Security, Technology & Disaster management statistics 450+

1. Great Nicobar
a. Sardar K M Panikkar had warned that, “the active control of the Indian Ocean and defence of the coastline is possible

only by having islands as advanced bases"

b. Conceived by the NITI Aayog as a Rs.75k “mega-infrastruc- ture project” for defence, logistics, commerce and eco-
tourism”. The proj- ect includes an international container tran- shipment terminal, an international airport, a gas and
solar po er plant, t o greenfield cities, a coastal mass rapid transport system and a free trade zone.
c. joint/tri-service, the A&N Command (ANC), as established in Port Blair, in 2001
d.Can become a transhipment terminal for shipping traffic between Singapore & Hambantota (Sri Lanka)
e. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the islands adds up to 6,00,000 sq km or 30 per cent of India’s total EEZ
f. Great Nicobar Island — southernmost of the A&N group — is a mere 140 km from Indonesia
2. India lacks a national security strategy NSS. CDS observed that absence of a 'written strategy' doesn't mean there's no
strategy. But, our adversaries like China and even recently Pakistan have a codified NSS and also publish frequent white
papers.
Technology
1. Cryptocurrency:
a. There are over 15 million users with collective asset value $6bn
b. Blockchain would add $3 trillion to global GDP by 2030 (NITI Aayog)
c. Issues
i. Excess volatility - Recently Bitcoin saw a massive spike of over 450% in just six months
ii.
Cybersecurity risks - cyberattack on Indian crypto exchange WazirX -> loss of $230mn digital assets
iii. Terror financing - Hamas raised money through bitcoins
iv. Environmental concerns - one Bitcoin transaction consumes equivalent of one month electricity of a US household
d. Govt initiatives
i.
SC lifted RBI ban in 2020
ii. Launched CBDC
iii. Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill 2021
iv. Amendment to Companies Act 2013 mandating firms to disclose their investments in crypto
v.
Taxation of Virtual digital assets (IT amendment 2022)
e. Measures needed
i. Ban cryptocurrencies but encourage blockchain usage in other areas like fintech, identity management, etc.
(Subash Chandra Garg committee)
ii.
Stricter KYC norms for crypto exchanges
iii. Global partnership to prevent crypto currencies from becoming a new tool for money laundering and terror
financing
2. IP rights:
a. India was ranked 40th place in GII 2023 of WIPO
b. Fewer patent examiners - in 2020, they were 615 patent examiners. In contrast, China had 13,000 plus patent
examiners.
c. India's GERD (gross domestic expenditure on R&D) at 0.65% of GDP is much lower than top 10 economies (1.5-3%

of GDP)
d. Disproportionately lower contribution from private sector (about 37% compared to 68% in avg in each of top 10
economies) (ES 2021).
e. An increase in 10% in R&D investment -> productivity gains ranging from 1.1 to 1.4% (ES 2021)
f. National Research Foundation with an outlay of 50,000cr
g. India has 3rd largest startup ecosystem in the world (ES 2020)
• Recognized startups increased from 470 (2016) to over 85,000 (2022)
•Over 120 unicorns
h. In 2022, over 51000 patent applications processed

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 i. Fewer patent examiners - in 2020, they were 615 patent examiners. In contrast, China had 13,000 plus patent
examiners.
j. Disposing a patent takes 58 months (India), 20 months (China), 23 months (USA)
k. Only 4.5% of the population in low-income countries received a single dose of Covid-19 vaccine compared to 70% in
developed ones (WHO - check once)
l.
IP facilitation centres for startups and MSMEs
m. National IPR policy 2017.
n. Weakening of IPR regime - Tribunals reforms act 2021 dissolves appellate bodies for Patents, Copyrights, Trade
Marks, GI and transfers their function to High court.
3. Artificial Intelligence:
• Positives
◦ As of August 2023, there were 4.16 lakh AI professionals (India Skills report 2023)
◦ Law ministry uses AI to translate new criminal laws into other official languages
◦ Manipur HC used ChatGPT 3.5 to write judgement
◦ AI will boost India's GDP by $500bn by 2025 (NASSCOM)
◦ Covid vaccine development through rapid analysis of clinical trials data
◦ AI is present in our lives now more than ever
◦
Intelligence gathering: Project Maven (USA Military) computer vision on UAV footage to track target
◦ Project Owl of Google: Detects fake news using AI
• Issues:
◦ Algorithmic bias
▪
Biases in facial recognition technology have led to wrongful arrests
◦ Non-inclusive datasets
▪ India & China - 33% global population but only 3% images on ImageNet dataset
◦ Skill gap: 60%-70% AI skill gap in ML, data science, DevOps (India Skills report 2023)
◦ Job loss: 26% jobs in India could be impacted by AI (IMF 2024)
◦ Inequalities will rise
◦ Data colonialism -> Data is new oil
◦ Misuse for social scoring or mass surveillance purposes
◦
Deep fakes
◦ Lethal Semi Autonomous and Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) - Lancet Drones (Russia), Kamikaze drones

(Iran)
• Govt steps
◦ FutureSkills Prime - upskilling IT professionals
◦ NITI national strategy for AI - prioritising sectors like education, health, etc.
◦ National AI portal - repository of initiatives
◦ Centre of excellence in NIC
◦
Founding member of GPAI.
◦ Several state govt including Telangana, Karnataka, TN have AI policies in place.
• Suggestions:
i. Ethical guidelines for AI development
ii.
Women and minority are fairly represented on AI design teams
iii. Diverse and inclusive datasets
iv. Chief AI officer (USA) - to tackle cyber threats posed by AI
v. Independent AI regulator (as proposed by Sam Altman of OpenAI)
•National AI plan of NITI Aayog calls for “AI for All” to promote inclusive growth
4. Space:
a. Agnikul, pvt space startup, successfully launched Agniban rocket
b. Skyroot - Vikram rocket
c. ISRO (NSIL) invited applications for commercialisation of LVM3 manufacturing
d. Indian Space policy 2023
e. Humans in space policy

