According to The Status of Elephants in India 2022-23 report by the Wildlife Institute of India, India has seen a nearly 20% decline in its elephant population between 2017 and 2022.   

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Key Challenges to Elephant Survival

1. Habitat Encroachment and Fragmentation

• Loss of Corridors: Out of 88 identified elephant corridors, many are encroached by human settlements, roads, and railway lines, disrupting migration routes.
• Development Pressure: Human habitations, tea plantations, mines, and infrastructure development in northeastern regions have fragmented habitats, making survival precarious.

2. Human-Elephant Conflict

• Rising Casualties: Increased interaction with human settlements has led to steep rises in fatalities—605 humans killed in 2022–23 and 300 elephants killed in the last three years.
• Use of Brutal Methods:  Instances like 
  • In Kerala, a pregnant elephant tragically died after consuming a coconut filled with explosives meant for wild boars.
  • In Odisha, electrified traps intended for wild boars caused the deaths of elephants, including young calves.

3. Train Accidents

• Over 200 elephants have died in train collisions over the past decade due to ineffective use of over-bridges designed for their safe crossing.

4. Poaching and Illegal Traps

• Elephants are often victims of traps set for wild boars or targeted for ivory, leading to painful injuries and deaths. For example, three elephants died in Odisha in electrified traps.

5. Food Scarcity and Explosives

1. Elephants suffer from injuries caused by explosives hidden in food, as seen in Kerala, where a pregnant elephant died after consuming a coconut stuffed with explosives.

Way Forward

• Strengthening Corridor Management:
  • Protect and restore elephant corridors by addressing encroachments to ensure safe migratory paths.
  • Build eco-bridges and underpasses to allow elephants to cross railways and roads without risk.
• Modernizing Conflict Resolution:
  • Replace harmful “hulla” drives with non-invasive methods like drones and buffer zones between human settlements and elephant habitats.
  • Train forest officials and local communities in humane methods of conflict resolution to reduce harm to elephants.
• Legislative and Policy Action:
  • Enforce stricter laws against poaching and encroachments into elephant habitats.
  • Recognize and legally protect elephant corridors as essential ecological zones.
• Public Awareness and Education:
  • Raise awareness about the ecological significance of elephants and their role in maintaining biodiversity.
  • Encourage coexistence through community-driven conservation initiatives.
• Cross-Border Cooperation:
  • Collaborate with neighboring countries to ensure the protection of migratory elephant populations.
  • Share successful strategies for habitat restoration and conflict mitigation.
• Addressing Conservation Focus Gaps:
  • Elevate the priority given to elephant conservation to match efforts seen in projects for tigers and Asiatic lions, ensuring balanced attention to all endangered species.

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Conclusion

Elephants, revered as cultural icons and keystone species, are integral to India’s ecological balance. A holistic, humane approach emphasizing habitat conservation, modern conflict management, and community involvement is essential to secure a future for these gentle giants while reducing human-wildlife conflicts.

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As India targets its 2047 development goals, investing in advanced technologies is essential. However, this focus on R&D also presents a key challenge: ensuring robust research security.

What is Research Security?

Research security refers to safeguarding scientific research from various threats such as:

• Foreign interference,
• Intellectual property theft,
• Insider threats,
• Cyberattacks,
• Unauthorised access to sensitive data.

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Objective of Research Security

As India increases investment in strategic technologies like space, defense, semiconductors, cybersecurity, and AI, securing research data is crucial to protect national interests and maintain a competitive edge globally.

• Compromise national interests and security: Breaches in research security can expose sensitive technologies, threatening national defense, economy, and sovereignty.
• Hinder economic growth: Theft of intellectual property and innovations could stifle competition, preventing India from realizing its economic potential.
• Undermine global competitiveness: Research security lapses could reduce India’s ability to lead in emerging technologies, affecting its global standing.
• Threaten geopolitical leadership: Loss of strategic technological advantage could weaken India’s influence in global affairs and its ability to shape international policies. 

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Key Concerns Driving India’s Global Research Security Initiatives

• Collaboration: While international collaboration in research is essential for scientific progress, it poses risks when sensitive technologies and data are shared with foreign entities. 
• Weak Infrastructure: India’s research infrastructure often lacks robust cybersecurity protocols and physical security measures. 
  • Many research institutions are not equipped with the necessary tools and frameworks to safeguard sensitive data, making them vulnerable to cyberattacks and other security breaches.
• Lack of Awareness: There is a general lack of awareness regarding research security, both among researchers and policymakers. 
  • This gap can lead to inadvertent leaks of sensitive information or failure to adhere to best practices in data protection, leaving valuable research open to threats.

