Content

1. Migration essential to globalisation; diverse languages, communities in country matter of pride: Amartya Sen
2. Supreme Court Modifies Stray Dogs Order
3. The Great Nicobar Project – Forest Rights Issue
4. Why not all viruses led to a pandemic after transmission
5. ISRO’s 2040 Roadmap: 100+ Satellites, Private Sector Integration, and India’s Heaviest Rocket

Migration essential to globalisation; diverse languages, communities in country matter of pride: Amartya Sen

Context

• Speaker: Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate in Economics.
• Themes Addressed:
  • Role of migration in globalisation and progress.
  • Diversity as India’s strength.
  • Concerns about electoral roll revisions and exclusion risks.
  • Broader reflections on human rights, discrimination, and political climate.

Relevance: GS 1(Globalisation , Migration)

Migration and Globalisation

• Migration as Driver of Progress:
  • Across history, movement of people enabled knowledge-sharing, trade, and cultural synthesis.
  • Example: Brahmagupta’s mathematics → translated into Arabic → influenced global knowledge.
• Types of Migration:
  • Voluntary (for opportunities, education, trade).
  • Forced (due to wars, climate, persecution).
• Globalisation Link:
  • Migration is not just a consequence of globalisation but its core enabler.
  • Without migration, “almost nothing would happen” in terms of cultural or scientific progress.

Diversity as India’s Strength

• Pluralism: India has hundreds of languages, communities, and faiths.
• Civilisational Pride: Diversity is not a weakness but a core asset of Indian civilisation.
• Social Harmony: Coexistence and interaction among diverse groups fuel innovation, tolerance, and resilience.
• Contemporary Relevance: In times of polarisation, reaffirming diversity is vital for democracy and development.

Human Rights and Equality

• Sen’s Stand: Policies must be guided by the motto of human rights for all.
• Warning Against Discrimination: Laws and practices must avoid exclusion on caste, class, language, religion, gender.
• Social Climate Concern: Normalisation of communal and exclusionary narratives erodes India’s democratic ethos.

Broader Context & Implications

• For India:
  • Migration → economic growth (migrant labour essential for construction, services, industries).
  • Diversity → democratic vibrancy, but needs protection from identity-based politics.
• For Governance:
  • Electoral reforms must balance accuracy vs inclusion.
  • Documentation requirements should not disenfranchise poor and migrant workers.
• For Society:
  • Need for inclusive nationalism, valuing India’s composite culture.
  • Avoiding stigmatization of linguistic/religious minorities strengthens unity.

Strategic Significance

• Economic: Migrants → cheap, flexible labour force; drivers of remittances and consumption.
• Political: Electoral roll exclusions could fuel alienation and conflict.
• Geopolitical: India’s image as a plural democracy matters for global partnerships.
• Social: Migration + diversity promote social mobility and innovation but also test state capacity for inclusion.

Conclusion

• Amartya Sen’s intervention underscores that migration and diversity are not threats but engines of progress and strength.
• India must ensure that administrative exercises like electoral revisions do not undermine democratic rights.
• Human rights, inclusive policies, and protection of diversity are essential to preserve India’s democratic and civilisational ethos in the age of globalisation.

Supreme Court Modifies Stray Dogs Order

Case Background

• Original Order (August 11, 2025): SC directed civic authorities in Delhi & 4 adjoining districts to capture all stray dogs and confine them in shelters within 6–8 weeks.
• Rationale: To protect citizens from aggressive and rabid dogs.
• Problem: The order effectively mandated mass incarceration of strays, which was logistically unfeasible, scientifically questionable, and legally inconsistent.

Relevance : GS 2(Judiciary , Governance )

Modified Order (August 22, 2025)

• Court’s Position: August 11 order was “too harsh.”
• New Directive:
  • Stray dogs to undergo sterilisation, deworming, immunisation.
  • After treatment, dogs to be released back into the localities they were captured from.
• Reasoning:
  • Total ban on release contradicts Rule 11(19), Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023.
  • These Rules are framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
  • Rule 11(19) explicitly provides for release of sterilised, immunised strays into their original habitat.

Legal & Policy Framework

• Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960: Governing law for animal welfare in India.
• ABC Rules, 2023:
  • Mandates catch-neuter-vaccinate-release (CNVR) policy.
  • Recognises right to life of strays in their environment while balancing public health concerns.
• SC Jurisprudence: Previously upheld animal rights as part of Article 21 (Right to Life – extended to non-human animals in Animal Welfare Board of India v. A. Nagaraja, 2014).

Issues at Stake

• Public Safety vs Animal Welfare:
  • Public: Concerned about rising dog-bite cases, rabies spread.
  • Animal Rights: Confinement violates ABC Rules & animal welfare ethics.
• Implementation Challenges:
  • Inadequate sterilisation & vaccination coverage in cities.
  • Lack of infrastructure & funding for shelters and ABC programs.
• Legal Ambiguity: Need to harmonise citizen safety with statutory protections for strays.