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 f. Human spaceflight/Gaganyan
g. Chandrayan 3
h. Artemis accord
i. NISAR
j. Private participation
i. Space reforms started in 2020
ii. FDI upto 100% allowed in areas like satellite manufacturing, ground services, launch vehicles, spaceports,

manufacturing components, etc.

iii. Created IN-SPACe as single window nodal agency regulating private sector activities in space
iv. NSIL - commercializing ISRO's technologies with private sector collaborations.
v. Indian Space Association (ISpA) apex industry body to provide advisory and advocacy support to the space
industry in India.
vi. India's space economy accounts forjust 2.6% of global space economy ($360bn) [Economic Survey]
vii. 33 (2019) to 101 (2021) - startups in space sector (Economic Survey 2022)
viii. SpaceX - falcon 9 reusable launch vehicle
ix. Skyroot's Vikram S launch vehicle
x. By playing a strong advisory and consulting role to the private sector, ISRO can bank on its legacy of successful
space missions and help firms learn from its failures.
k. Challenges
i. Capital intensive nature (ex- failed satellite launch may cost a company billions of rupees)
ii. Lack of enough space engineers
iii.
Heavy govt regulation due to strategic concerns
iv. Conflict of interest - Dpt of space is both regulator and player (NSIL)
l. Measures
i. Ensuring adequate human resources by mainstreaming space sciences in engineering curricullum
ii. Industry-academia collaboration
iii. Exchange programs for Indian space scientists for upskilling and reskilling
iv. Technology sharing through international partnerships with NASA, European Sapce agency, etc.
v. Tax incentives to space-based startups
m. James Webb space telescope
i. Recently, NASA released images of a Galaxy cluster, 13 billion light years away; a hot gaseous exoplanet, 1000
light years away, captured by JWST.
ii. Equipped with Infrared cameras to look deep into space - infrared light can penetrate dust clouds surrounding

celestial objects which visible light can't

iii. Unlike previous missions like COBE, WMAP, Planck, which looked deep into space, JWST can capture images of
first stars and galaxies formed post Bigbang.
iv. Helps in analysing biomarkers in atmosphere of exoplanets
1.
In the image of gaseous exoplanet, chemical fingerprint of water vapour was found.
v. Conclusion - Defining moment in Humankind's history of understanding space
n. ISRO successfully tested reusable launch vehicle - expected to reduce launch costs by 80%
o. Chandrayan
i. C1 - succesfully detected presence of water and hydroxyl molecules on moon
ii. C3 - expected to land on South Pole - first country to soft land on south pole
iii. fourth country to soft land on moon after us, russia and china
iv. The success of Chandrayaan-3 will send a message to young people across the country that it is possible to do

quality scientific research, and make a difference, here, on Indian soil.

5. 5G
a. 5G is expected to improve India's GDP by $1 trillion by 2035 (steering committee on 5G)
b. Recently govt announced first auction of 5G spectrum
c. Advantages - Industry 4.0; boost digital connectivity; improve digital services (mobile banking, education,
telemedicine); smart agriculture; smart grids; autonomous vehicles
d. Challenges - spectrum (delay, price - govt set reserve price for auction); infrastructure (cost; telecom financial

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 distress - shrunk the sector to near duopoly); data (privacy, security); gov's bid to allow captive private networks by
individual companies further undermines revenue of telecom; telecoms may resort to tariff increase
e. India must be conscious of the challenges and opportunities of 5G and ensure that technology caters to largest

section of the population and not limited to premium segment

f. The Indiangovernmenthasset atargetto provide 4Gnetwork to alluncovered villages by 2024
6. Drones
a. Drone delivery of drugs to remote PHCs in Meghalaya
7. Semiconductors
a. Micron announced $3 billion dollar Chip packaging unit in India
8. Blockchain
a. Measures taken
i. National strategy on blockchain (MeITy)
ii. Centre of excellence in NIC
iii.
Blockchain based CBDC by RBI
iv. State level initiatives - land records management (AP)
b. UAE - Smart Dubai initiative
9. Biotechnology
a. Healthcare
i. Diagnosis - Genome sequencing; RT-PCR; ELISA antibody test
ii. Cure - CRISPR cas 9, Vaccine development; Stem cell research; Pronuclear transfer; ART; Recombinant DNA
iii. Xenotransplantation: using non-human organs to treat medical conditions in humans
b. Water purification - filter; kill
c. Waste management - bioremediation, biomining
d. Energy security - biofuels
e. Agriculture - GM, HYV, Crossing -> desired characteristics
f. Potential concerns
i. Ethical concerns -> harvesting embryos to extract stem cells
ii. Inequalities
iii. Designer babies -> notion of supposedly superior qualities
iv.
Long term health impact -> Man who got first pig heart transplant dies after two months
g. Measures taken
i. Genome India
h. Measures required (same as nanotechnology)
10. Nanotechnology
a. Healthcare
i. Targeted drug delivery (Nanomicelles - drugs to cancer cells without affecting healthy tissue)
ii. Genome sequencing (Gold nano particles)
iii.Monitor vital health parameters (nano sensors in arteries - real-time blood pressure)
iv. Innovative vaccine delivery without using needle
v. Repair and replace damaged tissues (Nanobots)
vi. Removing toxins from blood (Nanosponges)
vii. Artificial blood capillaries for injured body parts (C-nanotubes)
viii. Wound dressing (Nanofibres)
ix. Potential challenges
1. Concerns of toxicity - C-nanotubes caused lung damage in rats
2. Extremely small size - may get stuck in arteries & damage heart/lungs
3. Environmental threat - nano material waste may accidentally enter food chain - biaccumulation &
biomagnification
4. Expensive - exacerbate inequalities by creating access barriers to weaker sections
b. Agriculture
i. Nano sized synthetic inputs - IFFCO Nano Urea
ii. Nano-scale chemical carriers - Nanofungicides & Nanopesticides

