDP growth — expenditures towards investments — will follow suit. For a big economy such as India, together, these two components can create a virtuous cycle.

Typically, GDP is calculated by adding up all expenditures in the economy. These expenditures are broadly categorised in four groups:

1. All the money Indians spend in their personal capacity from buying an ice cream to watching a movie to buying a TV or car. This is called the PFCE. Such expenditures account for 55%-60% of India’s annual GDP.
2. All the money the governments spend on their daily uses paying salaries etc. This is called Government Final Consumption Expenditure (GFCE) and this accounts for 10% of India’s GDP.
3. All the money spent by private companies and governments towards building productive capacities in the economy. Say a firm buying desktops for its employees or the government spending money on building a road. This is called the Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) and this accounts for 30%-32% of the GDP.
4. Net exports or the net of all the money that Indians received by exporting goods and services and minus all the money they spent on importing goods and services. More often than not, India’s imports are more than its exports. As such the Net Exports component is negative and drags down overall GDP.

5. INTERLOCKING SYSTEM

TAG: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: Minister for Railways said that a change in the “configuration” of the track had led to the Coromandel Express smashing into the stationary goods train from behind, triggering the three-way train accident in Odisha in which 275 people have died so far.

EXPLANATION:

• The electric “point machine” is a vital device for railway signalling for quick operation and “locking” of point switches. It plays the key role in the safe running of trains.
• Failure of these machines will severely affect train movement, and any deficiencies created or left unaddressed at the time of installation of the system can result in unsafe conditions.

How the system works:

• Interlocking in railway signalling systems is a crucial safety mechanism used in the operation of train movements on railway tracks.
• It ensures that train movements continue without any conflicts with each other, preventing accidents.
• There are three main components that comprise an interlocking system: the point, the track occupancy sensing devices, and the signal. The Interlocking system coordinates the functions of these three components to control train movements.

What is the function of each of these three main components?

• Points allow trains to change tracks: The points (also called ‘switch rails’) are movable rails that guide the wheels of a train towards either a straight or a diverging track. They are typically placed at the point of divergence of two tracks going to different directions. Once a direction of a train is determined, the point gets locked at a particular position. This means that once a direction is set, the point cannot budge until the train has passed.
• Track circuits are electrical circuits (also known as track-occupancy sensing devices) that detect the presence of trains.
• Signals (which are lights of green, red, and yellow colour) are installed along the tracks to indicate the status of the track ahead.

And how do the points work?

• The digital interface of this system is a computer screen (or multiple screens) that shows the full view of the station layout and the live (real-time) movement of trains on tracks, the signals, and the position of the points.
• This is the configuration that runs all trains everywhere. This computer interface is called a data logger.

How does the system sense whether a track is occupied?

• There are various kinds of track-occupancy sensing devices. Generally, sensors are installed on the tracks that detect the passage of wheels on the rails.
• These are also called axle counters. They count how many sets of wheels or axles have passed over them in order to determine whether the entire train has passed through.

Who operates and monitors the interlocking signalling system?

• The interlocking system is usually operated and monitored by trained personnel from the signalling and telecommunications department in Railways, often known as ‘signallers’ or signal operators. They are responsible for setting the signals, monitoring track circuits, and ensuring the safe movement of trains.

1. A word of advice to the Delhi police READ MORE
2. Violence, Aggression and Onset of Peace READ MORE
3. Draw the mind back to simple and clean living READ MORE
4. Success is in the mind READ MORE

1. Evapotranspiration: first part of a cycle moving water from terrestrial surfaces to the air READ MORE
2. To erase plastic waste, focus on recyclability READ MORE
3. Pollution crisis: Timely warning to scale up action READ MORE

1. An unfinished task of social justice politics READ MORE
2. The multiple benefits of community-driven learning READ MORE

