Daily Current Affairs

India is sharpening its mountain warfare prowess (GS Paper 3, Defence)

Why in news?

• The Indian Army is planning to induct indigenous light tanks ‘Zorawar’ in the next few years, in a bid to sharpen its mountain warfare prowess.
• Additionally, it has also initiated a fresh case to procure Autonomous Surveillance and Armed Drone Swarm (ASAD-S) with high ranges to destroy targets in depth areas and plans to induct Surveillance and Targeting System (ISAT-S) for surveillance and engaging targets beyond the line of sight.

 

Indian Light Tank Zorawar

• Earlier in 2022, the defence ministry had given in-principle approval for development of a light tank for the army. This happened after the army floated a Request for Information (RFI) to procure around 350 25-tonne light tanks under the Make in India initiative.
• Indian Light Tank Zorawarhas been designed to operate in high-altitude areas, marginal terrains to the island territories and will be “highly transportable for rapid deployment to meet any operational situation”.

The will have in-built niche technologies, including AI, drone integration, active protection system, and a high degree of situational awareness, adding that it will boost the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

 

Need for Zorawar:

• The Indian Light Tank is required to address sector-specific operational requirements, especially in high-altitude areas and marginal terrains.
• The agile tanks will have equal firepower as medium tanks, will be equipped with counter-drone systems to take care of aerial threats, communication systems and missiles.
• It is expected that the first prototype will be developed within the next two to three years by the Indian industry and any technology advancements will be further integrated into them.

 

Swarm Drones & Smart Munitions:

• The army has procured swarm drones from two Indian start-up companies and has initiated a Make-II or industry-funded case for Autonomous Surveillance and Armed Drone Swarm (ASAD-S), which includes a version for high-altitude areas.
• Swarm drones comprise a number of drones controlled from the same station which can communicate among themselves as well as the control station and can carry a variety of payloads in a single mission, and can take out enemy defences by undertaking collaborative attack.
• The swarming algorithms and Artificial Intelligence software enable them to operate autonomously with minimum human intervention and identify targets using AI software, thus speeding up the engagement process.

 

Why Swarm Drones are a necessity for India?

• The drone technology has proved to be a force multiplier in military operations, adding that the application of swarm drones in various recent conflicts across the world especially in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Syria and strikes on oilfields in Saudi Arabia and the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict underlined the potency of this technology.
• Taking note of the security situation at the northern and western borders of India, induction of swarm drones will provide tactical commanders with surveillance inputs and they can engage varied targets such as artillery and air defence equipment and enemy command and control centres.
• It can be employed in both offensive and defensive operations, providing a decisive edge to the tactical commanders employing them.

 

Integrated Surveillance and Targeting System (ISAT-S):

• The army also plans to develop and induct the Integrated Surveillance and Targeting System (ISAT-S) to overcome limitations faced by mechanised forces in irregular terrains and provide an operational advantage and flexibility to the mechanised columns.
• The system will consist of a surveillance drone and smart munitions launched from vehicle platforms to execute various surveillance tasks and engage armoured fighting vehicle targets beyond the line of sight. The surveillance drone would fix and launch smart munitions automatically on identification of targets for precision kill.

 

Modernisation Plans:

• The army’s Armoured Corps has undertaken a modernisationprogramme with the induction of a range of indigenous platforms and ammunition as well as upgrading its Russian-origin existing tanks.
• This includes procuring anti-tank guided missiles for the main battle tank Arjun. Development trials of the indigenous ATGM have already been successfully conducted.
• The army will also be inducting the state-of-the-art futuristic tank,Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV) in 2030, which will come along with performance-based logistics, transfer of technology, engineering support package, and other maintenance and training requirements.
• The FRCV will integrate AI, drones, an active protection system, a high degree of situational awareness, and manned-unmanned teaming capability.
• The army has placed an order for 118 main battle tanks Arjun MK-1Awhich is integrated with 71 new features, and will acquire missile firing capability from the main gun.