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 iii. Nanosensors - monitor leaf properties, soil ph, acidity levels
iv. Nanomaterials to cover soil to absord soil moisture and release during dry period
v. Nanoparticles - Genome sequencing -> GM varieties
vi. Polymers based on nanomaterials - food packaging to enhance shelf life
1. Potential challenges
a. Toxicity
b. Environmental threat
c. Energy security
i. More efficient batteries with improved energy density
ii.
Efficiency of solar cells
iii. Efficient catalysts for fuel cells
d. Water purification
i. Filtering of pollutants
ii.
Disinfecting water killing harmful bacteria
iii. Desalinisation
e. Waste management
i. Breaking down of solid waste into smaller particles
ii.
Recycling waste and recovering valuable minerals
f. Electronics - nano tubes
g. Measures taken
i. Nano Science and Technology Mission 2007
ii.
International Conference on NanoScience and NanoTechnology (ICONSAT) 2020
h. Measures required
i. Invest in R&D
ii. Tax incentives to startups
iii.Fasttrack IPR applications in nanotech with potential social benefits
iv. Establish centres of excellence in institutions like IITs, NITs, IISC and network them all together
v. International partnerships USA, Japan, Argentina, etc.
vi. Upskill and reskill manpower
vii. Promote industry academia linkages in nanotechnology applications
Security
1. North East extremism
a. Attack on Assam rifles convoy
b. Achievements
i. Insurgency reduced by 80% b/w 2014 & 2022 (MHA)
ii. Civilian deaths reduced by 99% b/w 2014 & 2022 (MHA)
c. Challenges in our handling
i. Huge diversity - more than 200 ethnic groups (Balkans of Asia)
ii. Intelligence gaps - Manipur Ambush on Assam rifles convoy (2021) by Manipur Naga People's front
iii. Coordination issues - CAPF, state forces, army (evident during Manipur violence (2023))
iv. Identity politics - Meghalaya anti outsider politics (eviction of Dalit Sikh families)
v.
Illegal migration - approx 40,000 Rohingya refugees, 24 million Bangladeshi immigrants
vi. Non recognition of forest rights - Recent SC order in Forest rights case to evict 1 million tribals from forest lands
vii. International angle - Myanmar 2021 coup led to increase in Opium cultivation in the region [UNODC 2022]
d. Measures taken
i. Reconciliation
1. Bodo peace accords - 3rd accord led to surrender of NDFB
2. Bru-Reang pact for resettlement of Mizoram Bru refugees in Tripura
3. ULFA peace pact (2023)
ii. Development
1. Ministry of Development of NER
2. Scheme for development of NER (Purvodhaya yojana)

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 3. Surrender-cum rehab of insurgents
4.
Act East policy
iii. Security
1. Helicopter services in NE states for quick troop deployment
2. Special powers under AFSPA
3. UAPA - banning NDFB, NSCN
4. Assam Rifles mandated to deal with insurgency
5.
BOLD-QIT
iv. Cultural safeguards
1.
NRC in Assam to identify illegal migrants
2. ILP
3. Article 371
e. Measures required
i. Strengthen command and control structure for seamless inter-force coordination
ii. Cooperation with neighbouring countries (Op Sunrise - Indo Myanmar; Op all clear - Indo Bhutan)
iii. Sensitisation of paramilitary forces
iv. Counter-propaganda
v. Focus on organic agriculture, tourism and renewable energy (NITI Aayog)
vi. Infrastructure development to improve connectivity
vii. Encourage cultural exchange between the North Eastern states and mainland to foster a sense of national identity
(Bezbaruah committee)
viii.
Continued political dialogue among all stakeholders to address genuine and legitimate concerns (2nd ARC)
2. Left Wing Extremism
a. Armed insurgency against state motivated by leftist ideology. Recent Chattisgarh naxal attack (Dantewada, Bastar,
Sukma).
b. Ex-PM Manmohan Singh called it single biggest internal security threat.
c. LWE shouldn't be seen just as 'crisis of security' but also 'crisis of development'
d. Achievements
i. Naxal incidents reduced by 76% b/w 2010 and 2022 (MHA report)
ii.
Naxal violence related deaths reduced from 1005 (2010) to 98 (2022)
iii. LWE affected districts came down from 75 (2015) to 38 (2024) with only 12 most affected districts
e. Challenges in our handling
i. Guerrilla warfare tactics - ambushes, hit and run, surprise attacks, etc.
ii. Difficult terrain - thick forests, mountains provide safe havens
iii. Local support and sympathisers
iv. Decentralized command structure
v. IEDs and landmines
vi. Information warfare and propaganda - lack of foolproof technology to detect them
vii. Cross-border movement
viii. Targetting development projects
ix. Complex funding sources
x. Intelligence gaps
xi. Coordination challenges
xii. International angle - China support to CPI (Maoist)
xiii. Governance vacuum - infra connectivity, health, education, etc. -> easy to radicalize
xiv. Poverty and unemployment - every one in two tribals MDP
xv. Development disparities (economic inequalities)
xvi. Forced displacement -> resentment and cultural alienation
1. Polavaram project led to displacement of 50,000 adivasi families
xvii. Deprivation of forest rights -> discontent
1.
SC ordered eviction of 1 million tribals
xviii. Propaganda and radicalization

