Important Daily Facts of the Day

Cabinet approves Indian Space Policy 2023 (GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)

Why in news?

• Recently, the Central government approved the Indian Space Policy 2023. The Indian Space Policy was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security.

 

Key Highlights:

• The policy seeks to institutionalise private sector participation in the space sector.
• The policy will allow the private sector to take part in end-to-end space activities that include building satellites, rockets and launch vehicles, data collection and dissemination.
• The entry of the private sector in the space sector would enable the ISRO to channelise its focus on research and development of advanced space technologies.

 

Framework:

• The policy also delineated the roles and responsibilities of ISRO, space sector PSU NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe).
• The strategic activities related to the space sector will be carried out by NSIL, a public sector undertaking under the Department of Space, which will work in a demand-driven mode.
• The INSPACe, created recently, will be the interface between Indian Space Research Organisation and non-governmental entities.
• The policy also spells out the framework for the private sector to use ISRO facilities for a small charge and also encourages them to invest in creating new infrastructure for the sector.
• ISRO will not do any operational and production work for the space sector and focus its energies on developing new technologies, new systems and research and development.

 

Way Forward:

• It will pave the way forward with much-required clarity in space reforms and augment private industry participation to drive the space economy opportunity for the country.

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North India major groundwater depletion hotspot with 95% of country's loss

(GS Paper 3, Environment)

Why in news?

• According to a recent study by Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IIT-GN), North India accounts for 95 per cent of the country's groundwater depletion and the rainfall increase in the future will be insufficient to fully recover the already depleted resources.

Basis of study:

• The study analysed data from the Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) in-situ groundwater well levels and satellite observations to study groundwater storage variability.
• They then used global climate model projections having different future warming scenarios for hydrological model simulations.
• The researchers also estimated the relative contribution of the groundwater pumping and recharge on the future changes in groundwater storage.

 

Key Findings:

• They found that the wettest historical and future periods support partial groundwater recovery despite the continuing abstraction from nonrenewable groundwater resources.
• The study shows that the projected increase in precipitation may not directly translate to an increase in ground water storage. Rise in potential evapotranspiration (PET) due to the warming climate can offset the positive impact of increase in rainfall.

 

Groundwater depletion in North India:

• The researchers also found that groundwater depletion in India will continue until excessive pumping is limited, leading to water sustainability issues in the future.
• The decline in precipitation and the rapid increase in tube wells for groundwater abstraction has resulted in excessive pumping of groundwater, leading to a severe depletion of groundwater resources in North India.
• In North and Central India, groundwater is mainly used for irrigation of rice and wheat crops during the pre and post-monsoon seasons.
• Nonrenewable (unsustainable) pumping has the dominant influence on groundwater storage, causing the water table to drop.

 

Situation in South India:

• The recent increase in groundwater storage in South India can be attributed to a rise in rainfall during the monsoon season.
• The limit of groundwater depletion is not yet clear; however, the depletion of deeper groundwater resources can make pumping water economically unviable.

 

Way Forward:

• It may be useful to shift crop growing and procurement areas or switch to less water-intensive cereals and improve water use efficiency in irrigation.