Significance of the Modified Order

• Corrective Balance: Avoids mass confinement → aligns with existing law & humane practices.
• Strengthens CNVR Model: Reaffirms sterilisation + immunisation as the only sustainable solution.
• Judicial Sensitivity: Court acknowledged overreach in previous order, showing adaptability to law and science.
• Precedent for Urban Governance: Reinforces responsibility of municipalities to expand sterilisation-vaccination drives instead of opting for culling or confinement.

Challenges Going Forward

• Execution Gaps: Scaling sterilisation/immunisation requires massive resources & coordination with NGOs.
• Urban Management: Stray menace linked to poor waste disposal and urban planning failures.
• Monitoring: Ensuring local bodies comply with ABC Rules uniformly across states.
• Public Awareness: Community engagement is critical to reduce hostility and encourage adoption of humane solutions.

Implications

• For Judiciary: Shows judicial course-correction and deference to statutory frameworks.
• For Policy: Highlights urgent need for scientific, humane, and resource-backed stray management policy.
• For Society: Balances human safety with ethical animal rights – reflecting constitutional morality.

Conclusion

• The SC’s modification restores legal and scientific balance in stray dog management.
• It underscores that sustainable solutions lie in sterilisation, vaccination, waste management, and community participation, not in mass confinement.
• This ruling reaffirms India’s commitment to animal welfare principles within the framework of public health and safety.

The Great Nicobar Project – Forest Rights Issue

Great Nicobar Project

• Project Components: Transshipment port, airport, power plant, and township.
• Cost: ₹72,000 crore.
• Forest Land Diversion: ~13,075 hectares (largest-ever clearance for a project in the islands).
• Location: Great Nicobar Island, part of Andaman & Nicobar Islands (A&N).

Relevance : GS 3(Environment and Ecology)

Legal Framework Involved

• Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006:
  • Recognises rights of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDSTs) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs).
  • Diversion of forest land requires settlement of rights + Gram Sabha consent.
• Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Act, 1956 (PAT56):
  • Gives Administrator powers to divert forest land for “public purpose”.
  • No requirement of Gram Sabha consent under PAT56.
• Conflict: A&N administration claimed FRA compliance but also argued FRA not applicable due to PAT56 protections.

Tribal Council’s Complaint

• Claim: FRA process not even initiated; hence rights cannot be considered “settled”.
• Allegation: A&N administration issued a false certificate (Aug 18, 2022) stating rights were identified and settled.
• Consent Issue:
  • Council says Gram Sabha of Nicobarese was not consulted.
  • Govt claims Gram Sabha meeting on Aug 12, 2022, gave consent.
• Current Action: Council has written to Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram; awaiting response.

Concerns Raised by Tribals

• Loss of Forests: 13,000+ hectares = ecological threat to fragile island ecosystems.
• Cultural Impact: Tribal land, livelihood, and identity at risk.
• Legal Bypass: Consent claimed without genuine participation.
• Vulnerability: Particularly impacts Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in Nicobar Islands.

Larger Issues

• Governance Ambiguity: Whether forest clearance was under FRA (requiring Gram Sabha consent) or PAT56 (Administrator’s discretion).
• Rights vs Development: Clash between mega-infrastructure project and indigenous rights.
• Due Process Concerns: Possible misrepresentation by local administration to secure clearances.
• Accountability: Lack of clarity on Centre’s role in verifying compliance.

Strategic Significance of Project

• Economic: Transshipment port to rival Singapore/Colombo; enhance India’s role in global trade routes.
• Strategic/Security: Strengthens India’s position in Indo-Pacific, close to Malacca Strait.
• Energy & Connectivity: Power plant + airport + township to support large civilian and military presence.
• Environmental Costs: Huge ecological footprint in a biodiversity hotspot.

Challenges Ahead

• Balancing strategic imperatives vs indigenous rights.
• Reconciling FRA and PAT56 legal frameworks.
• Ensuring free, prior, informed consent (FPIC) of tribals.
• Addressing ecological fragility and disaster risks (seismic zone, tsunami-prone region).

Implications

• For Tribals: Risk of marginalisation, loss of traditional rights, and displacement.
• For Governance: Highlights loopholes in implementation of FRA, need for stronger safeguards.
• For Environment: Raises red flags about large-scale deforestation in ecologically sensitive zones.
• For India’s Strategy: While project enhances national security and trade, it could face long-term legitimacy and legal challenges.

Conclusion

• The Great Nicobar Project epitomises the development vs rights dilemma.
• Allegations of bypassing FRA raise serious questions about transparency and due process.
• Going forward, India must ensure legally sound, participatory, and environmentally sustainable decision-making to balance strategic needs with tribal rights and ecological preservation.

Why not all viruses led to a pandemic after transmission

Virus Transmission and Pandemics

• Zoonotic Spillover: When a disease-causing virus jumps from one species to another.
• Transmission Challenge: Most spillovers fail to establish sustained human-to-human (or host-to-host) transmission.
• Pandemic Trigger: Only rarely, when the virus adapts successfully in the new host environment, it can lead to a pandemic.

