India’s Coastline Increase

Mains Syllabus: GS I - Geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features.

Why in the News?

India’s coastline has been recalculated as 11,098.81 km from 7,561.60 km, up by 3,537.21 km or nearly 50 %.

What are the challenges in measuring coastal length?

• Coastline Paradox - The British mathematician and physicist Lewis Fry Richardson first identified the coastline paradox in the early 1950s.
• Fractals - French peer Benoît Mandelbrot examined the problem mathematically in 1967 and found that coastlines exhibit properties similar to fractals.

Coastlines are not true fractals in the pure mathematical sense but display fractal-like properties.

• Ruler Dependency – Measurement of the coastal length depends on the length of the measuring stick.
• For example, measuring a coastline with a 200-km-long ruler would smooth over most inlets and bends — but a 50-km ruler would detect them.
• At 1 km, the measurement will capture every estuary, tidal flat, and creek and so the more one refines the scale of the ruler, the longer the total coast becomes.

Why was India’s coastal length increased?

• Change in Calculation Method - Earlier measurements have relied on simplified straight-line distances, whereas the current approach, uses the fractal method.
• This captures every curve and contour, resulting in a more accurate and longer coastline measurement.
• Change in the Scale- The previous estimate of 7516 km from the 1970s banked on maps that displayed India’s coastline at a 1:4,500,000 resolution.
• The more recent updated measurement ,performed by the National Hydrographic Office (NHO) and the Survey of India, used electronic navigation charts at a much finer scale of 1:250,000.

The larger the scale of the map, the greater the length’s outcome, because larger-scale data capture more intricate details like bays, inlets, and minor irregularities that are smoothed out at smaller-scale data.

• Updated High Waterlines - The Survey of India used highwater lines prepared by the NHO based on 2011 data on electronic navigation charts to measure the coastline.
• The highwater line was used as the base reference and river mouths and creeks were closed off at a fixed threshold inland.
• Addition of Coastline of Individual Offshore Islands - Peripheral coastline (high-water line) of individual offshore islands has been used to calculate coastline length.
• Inclusion of new islands - About 1,389 islands/islets which were not included when the survey was done in 1970 were added to the list, to define the coastal boundaries of all Indian states and Union territories.

The revised coastline will be reviewed every 10 years using updated datasets.

What are the implications of updated coastal length?

• Maritime Security - A longer coastline means a longer length to protect and recalibrate its maritime security framework.
• Disaster Preparedness - India has 11 coastal States and two large island groups, faces regular cyclones, and is especially vulnerable to sea-level rise.
• Understanding the true extent of the national coast can thus help refine climate models, coastal zoning regulations, and disaster response strategies.
• Updating the Economic Zone - The revision impacts the calculation of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), potentially expanding rights over marine resources, including fisheries, oil, gas, and minerals.
• Coastal Regulation – Changes in coastal length requires updating Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms and coastal zone management plans, which govern construction, development, and conservation along the coast.
• Better Planning and Policy Making - The revised measurements inform better planning for coastal infrastructure, including ports, industrial zones, and tourism projects.
• Updating Learning Materials – The official announcement of the updated length needs to be updated in all the relevant books.

References

The Hindu | Coastline Paradox

To Practice Mains Question, Click Here.

India’s Digital Development Diplomacy for Africa

Mains Syllabus: GS II - India and its neighborhood- relations

Why in the News?

Africa Day is celebrated in May 25.

What are the contributions of India for the development of Africa?

• State-led Financing - India has provided over US$ 13 billion in concessional aid and grants to African countries between 2010 and 2024.
• Lines of Credit - India is the second-largest issuer of credit to Africa, after China.
• Capacity-building – Various Indian educational institutions have signed MoUs with African countries to train their human resources on emerging technologies.
• Indian Institute of Technology Madras has established it’s first overseas campus in Zanzibar.
• Market Access - India offers duty-free and preferential market access to several African nations, primarily through its Duty Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) Scheme for Least Developed Countries (LDCs)

India is Africa’s third-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade valued at approximately US$ 82.1 billion.