1. UGC’s clamp down on distance education goes against the spirit of NEP2020 READ MORE
2. Top court must strike down the sedition law READ MORE
3. The conundrum of constitutional morality: Delhi’s Chief Minister versus Lieutenant Governor READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Services maintain momentum in May amid cost rebound READ MORE  
2. ‘Cyclonic circulation’ in Arabian Sea may cloud monsoon’s progress READ MORE
3. NIRF 2023 | IIT-Madras occupies top spot; IISc Bengaluru ‘best university’ READ MORE
4. Time to give up on the vaunted but unproven ‘paleo diet’ READ MORE
5. After a 7-year gap, Iran set to reopen embassy in Riyadh READ MORE
6. UN body faults U.S., other states over Guantanamo prisoner torture READ MORE
7. S. releases video showing close call in Taiwan Strait with Chinese destroyer READ MORE
8. The decade-long search for a rare Higgs boson decay continues READ MORE
9. Kerala launches KFON to offer high-speed internet connectivity for all households in state READ MORE
10. Removing antimicrobial resistance from the WHO’s ‘pandemic treaty’ will leave humanity vulnerable to future pandemics READ MORE
11. Tanzania has moved its capital from Dar after a 50-year wait — but is Dodoma ready? READ MORE
12. World Environment Day 2023: A glossary of terms to do with plastic pollution READ MORE

 Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Evapotranspiration: first part of a cycle moving water from terrestrial surfaces to the air READ MORE
2. An unfinished task of social justice politics READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. UGC’s clamp down on distance education goes against the spirit of NEP2020 READ MORE
2. Top court must strike down the sedition law READ MORE
3. The conundrum of constitutional morality: Delhi’s Chief Minister versus Lieutenant Governor READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. The multiple benefits of community-driven learning READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Why the fourth India-Africa forum summit should happen during Delhi’s G20 presidency READ MORE
2. India and the US are indispensable partners READ MORE
3. Virtual SCO summit plan sends the right signals READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Eye on oil: on oil prices and India: India must bring pump prices of petrol and diesel in line with global oil prices READ MORE
2. The war against NPAs isn’t over yet READ MORE
3. Why our export mix is changing READ MORE
4. RBI should adopt calibrated approach on CBDC READ MORE
5. Focus on what RBI has to say READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. To erase plastic waste, focus on recyclability READ MORE
2. Pollution crisis: Timely warning to scale up action READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Is India missing the graphene bus? READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Preventing landslips: NHAI initiates action on Parwanoo-Solan stretch READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Why India’s national security needs a 21 century refit READ MORE
2. Cracking down on fraud in cyberspace READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. A word of advice to the Delhi police READ MORE
2. Violence, Aggression and Onset of Peace READ MORE
3. Draw the mind back to simple and clean living READ MORE
4. Success is in the mind READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. The central government on Delhi is an act of constitutional subterfuge and destroys established norms on bureaucratic accountability. Critically examine.
2. Caste inequality and caste census must be considered in policy discourse; caste inequality is a reality of Indian society that cannot be ignored. Comment.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.
• Given the issues related to the quality of generic drugs, it is not appropriate for the DGHS to force doctors to prescribe such drugs.
• Creating a civil services authority where bureaucrats can overrule an elected Chief Minister destroys long-established norms on bureaucratic accountability.
• In a scenario where India seeks to achieve dual objectives of net zero by 2070 and advanced economy status, it would have to increase the share of green energy in primary energy consumption
• The RBI and banks need to factor in problems in circulation of working capital finance, when they seek to nip NPAs in the bud.
• The State must be able to defend itself against internal and external aggression.
• Though the law survived post-Independence, there has been a lot of discussion of late on its continued misuse, and on whether it should have any place in modern India.
• Caste inequality and caste census must be considered in policy discourse; caste inequality is a reality of Indian society that cannot be ignored.
• The crude oil and natural gas sectors saw contractions in production, but that’s not surprising, given India’s strategy to take advantage of relatively cheap imports from Russia.
• From India’s perspective, it is important that a more global avatar of NATO has been engaging with its arch rivals China and Pakistan.
• India is by far Nepal’s biggest trading partner and continues to remain the critical partner for its economy, which has taken a severe hit from Covid and its fallout.

ESSAY TOPIC

• Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.

50-WORD TALK

• In the horrific, wrenching tragedy unfolding after the train collision, one thing stood out: the spirit and generosity of Odia people. The manner in which hundreds of people reached the spot to rescue the injured, donate blood, and camped out day and night in the scorching summer was indeed heart-warming.
• The 31 years it’s taken to convict UP legislator Mukhtar Ansari for murder have shown up India’s criminal justice system as a farce only loosely resembling the real thing. Legal stalling, intimidation, vanishing documents: A rotten system worked to protect Ansari from justice. That system must be held to account.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

[WpProQuiz 480]

THE CONTEXT: On 15 July, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has unveiled the Draft Drone Rules, 2021 based on “trust, self-certification and non-intrusive monitoring”. The new rules would replace the existing UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) Rules, 2021. This article analyses various facets of new draft rules.