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 xix. Maoist ideology - Appealing to poor -> "war of position"
xx. Struggle for power
xxi. High-handedness of security forces
f. Measures taken
i. Security
1. Scheme for modernisation of state police force
2. Security Related Expenditure (SRE)
3. Raising COBRA forces - trained in guerrilla tactics and jungle warfare
4. SAMADHAN strategy against Maoist offenses.
5.
Joint combing operations led by CAPF along border areas
6. Scheme for fortifying police stations
ii. Development
1. FRA 2006, PESA 1996
2.ROSHNI under DDU Grameen Kaushalya Yojana for skill development
3. Mobile Tower project, Road connectivity project
4. Vanbandhu Kalyan yojana, Aspirational district, MGNREGA, etc.
iii. Winning hearts and minds
1.
Civic action programs
2. Media Plan Scheme: To counter naxal propaganda
iv. States
1. AP (greyhounds, Janmabhoomi program, attractive surrender-cum-rehab policy);
2.
Chattisgarh (Porta Cabin residential schools for tribals in LWE hit areas);
3. Jharkhand (industrial sewing units);
4. Odisha (recruitment of tribal youth as 'special police officers')
g. Measures required
i. Counter-hegemony to Maoist ideology -> local leaders, NGOs
ii. Intelligence reforms - tactical intelligence from locals; NATGRID; CCTNS
iii. Create joint theatre commands - promote coordination between forces
iv. Attractive surrender-cum rehabilitation policy (successful in Telangana)
v. Economic development -> SHG, FPO, food processing, etc.
vi. International cooperation
vii. Implement PESA & FRA in letter and spirit to win people's trust (Bandopadhyay report)
viii. Development generates a peace dividend in the form of deradicalization of people
3. Non-state actors
a. OGW: Jamaat-e-Islami
b. Organised criminals: D'Company in 1993 Mumbai blast
c. Pirates: Somali pirates in Indian ocean
d. NGOs: Greenpeace, Amnesty Intl
e. Terrorist orgs
f. Lone wolfs:
g. Illegal migrants
h.
Drug cartels
4. 4th generation warfare/hybrid warfare (conventional + unconventional methods to inflict damage)
a. State sponsored warfare: Proxy war by Pakistan, cyberthreats from China
b. New forms of terrorist attack: Loan wolf; Sleeper cells
c. Cyberattacks: algerian hackers; stuxnet
d. Interference in electoral process: Cambridge analytica
e. Disinformation and fake news: 2012 NE exodus
f. Civil society: Greenpeace Protests and internal dissensions: BLM, 2012 NE
g. Space: Space force of USA
h. AI and social media: Zhenhua company of China, Project Maven of USA
i. Drones: Jammu airbase

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5. Social media
• Big Tech's lack of accountability - Twitter's decision to de-platform Donald Trump
• Concerns on Platform neutrality - Elon Musk leaked internal documents of Twitter that show its bias against

conservatives
• Online censorship and state surveillance - Twitter's ex-CEO Jack Dorsey's revelations about censorship directions of
govt.
• Shrey Singhal - quashed sec66A violates FoS
• Arnab Goswami vs Maharashtra - Freedom of speech & personal liberty cannot be threatened by censorship
• European Digital rights and principles - digital inclusion, equitable access
• Challenges posed by social media
◦ Fake news:
▪ Pakistan ISI's morphed inflammatory videos triggering North East exodus
▪ 338 instances busted by PIB fact check unit (2022)
▪spread six times faster (MIT study)
◦ Deepfakes
▪ Fake video of Ukrainian president Zelensky announcing surrender
◦ Identity theft (clickjacking) - illegal act of obtaining and using someone else’s personal information, typically for

financial gain or fraud.

▪ Hacking of PM Modi's Twitter account
◦ Cyber stalking
◦ Cyber bullying & trolling
▪
Bulli bai & Sulli deals app
◦ Snooping
▪ Pegasus spyware - Apple alert to Indian users on potential attack (Indian Express)
◦ Subvert democracy through Election engineering
▪
Cambridge analytica scandal USA
◦ Radicalisation through Hate content
▪ ISIS sympathiser twitter handle (@shamiwitness) - convicted by Banglore court
▪ Christchurch attack in New Zealand
◦ Info warfare and Propaganda
▪ Jamaat-e-Islami Facebook posts on Azad Kashmir
▪ ISIS recruitment material in Tamil & Bengali
▪ ISIS claims province in India "Wilayah of Hind" in J&K
• How social media can help in security
◦ Delhi Traffic Police: Twitter to handle traffic issues
◦ Big data analytics to track down terrorists: NETRA (NETwork TRaffic Analysis) by IB and R&AW for real-time

detection of suspicious “keywords”

◦
Manage perception and counter misinformation
◦ Predictive policing using actionable intelligence (CCTNS)
◦ To report suspicious items, persons, etc. - HAWK eye (Telangana)
• Suggestions
◦ National Media Analytics Centre (proposed by NSC) to track provocative content
◦ Fixing accountability of social media platforms for hate/fake content (Rajiv Gauba committee)
◦ Rope in private sector (HackerUpro provides cybersecurity training programs to various agencies)
◦ R&D in predictive AI model to detect extremist content real-time
◦
Awareness to detect fake news (Satyameva Jayate initiative - Kerala)
◦ Christchurch call to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online
◦ EU Code of Practice on Disinformation
6. Cybersecurity
• 4th in world among victims of cybercrimes (FBI IC3 report 2022)
• 65,000 Cybercrime cases reported in 2022 alone (NCRB)
• Cybercrimes cost global economy $9.2 trillion in 2024 (Global cybercrime index 2024)

