Content :

1. Delimiting by electors rather than population offers a fairer approach
2. How drones are the new face of warfare
3. How extracting and producing nickel can be made more sustainable
4. Weather plays spoilsport with Shukla’s mission; NASA moves launch to tomorrow
5. Foreign investors shift money out of Delhi to ‘promising’ Maharashtra
6. Govt. eases SEZ norms for chip, electronic units

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Delimiting by electors rather than population offers a fairer approach

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Core Argument

• Electors, not population, should be the primary basis for delimiting parliamentary constituencies (PCs).
• This ensures true adherence to the principle of “One person, one vote, one value.”

Relevance : GS 2(Delimitation , Governance)

Why Electors, Not Population?

• Census counts all residents, including:
  • Under-18s (non-voters)
  • Migrants who may not be registered voters
• Elector rolls capture actual voters, not merely residents.
• Using elector data is timely, doesn’t depend on delayed Census.
• Better reflects real democratic participation.

Elector Disparity & Vote Value

• Vote value ∝ 1 / number of electors in a PC.
• Disparities observed:
  • Idukki (Kerala) vote = 4.5× that of Malkajgiri (Telangana).
  • Southern States dominate both the largest and smallest elector-PCs.
• Indicates the need for rationalisation within the South itself, not just North-South debate.

Historical Trends in Vote Value

• Southern States had higher vote value in:
  • 1951, 2009, 2019, 2024
• Lower vote value in:
  • 1961, 1971, 1980, 1991, 1999
• Suggests cyclical shifts, not a consistent bias against the South.

Parliamentary Representation Imbalance

• Southern States (22.45% of electors):
  • Hold 23.8% of Lok Sabha seats
  • 24.4% of Rajya Sabha seats
• Rest of India (71.2% electors):
  • Hold only 67.4% Lok Sabha and 64.4% Rajya Sabha seats
• Tamil Nadu (TN) anomaly:
  • 39 Lok Sabha seats (less than Bihar/West Bengal)
  • 18 Rajya Sabha seats, higher than both.

Proposed Reform Model

• Raise Lok Sabha strength to 800 (with 810 total to accommodate smaller States/UTs).
• States that gain most:
  • Rajasthan (+76%)
  • Karnataka (+60.7%)
  • Telangana (+58.8%)
• Ensures equity without penalising population control success.

Debunking Misconceptions

1. Population-only basis – historically not true; geographical & minimum representation always mattered.
2. Southern States penalised for family planning – oversimplified narrative; even within South disparities exist.
3. Dangerous precedent – linking representation to fertility rates could lead to demands based on religion or caste.
4. Migration & outdated methods – original population criteria didn’t account for current demographic fluidity.

Conclusion

• Elector-based delimitation is:
  • More democratically valid
  • More data-available and real-time
  • Less prone to political manipulation via fertility narratives
• A necessary modern reform to ensure fair representation in line with India’s changing demographics.

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How drones are the new face of warfare

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The Rise of Drones in Modern Warfare

• Drones (UAVs) have become the weapon of choice due to their versatility, affordability, and ability to achieve strategic objectives.
• They blur lines between military-grade and commercial technologies, with civilian drones now easily repurposed for combat.

Relevance : GS 3(Technology , Defence)

India’s Tactical Shift

• Operation Sindoor (post-Pahalgam attack) shows India’s shift towards integrated drone use in live combat.
• Reflects a broader doctrinal evolution aligning with global trends like Ukraine’s Operation Spider Web.

Global Precedents

• Nagorno-Karabakh War (2020): Loitering munitions (Harop drones) destroyed enemy air defences, reshaping aerial combat.
• Ukraine War: Real-time testing ground for mass-produced, improvised drones with rapid innovation-counterinnovation cycles.
• Myanmar: Rebel groups use 3D-printed drones to level the battlefield.

Drone Effectiveness Hinges on Resilience

• Drones are vulnerable to electronic warfare, jamming, and air defences.
• Countermeasures (soft & hard kill) require innovation to evade detection, e.g.:
  • AI-based navigation
  • Terrain mapping & machine vision
  • Frequency hopping
  • Fibre-optic tethers (Ukraine example)

Counter-Drone Strategies

• India uses Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) with S-400, MR-SAM, Akash systems.
• Indigenous counter-UAV tech successfully used against Pakistan’s drone incursions.
• Swarm drone attacks (e.g. Russia’s Shahed drones) can overwhelm air defences — need for magazine depth and redundancy.

 Asymmetric Edge & Mass Production

• Drones provide asymmetric capability against stronger adversaries (e.g., China).
• India must build volume and modularity into drone fleets to sustain prolonged conflicts.
• China’s drone fleet (Wing Loong, Soaring Dragon, CH-901, etc.) gives it an edge, especially in swarm tactics at LAC.