• The decision to liberalize the drone policy showcases the government’s bold approach to promote the use of the drone and focus on the development of counter-drone technology. The current draft is a welcome move and will go a long way in facilitating investments in drone technology in India.

DRONES

• A Drone, in technological terms, is an unmanned aircraft. Essentially, a drone is a flying robot that can be remotely controlled or fly autonomously through software-controlled flight plans in their embedded systems, working in conjunction with onboard sensors and GPS.
• There are three subsets of Unmanned Aircraft- Remotely Piloted Aircraft, Autonomous Aircraft, and Model Aircraft.
• A drone is made of light composite materials which help reduce weight and increase its motion operation. The material strength allows drones to fly at extremely high altitudes.
• UAV drones are packed with state-of-the-art technologies such as infrared cameras, GPS, and laser.
• The latest high-tech drones are equipped with collision avoidance systems.

DRAFT DRONE RULES, 2021

AIM

• Making India a drone-friendly nation

UNIQUE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER

• Each drone has been specified to have a unique identification number with the transmission of its location, altitude, speed, etc. Any drone missing a unique id number with the other details will be a rogue drone.
• Every flight of the drone will be monitored in the digital sky platform.

DIGITAL SKY PLATFORM

• It is an initiative by MoCA to provide a secure and scalable platform that supports drone technology frameworks, such as NPNT (no permission, no take-off), designed to enable flight permission digitally and manage unmanned aircraft operations and traffic efficiently.
• There will be a minimal human interface on the digital sky platform and most permission will be self-generated.

SIMPLIFIED REQUIREMENTS

• Requirements for granting permission for the acquisition and usage of drones have been simplified.
• Abolish the need for various approvals, like certificate of conformance, certificate of maintenance, import clearance, acceptance of existing drones, operator permits, authorization of R&D organization, and student remote pilot license.
• The provisions under Aircraft Rules, 1937 will not apply to drones weighing up to 500 kg.

DRONE CORRIDORS

• The Centre also plans to set up drone corridors for cargo delivery.

EASE OF DOING BUSINESS

• Earlier there used to be 25 forms to be filled up which now has been reduced to 5. Clarity about registration and remote-pilot licensing have been given. Insurance of drones has also been taken care of.

DIVISION OF COUNTRY IN ZONES

• The digital sky platform will have an interactive airspace map dividing the country into green, yellow, and red zones.
• While the yellow zone has been reduced from 45 km to 12 km from the nearby airport perimeter, no flight permission is required up to 400 feet in green zones and up to 200 feet in the area between 8 and 12 km from the airport perimeter.

BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF NEW RULES

BENEFITS

• It will increase the sales of drones in the country and create a market for drones in India.
• New Rules will give a boost to employment and commercial sales of drones in India.
• The adoption of drones in R&D is also expected to boost the way for pilot projects in India that are likely to help the government come out with a policy for the commercial use of drones as well.
• New rules to boost investments in the drones sector

CHALLENGES /LIMITATIONS

• The overall size of the Indian market is much smaller when compared to global markets.
• Drone imports will still be controlled by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
• The manufacturing industry is looking for a lot more clarity on the timelines on permissions to operate commercial drones, as well as the permissions where drones will be allowed to operate.
• The timeline for the creation of new drones corridor and drone promotion corridor not given.
• The industry is also likely to wait for more clarity on the taxation rate of drones and has requested the government to attract and promote foreign direct investment to supplement domestic capital, technology, and skills for accelerated economic growth.
• The Indian drone market is dependent on imports for drone components.
• As per the new draft, the rules and regulations do not apply to the army, navy, or air force. However, it still includes paramilitary forces. BSF is suffering a lot of issues due to the drones coming across the lines.
• Only a few states have the infrastructure to train pilots that can operate a drone.
• 9% of drones are battery powered and use solar energy. Rest 90% use fuel engines that are noisy, polluting, and heavy with a hazardous fuel