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• Vulnerability
◦ India has more than 750 million internet users
◦ Over 130 billion UPI transactions
◦ Largest online citizen’s identity programme (AADHAAR)
◦ Push towards digitisation by government: NeGP, DIgital India etc
◦
Digital economy expected to reach $1 trillion by 2027-28
• "The benefits of digital transformation should not be confined to a small part of the human race" - PM Modi at G20

summit
• Cybercrimes
◦ Ransomware attacks:
▪ Wannacry ransomware
◦ Denial of Service - making computer network unavailable to users by overwhelming it with excessive requests.
◦ Juice Jacking - infecting public charging station or USB cable with malware to steal data from connected device
◦ Phishing and Social engineering - fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information by posing as a trustworthy
entity
◦ Man in the Middle attack - secretly intercepting communication typically over unsecured Wi-Fi networks
◦ SQL injection - exploiting vulnerabilities in web application by injecting malicious SQL query to gain unauthorised

access to database
◦ Cross-site scripting
▪ injecting malicious scripts into webpages of users
◦ Data privacy:
▪
Aadhar data of 81.5cr Indians reportedly leaked on dark web - US cyber firm
◦ Attacks on Critical Information Infra:
▪ Ransomware attack on AIIMS servers (2023);
▪ Kudankulam nuclear plant (2019)
▪ 32 lakh SBI debit cards data stolen
▪ Financial security Stock exchanges, banking
▪ Hospital servers
▪ Citizen database like Aadhar
▪ Energy security - Power grids -> blackout
▪ Strategic assets - USA's Stuxnet malware attack on Iran's nuclear facilities
▪ Defence communications
▪ Integrated Command Control centers in smart cities -> traffic, water supply, etc.
◦ Cyber Espionage - steal classified information from individuals, organizations, or governments for intelligence or
competitive advantage
▪ China spying on government functionaries (Zhenhua data leak)
◦ (Social media challenges also can be written)
• Challenges in our handling
i. Underpreparedness -
1. Cybersecurity breach at Kudankulam nuclear power plant remained undetected for 6 months
2. Only 50% companies have a cybersecurity strategy [FICCI report]
ii.
Cyber security skill gap - India needs 3.5 million cyber security jobs (NASSCOM)
iii. Widespread Digital illiteracy
iv. High import dependence on Telecom hardware - (TRAI - Rs.1.3 trillion, mostly China)
v. Absence of National Cyber Security Strategy (2019 draft isn't finalised yet)
vi. No dedicated cybersecurity law (IT act doesn't cover juice jacking, SQL injection, etc.)
vii. Sophisticated nature of attacks - Wannacry, Petya ransomware, etc.
viii. Coordination issues - NCCC (MeITy), ICCC (MHA)
1. MHA vs MoEITy fight for control over CERT-IN
• Measures taken
i. India banned several Chinese apps
ii. National Cybersecurity policy 2013

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 1. 24x7 NCIIPC, train 5 lakh, awareness through PPP
iii.IT act 2000 -> sec 66C criminalises identity theft
iv. NCCC -> screen communications metadata entering country -> real-time cyberspace intelligence
v. NCIIPC
vi. CERT-IN
vii. National Cybersecurity coordinator under NSC.
viii. ICCC - internet crimes (cyber bullying, stalking, etc.)
ix. Cyber Swachhta Kendra
x. Cyber Surakshit Bharat initiative - spread awareness about cybercrimes
xi. National Security Directive designating trusted Telecommunication equipment.
xii. International
1. Strategic technologies dialogue (India-UK) & India-Japan
2. Budapest convention on cybercrime (India not part)
3.
Asia Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team
• Measures required
i. Cyber forensic labs in all states - for collecting digital evidence for cybercrimes (Gulshan Rai committee)
ii. Cyber training to police personnel (Kerala Cyberdome)
iii.Develop Offensive cyber capabilities to ensure deterrence
iv. Air Gapping of Critical Info Infra
v. PPP in cybersecurity
vi. Continuous threat assessment for critical infra (Meena Hemachandra committee)
vii. Promote Cyber literacy through changes in school curricullum
1. not clicking unknown links, regular password changes, etc.
viii. Revise 2013 Cyber security policy to have a futuristic policy
ix. Regular cyber audit of corporate systems to identify vulnerabilities
7. Money laundering
a. Money Laundering results in loss of 2-5% of global GDP annually (IMF)
b. Techniques - structuring deposits, shell companies, Hawala, crypto
c. Impact of ML
i. Economic
1. Loss of tax revenue
2. Widens inequalities
3. May lead to inflation
4.
Macroeconomic stability
5. Crony capitalism - distort level playing field
ii. Security
1. Fuels organized crime
2.
Source of terror financing
3. Endangers law & order
iii. Social
1. Drug trafficking -
2.
Wealth inequalities
iv. Political
d. Challenges in our handling
i. Emergence of new technology - crypto, darknet
ii. Globalization
iii. Proliferation of shell companies
iv. Linkages with organized crime
v. Involvement of international syndicates (Kerala gold smuggling case)
vi. Acceptance among public (Hawala - J&K)
vii. Less than 15 convictions so far under PMLA 2002
viii. ED has been operating with <50% of sanctioned staff. It has only 49 offices across the country compared to 100+