Civil-Military Crossover

• Commercial drones + open-source software = new war potential.
• Dual-use drones lower cost but may compromise on performance.
• Innovations like 3D printing allow:
  • Decentralised, rapid manufacturing
  • Bypass of complex supply chains
  • Scalability for high attrition warfare (e.g. Titan Falcon in Ukraine)

Internal Security Implications

• Weaponised commercial drones pose emerging threats from terrorists and non-state actors.
• Counter-drone measures must extend beyond military — involve home ministry, local police, airport security, etc.

Defence Industrial Base – The Key Lesson

• Ukraine war shows the need for a responsive, scalable defence industry.
• India’s low procurement rate disincentivises domestic production.
• Uncertain demand, lack of surge capacity, and limited R&D deter innovation.

Way Forward for India

• Strengthen the defence manufacturing ecosystem through:
  • Stable procurement commitments
  • Surge-capacity infrastructure
  • Public-private partnerships
• Invest in AI, drone swarm tech, and counter-UAV systems.
• Frame civil-military integration policy for drone deployment and threat mitigation.

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How extracting and producing nickel can be made more sustainable

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Background: Why Nickel Matters

• Key component in clean energy tech, especially lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs).
• Global nickel demand expected to exceed 6 million tonnes/year by 2040.
• Ironically, nickel extraction is highly polluting — 1 tonne of nickel = 20+ tonnes of CO₂ emissions.

Relevance : GS 3(Minerals)

Conventional Process: High Carbon Footprint

• Involves multiple steps: calcination → smelting → reduction → refining.
• Uses carbon as a reducing agent to extract nickel from nickel oxide.
• Results in high energy usage and large amounts of CO₂ emissions.

New Methodology: Hydrogen Plasma-Based Extraction

• Developed by Max Planck Institute researchers (published in Nature, April 2025).
• Single-step metallurgical process in one electric arc furnace.
• Replaces carbon with hydrogen plasma as the reducing agent.
• Uses electricity (preferably renewable) to generate high-energy hydrogen ions (plasma).

Advantages of Hydrogen Plasma Method

• Carbon-free: Byproduct is water, not CO₂.
• Energy efficient: ~18% less energy consumption.
• Emissions cut: Up to 84% reduction in direct CO₂ emissions.
• Faster & cleaner reaction kinetics due to reactive plasma.
• Produces high-purity ferronickel, reducing need for further refining.

Strategic Focus on Laterite Ores

• Laterites: Abundant in tropical regions (e.g., India’s Odisha-Sukinda belt), but hard to process.
• Traditional methods favor high-grade sulphide ores (depleting fast).
• New process makes low-grade ores economically viable, reducing dependency on imports.

Relevance for India

• Can leverage domestic laterite reserves, especially overburden in chromite mines.
• Supports India’s goals of:
  • Net-zero emissions by 2070
  • Industrialisation & green infrastructure
  • Reducing reliance on imported ores

Challenges & Caveats

• Scalability: Industrial deployment requires high initial capital and robust renewable energy supply.
• Infrastructure demand: Setting up electric arc furnaces and hydrogen systems.
• Technical hurdles:
  • Need for continuous oxygen supply at the melt interface.
  • Further studies on thermodynamic and kinetic behavior essential.
• Ore applicability: May not suit all types of nickel ores.

Conclusion

• Hydrogen plasma-based nickel extraction presents a transformative step toward sustainable metallurgy.
• Reduces the hidden carbon cost of clean energy technologies.
• With appropriate policy, funding, and R&D, it can help align industrial development with climate goals, especially for developing economies like India.

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Weather plays spoilsport with Shukla’s mission; NASA moves launch to tomorrow

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Mission Overview

• Mission: Axiom-4 (Ax-4), a private spaceflight mission to the ISS.
• Astronaut: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut on a commercial space mission.
• Launch Vehicle: SpaceX Falcon 9 with Dragon spacecraft.
• Launch Site: Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
• Mission Duration: Approx. 14 days on the ISS.

Relevance : GS 3(Space)

Launch Schedule History

• Originally planned for June 8, 2025.
• Postponed to June 10, and now further delayed to June 11, 2025.
• New launch time: 5:30 p.m. IST / 8 a.m. ET, June 11, 2025.

Reason for Delay

• Adverse weather conditions, specifically high winds in the ascent corridor.
• Safety-first approach by NASA and SpaceX to ensure mission success and crew safety.

Planned Activities on ISS

• Microgravity research.
• Technology demonstrations.
• Public outreach events.
• Scientific objectives are part of expanding commercial space activities and research.

Crew Status

• Ax-4 crew, including Group Captain Shukla, is currently under quarantine as part of standard pre-launch protocol.
• Expected to dock at ISS on June 12 (originally June 11), depending on actual launch timing.

