UPSC MAINS 2025 ONE PAGE NOTES
DAY 1 Examples National
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1 .Strategic Environmental regional ater project
w
plans
Assessment (SEA)
1 .Definition:Asystematicprocessforevaluatingthe
4. Importance of SEA:
environmental consequences of proposed policies,
1. Early Integration: Considers the
plans,orprogrammes(PPPs)toensuretheyarefully
environment before decisions are finalized.
integrated and addressed at theearliestappropriate
2. Promotes Sustainable Development: Helps
D
stage of decision-making.
integrateenvironmentalgoalswitheconomic
and social planning.
2. Examples:
3. Reduces Environmental Risks: Identifies
IE
● Transport Policy: Assessing environmental
cumulative and long-term impacts often
impactsofanationalhighwayexpansionplan
missed by EIA.
before finalizing the policy.
4. Cost-effective: Prevents costly project-level
IF
● EnergySectorPlan:Evaluatingastate’sshift
changes by identifying risks early.
towards renewable energy, considering
5. Better Public Participation: Encourages
biodiversity, land-use, and social impacts.
broad engagement in policy-level decisions.
● Urban Development Master Plan:
ConductingSEAtoensuresustainableurban
growth with green zones,
management, and pollution control.
waste
PL 6. Improves Policy Coherence: Ensures
5. Limitations of SEA:
alignment of environmental goals across
sectors.
M
1. NoLegalBackinginIndia:UnlikeEIA,SEAis
3. Comparison: SEA vs EIA
not backed by a formal legal framework.
Feature SEA IA
E 2. Vague Methodology: Lack of standardized
(Environmental
SI
tools or methods.
Impact 3. Institutional Resistance:Policy-makersmay
Assessment) resist environmental scrutiny at strategic
stages.
Scope olicies,
P plans, I ndividual 4. Limited Expertise: Shortage of trained
R
programmes projects (e.g., personnel and institutions.
dam, factory) 5. Weak Public Engagement: Strategic level
PE
decisions often have lower visibility than
Timing arly
E in L
ater, often after projects.
decision-making planning is done 6. Difficult to Predict Impacts Accurately:
Since it deals with broad policies, precise
Focus trategic,
S ite-specific,
S
impact estimation is challenging.
cumulative, and immediate
SU
long-term project impacts
onclusion:
C
impacts
While SEA complements EIA by addressing
environmental concerns at the planning and
Scale roader
B ocal
L or
policy-making stages, it remains underutilized in
geographical and project-specific
countries like India due tolackoflegalmandate.For
sectoral scope
holistic and proactive environmental governance,
institutionalizing SEA is crucial in the era of climate
egality
L ot yet legally
N andatoryunder
M
change and rapid infrastructure development.
in India mandatory Environment
Protection Act
(1986)
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UPSC MAINS 2025 ONE PAGE NOTES
2. Flash Floods Impacts:
lashfloodsaresuddenandintensefloodsthatoccur
F
within 6 hours of a heavy rainfallevent,damfailure, Category Examples
cloudburst, or glacier lake outburst. They have high
velocity and destructive power, often catching uman
H Sudden fatalities, injuries
communities off guard. Loss
Livelihoods Loss of agriculture, cattle
Key Characteristics:
● Rapid onset (minutes to hours)
I nfrastruct oads, bridges, power lines washed
R
● High intensity and short duration
ure away
D
● Often localised to a small area
● Difficult to forecast and warn in time
nvironme
E andslides, soil erosion, ecosystem
L
● High mortality and infrastructure damage
IE
nt disruption
Major Causes:
Challenges in Management:
Natural Anthropogenic
IF
● Inadequateearlywarningsystemsinhillyand
Cloudbursts Unplanned urbanisation remote areas
● Lack of flash flood-specific community
PL
lacial Lake Outburst
G Deforestation preparedness
Floods (GLOFs) ● Rapid urbanisation without proper drainage
● Weak enforcement of zoning and
I ntense short-duration ncroachment
E on construction laws
rainfall floodplains
M
itigation and Management Strategies:
M
Sudden snowmelt Poor drainage systems Structural:
● Check dams, retention basins
SI
opography(mountains,
T am or embankment
D ● Strengthening embankments and culverts
steep valleys) breaches ● Early warning systems (IMD Flash Flood
Guidance System)
Examples in India:
R
Non-Structural:
● Leh Flash Floods (2010) – Cloudburst killed
● Floodplain zoning and regulation
200+ people
● Rainwater harvesting and green cover
PE
● Uttarakhand (2013, 2021) – GLOF and
restoration
torrential rains
● Community-based disaster preparedness
● Himachal Pradesh & Sikkim (2023) –
(CBDP)
Climate-induced flash floods
● Mapping GLOFs and vulnerable basins
● Mumbai Urban Flooding – Due to blocked
SU
drainage, concretisation
Government & Institutional Efforts:
● Flash Flood Guidance Services (FFGS) by
Geographical Hotspots:
IMD with WMO support
● Himalayan region (J&K, Himachal,
● National Disaster Management Authority
Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal)
(NDMA) guidelines on urban flooding and
● Western Ghats (Kerala, Karnataka,
GLOFs
Maharashtra)
● Inclusion of flash floods in State Disaster
● Urban centres with poor drainage(Mumbai,
Risk Management Plans (SDMPs)
Chennai, Hyderabad)
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UPSC MAINS 2025 ONE PAGE NOTES
3. Critical Minerals
ritical minerals are minerals essential for clean
C
energy and high-tech applications—such as silicon,
tellurium, indium, gallium, lithium, cobalt, nickel,
rare earths (e.g. neodymium, dysprosium)—used in
solarpanels,windturbines,electricvehicles(EVs),and
energy storage systems
These minerals are vital for:
● Energy transition (renewables, EVs,
D
batteries),
● Economic development,
● National security, and
IE
● Reducingglobal supply chain vulnerabilities
hat the NationalCriticalMineralMissionAimsto
W
IF
Do?
● Launched in April 2025 to establish India’s
self-reliance in critical minerals
● Acommittee(Nov2022)identified30critical
minerals,with24nowundercentralcontrol
per MMDR Act amendments—meaning the
Central Government auctions leases and
composite licencesfor these minerals
PL
M
● Proposed creationofaCentreofExcellence
on Critical Minerals to periodically update
the mineral list and strategy now More -
K
SI
https://books.upscsupersimplified.com/
Why It Matters
● Ensuresstablesupplyofmineralscriticalfor
India's clean energypush—e.g.,64 GWsolar,
R
42 GW to 140 GW wind by 2030, andscaled
EV usage.
● Promotes self-reliance in strategic
PE
resources and reduces dependence on
imports.
● Fosters growth across the entire mineral
value chain, from exploration to recycling,
enhancing economic and technological
SU
capacity.
Summary
● Critical minerals are indispensable for
energy transition, economic growth, and
technological advancement.
● The NCMM provides a structured
roadmap—spanning domestic exploration,
overseas sourcing, recycling, innovation,
skills, andinfrastructure—tosecurearobust
andsustainablecriticalmineralecosystemby
2030.
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