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 for CBI.
ix. Non-cooperation from tax-heaven countries like Mauritius, Cayman islands, etc.
x. Coordination challenges - ED (Finance ministry), NCB (Home), CBI (Personnel), etc.
xi. Lack of skilled professionals with indepth understanding of ML ecosystem
xii. Banks failure to implement KYC effectively
e. Measures taken
i. Legal
1. FEMA 1999, PMLA 2002
2. Fugitive economic offenders Act 2018
3.
NDPS act 1985 - confiscation of proceeds from drug trade
ii. Institutional
1. RBI guidelines on KYC for banks
2. FIU-Ind for receiving info on suspicious transactions
3.
ED, CBI
iii. Policy
1. Demonetisation
2. CBDC - to track rupee movement easily
iv. International
1. Tax treaties with countries like Mauritus
2. Vienna Convention, FATF, Asia Pacific group on ML
3. Signatory to UN convention on Transanational Organised crime
f. Measures required
i. Wolfsberg anti-ML principles for private banking
ii. Synergy between enforcement agencies of various countries (Egmont Group)
iii. Mandatory KYC for crypto exchanges
iv.
Fixed tenure to head of ED instead of picemeal extension (SC)
g. PMLA 2002
i. In response to India's commitment to combat ML (Vienna convention)
ii. Empowers ED to conduct investigation and confiscate & seize property obtained from ML
iii.Three membered adjudicating authority to deal with matters related to attachment of property
iv. Appellate tribunals against adjudicating authority
v. Special courts to conduct trial of offences
vi. Burden of proof on accused
vii. All PMLA offences cognizable no arrest warrant needed
viii. SC - upheld constitutional validity
ix. Concerns
1. Stringent bail
2. Low convictions
3. ECIR not shared with accused - accused will have to defend himself without knowing facts of allegation
4. Against "presumption of innocence"
5. Allegations of political targetting
6.
Lack of fixed tenure to ED director (piecemeal extension allowed)
8. Shell companies
a. Corporate entity without real business operations or significant assets and physical presence
b. Govt measures
i. Formation of task force in 2017
ii. Identifying and deregistering shell companies
iii. More than 3 lakh directors of defaulting companies were disqualified under the Companies Act, 2013
iv. Trading restrictions by SEBI
v. Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) is creating a database of shell companies
9. Land border management
a. 15,100km of land border

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 b. In line with Kargil Review Committee (One border one force) - BSF (Bangladesh & Pakistan), ITBP (China), SSB
(Nepal & Bhutan), AR (Myanmar)
c. Challenges in our handling
i. Numerous transboundary rivers - easy for illegal migration
ii. Harsh terrain - difficult to station troops (Desert I-PK, high Himalayas I-Ch, Dense forests I-Myanmar)
iii.Free movement regime with Myanmar - insurgents
iv. Open border with Nepal - smuggling of goods
v. Cross border ethnic ties - Chin state refugees of Myanmar being welcomed in Mizoram
vi. Proximity to Golden triangle
vii. Political instability in neighbourhood - Myanmar military coup
viii. Political disputes - Assam Mizoram boundary dispute, etc.
ix. Illegal migration - 12 million illegal Bangladeshis in India (Census 2001)
x. Local discontent due to armed forces excesses (Manorami Devi sexual assualt case)
xi. Unresolved border disputes
xii. Lack of comprehensive National Security Strategy
xiii. Coordination challenges - many states protested extending BSF jurisdiction
xiv. Infrastructure gaps - all weather roads, Border checkposts, etc.
xv.
International angle - ULFA, Meiti
xvi. Overstretched forces - Assam Rifles (I-My border mgmt, law & order in NE)
d. Measures taken
i. Vibrant border villages program - holistic development
ii. Border Area Development Program
iii. Coastal Security Scheme (CSS)
iv. PM DeVINE scheme - infra development
v. BOLD QIT - smart fencing through sensors on Ind-Bangla border
vi. Border fencing all across LoC with Pakistan
vii. BSF, AR, SSB, ITBP
viii. CDS - theatre commands
ix. Non-lapsable defence modernization fund (15th FC)
e. Measures required
i. LiDAR, UAV, DAT
ii. Upgrade surveillance infra - CIBMS
iii. Strengthen connectivity - DS-DBO road in ladakh has reduced travel time by 40%
iv. State of the art Integrated Border check posts with Myanmar
v. Joint operation with neighbour forces (Op Sunrise - Myanmar)
vi. Winning hearts & minds e.g: Army goodwill schools - Operation Sadbhavana in Jammu Kashmir
vii. Border guarding forces shouldn't be deployed for internal security disturbances (Kargil review committee)
viii.
Install Laser walls in infiltration prone area (Madhukar Gupta committee)
ix. Enhance defence budget to 2.5-3% of GDP (Shekatkar committee)
x. Integrated theatre command for China, Pakistan and southern maritime border (Shekatkar committee)
10. Marine border management
a. Coastal security is important in the wake of growing geostrategic importance of Indo-Pacific and aspirations of a net
security provider
b. 7500km long coastline
c. Coastline accounts for 90% external trade
d. Houses 12 major and 200 minor ports
e. A&N - just 0.2% of India's landmass, but 30% of EEZ
f. Challenges in our handling
i. Lack of clear demarcation maritime boundary - Fisherman arrests in Sri Lanka
ii. Difficulty in erecting physical fence
iii.Topographical disadvantages - mangroves, sandbars, etc.
iv. Unsettled maritime disputes - Sir Creek (Pakistan)