Relevance : GS 2(Health ) ,GS 3(Science and Technology)

Key Findings from the Study

• Determinants of Viral Persistence after spillover:
  • Infection Prevalence: Fraction of exposed population that gets infected.
  • Viral Shedding: Ability of infected hosts to release copies of the virus into the environment.
  • Host Susceptibility: How vulnerable the hosts are to infection.
• Research Context:
  • Study published in PLOS Biology.
  • Conducted by David Kennedy (Pennsylvania State University).
  • Aimed at predicting which viruses could potentially cause outbreaks and pandemics.

Experiment Conducted

• Model Used: Worms exposed to the Orsas virus.
• Observation:
  • Worms reproduced and grew for 5–13 days.
  • 20 adult worms were then transferred to a new virus-free Petri dish → process repeated until no trace of the virus remained.
• Data Collected:
  • Fraction of worms infected.
  • Amount of virus shed into the air.
  • Transmission ability across repeated cycles.

Implications of Study

• Why Most Spillovers Fail:
  • Insufficient infection prevalence.
  • Low or unstable viral shedding.
  • Low host susceptibility.
• Why Some Become Pandemics:
  • Combination of high infection prevalence + high viral shedding + high host susceptibility.
• Public Health Utility:
  • Helps identify which outbreaks to prioritize for monitoring.
  • Guides allocation of public health resources to prevent and respond effectively.
  • Provides a scientific basis for pandemic preparedness strategies.

Conclusion

• Most viruses that jump species fail to establish sustained transmission, hence pandemics are rare.
• Key determinants of viral persistence: infection prevalence, viral shedding, and host susceptibility.
• The study offers a predictive framework to identify high-risk spillovers before they escalate.
• Findings strengthen pandemic preparedness by enabling targeted public health interventions.
• Emphasizes the need for scientific surveillance + One Health approach to manage emerging infectious diseases.

ISRO’s 2040 Roadmap: 100+ Satellites, Private Sector Integration, and India’s Heaviest Rocket

ISRO’s Future Plans

• Timeline: Next 15 years (till ~2040).
• Satellites: Over 100 satellite launches planned.
• Purpose: Earth observation, communication, navigation, science missions (Moon, Mars, Venus), and human spaceflight (Gaganyaan).
• Current pace: ISRO launches 6–7 satellites annually, but roadmap aims to scale to ~7–8 launches per year consistently.

Relevance : GS 3(Space) , GS 2(Governance)

Key Developments

1. Satellite Missions

• Targets: >100 launches, averaging 7–8 per year.
• Includes flagship planetary missions (Chandrayaan, Mars, Venus) and Gaganyaan (human spaceflight).
• Expansion beyond routine launches → focus on deep space, exploration, human presence in space.

2. Private Sector Role

• ~350 private space firms in India, many working on innovative technologies.
• ISRO increasingly depending on private players for applications and hardware.
• Private sector success seen as crucial for ISRO’s 2047 vision (India@100).

3. Heaviest Rocket Development (LMV3 Successor / NGLV)

• LMV3 (GSLV Mk-III): Currently India’s most powerful rocket, used for Chandrayaan-3, Gaganyaan, and future human space missions.
• Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV):
  • Height: Equivalent to a 40-storey building.
  • Timeline: Expected readiness by 2035.
  • Payload capacity: 80 tonnes to low-Earth orbit (LEO), 27 tonnes to Moon.
  • Designed for human missions to the Moon by 2040.

Strategic Significance

• Space Transformation: ISRO shifting from a “slow but steady” approach to a high-frequency, mission-intensive strategy.
• Global Positioning: India emerging as a major space power, competing with NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, CNSA, and SpaceX.
• Human Spaceflight Capability: Chandrayaan-3 success + Gaganyaan + future Moon missions → stepping stones toward long-term human presence.
• Technology Development: Heavy-lift rockets essential for lunar bases, deep space missions, and international collaborations.
• Atmanirbhar Push: Indigenous heavy rockets, satellite technology, and growing private ecosystem reduce dependence on foreign launches.

Challenges

• Scaling Up: From 6–7 launches/year → 7–8 consistently for 15 years.
• Cost & Funding: Large missions require sustained funding and global partnerships.
• Human Spaceflight Risks: India’s first human mission (Gaganyaan) still pending; lunar human missions far more complex.
• Private Sector Integration: Success depends on smooth collaboration between ISRO and startups/private firms.

Implications for India

• Economic: Expanding commercial satellite launches and global space services market.
• Strategic: Strengthens India’s position in global space diplomacy, exploration race, and security.
• Scientific: Advances in planetary science, deep space studies, and human physiology in space.
• Geopolitical: Enhances India’s bargaining power in space governance regimes and multilateral initiatives.

Conclusion

• ISRO’s roadmap to launch 100+ satellites and build its heaviest rocket marks India’s shift from regional space player to a global space leader.
• Success hinges on innovation, private sector collaboration, and sustained political-economic support.
• By 2040, India aims to achieve human lunar missions, robust satellite infrastructure, and a dominant space industry ecosystem.