DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

India is working on its first-ever national security strategy document after years of deliberations in the military and strategic community.

What is National Security Strategy?

• NSS - A National Security Strategy (NSS) document outlines the country’s security objectives, and the ways to achieve these.
• It defines traditional, non-traditional threats and opportunities while introducing accountability of agencies tasked with the implementation of such responsibilities.
• History - The NSS of India has not been defined since its Independence in 1947.
• Earlier 3 attempts has been made (2007, 2019 and 2021) to come out with the national security strategy, but there was hesitation at the political level.
• Significance of NSS - The strategy will cover the entire range of traditional and non-traditional threats facing India, such as financial, energy, information, and environmental security.
• It will guide the military and security reforms and provide a holistic view of the national security.
• NSS will reflect India’s response to the rising geopolitical tensions and uncertainties in the world.
• The document will be made public and updated regularly based on emerging situation and newer threat assessments.

Why India needs a National Security Strategy?

• Resource utilisation- The strategy will help in optimal utilisation of India's comprehensive national power and resources.
• Address vulnerabilities- India’s border is linked with large scale smuggling and contraband trade that permits channels through which terrorists and criminals find easy access.
• Technology driven world- NSS would enable the identification of critical infrastructure that may be vulnerable to cyber-attacks, and the development of human resources capable of identifying attacks and protecting and restoring critical systems.
• Nuclear security- The country’s nuclear deterrent must deal with the challenge of two nuclear-armed neighbours namely China and Pakistan.
• Dynamic nature- The only political direction to the Armed Forces in existence is Raksha Mantri’s operational Directive of 2009 which is outdated and needs to be revised.
• Jointness- There has to be a national defence doctrine to achieve synergy, coordination and jointness among the three services and to enhance their combat effectiveness and operational readiness.

What components must the NSS encompass?

• Climate change- NSS should anticipate the consequences of ecological degradation such as melting of glaciers, sea level rise, large scale migration of population and formulate coping measures.
• Internal security- The strategy must address the internal security threats such as inequality, erosion of institutions, lawlessness and centre-state relations.
• External security management- The doctrine should emphasise the need to restore deterrence against India's adversaries, especially China, and to pursue the goal of transforming India into a modern, prosperous and secure country.
• Strategic communication- NSS must be integrated with strategic communication, particularly in a democracy, to shape public perceptions through constant and consistent public outreach and to provide a channel for public opinion or feedback.

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), the free ration scheme for another 5 years.

What is PMGKAY?

• It is the world’s largest food security welfare scheme.
• Launch year- 2020.
• Aim- To provide free food grains to the poor and needy through the Public Distribution System (PDS).
• Eligibility- It will be provided to around 80 crore beneficiaries covered under both categories of National Food Security Act,2013 (NFSA)
  • Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)- 35 kg food grains per household per month
  • Priority Householders (PHH)- 5 kg per person per month
• It also provides an additional 5 kg of food grains per person per month for free, over and above the existing entitlements.
• The scheme can be availed through the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) plan

• Merger- The government subsumed the PMGKAY under the NFSA Act and the entire quantity of entitlement under the NFSA would be available free of cost.The scheme has been extended many times ever since its introduction.

What is NFSA 2013?

The Act marks the paradigm shift in the approach of food security from welfare to rights based approach

• Aim- To provide for food and nutritional security in the human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantities of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity.
• Coverage- It provides coverage for nearly 2/3rd of the country's total population based on the basis of Census 2011.
  • Rural population- 75%
  • Urban Population- 50%
• Eligibility-
  • Priority Households (PHH) - Covered under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), according to State government guidelines
  • Existing Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) Households

• Special provisions - Special provisions have been made for pregnant women and lactating mothers and children (6 months to 14 years of age), by entitling them to receive nutritious meal free of cost through Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
• Responsibility- NFSA defines the joint responsibility of the Centre and State/UT Government.