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 v. IUU fishing in EEZ
vi. Coordination challenges - navy, coast guard, state police, etc.
vii. Unsecured minor ports - unlike major ports which are guarded by CISF
1. Mudra port - 3000kg heroin shipment caught
viii. Lack of comprehensive National Security Strategy
ix. Illegal infiltration - 26/11 attack
x. String of pearls strategy
xi.
Increase in piracy incidents - Navy rescued merchant ship in Red Sea from Houthi attacks
g. Measures taken
i. National Maritime Security Coordinator in NSC
ii. Coastal Security Scheme (CSS)
iii. Surveillance - coastal radar chain
iv. Sagar suraksha dal - involving fishermen in community policing
v. Sagar Kavach exercise - improve coordination between central and state forces
vi. Institutional setup
1. Indian Navy - Beyond 200 miles
2. Indian Coast Guards - 12-200 nautical miles
3.
Marine Police - 12 nautical miles
4. Marcos of Indian navy - unconventional warfare and counter-terrorism operations
h. Measures required
i. Maritime panchsheel
ii. Inter agency coordination through joint exercises
iii. Laser wall tech for improved surveillance (Madhukar Gupta committee)
iv. Promoting civil-military synergy (Naresh Chandra Committee)
v. Dedicated Marine police & coastal police stations in all coastal states (Kargil Review Committee)
vi.
Sagar Suraksha Dal: Fishing communities as ‘eyes and ears'
11. Organized crime
a. Refers to range of illegal activities like trafficking, smuggling, etc. carried out by criminal syndicates
b. Illegal wildlife trade - India is also a major source country for Pangolin trade (FATF report)
c. Measures taken
i. NDPS act 1985
ii. UAPA 1967
iii. Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956
iv.
United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC).
v. United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
vi. United Nations Office On Drug And Crime
12. Drug trafficking
a.Transnational organized crime - 3000kg Heroin seized at Mundra port.
b. World Drug report 2021 UN - drug abuse increased by 22% in India over last decade.
c. Prescription drugs are being used for recreational uses in India (World Drug report 2021)
d. Around 5cr people have used Cannabis & Opioids (Magnitude of substance abuse survey 2019 - AIIMS)
e. Expanding access to sports facilities diverted youth towards sports and reduced drugs menace in Miao dist of
Arunachal Pradesh
f. Measures taken
i. NDPS act 1985
1. NCB (MHA)
2. Stringent bail condition Sec 37 - only if court feels prima facie evidence that accused isn't guilty
3. Death penalty for repeat offenders
4. Seizure of property
5. But, SC in Hussain vs state of NCT Delhi -> undue delay in trial can be a ground for granting bail.
6. Issues
a. Large number of undertrials

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 b. Stringent bail condition Sec 37 - only if court feels prima facie evidence that accused isn't guilty
c. Against "presumption of innocence"
d. Treats drug addicts and peddlers similarly
ii. NCB, NCORD (Narco Coordination Centre)
iii. UN Convention on narcotic drugs; UN office of drugs and crime;
iv.NCB part of "Operation Trance" - joint intelligence gathering
v. Nasha Mukt Bharat campaign
vi. National Action plan for Drug Demand reduction
vii. NIMHANS - telemedicine
g. Measures required
i. Supply side
1. Ramp up border vigilance - 24/7 CCTV monitoring, drone catching nets
2. International agencies like Interpol to tackle cross-border nature of issue
3.
Special courts for quick trials in NDPS act to ensure deterrence
ii. Demand side
1. Treat drug addicts as victims than criminals -> de-addiction centers
2. Awareness generation - toll free number to complain, school curriculum
3.
Employment opps to divert youth away from drugs (Miao dist (Arunachal Pradesh) success story)
iii. Others
1. Treat drug addicts as victims than convicts - rehabilitation and counselling
13. Terrorism
a. Type of asymmetric warfare by non-state actors to for their political goals
b. Reasi terror attack
c. Global Terrorism Index 2023 - South Asia worst affected with 1350 deaths in 2022 alone
d. Causes of terrorism
i. Political
1. Struggle for power - Hamas, Taliban
2. Political oppression and marginalization - HRA
3. Ideological extremism - JeM
4.
Nationalism and separatism - Khalistan, NSCN, Kurdistan groups
5. Geopolitical rivalries - Houthis, Hezbollah, Al Qaeda
ii. Economic
1. Economic backwardness/inequality/relative deprivation - LWE
2.
Poverty & unemployment - Al-Shabaab (Somalia & East Africa)
3. Competition for resources - Sub-saharan Africa (Boko Haram in Nigeria, Chad, Niger, etc.)
iii. Social
1. Religious fundamentalism - ISIS
2.
Cultural suppression - LTTE
3. Social injustice
iv. Media
1. Radicalization and propaganda - JeM, LeT
2.
Online narrative building -
e. Why terrorism on rise in Jammu
i. Infiltration from Pakistan's Punjab & Khybher Pakhtunwa region
ii. Jungles, heights and rocky ground of the Pir Panjal and even the Kishtawar range have a large number of hideouts.
iii.OGW assisting them in sustenance and carrying attacks
iv. Targetting the impending assembly elections
v. Politically, the Indian government’s de- cision to conduct Lok Sabha elections in the Valley, the high turnout and
the general enthusiasm witnessed all over the Union Territory, should clearly convey that there is a need for early
assembly elections to take forward the ongoing integration of J&K.
f. Linkages with organized crime
i. Terror financing