• Renewable Energy - Through the International Solar Alliance, India has committed US$ 2 billion towards solar projects in Africa, advancing sustainable electrification and energy security.

What is the digital development approach of India to Africa?

• Support for African Union Digital Strategy - India aligns its digital cooperation with the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy (2020–2030).
• Pan-African e-Network - It is a satellite-based network launched by India for connecting countries in Africa for tele-medicine, tele-education, and satellite connectivity.
• Open-Source - India’s digital solutions are promoted as open-source digital public goods, distinct from proprietary or surveillance-heavy models offered by other countries.
• This ensures affordability, adaptability, and sovereignty for African nations in their digital transformation.
• Digital Financial Inclusion - India has contributed $2 million to the Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility (ADFI), supporting digital financial solutions for underserved populations and sharing expertise in digital payments and financial inclusion.

How is India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) transforming Africa’s development?

DPI initiatives such as the One Future Alliance (under India’s G20 presidency) have emerged to build capacity and provide technical assistance and adequate funding to support DPI rollout in developing countries.

• Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) - India has been sharing it’s DPIs such as Aadhaar, UPI, CoWIN, and DIKSHA and co-creating digital solutions to tackle fundamental governance and service delivery challenges.

In 2023, Zambia signed an MoU with the Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure at IIIT-B to support the implementation and scaling up of the Smart Zambia Initiative, a national effort to advance digital transformation across government services.

• Digital ID Systems in Africa - Approximately 85% of African countries have national ID systems with digital capabilities.
• Africa’s Modular Open-Source Identity Platform (MOSIP) which enables national foundational IDs to be built on open source, is inspired by India’s Aadhaar.

In 2021, Togo’s National Agency for Identification signed an MoU with the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIT-B) to implement the Modular Open-Source Identification Platform as the foundation for its national digital ID system.

• Digital Payments - DPI-enabled digital payments are envisioned to be low-cost and frictionless.
• India’s DPI approach to digital payments , the UPI,  is influencing african countries’ payments infrastructure.

In 2024, the Bank of Namibia signed a pact with the National Payments Corporation of India for developing a UPI-like instant payment system.

The "One Future Alliance" (OFA) is a voluntary initiative proposed by the G20 India Presidency to bring together governments, private sector, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to synergize global efforts in the field of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).

What lies ahead?

• A new India-Africa digital compact, anchored in mutual respect, co-development, and long-term institutional partnerships, could serve as a scalable framework for advancing digital inclusion.

References

The Hindu | India-Africa digital compact

Carnegie | Digital Public Infrastructure: A Practical Approach for Africa

UPSC Daily Current Affairs| Prelim Bits 28-05-2025

Bharat Forecast System

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance.

Why in News?

Recently India Meteorological Department (IMD) is set to operationalise the Bharat Forecast System (BFS) during the 2025 monsoon season.

• Bharat Forecast System - It is India’s first indigenously built high-resolution deterministic weather model.

Deterministic models provide a single forecast for a given set of initial conditions, for a specific location and time.

• Developed By - The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune under Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• It is in development and testing since 2002.
• It is now officially adopted for operational use by IMD in 2025.

Key Features

• Forecast resolution - 6 km × 6 km (from earlier 12 km × 12 km).
• Forecast levels - Now accurate to panchayat level (a few villages), vs earlier block level.
• Forecast range:
  • Short-term - 3 days ahead
  • Medium-term - 7 days ahead
  • Long-term forecasts remain largely unchanged as with previous model.
• Technological advancements – It uses Triangular-Cubic Octahedral (TCO) grid structure which,
  • Focuses higher resolution over tropical regions like India.
  • More accurate in volatile weather zones.

TCO grid, divides the globe into triangular cells, resulting in a higher resolution over tropical regions compared to the poles.

• Supercomputing support - To increase accuracy of prediction the High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems such as Arka, Arunika, and AI/ML unit were used.