Way Ahead

• Mapping Vulnerabilities:
  • Categorising research in categories according to strategic value.
  • Understanding the nature of foreign influence in Indian universities.
  • Identifying the vulnerabilities of key research labs and strategic infrastructure..
• International Collaboration:                 
  • Explore with trusted research partners or nations. 
  • Security and intelligence agencies must engage with researchers to understand the risks in sensitive research areas. 
  • A framework should be developed to classify research based on its strategic, economic, and national security value. 
• Developing a Research Security Framework:
  • A risk-based approach to security, similar to the European Council’s recommendations, should be implemented to ensure proportional responses and avoid over-regulation.       
  • Security or intelligence agencies can be actively engaged with research institutions so that preparation can be done that way.  
• International Collaboration and Academic Freedom:
  • Science thrives on international collaboration, and restricting funding or partnerships may slow progress. 
  • Balancing research security with open science, which values data sharing and public engagement, is essential to avoid limiting academic freedom.
• Administrative and Regulatory Burden:
  • Research institutions and individual researchers are already burdened by bureaucratic processes. Introducing additional security measures could exacerbate this issue.
  • Ensuring that technical experts lead research security efforts, rather than security agencies alone, will be crucial to prevent overregulation and to maintain scientific progress. 
• Capacity Building: 
  • Adequate funding and the recruitment of skilled staff are necessary to strengthen research security frameworks and ensure their effective implementation.

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Conclusion

The concept of research security must be carefully integrated into India’s broader science and technology strategy, without hindering scientific progress. A balanced approach is necessary, ensuring that India’s technological advancements are protected while allowing international collaboration and open scientific inquiry. The spirit of ‘as open as possible, as closed as necessary’ should guide decision-making, ensuring that security measures do not stifle innovation or hinder global collaboration.

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The Supreme Court’s recent decisions, particularly allowing surveys of religious sites like Gyanvapi, have raised questions about the relevance of the Places of Worship Act (1991) and its role in safeguarding secularism in India.

Places of Worship Act (1991)

Background

• In 1991, the Government of India enacted the Places of Worship Act with the aim of maintaining the religious character of places of worship as they existed on August 15, 1947. 
• It was designed to prevent the re-examination of the religious nature of any place of worship that existed before this date.
• The law was introduced in response to growing tensions around religious sites, particularly after the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute. 
• The objective was to maintain communal harmony as this act was seen as a legislative intervention to protect India’s secular fabric and avoid further communal tensions.

Note: The Act specifically excluded the Ayodhya dispute, meaning it did not apply to the Babri Masjid site.

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Supreme Court’s Intervention

• Ayodhya Verdict (2019): In the 2019 Ayodhya verdict, the Supreme Court upheld the Places of Worship Act as essential to India’s constitutional values, particularly secularism. 
  • Drawing from the Kesavananda Bharati case, the Court reaffirmed that secularism, as part of the Constitution’s basic structure, is immutable.
  • It highlighted the Act’s role in ensuring non-retrogression, protecting secular principles from being reversed or undermined by legal or judicial actions.
• Supreme Court 2023 Decision: In August 2023, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud allowed the Gyanvapi mosque survey in Varanasi amidst claims it was built over a temple.
  • The Supreme Court did not stay the lower court’s order, stating the survey was interlocutory and did not violate the Places of Worship Act.
  • Justice Chandrachud assured that the mosque’s structure would be protected during proceedings. 
  • Critics, however, fear the order may set a precedent for revisiting religious site disputes, potentially conflicting with the Act’s intent to maintain the status quo of worship sites.

Concerns Arising from the Supreme Court’s Intervention

• Risks of Precedent: The Supreme Court’s decision to allow the Gyanvapi mosque survey risks setting a precedent for local courts to permit similar surveys, potentially sparking religious disputes. 
  • For instance, in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, clashes erupted after a court approved a mosque survey. 
  • In Rajasthan, a petition has sought a survey of the Ajmer Dargah, claiming it was originally a Shiva temple. 
• Political and Religious Implications: The increasing number of such petitions could worsen the  religious and political atmosphere in India. 
• Implications on economy: The resulting communal disharmony could negatively impact India’s economic growth and development by creating an environment of instability and uncertainty.       

Way Forward

• Inter-community Dialogue: Scholars and religious leaders have suggested that inter-community dialogue should take precedence in resolving religious disputes. 
  • Civil society and religious groups, rather than courts, should lead these discussions to foster mutual understanding and peace.
• Clarification by the Supreme Court:The Supreme Court must clarify its position to avoid further confusion. 
  • If left unchecked, the trend of opening religious disputes through legal channels could destabilize India’s religious harmony.
• Role of the Legislature: The legislature should consider revisiting the Places of Worship Act to reinforce its applicability and prevent further judicial overreach, ensuring that the country’s delicate secular balance is not disrupted.

