Sansad TV Perspective: Indian Antarctic Bill 2022

In the series Sansad TV Perspective, we bring you an analysis of the discussion featured on the insightful programme ‘Perspective’ on Sansad TV, on various important topics affecting India and also the world. This analysis will help you immensely for the IAS exam, especially the mains exam, where a well-rounded understanding of topics is a prerequisite for writing answers that fetch good marks.

In this article, we feature the discussion on the topic: Indian Antarctic Bill 2022

Anchor: Vishal Dahiya

Guests:

1. Mirza Javed Beg, Director, NCPOR (National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research), Ministry of Earth Sciences
2. Gurjit Singh, Former Ambassador
3. Urmi Goswami, Senior Journalist

Context: The Parliament passed the Indian Antarctic Bill 2022.

Highlights of the discussion:

• Introduction about the bill.
• India’s achievement in the Antarctic region.
• The necessity of the bill.
• Significance of the Antarctic Bill.

Introduction:

• The objective of the Bill is to have India’s own national policy for protecting the Antarctic environment and associated ecosystem. 
• It will provide a harmonious and regulatory framework for India’s Antarctic activities through well-established legal procedures and will help in efficient and elective operations of the Indian Antarctic Programme. 
• The Bill also proposes to set up the Indian Antarctic Authority under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, which will be the apex decision-making body.

For more on the bill, click here: 01 Aug 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

India’s Achievements in the Antarctic:

• In 1981, India’s first expedition reached Antarctica. The first station called Dakshin Gangotri was established on the ice shelf.
• In 1987, another station was established by the name Maitri.
• In 2012, 3000 km east of Maitri, the third station called Bharti was established. It is a state of art station which can be remotely controlled by satellites.
• In 2013, the Indian Space Research organization collaborated with NCPOR to build a downloading centre for Indian Remote sensing satellites.
• These stations helped in carrying out a range of scientific research in the field of glaciology, earth science, geology, geophysics, etc.
• Recently the focus has shifted to climate change and about 1200 publications are out with the research.
• India is set to launch its 42nd expedition.

The procedure that was followed till now:

• There was a standard operating procedure that evolved from the Antarctic Treaty, the environment protocol, and CCAMLR which looks after marine reserves.
• However, these were non-enforceable. 

Necessity of the bill:

• It is part of the legal obligation as a party to the Antarctic Treaty to have a domestic legal framework.
• It will allow the extension of Indian legal jurisdiction to the two research units in the region.
• Till now the Expedition and Operation group was managing the Indian expeditions and the Indian research stations in Antarctica. It was based on a treaty system and lacked the requisite checks and balances.
• Managing expeditions was sometimes difficult due to unruly behaviour or issues within the station.
• There were also issues with the citizens of different countries and with permit issues for the private players.

Significance of the Antarctic Bill:

• It gives more legal standing to the activities in the Antarctic region.
• It will give greater flexibility in scientific research.
• The framework is a great step in regulating all the nitty gritty and the existent challenges in the region and the expeditions there.
• In India’s role in moving the centre stage for its climate stance, it was a pre-requisite. 
• It reinstates India’s concern about following a rule-based order in the field of sustainable environment and ecology.
• It will showcase India’s ability to willingly shoulder the responsibilities of international rules in conserving the planet.
• The framework allows doing much more in a productive way without jeopardizing and burdening the planet.
• There will be penalties for non-compliance with rules and proper enforcement.

Conclusion:

As Antarctica is a ‘no countries territory’, it is the responsibility of humankind to keep Antarctica safe. The Indian Antarctic Bill is not only significant vis-a-vis regulatory framework but also for India’s stature on the global stage and its commitment to sustainable development.

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