DRONE TECHNOLOGY SECTOR

APPLICATION OF DRONE TECHNOLOGY

• Drone systems can be used as an asymmetric weapon against terrorist attacks. The drones can be integrated into the national airspace system.
• The drone technology in the SVAMITVA scheme was launched by the Government of India. It has helped about half a million village residents to get their property cards by mapping out the areas.
• In the agriculture sector, micronutrients can be spread with the help of drones. It can also be used for performing surveys for identifying the challenges faced by the farmers.
• The railways are using drones for track monitoring.
• Telecom companies are using drones for monitoring the tower.
• Drones are also significant for law enforcement agencies, fire, and emergency services wherever human intervention is not safe and the healthcare services.

FEW SUCCESS STORIES OF DRONE USE

• Odisha government used drones to map 250,000 slum households to ensure speedy and accurate distribution of land rights
• Gujarat is using ‘Tri Netra’ drones to track illegal mining.
• The union government and NHAI is using drones to monitor rural road construction projects
• The Pilbhit Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh used to capture and tranquilize a tiger that was a man-eater using drones.

R&D IN THE DRONE SECTOR

• Drones are one of the 24 sectors that are taken care of by the Government of India under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as the area where the Atma Nirbhar Bharat scheme can be well implemented.
• India not only has a very extensive R&D being carried out at institutions like IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi, etc but also at the same time the research is being transformed into products.
• India has more than 130 start-ups registered with IITs and other companies for introducing drones in multiple application areas.

INDIA’S DRONE MARKET

• According to BIS Research, the global drone market, which is currently dominated by the US, China, and Israel, will touch $28.47 billion this year and India will comprise about 4.25 percent of that. Consequently, the Indian drone market is expected to reach $1.21 billion in 2021.
• According to Golden Sach, the Indian drone market is expected to reach $1.8 billion by 2025-26 growing at a CAGR of 14.61 percent.
• According to an estimate by E&Y and FICCI, the projected market size for drones in India is $885.7 million by 2021.

COVID-19 SCENARIO – EMERGING ROLE OF DRONES IN INDIA

• Drones are playing a significant role in the fight against the coronavirus in support of the following activities undertaken by Police, healthcare, and municipal authorities:

1. Surveillance & Lockdown Enforcement
2. Public Broadcast
3. Monitoring Body Temperatures
4. Medical & emergency food Supplies Delivery
5. Surveying & Mapping
6. Spraying Disinfectants

SPRAYING DISINFECTANTS

• The states of Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, etc. have solicited the services of drone companies to spray disinfectants in earmarked areas.
• The COVID 19 pandemic has also prompted several educational institutes-based drone start-ups to innovate and remodel drones to cater to the demands of sanitization.

MONITORING BODY TEMPERATURE

• Drones mounted with thermal cameras have been deployed in cities such as New Delhi and Bengaluru to monitor the body temperature of people.

MEDICAL SUPPLIES DELIVERY

• A drone startup based out of Telangana has successfully demonstrated medical supplies delivery via drones to remote areas. Another startup based in Pune has expressed its intention to work with city authorities in the domain of medical services delivery.
• At IIT Madras, drone research is underway which would be designed to deliver drugs and medicines.

SURVEILLANCE AND ENSURE LOCKDOWN

• States such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, National Capital Region, Karnataka, Telangana, Assam, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu have reportedly deployed drones for surveillance and ensuring lockdown.
• Drones have also been deployed by state authorities in places such as Hyderabad and Bengaluru to plan and organize ground forces deployment to monitor areas.
• In places such as New Delhi and Mumbai, drones have been used to ensure that people are following social distancing norms in public places.
• In places such as Sangli, drones are enabling police forces to ensure social distancing in places near pharmacies and grocery stores.
• In the state of Kerala, drones have been used to disperse the crowd and also check illicit brewing shops and group drinking.

PUBLIC BROADCAST

• Drones mounted with speakers or police sirens have been deployed by states such as Telangana, Maharashtra, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam to disperse the gathered crowd, encourage people to stay indoors, create social awareness on COVID 19, etc.