Significance for India

• Marks a milestone in India’s space diplomacy and private sector participation.
• Enhances India’s collaboration with NASA and SpaceX.
• Builds momentum for India’s own Gaganyaan mission, which will be entirely indigenous.

Challenges & Implications

• Multiple delays (3 times now) reflect the complexity and unpredictability of space launches.
• Underscores the importance of weather monitoring and risk assessment in modern space missions.
• Highlights SpaceX’s and NASA’s strict safety standards for human spaceflight.

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Foreign investors shift money out of Delhi to ‘promising’ Maharashtra

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FDI Trend Overview (2015–2025)

• FDI concentration remains high in India — top 5 States account for 75–90% of all FDI inflows.
• Significant reallocation of investor preference among these states over the last decade.

Relevance : GS 3(FDI)

Declining Share of Delhi

• 2015–16: Delhi had the highest FDI share at 32% (~$12.7 billion).
• 2024–25: Fell drastically to 12% (~$6 billion).
• Indicates relative loss of investor confidence, possibly due to slower infrastructure growth or policy uncertainties.

Maharashtra’s Rise as FDI Magnet

• 2015–16: Accounted for 24% (~$9.5 billion) of FDI.
• 2024–25: Rose to 39% (~$19.6 billion), becoming the top FDI destination.
• Driven by:
  • Mumbai’s financial ecosystem.
  • Strong industrial base and logistics infrastructure.
  • Policy stability and “predictable returns.”

Karnataka’s Consistent Performance

• In top 5 for 9 of 10 years.
• Share increased from 10% (2015–16) to 13% (2024–25).
• Anchored by Bengaluru’s tech and innovation ecosystem.

Gujarat’s Steady Improvement

• Share grew from 6% to 11% over the decade.
• Benefited from:
  • Industrial corridor development.
  • Investor-friendly policies.
  • Strategic focus on manufacturing and exports.

Tamil Nadu’s Decline

• FDI share dropped from 11% to 7% (2015–25).
• Yet, remained in the top 5 for 7 out of 10 years.
• Suggests relative stagnation compared to faster-growing states.

Expert Insight: “Flight to Quality”

• Investors are more risk-averse amid global uncertainty.
• Shift toward mature, low-risk ecosystems with:
  • World-class infrastructure.
  • Proven policy frameworks.
  • Stable regulatory environments.
• Maharashtra and Karnataka exemplify these “safe havens” for capital.

Implications for India

• Widening regional disparity in FDI inflows.
• Need for Delhi and other lagging states to:
  • Improve ease of doing business.
  • Enhance infrastructure and governance.
  • Create sector-specific investment policies.

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Govt. eases SEZ norms for chip, electronic units

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Policy Reforms Announced

• Relaxation of SEZ norms specifically for semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing.
• Objective: Boost high-tech manufacturing, attract capital-intensive industries, and reduce import dependence.

Relevance : GS 2(Governance) ,GS 3(Minerals , Manufacturing)

Key Amendments to SEZ Rules

1. Minimum Land Requirement Reduced:
   1. Rule 5 amended: Minimum contiguous land area reduced from 50 hectares to 10 hectares.
   1. Aims to lower entry barriers and attract more investors.

• Permission to Sell Domestically:
  • Rule 18 amended: SEZ units can now sell to the domestic market (DTA) after paying applicable duties.
  • Shifts SEZs from being purely export-oriented to hybrid export-domestic supply hubs.

• Flexibility in Land Encumbrance:
  • Rule 7 amended: SEZ land can be mortgaged or leased to government agencies; no need for encumbrance-free land.
  • Helps firms access financing without regulatory bottlenecks.

Major Investment Approvals Post-Reform

• Micron Semiconductor Technology India: To set up a ₹13,000 crore unit in Sanand, Gujarat.
• Hubballi Durable Goods Cluster Pvt. Ltd. (Aequs): To invest ₹100 crore in Dharwad, Karnataka.
• Total approved investment: ₹13,100 crore.

Strategic and Economic Significance

• Semiconductors and electronics are:
  • Capital-intensive, import-dependent, and have long gestation periods.
• India aims to:
  • Build a resilient semiconductor ecosystem.
  • Reduce reliance on foreign chip imports.
  • Position itself as a global electronics manufacturing hub.

Expected Benefits

• Encourages pioneering investments in high-tech sectors.
• Boosts Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat goals.
• Facilitates the creation of high-skilled jobs in manufacturing and R&D.
• Strengthens supply chain resilience in strategic sectors like semiconductors.

Potential Challenges Ahead

• Timely infrastructure support and clearances.
• Ensuring availability of skilled manpower.
• Competitive policy support compared to China, Taiwan, or Vietnam.