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 1. Taliban - Opium; NE - extortion; J&K - counterfeit currency, Hawala; Punjab - drug trafficking
ii. Supply of weapons - organized crime networks used for Hawala, drug trafficking, etc.
iii. Movement of terrorists - smuggling networks to send their people to different countries
iv. Recruitment into terror groups - FBI documented Al-Qaeda recruits largely victims of human trafficking from
Middle East.
v. Terrorists provide security cover to organized criminal gangs - region of Syria under ISIS control
vi. Organized criminals resort to terrorism to divert police attention (Dawood Ibrahim - 1993 Mumbai riots)
vii. Intellgence - members of organized crime gang act as eyes and ears keeping terrorists informed of police
movements.
viii.
Narco-terrorism
g. Countering terror financing -
i. at No Money for Terror Financing conference India proposed five-pronged approach
ii. Comprehensive collaboration among investigative agencies
iii.Adopting 'Trace, Target, and Terminate' strategy to tackle economic offenses
iv. Strengthen legal structures related to terror finance
v. Robust mechanism against misuse of next gen tech
vi. Strengthen regulatory framework for asset recovery
h. Challenges in our handling
i. Intelligence gaps - Mumbai attack (2008), Pulwama (2019)
ii. Coordination challenges - NIA, IB, RAW, state police, etc.
iii. Lack of comprehensive National Security Strategy
iv. Poor conviction rates under UAPA
v. Rise in lone-wolf attacks (Rameswaram cafe blast)
vi. China blocked attempts to sanction 26/11 plotter Sajid Mir under 1267 resolution
vii. Poor international cooperation (lack of agreed definition)
viii. Diffused nature of threat - sleeper cells lead normal life and attack suddenly
ix. Linkages with organized crime
x. Complex financing networks - spread over many jurisdictions
xi. Sophisticated technology - encrypted communication, cryptocurrencies, etc.
i. Measures taken
i. Legislative framework - UAPA, NIA
ii. Institutional framework - NIA, NATGRID, NSG
iii. Border security - IBCP, drone surveillance, coastal patrolling by coast guard
iv.
International cooperation - CCIT, FATF, SCO-RATS, UNSC open debate on 'counter terrorism'
1. Lobbied to designate Mazood Azhar (JcM head) under UNSC 1267 sanctions list
v. CCTNS (crime and criminal tracking network system) to track criminals
j. Measures required
i. Draw strategic redlines - clearly communicate that we don't hesitate to retaliate
ii. Adopting 'Trace, Target, and Terminate' strategy to counter financing of terrorism as suggested in 'No Money for
Terror' Delhi ministerial (2022).
iii. E-governance initiatives like CCTNS (crime and criminal tracking network system) to track criminals would help

modernize the police system.

iv. Technology upgradation in border areas - UAV, LiDAR, DAT, etc.
v. Fast-track courts to ensure speedy conviction
vi. Counter terrorists' propaganda working with grassroot level leaders
vii.
Employment opportunities for youth to reduce attraction towards terrorism
viii. Deradicalisation in J&K by Indian army: Op Sadhbhavana Army goodwill schools
14. Security forces
a. Central Armed Police Forces
i. Seven security forces in India - Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central
Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Assam Rifles and
NSG

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 ii. Role:
1. Security of the border
2. Counter-insurgency
3. During war, Rare area security in the Tactical Battle area
4. Ethnic peace and harmony
5.
Socio-economic development
iii. Issues:
1. Poor service conditions - 2,200 CAPF personnel died in accidents and suicides from 2014-2018 (NCRB data)
2. High attrition rate:
Personnel opting for voluntary retirement schemes in the CAPF rose to around 450% in 2016-17 as compared
to the previous year (Home Ministry)
3. Overworked and understaffed: Shortage of 1 lakh personnel; leave applications rejected
4. Overdependence of state police forces
5. Salaries, perks and emoluments are not commensurate
6. Top positions for IPS
7. Absence of internal grievance redressal mechanism
8. Continuous deployment: The deployment of CAPF’s battalions has increased from 91 in 2012-13 to 119 times in
2016-17
iv. Recommendations:
1. Bottlenecks in procurement of arms, ammunition and clothing need to be identified and corrective action
should be taken (PSC)
2. States should develop own capacity
3. Limit deputation of IPS officers t 25% in CAPF (SC on MHA)
4. Top positions filled by CAPF
5. Adequate promotional avenues
6. Rest and recuperation policy
7. Institutional mechanism for mental health
8. Internal grievance redressal mechanism
9. Increase women representation
b. National Security Guard (NSG)
i. India’s premier counter-terrorist force for anti-hijacking, counter-terrorism, hostage rescue institutionalised under
the National Security Guard Act, 1986
ii. Known as ‘black cats’. It is world class ‘Zero Error Force’
iii. Operations
1. Black Tornado (26/11 attacks)
2. Op Ashwamedh - rescued hijacked Srinagar flight
3. Combat Missions in JK
iv. Challenges
1. Mix of personnel
2. Headed by DGP who is IPS
3. Stationed at few sites: Delay in arrival in November 2008 Mumbai attacks, from their base in Manesar, Haryana
4.
Pathankot attack on NSG base
v. RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Independent special operations command
2. Dedicated Air Wing
3.
Local quick response groups(NSG Hubs)
4. Modernisation programme to effectively provide modern equipment
5. Training needs to be upgraded by sharing experience e.g with Special Air Service (UK)
c. BSF (notes)
15. Defence
a. India was world's biggest arms importer - 9.8% of global arms imports (SIPRI 2018-22)
i. Russia accounts for 45% of arms imports; France 29%; USA 11%

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b. 74% FDI under AR and 100% under GR
c. Shekatkar committee recommended to convert ODF to corporate entity
d. Senior officers to be posted across Services as part of integration move
e. CAG 2018 report - large no. of production orders are outstanding (ex:- ODF failed to deliver Dhanush guns to armed
forces as per timeline).
f. Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) invests only 0.7 per cent of its budget in R&D (Institute for Defence Studies and
Analyses)
g. It was also revealed that four of nine Defence PSUs do not own a single patent or copyright (Institute for Defence
Studies and Analyses)
h. Lockheed Martin's C-30 - spare parts manufactured by TATA in Hyderabad.
i. TATA and Airbus joint venture in Gujarat for manufacturing c-295 aircraft
j. India set goal of $25bn defence manufacturing by 2025 & $5bn exports by 2025.
k. Defence exports increased by 70% in last seven years.
l. Major part of defence budget is earmarked for procurement from domestic sources.

R Jayasimha Reddy | AIR 46 CSE 2024