MISCELLANEOUS DRONE USE CASES DURING COVID 19

• State forest department authorities in Karnataka used drone services to survey forest areas in Bengaluru to preclude poaching in forest areas.
• The Railway Protection Force in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh has deployed a drone to conduct surveillance in and around railway tracks and other railway assets. The underlying rationale behind drone deployment is to prevent the entrance of migrants from other states via railway tracks on foot and also the prevention of theft from railway premises.

DRONES IN INDIA: WHO CAN BUY THEM, WHAT ARE USAGE CONDITIONS AND HOW GOVT IS CONTROLLING DRONE USE

WHO GOVERNS DRONES?

• Remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs) and unmanned aircraft (drones) are governed by the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) from time to time.

GAME OF DRONES: EVOLUTION OF DRONE LAWS IN INDIA

• In 2014, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) banned civilian use of drones.
• Subsequently, in 2018, the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) –Drone Regulations 1.0 was announced, introducing a comparatively radical but basic framework for their operation.
• Drone Regulation 1.0

ü  The Digital Sky Platform will enable online registration of pilots, devices, service providers, and NPNT (no permission, no take-off).

ü  The Digital Sky Platform is a unique unmanned traffic management (UTM) system that is expected to facilitate registration and licensing of drones and operators in addition to giving instant (online) clearances to operators for every flight.

ü  The airspace has been partitioned into Red Zone (flying not permitted), Yellow Zone (controlled airspace), and Green Zone (automatic permission). The restricted locations are airports, near the international border, near the coastline, state secretariat complexes strategic locations, military installations.

ü  All civilian drone operations will be restricted to only during daytime and a maximum of 400 feet altitude.

ü  There can’t be any human or animal payloads, or anything hazardous.

ü  It cannot in any manner cause danger to people or property and insurance will be mandatory to cover third-party damage.

ü  Except for nano drones and those owned by National Technical Research Organisation and the central agencies, the rest would be registered and issued a Unique Identification Number.

• The government did not stop there; it went on to create a Drone Taskforce which then released a comprehensive document – Drone Ecosystem Policy Roadmap in 2019.
• In addition, the government has also released supplemental policies such as the National Counter Rogue Drone Guidelines and the draft Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management Policy.

CATEGORIZATION AND CLASSIFICATION

• The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has categorized Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into three primary categories and five primary classes. UAS are categorized into:

1. Aeroplane
2. Rotorcraft
3. Hybrid  UAS

• These three types of UAS are further sub-categorized based on their level of autonomy, i.e., remotely piloted UAS, model remotely piloted UAS, and fully autonomous UAS. Apart from these categories, each UAS is classified based on how much it weighs (including the payload). The classification of UAS is as follows:

Nano UAVs             up to 250g

Micro UAVs            250g to 2kg

Mini UAVs              2kg to 25 kg

Small UAVs           25kg to 150kg,

Large UAVs         more than 150kg

WHO CAN FLY DRONES IN INDIA?

• The Unmanned Aircraft System Rules, 2021, state that no license or permit is needed to fly nano drones.
• Pilots of Micro and Small Drones require a UAS Operator Permit-I (UAOP-I) for all flying purposes. Such drones are limited to the visual line of sight without any payload.
• For the operation of Medium and Large Drones, one would require UAS Operator Permit-II (UAOP-II).Such drones cannot be flown within closed spaces. They also need prior clearance from Air Traffic and Air Defence Control before being flown.
• UAOP-II permits the carriage of goods as well as dangerous goods as per the Aircraft (Carriage of Dangerous Goods) Rules, 2003.
• Both UAOP-I and UAOP-II will remain valid for not more than ten years.

REQUIRED DRONE PILOT LICENSE

• Two types of licenses will determine the issuance of an operator’s permit. These are Student Remote Pilot License and Remote Pilot License. Applicants of any of these licenses should be at least 18 years of age and not more than 65 years of age if flying a drone for commercial activity.
• As for the minimum qualifications, the applicants should have passed class X . Applicants are also required to clear a DGCA specified medical examination and a background check.
• Student Remote Pilot License is issued for a fee by an authorized training organization. It is Valid for a maximum period of 5 years from the date of issuance. These can be renewed for an additional period of 2 years.
• Remote Pilot License is issued for a fee by the DGCA itself and stands valid for a total of 10 years from issuance. These are issued based on training and skill tests from an authorized training organization.
• Both UAOP-I and UAOP-II require a Remote Pilot License “of appropriate class and category.”

