Mains Practice Questions for the Day
- Q. River interlinking may contribute to India’s water security, but it cannot be treated as a universal solution to the country’s water crisis. Critically examine. Suggest a sustainable strategy for water management in India.
- Q. Digital technology and Artificial Intelligence can transform India’s tourism sector, but technology alone cannot ensure inclusive and sustainable tourism. Discuss with reference to India’s recent tourism initiatives.
Q. River interlinking may contribute to India’s water security, but it cannot be treated as a universal solution to the country’s water crisis. Critically examine. Suggest a sustainable strategy for water management in India.
Introduction:
The Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) programme seeks to transfer water from water-surplus basins to water-deficit regions through reservoirs, canals and diversion structures. Under the National Perspective Plan, 1980, 30 links—14 Himalayan and 16 Peninsular—were identified. The National Water Development Agency assesses their feasibility.
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Potential Benefits
- Water security: It may reduce regional inequalities in water availability.
- Irrigation: Additional water can increase agricultural production and support crop diversification.
- Flood and drought management: Excess flows may be transferred to water-scarce regions.
- Drinking water: The Krishna Water Supply Project shows its potential to meet Hyderabad’s urban needs.
- Regional development: Projects may generate employment and improve rural infrastructure.
- Successful precedents: Mullaperiyar, Parambikulam–Aliyar and the Indira Gandhi Canal demonstrate selected benefits of inter-basin transfers.
Challenges
- Uncertain surplus: Climate change is altering rainfall, glacier behaviour and river flows.
- Ecological damage: Flow alteration may affect wetlands, biodiversity, sediment transport and groundwater recharge. Kerala fears damage to the Vembanad wetland from the Pamba–Achankovil–Vaippar link.
- Federal disputes: Pennaiyar and Mekedatu demonstrate the difficulty of securing inter-State agreement.
- Displacement: Projects such as Ken–Betwa have faced opposition from affected tribal communities.
- High costs: Large dams and canals require extensive investment, land and long construction periods.
- Demand neglect: Increasing supply cannot solve scarcity when groundwater extraction and irrigation remain inefficient.
Way Forward
- Conduct scientific basin-level and climate-risk assessments.
- Protect ecological flows and downstream requirements.
- Strengthen dispute resolution under Article 262 and the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.
- Ensure community consultation, fair compensation and rehabilitation.
- Prioritise micro-irrigation, rainwater harvesting, watershed management and restoration of traditional water bodies.
- Regulate groundwater extraction and promote efficient agricultural water use.
Conclusion:
River interlinking should be adopted only where it is environmentally sustainable, socially acceptable and economically viable. India’s long-term water security must rest primarily on conservation, efficient utilisation, groundwater management and cooperative federalism.
Q. Digital technology and Artificial Intelligence can transform India’s tourism sector, but technology alone cannot ensure inclusive and sustainable tourism. Discuss with reference to India’s recent tourism initiatives.
Introduction:
Tourism contributes 5.22% to India’s GDP and supported 8.46 crore jobs in 2023-24. The World Tourism Day 2026 theme, “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism,” highlights the potential of technology to improve travel experiences, destination management and tourism-based livelihoods.
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Role of Digital Technology and AI
- Personalised experiences: AI can recommend destinations and services based on tourists’ interests, budgets and travel preferences.
- Ease of travel: The e-Visa facility covers nationals of 172 countries, while the Incredible India Digital Platform enables travel planning and bookings.
- Integrated ecosystem: NIDHI+ provides digital registration, classification, payments and approvals for tourism service providers.
- Data-based planning: Digital information can support demand forecasting, destination promotion and crowd management.
- Regional entrepreneurship: Travel-tech start-ups are promoting homestays, rural tourism, smart mobility and community-based experiences.
- Improved accessibility: Multilingual helplines and virtual destination experiences assist domestic and foreign tourists.
Government Initiatives
- The National Digital Tourism Stack seeks to make tourism services discoverable, accessible and trustworthy.
- Dekho Apna Desh 2.0 promotes lesser-known destinations and distributes tourist footfall.
- Swadesh Darshan 2.0 follows a sustainable, destination-centric approach.
- PRASHAD improves infrastructure at pilgrimage and heritage destinations.
- Paryatan Mitra/Paryatan Didi trains local service providers in hospitality, safety and sustainability.
Challenges
- Digital divide among small and rural tourism enterprises.
- Data privacy and cybersecurity risks.
- Inadequate last-mile connectivity.
- Overcrowding and ecological pressure at popular destinations.
- Uneven service quality and shortage of trained workers.
- Risk of excluding local communities from tourism planning and revenue.
Way Forward
- Develop interoperable and secure digital tourism platforms.
- Train small enterprises and local communities in digital tools.
- Use AI for crowd management and carrying-capacity assessment.
- Improve multilingual and accessible tourist services.
- Link digital promotion with homestays, handicrafts and local cuisine.
- Integrate technology with conservation, skilling and last-mile connectivity.
Conclusion:
India’s tourism future should combine digital innovation with environmental responsibility and community participation. Technology must strengthen, rather than replace, the human, cultural and ecological foundations of tourism.
