Mains Practice Questions for the Day
- Q. River Basin Management is essential for ensuring sustainable water governance in India. Examine in the context of the River Basin Management (RBM) Scheme. (15 M)
- Q. Women’s reservation in legislatures is essential not only for gender justice but also for deepening Indian democracy. Examine. (15 M)
Q. River Basin Management is essential for ensuring sustainable water governance in India. Examine in the context of the River Basin Management (RBM) Scheme. (15 M)
(GS Paper I – Geography | GS Paper III – Environment | Disaster Management)
Introduction:
India’s water challenges are no longer limited to scarcity but involve floods, droughts, groundwater depletion, inter-state disputes, and climate-induced variability. In this context, the River Basin Management (RBM) Scheme under the Ministry of Jal Shakti adopts an integrated basin-level approach, treating the entire river system as a single hydrological unit for scientific and sustainable water governance.
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1.Need for River Basin Management in India
- Traditional water governance focused mainly on dams, canals, and isolated local projects, often ignoring the ecological interconnectedness of rivers.
- Climate change, erratic monsoons, groundwater stress, and rising demand from agriculture and industry require basin-level planning where rivers, tributaries, wetlands, groundwater, and ecosystems are managed together rather than separately.
2.Key Features of the RBM Scheme
- The scheme provides for preparation of Master Plans for river basins covering irrigation, hydropower, navigation, and drainage development.
- It uses scientific tools such as GIS, remote sensing, LiDAR, drone surveys, and hydrological modelling for accurate planning.
- It also supports interlinking of rivers through the National Water Development Agency (NWDA), flood and erosion control in vulnerable areas like Majuli Island, and community-based interventions such as springshed management in hilly and tribal regions.
3. Significance for Water Governance and National Security
- Basin-level management improves water-use efficiency, reduces flood and drought vulnerability, and supports groundwater recharge.
- It is particularly important for strategic rivers like the Indus and Brahmaputra, where water governance directly affects international diplomacy and national security.
- Reliable water access also strengthens agriculture, livelihoods, food security, and regional economic stability.
4.Challenges in Implementation
- Inter-state river disputes often delay policy decisions and project execution. Difficult terrain in the North East and Himalayan regions increases costs and slows implementation.
- Balancing dams and canals with ecological conservation remains difficult, especially in biodiversity-rich regions.
- Weak institutional coordination, inadequate real-time hydrological data, and fiscal constraints further reduce effectiveness.
5.Way Forward
- India must strengthen real-time river monitoring systems, expand LiDAR-based mapping, and improve coordination among the Central Water Commission (CWC), NWDA, and State governments.
- Greater participation of local communities, especially tribal populations, should be ensured for sustainable management. Restoration of wetlands, lakes, and natural recharge zones must become central to river basin planning instead of remaining secondary priorities.
Conclusion:
The River Basin Management Scheme represents a shift from fragmented water projects to holistic governance based on ecological realities. Its success depends on scientific planning, institutional coordination, and community participation. In an era of climate uncertainty and rising water stress, effective river basin management is not merely a development strategy but a foundation for India’s long-term water security and resilience.
Q. Women’s reservation in legislatures is essential not only for gender justice but also for deepening Indian democracy. Examine. (15 M)
(GS Paper II – Polity | Governance | Women Empowerment)
Introduction:
Despite women constituting nearly half of India’s population and demonstrating high electoral participation, their representation in Parliament and State Assemblies remains disproportionately low. This gap highlights that political inclusion is not automatically ensured by voting rights alone, making women’s reservation essential for substantive equality and democratic legitimacy.
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1.Need for Women’s Reservation in Legislatures
- Women constitute only around 14–15% of Parliament and about 9% of State Assemblies, reflecting deep structural barriers rather than lack of political capability.
- Candidate selection is often controlled by male-dominated party networks, financial barriers, and social norms, making legislative reservation necessary as a corrective mechanism rather than a concession.
2.Reservation as a Tool for Deepening Democracy
- A representative democracy must reflect the diversity of its population. When half the population remains underrepresented in law-making bodies, democratic legitimacy weakens.
- Women’s reservation ensures broader participation in decision-making and strengthens the inclusiveness of governance by bringing diverse social experiences into policy formation.
3.Impact on Governance and Policy Priorities
- Experience from Panchayati Raj Institutions shows that women leaders often prioritize issues such as health, drinking water, sanitation, education, and welfare.
- Reservation therefore changes not only who governs but also what gets prioritized.
- It creates more responsive governance focused on everyday developmental concerns often ignored in traditional power structures.
4.Constitutional Framework: 106th Amendment (2023)
- The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam provides 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha, State Assemblies, and the Delhi Assembly, including sub-quotas for SC/ST women.
- However, its implementation is linked to delimitation after the next Census, creating uncertainty and delaying its practical effect. This postponement risks excluding women from another general election cycle.
5.Challenges and the Way Forward
- Delaying implementation strengthens existing male gatekeeping in political parties and widens the representation deficit.
- Reservation must be delinked from prolonged census and delimitation delays for timely enforcement.
- Simultaneously, political parties should adopt internal ticket quotas, financial support systems, and leadership training to ensure reservation translates into meaningful political participation rather than symbolic presence.
Conclusion:
Women’s reservation is not merely a matter of fairness but a constitutional necessity for building an inclusive and representative democracy. Political empowerment of women strengthens governance quality, social justice, and institutional legitimacy. India’s democratic transformation will remain incomplete until women move from being equal voters to equal lawmakers.