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Conclusion

The Pandora’s box opened by the Supreme Court’s recent decision may prove difficult to close, but it is crucial to adopt a nuanced, peaceful, and constitutionally sound approach to resolving religious disputes. This should involve a balanced mix of legal, political, and civil society efforts to safeguard the secular nature of India and prevent further communal discord.

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The debate on prioritizing Earth’s restoration versus focusing on Mars colonization has intensified, fueled by contrasting views of SpaceX founder Elon Musk and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Mars Colonization as a Backup Plan for Humanity

• Elon Musk has been an outspoken advocate for Mars colonization, presenting it as a contingency plan for humanity in case Earth becomes uninhabitable due to existential threats, such as climate change or a catastrophic asteroid impact. 
• Musk’s vision is to create a self-sustaining human colony on Mars by 2025, a vision that is highly ambitious, to say the least. 
• However, as Neil deGrasse Tyson humorously pointed out, the feasibility of this plan remains a significant challenge.  

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Challenges in Colonising Mars

Mars presents a number of obstacles that make colonisation extremely difficult:

• Atmosphere and Radiation: The Martian atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide, with very little oxygen, and it is incredibly thin. 
  • This makes it unsuitable for human survival without significant technological advancements.
  • To protect humans from harmful radiation and ensure a breathable environment, Mars would need advanced life-support systems that have not yet been invented.
• Cold Temperatures: Mars has an average surface temperature of -60°C, which makes it inhospitable to human life as we know it.
• Technological Barriers: Musk estimates that a self-sustaining colony on Mars would require around one million tons of equipment, costing over $1,000 trillion—far exceeding the GDP of any current nation. 
• Long Timeline for technology development: Moreover, technologies to terraform Mars (transforming it into a second Earth) would take centuries to develop and deploy.

Earth Restoration

While the idea of colonizing Mars captures the imagination, there are growing concerns that focusing too much on space exploration may divert attention and resources from the urgent need to address the environmental crises threatening life on Earth.

Existential Risks on Earth

• Climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss are the most pressing existential threats to Earth’s environment and, consequently, to human survival. 
• Sustainable practices like carbon capture, renewable energy, reforestation, and sustainable farming are essential for tackling climate change and restoring ecosystems. 
• However, their success depends heavily on substantial investment in developing and scaling advanced technologies.

Global Cooperation and Funding Challenges

• At the COP29 summit in Baku, developing nations requested $1.3 trillion annually from wealthier countries to finance climate mitigation and adaptation efforts between 2025 and 2035. 
• However, developed nations have only committed to a fraction of this amount—$300 billion—which remains uncertain. 
• This gap in funding highlights the challenges of global cooperation and the difficulty in prioritizing Earth’s restoration despite the overwhelming evidence of environmental degradation.

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A Symbiotic Relationship between Mars Colonization and Earth Restoration 

• Human exploration of space has always been seen as a natural extension of human ingenuity and curiosity. 
• Space colonization offers an avenue for advancing technologies and knowledge that could ultimately benefit humanity, not just on Mars, but on Earth as well.
• Despite the significant challenges associated with Mars colonization, the technologies developed for space exploration could have beneficial applications on Earth as well.For example:
  • Sustainable Agriculture: Techniques developed for Martian colonies, such as hydroponics or closed-loop farming systems, could revolutionize agriculture on Earth, particularly in arid and resource-scarce regions.
  • Carbon Removal: Mars’ atmosphere is rich in carbon dioxide, and developing carbon capture technology for Mars could have real-world applications for reducing greenhouse gases on Earth.
  • Energy Efficiency and Materials Science: The advancements in materials science and energy efficiency required for interplanetary travel could spur breakthroughs in clean energy technologies, benefiting both Mars missions and efforts to combat climate change on Earth.
• Space exploration also aids Earth’s restoration through satellite technology, which monitors deforestation, glacier melt, and ocean currents. 
  • Telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope help humanity deepen its understanding of the cosmos, but they also improve our scientific capacity to protect Earth’s delicate ecosystems. 

Way Forward

• The debate between Mars colonization and Earth restoration ultimately hinges on priorities and resources. 
  • While the vision of making humanity a multi-planetary species is alluring, it comes with significant costs and risks, both financially and in terms of technological development.
• On the other hand, focusing on Earth’s restoration through sustainable practices and global cooperation offers a more immediate and practical solution to the existential threats facing our planet. 
  • However, the pursuit of space exploration and Earth’s recovery need not be mutually exclusive. In fact, advancements in space technologies can directly benefit Earth’s recovery efforts, and vice versa.

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Conclusion

Ultimately, the future of humanity may not lie in choosing between Earth or Mars, but in how we leverage our technological and scientific advancements to ensure the long-term survival and flourishing of both our home planet and our potential space colonies.

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