DRONE USE CONDITIONS

• No drones should fly over a Prohibited Area.
• The Gazette specifies “Prohibited Area” as “the airspace of defined dimensions, above the land areas or territorial waters of India within which the flights of unmanned aircraft are not permitted.
• Other than the area restrictions, there are limitations on the altitude and speed at which drones can be flown. These are mostly based on the type of drones.

PENALTIES ON FAILURE OF COMPLIANCE

• Individuals flying any drone other than those in the Nano category, for instance, without a valid license or permit, will have to pay a fine of Rs 25,000.
• Flying an unmanned aircraft over no operation area will attract a penalty of Rs 50,000.
• Such penalties extend up to Rs 5 lakh for the manufacturers of drones.

DRONES IN INDIA: A MODEL FOR COOPERATIVE FEDERALISM?

• India presents a classic opportunity to build a replicable model of federalism that is cooperative, creative, constructive, and competitive. A sandbox where states compete not just with each other but also with the Centre is visible in two ongoing programmes are in play – The Medicine from the Sky project, anchored by the Government of Telangana, and the BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) experimental trials anchored by India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation.
• The state of Telangana in partnership with the World Economic Forum, Apollo Hospitals, and thinktank NITI Aayog has called on technologists from across the country to demonstrate the capability of drone-based healthcare delivery.
• This project required coordination among and local governments to shape deliverables on the ground. This has created a distinct pathway through the federal “marble cake” of interrelated policy goals and administrative duties of local, state, and national governments.
• The Telangana experiment is turning this into a science, not just by coordinating with the central government seamlessly but also by mapping stakeholders and their requirements along the way.
• On the other hand, the BVLOS experiments are a coordinated approach by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and supporting regulatory agencies to gather data points.
• Against a backdrop of a quasi-federal structure, drones have navigated a channel of laboratory federalism where several small-scale experiments and exercises have created insights that foster the development of good policy.

REGULATIONS AROUND THE WORLD

USA

• The policy prescribes a compulsory pilot’s license for the UAV operator to operate drones weighing more than 25 kgs.
• For less than 25 kgs, no permission is needed. However, such drones should remain within visual line of sight, cannot be operated at night, and cannot fly more than 400 feet above the ground.
• Currently, the Federal Aviation Authority has started permitting beyond-line-of-sight operations to companies like Amazon.

CHINA

• China has segregated drones as per their weights into four subclasses—0 to 1.5 kilos, 1.5 to 4, 4 to 15, and 15 to 116 kgs. All of them have different rules
• The rules stipulate an online real-time supervision system that includes a “UAS cloud” and an “electronic fence.” The cloud is a dynamic database management system that monitors flight data in real-time, and the fence is a software and hardware system that earmarks specific areas as prohibited zones and automatically restrains aircraft from entering. UAVs weighing above 4 kilos must integrate these systems.
• The rules also allow beyond-line-of-sight flying and are aiming for the complete integration of manned and unmanned aircraft.

INTERNATIONAL DRONE GOVERNANCE

• Drones are dual-use technology, meaning they have a civilian and a military purpose. At the international level, policy regulations for drones are still in the making.
• The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has been the primary platform leading global governance efforts.

WAY FORWARD

• There should be the unification of the laws where this sector is cross-cutting with sectors that come under the domain of other ministries.
• Drone imports controlled by DGFT could be done away with for the time being.
• The government needs to create an equivalent of ‘Silicon Valley’ for the drones so that organizations dealing with hardware, software, artificial intelligence, etc. can come together and take this endeavor forward.
• Companies working on unmanned traffic management (UTM) should collaborate with the government of India to provide unmanned traffic information as well as work as service providers for tracking drones.
• Drones are costly equipment. There is a huge opportunity for insurance and insurance facilitation companies to explore this area.
• A ‘Drone Promotion Council’ is the need of the hour.
• There have to be training programs for drone pilots.

CONCLUSION: The draft drone policy is a welcome change. It is a well-thought-out and simplified policy document. It aligns with Prime Minister Modi’s vision for India, in terms of reducing unemployment, improving ease of doing business, generating self-employment avenues, and emerging as a global leader in technology. What the future holds will entirely depend on how these rules are interpreted on the ground and how much red-tapism we are willing to shun.