Mains Practice Questions for the Day
- Q. Small rivers require a distinct rejuvenation strategy, but their restoration is also essential for improving the ecological health of larger river systems. Discuss with reference to the proposed Small River Rejuvenation Framework.
- Q. The MMDR Amendment Act, 2026 seeks to create a uniform mineral taxation framework while preserving the major revenue streams of mineral-producing States. Examine its significance for mineral security, industrial competitiveness and cooperative federalism.
Q. Small rivers require a distinct rejuvenation strategy, but their restoration is also essential for improving the ecological health of larger river systems. Discuss with reference to the proposed Small River Rejuvenation Framework.
Introduction:
Small rivers are generally 50–150 km-long natural watercourses flowing within one or two districts. They may be seasonal or perennial. Rapid urbanisation, encroachment, sewage discharge and land-use changes have reduced many such rivers—including the Sahibi, Mithi, Musi and Cooum—to polluted drains. The proposed Small River Rejuvenation Framework, unveiled under the National Mission for Clean Ganga, seeks to address their distinct problems.
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Transformative Applications
1. Healthcare
Why Is a Distinct Strategy Required?
- Localised catchments: Their limited geographical spread allows district-level planning and monitoring.
- High pollution concentration: Low water flow makes them more vulnerable to sewage, sludge and industrial waste.
- Urban–rural differences: Urban rivers face concretisation and sewage, while rural rivers experience agricultural runoff, erosion and reduced seasonal flow.
- Physical degradation: Encroachments alter channels, riverbanks, floodplains and sediment movement.
- Flow challenge: Maintaining sustained ecological flow is more difficult than carrying out one-time cleaning.
- Site-specific ecology: Restoration must reflect local biodiversity, natural resources and land-use conditions.
SRR Framework’s Approach
The framework prioritises rivers according to flow reduction, pollution, ecological importance and administrative feasibility. It proposes:
- cost-effective, nature-based solutions;
- pollution control and climate resilience;
- reconnection with wetlands, ponds and floodplains;
- geomorphological correction of channels and banks; and
- convergence with Namami Gange, Swachh Bharat Mission and other existing schemes.
How Will It Support Larger Rivers?
Healthy tributaries carry freshwater, nutrients, sediments and aquatic biodiversity into main rivers. Degraded tributaries instead transport sewage, garbage and sludge downstream. Restoring pollution closer to its source can therefore improve entire river basins and complement large-river programmes.
Way Forward
River-specific plans should ensure ecological flow, sewage interception, floodplain protection, groundwater recharge and community monitoring. Success must be measured through sustained flow, water quality, connectivity and biodiversity—not merely waste removal.
- AMR control: Customised phages can target multidrug-resistant bacteria.
- Gene delivery: Engineered viral vectors can deliver CRISPR to specific tissues.
- Drug and vaccine discovery: AI can optimise antigens, antibodies and therapeutic proteins.
- Precision oncology: Oncolytic viruses may selectively destroy cancer cells.
2. Scientific Advancement
- AI can explore genetic combinations beyond human trial-and-error capacity.
- It can shorten literature review, modelling and experimental-design cycles.
- It can support genomics, protein engineering and pandemic preparedness.
Major Concerns
- Dual-use risk: Therapeutic design tools may be misused to develop harmful biological agents.
- Capability amplification: AI can make skilled laboratories faster and more effective at biological engineering.
- Ecological uncertainty: Accidental release may create unforeseen ecosystem effects or species-barrier risks.
- Screening gaps: Novel sequences may evade systems that identify only known pathogens.
- Patent ambiguity: Ownership of AI-generated biological entities remains unclear.
Governance Framework
- Mandate KYC and screening for commercial DNA-synthesis orders.
- Shift from sequence-matching to function-based risk assessment.
- Red-team biological AI models against harmful prompts.
- Regulate access to frontier models and high-end computing through graduated, auditable controls.
- Strengthen laboratory biosafety and institutional dual-use review.
- Update the Biological Weapons Convention to address AI-generated pathogens.
India’s Priorities
The IndiaAI Mission should support biomedical models, secure computing, quality biological datasets and trusted researcher access.
Conclusion:
Small rivers are the ecological capillaries of larger river basins. Their decentralised and nature-based rejuvenation is indispensable for local water security and basin-wide river health.
Q. The MMDR Amendment Act, 2026 seeks to create a uniform mineral taxation framework while preserving the major revenue streams of mineral-producing States. Examine its significance for mineral security, industrial competitiveness and cooperative federalism.
Introduction:
The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026 amends the MMDR Act, 1957 to establish a predictable fiscal regime for mining. Its new Section 9D restricts States from imposing taxes or cesses on mineral rights and mineral-bearing land except under conditions prescribed by the Central Government.
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Significance of the Amendment
Uniform National Mineral Market
- It reduces differences in mineral levies across States.
- Lower fiscal fragmentation can improve supply chains and interstate mineral movement.
- Predictability can encourage long-term investment in exploration, technology and infrastructure.
Mineral and Energy Security
- Rational taxation can make domestic extraction of critical minerals such as graphite and atomic minerals such as uranium commercially viable.
- It can reduce import dependence and exposure to global supply disruptions.
- It complements the National Critical Mineral Mission and overseas exploration by KABIL.
Industrial Competitiveness
- Minerals are essential inputs for steel, cement, aluminium, power, defence and renewable-energy industries.
- Lower cumulative costs can improve the competitiveness of domestic manufacturing.
- Reduced input-price pressure may ultimately benefit housing, electricity and infrastructure consumers.
Protection of State Interests
- States will continue receiving royalty, auction premium, dead rent and DMF contributions.
- Nearly 90% of mining-sector revenue presently accrues to States.
- Minor minerals such as sand, granite and marble remain under State control.
- DMF and PMKKKY collections for mining-affected communities remain unchanged.
Federal and Developmental Concerns
- Mineral-producing States bear environmental degradation, displacement and infrastructure costs.
- Central restrictions on their taxation powers may raise fiscal-autonomy concerns.
- Increased mining could intensify ecological damage unless safeguards are enforced.
- Revenue growth must translate into visible benefits for tribal and mining-affected communities.
Way Forward
Rules should be framed through Centre–State consultation. A transparent fiscal formula should account for mineral value, ecological costs and local development needs. DMF governance, mine closure, land restoration, recycling and domestic processing must be strengthened.
Conclusion:
The amendment can advance mineral self-reliance, but its success requires balancing national market integration with federal autonomy, environmental sustainability and distributive justice.