• Direct Benefit Transfer- It reduces the need for huge physical movement of food grains.
• Food security allowance- Governed through the Food Security Allowance Rules, 2015, it is provided to beneficiaries in case of non-supply of entitled food grains or meals.
• Grievance redressal mechanism- It is provided at State and district levels.
• Social audit- It is authorized by State government to conduct periodic social audits on the functioning of FPS, TPDS and other welfare schemes.
• Vigilance committee- It is appointed by State government for ensuring transparency and accountability of the TPDS.

What are the benefits of PMGKAY?

• Eliminate Malnutrition- Eligibility criteria would eliminate malnutrition among the vulnerable section of the country.
• Reduce child mortality- The pregnant women are entitled to maternity benefit thus reducing the mortality rate of children which is high due to unavailability of food.
• Better health outcomes- Food security along with protein entitlement would improve the health of the population.
• Affordability- The entitlements are available free of cost to the targeted beneficiaries, thus reducing the burden on the poor people.
• Accessibility- Food security allowance is provided in case of non-supply of food grains, thus providing the beneficiaries the right to food even in the event of unavailability of food grains.
• Women empowerment- Eldest woman of the beneficiary household (18 years or above) is considered as 'Head of Family' for issuing ration cards.

The 1^st agri-tourism facility of Andhra Pradesh has been setup at Chintapalli in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district.

• Agri-tourism is a niche and an emerging market segment of the tourism industry.

The father of agri-tourism in India is Pandurang Taware who pioneered this concept in Maharashtra in 2005.

• Need - Climate change, tourism led pollution and increasing urbanisation have resulted in rising demand for natural and rural destinations as tourist attractions.
• Features - It is a non-urban hospitality product, serving an agrarian lifestyle, culture and heritage.
• Objectives
  • To generate income
  • To promote environmental awareness
  • To strengthen community ties
  • To enhance cultural awareness

The agri-tourism market globally was valued at $42.46 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach $62.98 billion by 2027 and in India, agri-tourism revenue is growing at an annual growth rate of 20% in 2019.

• Rural development - It provides employment opportunities and increases the market for traditional rural products.
• Tribal development - It will help the tribal people to conserve their traditional practices and will help in checking their migrations.
• Agriculture development - It restore farmers’ confidence in agriculture and ecosystem-based services by supporting incomes of farmers.
• Sustainable Development - It create tourism forms for tourists contributing to economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainability.

National Tourism Day is celebrated on January 25 and World Tourism Day is celebrated on September 27.

The Keck II Near-Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSPEC) telescope in Mauna Kea, Hawaii is the 1^st to see the infrared glow on Uranus, caused by hydrogen molecules in its atmosphere becoming excited.

• Aurora formations - Charged particles from the solar wind engage with magnetic field of Uranus, steering them towards its magnetic poles.
• When these particles enter Uranus atmosphere, they collide with its atmosphere molecules, setting them glow.
• Aurora colour - It is predominantly at ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths as dominant atmospheric gases in Uranus are hydrogen and helium at much lower temperatures than on Earth.

On Earth, the auroral light comes from collisions with oxygen and nitrogen atoms, with the colours mostly red, green and blue.

• The ultraviolet aurora on Uranus was first seen in 1986 by NASA's Voyager 2 probe, which flew past the planet.
• The Uranus molecular hydrogen gets ionized and forms H3+ cations following collisions with charged particles, with the emission creating an infrared auroral glow over the northern magnetic pole.

Giraffes could go extinct soon as there are now fewer than 70,000 mature individuals left in the wild.

• Scientific Name - Giraffa camelopardalis
• Habitat – They use both semi-arid savannah and savannah woodlands in Africa.
• They can live as long as 25 years and eat a very wide variety of trees and shrubs.

Giraffes are the world’s tallest mammals and an African icon.

• Status – IUCN Red List currently recognises 1 species of giraffe and 9 subspecies which is vulnerable as a whole while some are Critically Endangered.
• Threat – They have declined by 40% in the last 30 years and there are 5 biggest threats in recent times.
• Habitat loss – Habitat loss outside protected areas is the main reason for the recent decline.

Traditional pastoralists like the Maasai in northern Tanzania maintain large spaces of natural savannah.