Significance

• BFS significantly improves early warnings for,
  • Heavy rainfall
  • Cyclones
  • Localized climate variations
• It empowers farmers, administrators, and local bodies with precise weather alerts.
• It is aligned with Atmanirbhar Bharat with fully indigenous technology and effort.
• Limitation - BFS does not improve forecasts for sudden severe thunderstorms.

India is the only country to provide operational weather forecasts at 6 km × 6 km resolution.

Reference

The Hindu| IMD to receive high resolution Bharat Forecast System

Stingless bees increase crop yield

Prelims: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change

Why in News?

Researchers from Nagaland University have shown that stingless bees, which produce a high-value honey with a distinct flavour, can increase the yield and quality of crops.

• Identified species - Tetragonula iridipennis and Lepidotrigona arciferal identified as superior pollinators.
• Findings - Both species are identified as the most efficient foragers on chilli booms in the open under low hill conditions.
• The yield and quality of chilli and other crops increased several times when these stingless bees were introduced as pollinators under greenhouse conditions.
• The researchers found that the fruit set in stingless bee-pollinated king chilli (Capsicum chinense) increased to 29.46% compared to the non-pollinated crop's 21% yield.
• Similarly, the fruit set in chilli (Capsicum annuum) increased by 7.42% over the non-pollinated crop.
• The seed weight, an indicator of viability or germination, also increased by 60.47% when pollinated by the stingless bees.
• The other crops used for the stingless bee pollination test included cucumber, ash gourd, watermelon, tomato, pumpkin, brinjal, and dragon fruit.
• The potential of these bees as pollinators for fruits such as mango, guava, gooseberry, and Indian jujube was also observed and recorded.
• Stingless bees are reported primarily from the northeastern, eastern, and southern Indian States.
• In the northeast, these bees are reared traditionally in homestead apiaries.

Reference

The Hindu | Sting bees in crop yield

Bow echo

Prelims: Indian Geography | General issues on Environmental ecology

Why in News?

The intense storm recently hit Delhi looked like a crescent or an archer’s bow, in technical terms, such presentations of storms are called “bow echoes”.

• A bow echo is essentially a line of storms, also called a squall line, on the radar that looks like a bow.
• Term coined by - Ted Fujita, a Japanese American meteorologist known for developing the scale to classify tornadoesin the 1970s.
• This squall line can sometimes be embedded in a larger squall line.
• A bow echo can extend from 20 km to 100 km, and last between 3 and 6 hours.
• Formation - When rain-cooled air comes down to the ground, and spreads out horizontally.
• As this happens, a boundary called the gust front is created between the rain-cooled air and warm-moist air on the surface.
• This front pushes up the warm-moist air into the atmosphere, which forms new thunderstorms.
• These new thunderstorms produce more rain, thereby creating more rain-cooled air, which helps the gust front to maintain its strength.
• As this process keeps repeating itself, there comes a point when there is an inflow of air on the trailing side of the line of storms and bends it like an archer’s bow.
• The cycle lasts as long as new thunderstorms keep forming at the front, helping the system grow and move forward with strong winds.
• Bow echoes are not a new phenomenon. In 2022, a bow echo was formed over Delhi and Noida. However, it was short-lived, lasting for an hour, and produced winds of up to 100 kmph.
• Such a squall line was observed during thunderstorm activity in Odisha earlier this month.

Reference

The Indian Express | Bow echo

Major achievements of Initiatives of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs

Prelims: Public policy| Government Initiatives | Current events of national and international importance.

Why in News?

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram recently launched a booklet on the “major achievements” of the initiatives of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in the past 11 years.

Reference

The Hindu | Initiatives of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs

National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme

Prelims: Public policy| Government Initiatives | Current events of national and international importance.

Why in News?

Recently, the 38^th Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), recommended a 36% increase in stipend provided under NAPS and NATS.

