UPSC Mains Previous Year Questions 2024: GS3 Internal Security & Disaster Management | UPSC Mains: Internal Security & Disaster Management PDF Download

Q1: Explain how nacro- terrorism has emerged as a serious threat across the country. Suggest suitable measures to counter narco-terrorism. (Answer in 150 words)
Ans: Introduction
Narco-terrorism involves organized terror by states, insurgents, or criminal groups using drug trafficking to achieve political, economic, or social goals, primarily in regions like the Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle.
Narco-Terrorism as a Threat
It poses a combined threat of violence and organized crime, undermining nations, corrupting institutions, and fueling insecurity by funding insurgencies, cartels, and extremist groups worldwide. In India, states like Northeast, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir are heavily impacted. Drug networks exploit porous borders with Afghanistan and Myanmar to finance terrorism.

Measures to Combat Narco-Terrorism

• Improved Border Security: Deploy advanced technologies like drones, satellites, and AI surveillance to curb drug smuggling.
• Financial Oversight: Strengthen systems to track and disrupt funding linked to narcotics and terrorism.
• Global Collaboration: Enhance partnerships with organizations like UNODC and Interpol to dismantle narco-terror networks.
• Awareness and Rehabilitation: Promote anti-drug campaigns and de-addiction programs to reduce drug demand.
• Legal Strengthening: Enforce tougher laws to penalize drug traffickers and terror financiers.

Conclusion
Combating narco-terrorism requires a comprehensive strategy, including fortified border security, international cooperation, and strict anti-money laundering measures like the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. Addressing socio-economic factors, promoting alternative livelihoods, and investing in education are vital for reducing the allure of drug trafficking and terrorism, ensuring long-term stability.

Q2: India has a long and troubled border with China and Pakistan fraught with contentious issues. Examine the conflicting issues and security challenges along the border. Also give out the development being undertaken in these areas under the border Area Development Programme (BADP) and Border Infrastructure and Management (BIM) Scheme. (Answer in 250 words)
Ans: Introduction
India’s borders with China and Pakistan face persistent historical disputes and security threats.
India’s Borders with China and Pakistan
The India-China border, or Line of Actual Control (LAC), extends about 3,440 km. The India-Pakistan border, known as the Line of Control (LoC), spans roughly 740 km.
Conflicting Issues and Security Challenges

• Chinese Front: The undefined LAC leads to frequent tensions, including the 2020 Galwan Valley clash and 2017 Doklam standoff. Infrastructure competition along the LAC heightens disputes. Smuggling of Chinese electronics and goods is prevalent across these border points.
• Pakistan Front: The LoC faces regular violations through cross-border shelling and militant infiltrations. The 2019 Pulwama attack and Balakot airstrike highlight the volatile situation. Pakistan claims the entire Sir Creek, including its eastern bank, based on a 1914 map.

Border Area Development Programme (BADP)

• BADP focuses on improving infrastructure and living standards in border regions through projects like roads, schools, and healthcare facilities, boosting both security and socio-economic growth. 
  Example: 40 km Karcham-Chitkul Road via Sangla in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, near the China border.

Border Infrastructure and Management (BIM) Scheme

• BIM supports border security through infrastructure like fences, floodlights, roads, technological solutions, Border Outposts (BOPs), and company operating bases along borders with Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar. India plans 383 composite BOPs along the India-Bangladesh border and 126 along the India-Pakistan border.

Conclusion
Through BADP and BIM, India strengthens border security while promoting development in these regions, adopting a balanced approach to effective border management.

Q3: Social media and encrypting messaging services pose a serious security challenge. What measures have been adopted at various levels to address the security implications of social media? Also suggest any other remedies to address the problem. (Answer in 250 words)
Ans: Introduction
Social media and encrypted messaging services have transformed communication in India, enabling connectivity and information sharing. However, they pose significant risks to national security, public safety, and social cohesion by facilitating misinformation, crime, and unrest.

Security Challenges of Social Media and Encrypted Messaging Services

• Misinformation: False information spreads rapidly, inciting unrest (e.g., manipulated content during the 2022 Russia-Ukraine War).
• Radicalization: Extremists use encrypted apps for recruitment (e.g., ISIS on Telegram).
• Cybercrime: Platforms enable scams and identity theft (e.g., 2023 deepfake scams using celebrity faces).
• Data Privacy: User data misuse raises concerns (e.g., 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal).
• Digital Warfare: Platforms are exploited for disinformation and state agendas (e.g., 2020 U.S. election interference by Russia).