• Insufficient law enforcement – There is high illegal hunting (poaching) for bush meat markets.
• Ecological changes – Development activities disrupt the natural movement patterns, affects their food availability and mobility.
• Climate change – Though unaffected by the higher temperatures, increased seasonal rainfall is associated with lower giraffe survival due to disease and lower food quality.
• Lack of knowledge and awareness – They are often overlooked and underrepresented in wildlife research, funding and policy.

As many of the Indian rivers are reported to be polluted, it is essential to ramp up the conservation initiatives.

Causes of river pollution?

• Anthropogenic causes- It includes sewage and wastewater, industrial effluents, agricultural run-offs etc.,
• Deforestation- It can cause soil erosion, and when these loose soil particles enter a water body, they can make the water murky and cause mechanical damage to aquatic organisms.
• Accidents- Incidents such as oil spills can be very damaging to the environment and aquatic life.
• Eutrophication- It is the natural cause, large quantities of nutrients in the waterbody causes the rapid growth of algae and decrease the oxygen level in the water.

Ganga basin is one of the most polluted and biodiverse basins in India.

What are the consequences of water pollution?

• Water borne diseases- It can harm human health in the form of cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and hepatitis.
• Damage ecosystems- It reduces oxygen levels, alters the pH, and introduces toxic substances into the water leading to the death of aquatic organisms, as well as the loss of habitats and food sources.
• Bio magnification- Tiny animals eat food that is contaminated by water pollution soon become food for bigger animals and humans.
• Flood- Soil erosion and the accumulation of waste has been known to cause flooding due to water pollution.

Water being a State Subject, steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient management of water resources are primarily undertaken by the respective State Governments.

• It is a new species of gecko discovered in the Western Ghats (endemic) near Rajapalayam in Tamil Nadu.
• The new species is also called Rashid’s dwarf gecko as it is the smallest (approx. 2 inches) among the genus.
• The dwarf gecko has been found in small numbers and it is endemic to the Western Ghats.
• So far, 93 species of gecko have been documented and this is the 94th species.

• Pancorius sebastiani, a new species of jumping spider, was discovered from the Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats, Kerala.
• It belongs to the genus Pancorius Simon, 1902, and Salticidae family.
• The Pancorius genus of Asian jumping spiders is primarily distributed in south east Asia.

While its distribution was hitherto limited to the east and northeastern regions in India, the new species is the first to be reported from the south.

• Union Defence Minister has approved a proposal to grant maternity, child care and child adoption leave to women soldiers, sailors and air warriors on par with their officer counterparts.
• At present, the women officers get maternity leave of 180 days with full pay for each child, subject to a maximum of 2 children.
• Childcare leave of 360 days is granted in total service career (subject to the child being less than 18 years of age) to women officers.

Child adoption leave of 180 days is granted after the date of the valid adoption of a child below 1 year of age.

• Alvin Anto of ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has won the Hasmukh Shah Memorial Award for Ecological Studies for the year 2023 in the research category.
• He has been recognised for his extensive research on the resilience of coral reefs in the Lakshadweep islands, highlighting the increasing threats these critical ecosystems face from climate change and other human-induced factors.

Hasmukh Shah Memorial Award, instituted by the Gujarat Ecology Society and funded by the Kachnar Trust.

• India and Bangladesh jointly inaugurated 3 India assisted development projects.
• The 3 projects are
  • The Akhaura-Agartala cross-border rail link – Dual gauge rail line connects Bangladesh and Tripura.
  • The Khulna-Mongla Port Rail Line - Broad gauge rail route between Mongla Port (Bangladesh) and the existing rail network in Khulna (Bangladesh).

Unit - II of the Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant - Rampal in Khulna Division of Bangladesh.

• The Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety was adopted at the 2^nd global high-level conference on road safety in Brazil in 2015.
• The declaration includes recommendations on Sustainable transport, Enforcement, Post-crash response, Pedestrian and cyclist safety.
• The declaration also includes the Sustainable Development Goal 3.6, which is to half the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2030.

The United Nations has also declared 2011-2020 as the decade of action for Road Safety.