National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS)

• Initiated on - 19th August 2016.
• It is an initiative from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, aimed at enhancing apprenticeship training throughout India.
• The scheme provides financial assistance to organizations that implement apprenticeship programs.
• Registration for NAPS is crucial for both candidates and establishments to take advantage of this program.
• Objectives - To cultivate skilled labor for the industry by promoting experiential training on the job.
• To motivate establishments to enroll apprentices by offering partial stipend support to them.
• To create up-skilling opportunities for candidates who have completed short-term skill training.
• To promote the enrollment of apprentices in small establishments (MSMEs) and those situated in underserved regions, such as aspirational districts and the North-East area.
• This scheme offers financial incentives to establishments that engage apprentices under the Apprentices Act, 1961.
• By providing partial stipend support and advocacy, the scheme encourages industries to develop a skilled workforce and bridge the gap between education and employment.
• The initiative not only fosters skill development but also emphasizes the creation of a trained workforce that meets industry demands.
• Candidates who finish their training are awarded a NAPS certificate, which boosts their employability.

National Apprenticeship Training Scheme

• It is one of the flagship programs of the Government of India aimed at skilling Indian youth in various trade disciplines.
• It operates under the provisions of the Apprentices Act, 1961, which was amended in 1973.
• It provides practical, hands-on On-the-Job-Training (OJT) based skilling opportunities for Graduate, Diploma students, and Vocational certificate holders.
• Duration - 6 months to 1 year.
• During the apprenticeship period, apprentices receive a stipend, 50% of which is reimbursable to the employer.

Reference

Business Standard | NAPS & NATS

National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme

Prelims: Public policy| Government Initiatives | Current events of national and international importance.

Why in News?

Recently, the 38^th Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), recommended a 36% increase in stipend provided under NAPS and NATS.

National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS)

• Initiated on - 19th August 2016.
• It is an initiative from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, aimed at enhancing apprenticeship training throughout India.
• The scheme provides financial assistance to organizations that implement apprenticeship programs.
• Registration for NAPS is crucial for both candidates and establishments to take advantage of this program.
• Objectives - To cultivate skilled labor for the industry by promoting experiential training on the job.
• To motivate establishments to enroll apprentices by offering partial stipend support to them.
• To create up-skilling opportunities for candidates who have completed short-term skill training.
• To promote the enrollment of apprentices in small establishments (MSMEs) and those situated in underserved regions, such as aspirational districts and the North-East area.
• This scheme offers financial incentives to establishments that engage apprentices under the Apprentices Act, 1961.
• By providing partial stipend support and advocacy, the scheme encourages industries to develop a skilled workforce and bridge the gap between education and employment.
• The initiative not only fosters skill development but also emphasizes the creation of a trained workforce that meets industry demands.
• Candidates who finish their training are awarded a NAPS certificate, which boosts their employability.

National Apprenticeship Training Scheme

• It is one of the flagship programs of the Government of India aimed at skilling Indian youth in various trade disciplines.
• It operates under the provisions of the Apprentices Act, 1961, which was amended in 1973.
• It provides practical, hands-on On-the-Job-Training (OJT) based skilling opportunities for Graduate, Diploma students, and Vocational certificate holders.
• Duration - 6 months to 1 year.
• During the apprenticeship period, apprentices receive a stipend, 50% of which is reimbursable to the employer.

Reference

Business Standard | NAPS & NATS

Major achievements of Initiatives of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs

Prelims: Public policy| Government Initiatives | Current events of national and international importance.

Why in News?

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram recently launched a booklet on the “major achievements” of the initiatives of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in the past 11 years.

Reference

The Hindu | Initiatives of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs

Bow echo

Prelims: Indian Geography | General issues on Environmental ecology

Why in News?

The intense storm recently hit Delhi looked like a crescent or an archer’s bow, in technical terms, such presentations of storms are called “bow echoes”.