Measures to Address Social Media Security Challenges

• IT Act 2000: Regulates online content; Section 69A allows content blocking for security, and Section 79(1) provides intermediaries conditional immunity (e.g., 2020 ban on 59 Chinese apps).
• IT Rules 2021: Require content moderation and user privacy notifications (e.g., Twitter’s 2021 compliance issues).
• Grievance Officers: Platforms must appoint officers to address complaints (e.g., Meta’s appointment of Spoorthi Priya in 2022).
• Fact-Checking: Platforms must remove government-flagged false content (e.g., 2023 rule under Supreme Court scrutiny).

Conclusion
India can foster a secure digital environment through technological solutions, digital literacy, and stakeholder collaboration. Balancing national security with individual privacy is key to ensuring a safe and thriving digital ecosystem for all citizens.

Q4: What is disaster resilience? How is it determined? Describe various elements of a resilience framework. Also, mention the global targets of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2020-2030). (Answer in 250 words)
Ans: Introduction
Disaster resilience refers to the capacity to endure, mitigate, and recover from the adverse impacts of natural hazards on people, communities, and the environment.
Factors Determining Disaster Resilience

• Adaptive Capacity: Ability to adapt to disruptions, minimize damage, and learn from events.
• Exposure to Risk: Extent and frequency of hazards or stressors.
• Sensitivity: Degree to which a system is impacted by shocks or stress.
• Organization: Capacity to self-organize, learn from past disasters, and reduce future risks.

Global Targets of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030)
The Sendai Framework, endorsed by the UN General Assembly, aims to reduce disaster risk and losses through shared responsibilities among governments and stakeholders.

Priorities for Action

• Priority 1: Base disaster risk management on a comprehensive understanding of risk, including vulnerability, capacity, exposure, and hazard characteristics.
• Priority 2: Strengthen disaster risk governance at local, national, and global levels across all sectors.
• Priority 3: Invest in disaster risk prevention and reduction through structural and non-structural measures to enhance economic, social, health, and cultural resilience.
• Priority 4: Improve disaster preparedness for effective response and promote "Build Back Better" in recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.

Conclusion
The Government of India has aligned its disaster risk reduction strategies with the Sendai Framework's goals and priorities. During the 2016 Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR), India pledged USD 1 million to UNISDR to support the effective implementation of the Sendai Framework in Asia.

Q5: Flooding in urban areas is an emerging climate-induced disaster. Discuss the causes of this disaster. Mention the features of two such major floods in the last two decades in India. Describe the policies and frameworks in India that aim at tackling such floods. (Answer in 250 words)
Ans: Introduction
Urban flooding, a climate-related disaster, occurs when intense rainfall exceeds drainage capacity, flooding densely populated urban areas.

Causes of Urban Flooding

• Climate Change: Increases rainfall intensity as warmer air holds more moisture, disrupting weather patterns. Urban heat islands worsen conditions, while sea-level rise threatens coastal cities with flooding and freshwater contamination.
• Urbanization: Impervious surfaces increase runoff and reduce water absorption. Encroachments on floodplains, due to lax regulations, disrupt natural water flow.
• Poor Solid Waste Management: Clogged drainage systems from improper waste disposal cause overflows during heavy rains, mixing sewage with stormwater and amplifying flood risks.

Major Flood Events

• Chennai Floods (2015): Heavy rainfall, inadequate drainage, and the loss of 300 inland water bodies due to urban expansion worsened flooding. Shrinking Pallikaranai marshlands further weakened natural flood control.
• Mumbai Floods (2005): Intense rainfall overwhelmed an outdated drainage system designed for only 25 mm of rain per hour. Urbanization reduced mangroves by 40% and diminished green spaces, hindering water absorption and exacerbating floods.

Policies and Frameworks to Address Urban Flooding in India

• NDMA Guidelines (2010): Promote a multi-disciplinary approach to urban flood management and planning.
• Smart Cities Mission (2015): Encourages sustainable urban infrastructure, including advanced drainage and flood management systems.
• AMRUT 2.0: Aims to improve stormwater drainage and urban infrastructure to reduce flood risks.
• Storm Water Drainage Manual (2019): Offers guidance on sustainable stormwater management and flood response strategies.

Conclusion
Urban flooding, intensified by climate change, threatens cities. Sustainable infrastructure and adherence to NDMA guidelines are critical for building urban resilience.