 

Rare 3rd consecutive La Nina event underway, could impact agriculture

(GS Paper 1, Geography)

Why in news?

• Recently, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) predicted that a third consecutive event of La Nina could be underway, leading to additional rainfall along its east coast this summer.
• The BOM predicted a 70 per cent chance of the La Nina event. However, the United States and UK weather agencies have claimed that the phenomenon is already underway.

 

Rare event:

• Scientists said La Nina occurring in 2022, after having taken place in 2020 and 2021, would be a rare event.
• It is the first time that this has happened since the 1950s when the event started to be recorded. The years 1973-76 and 1998-2001 were consecutive La Nina years.

 

What is La Nina?

• La Nina is a climate phenomenon that takes place due to the cooling of surface ocean water on the tropical west coast of South America.
• It can be described as a counterpart to El Nino, which involves the warming of ocean currents in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.

The combined phases of La Nina and El Nino are termed as El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) that affect rainfall patterns, global atmospheric circulation and atmospheric pressure across the planet.

Latest forecast:

• The sea temperatures in the east Pacific Ocean were colder and Australia may see the peak of La Nina in December, January and February.
• The IMD has stated in its report that La Nina conditions currently prevail over the equatorial Pacific Ocean. The latest forecast from the Monsoon Mission Coupled Forecast System, an ocean-atmosphere climate model system, shows that these conditions will continue until the end of 2022.
• The probability forecast for ENSO indicates a probability of about 50-60 per cent. This is higher than climatological probability that will continue till the end of the year.

 

Negative impacts on Indian agriculture:

• Farmers will be at risk of losing their standing kharif crops if it rains during this period. The harvesting of the kharif crops begins from September-end or early October. And any rain just before that would prove detrimental to the standing crops.
• Already, the overall area sown under kharif this season lags by 2.5 million hectares (mha) as of August 18, 2022, compared to the corresponding period in 2021.
• Area under paddy, the main kharif crop is short by 3.09 mha (8.2 per cent less), compared to 2021.
• The gap between ‘normal’ paddy sown during this time (calculated as an average of sown area between 2017-18 and 2021-22 during the corresponding week) and the current sowing is much more at 13.4 per cent. The ‘normal’ sown area for this time of the season is 39.7 mha.
• This coincides with a deficit in rainfall in the important paddy-growing states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
• Farmers will suffer a double whammy if untimely rains coincide with the harvest. They have already been impacted due to deficient rain in the monsoon months.
• Moreover, many farmers harvest the crop and stock it for a few days as there is a delay in procurement operations. Rains during that time would damage the harvested crop.

 

Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act

(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)

 

Context:

• The statement made by the Prime Minister, in April 2022 to the people of the North-east to the effect that the Government intends withdrawing the much-dreaded Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958, or AFSPA, completely from the region.
• It follows its partial withdrawal from parts of Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur in March.

Background:

• The Prime Minister was addressing a ‘Peace, Unity and Development’ rally in Diphu in Assam’s KarbiAnglong district.
• In the north-east, Nagaland has largely borne the brunt of this draconian law after it was imposed in the late 1950s when insurgency raised its head in the State.

 

Ordinance route:

• The genesis of the law can be traced to the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Ordinance 1942 which was enacted by the British to subjugate the rebels in the country during the Quit India movement, particularly in Assam and Bengal in October 1942.
• The law continues to be enforced in its new format as the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958.
• Indubitably, the need for the law was required in the 1950s when Naga insurgents resorted to large-scale violence.