• A bow echo is essentially a line of storms, also called a squall line, on the radar that looks like a bow.
• Term coined by - Ted Fujita, a Japanese American meteorologist known for developing the scale to classify tornadoesin the 1970s.
• This squall line can sometimes be embedded in a larger squall line.
• A bow echo can extend from 20 km to 100 km, and last between 3 and 6 hours.
• Formation - When rain-cooled air comes down to the ground, and spreads out horizontally.
• As this happens, a boundary called the gust front is created between the rain-cooled air and warm-moist air on the surface.
• This front pushes up the warm-moist air into the atmosphere, which forms new thunderstorms.
• These new thunderstorms produce more rain, thereby creating more rain-cooled air, which helps the gust front to maintain its strength.
• As this process keeps repeating itself, there comes a point when there is an inflow of air on the trailing side of the line of storms and bends it like an archer’s bow.
• The cycle lasts as long as new thunderstorms keep forming at the front, helping the system grow and move forward with strong winds.
• Bow echoes are not a new phenomenon. In 2022, a bow echo was formed over Delhi and Noida. However, it was short-lived, lasting for an hour, and produced winds of up to 100 kmph.
• Such a squall line was observed during thunderstorm activity in Odisha earlier this month.

Reference

The Indian Express | Bow echo

Stingless bees increase crop yield

Prelims: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change

Why in News?

Researchers from Nagaland University have shown that stingless bees, which produce a high-value honey with a distinct flavour, can increase the yield and quality of crops.

• Identified species - Tetragonula iridipennis and Lepidotrigona arciferal identified as superior pollinators.
• Findings - Both species are identified as the most efficient foragers on chilli booms in the open under low hill conditions.
• The yield and quality of chilli and other crops increased several times when these stingless bees were introduced as pollinators under greenhouse conditions.
• The researchers found that the fruit set in stingless bee-pollinated king chilli (Capsicum chinense) increased to 29.46% compared to the non-pollinated crop's 21% yield.
• Similarly, the fruit set in chilli (Capsicum annuum) increased by 7.42% over the non-pollinated crop.
• The seed weight, an indicator of viability or germination, also increased by 60.47% when pollinated by the stingless bees.
• The other crops used for the stingless bee pollination test included cucumber, ash gourd, watermelon, tomato, pumpkin, brinjal, and dragon fruit.
• The potential of these bees as pollinators for fruits such as mango, guava, gooseberry, and Indian jujube was also observed and recorded.
• Stingless bees are reported primarily from the northeastern, eastern, and southern Indian States.
• In the northeast, these bees are reared traditionally in homestead apiaries.

Reference

The Hindu | Sting bees in crop yield

Bharat Forecast System

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance.

Why in News?

Recently India Meteorological Department (IMD) is set to operationalise the Bharat Forecast System (BFS) during the 2025 monsoon season.

• Bharat Forecast System - It is India’s first indigenously built high-resolution deterministic weather model.

Deterministic models provide a single forecast for a given set of initial conditions, for a specific location and time.

• Developed By - The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune under Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• It is in development and testing since 2002.
• It is now officially adopted for operational use by IMD in 2025.

Key Features

• Forecast resolution - 6 km × 6 km (from earlier 12 km × 12 km).
• Forecast levels - Now accurate to panchayat level (a few villages), vs earlier block level.
• Forecast range:
  • Short-term - 3 days ahead
  • Medium-term - 7 days ahead
  • Long-term forecasts remain largely unchanged as with previous model.
• Technological advancements – It uses Triangular-Cubic Octahedral (TCO) grid structure which,
  • Focuses higher resolution over tropical regions like India.
  • More accurate in volatile weather zones.

TCO grid, divides the globe into triangular cells, resulting in a higher resolution over tropical regions compared to the poles.

• Supercomputing support - To increase accuracy of prediction the High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems such as Arka, Arunika, and AI/ML unit were used.

Significance

• BFS significantly improves early warnings for,
  • Heavy rainfall
  • Cyclones
  • Localized climate variations
• It empowers farmers, administrators, and local bodies with precise weather alerts.
• It is aligned with Atmanirbhar Bharat with fully indigenous technology and effort.
• Limitation - BFS does not improve forecasts for sudden severe thunderstorms.

India is the only country to provide operational weather forecasts at 6 km × 6 km resolution.

Reference

The Hindu| IMD to receive high resolution Bharat Forecast System