 

Naga Framework Agreement:

• While there was some semblance of peace having been restored after the Shillong Peace Accord with the Naga insurgents in 1975.
• The situation took an ugly turn after the breakaway group led by IsakChishiSwuand ThuingalengMuivah formed the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), better known as the NSCN(I-M), in January 1980, and resorted to large-scale violence across the States of Nagaland and Manipur.
• ThuingalengMuivah is a Tangkhul Naga from Ukhrul district of Manipur while IsakChishiSwu was a Sumi Naga from Zunehboto in Nagaland.
• IsakChishiSwu died in June 2016 after the Naga Framework Agreement had been signed between the Government and the NSCN (I-M) in August 2015.
• It is believed that the agreement was rushed through given IsakSwu’s health condition. The agreement has been hanging fire since then as the Government has not agreed to permit a separate flag and constitution for Nagaland which the NSCN (I-M) is determined to have.

 

Misuse of AFSPA:

• A generation has lived with AFSPA in Manipur and Nagaland. Residents in these States have been victims of the aberrations committed by security forces for decades.
• While AFSPA gives sweeping powers to the security forces to shoot and kill anyone on suspicion and even search or arrest any person without warrant, no prosecution against them is possible for any wrongdoing without the previous sanction of the Central government.
•  While the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Ordinance 1942, authorized, any officer not below the rank of Captain in (the Indian) Military forces to use such force as may be necessary, even to the causing death against any person.
• AFSPA 1958 empowers even a non-commissioned officer (may be a Lance Naik, a Naik or Havildar) to “fire upon or otherwise use force; even to the causing of death”; no prosecution against them is possible without the consent of the Central Government.

• It is the consent from the Central government that is delaying any further action being taken against the commandos of the Army’s 21 Para (Special Forces) who killed six locals initially in a case of mistaken identity in Mon district of Nagaland on December 4, 2021.

 

Supreme Court’s stand:

• Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of India passed an interim order recently on a petition filed by the wives of the commandos found guilty by the SIT.
• Armed with unbridled power, aberrations by security forces operating in the States are bound to take place.
• When the Extrajudicial Execution Victim Families’ Association Manipur (EEVFAM) approached the top court in 2012 to have 1,528 cases of alleged fake encounters investigated through the Central Bureau of Investigation (Extra Judicial Execution Victim Families Association (EEVFAM) vs Union of India &Anr.), it was found that the first six cases investigated were indeed fake encounters.
• This prompted the Court to conclude that the veracity of the allegations made by the Association was beyond suspicion. Having come under the scanner, the AFSPA drew critical comments from the Supreme Court.

 

Past failures:

• The iron lady of Manipur, IromChanuSharmila, went on a 16-year long hunger strike starting from November 2000. Hailed as a heroine for nearly two decades, she fell from glory when people were disapproving of her breaking the fast.
• On being asked to comment on the withdrawal of AFSPA in several parts of Manipur, Assam and Nagaland, she was of the opinion that this was a new beginning and a result of decades-long fight.
• The Justice B.P. Jeevan Reddy Commission that was tasked with reviewing the provisions of AFSPA submitted its report on June 6, 2005 with the recommendation that AFSPA be withdrawn. Surprisingly, it had suggested making amendments to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) to achieve the purpose of AFSPA. The report was subsequently shelved.
• Former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram was of the firm opinion that AFSPA should be withdrawn. But stiff resistance from the Defence Ministry which was headed by A.K. Antony scuttled the proposal. The Indian Army offered stiff opposition to any proposal to do away with the much-detested law.

 

Periodical review:

• The present dispensation at the Centre has been hailed for its bold decision to rescind the law as the Army would have still offered resistance to its withdrawal.
• In Nagaland, AFSPA has been removed from the jurisdiction of 15 police stations in seven districts, while in Assam, it has been removed completely from 23 districts; one district will be covered partially under the Act. In Manipur, 15 police station areas of six districts will be excluded.
• However, there needs to be a comprehensive and serious periodical review undertaken by the Centre till the entire North-east is freed from the tentacles of AFSPA.

 

Way Forward:

• Investigations into the 1,528 alleged fake encounters also need to be fast tracked and taken to their logical conclusion.
• If necessary, there needs to be incarceration of the guilty, thereby sending out a clear message that those who murder under the cloak of the uniform of the security forces cannot expect to go scot free if there are violations.