MAINS Current Affairs includes India’s E-Waste Management & Mission Drishti: India’s Push for Sovereign Space Power

ENVIRONMENT

1. India’s E-Waste Management

Context: At the Paryavaran NITI Manthan conference, it was highlighted that India generated nearly 6.2 million tonnes of e-waste in FY24, raising concerns about the country’s waste management capacity.

About E-Waste in India

• India produced around 2 million tonnes of electronic waste in FY24, and this figure is expected to rise to nearly 14 million tonnes by 2030.
• However, formal recycling capacity is only around 2 million tonnes, creating a significant gap between waste generation and scientific processing.
• Consequently, only about 10% of e-waste is recycled through formal channels, much lower than global standards.
• E-waste contains nearly 33% recoverable metals, including valuable and critical minerals.
• The estimated economic value embedded in India’s e-waste is around ₹51,000 crore, of which approximately ₹30,600 crore can be technically recovered.

What is E-Waste?

• E-waste refers to discarded electrical and electronic products such as:
  • Mobile phones
  • Computers
  • Circuit boards
  • Household appliances
• These wastes contain hazardous substances like:
  • Lead
  • Mercury
  • Cadmium
  • Brominated flame retardants
• Improper disposal can result in serious environmental and health hazards.

India’s E-Waste Scenario

• India is the third-largest producer of e-waste globally, after China and the United States.
• According to the Global E-waste Monitor, e-waste generation increased from nearly 76 MMT in 2020 to over 6.19 MMT in 2024.

Major Sources of E-Waste

• Computer equipment – ~65%
• Large appliances & medical devices – ~15%
• Telecom equipment – ~12%
• Consumer electronics – ~8%

Challenges in E-Waste Management

Rapid Increase in E-Waste

• Fast technological advancement and shorter product life cycles are continuously increasing e-waste generation.

Dominance of Informal Sector

• Nearly 90–95% of e-waste is handled by the informal sector using unsafe methods such as acid leaching and open burning.

Inadequate Infrastructure

• Limited authorised recycling facilities, weak collection mechanisms, and poor reverse logistics affect proper disposal.

Poor Tracking Mechanisms

• Lack of reliable data and monitoring enables leakages into informal recycling networks.

Impact of Improper E-Waste Management

Water Pollution

• Toxic chemicals such as cyanide and sulphuric acid contaminate water bodies.

Air Pollution

• Burning plastics and lead emissions severely degrade air quality.

Soil Contamination

• Hazardous materials seep into the soil, affecting agriculture and biodiversity.

Economic Loss

• India loses significant amounts of recoverable critical minerals each year.
• It is estimated that the country forfeits over ₹80,000 crore worth of recoverable metals annually.
• Weak regulation also results in major tax revenue losses.

Key Initiatives for E-Waste Management

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

• Producers and importers are responsible for collection and disposal of end-of-life electronic products.

EPR E-Waste Portal

• Developed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for registration of producers, recyclers, and refurbishers.

E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022

• Revised framework notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to strengthen regulation and accountability.

E-Waste Clinic

• India’s first e-waste clinic was established in Bhopal for segregation and scientific disposal of electronic waste.

Pan-India E-Waste Recycling Drive

• Initiated by the Ministry of Mines under Special Campaign 5.0 (2025) to promote scientific recycling and resource recovery.

Basel Convention

• The Basel Convention regulates transboundary movement and disposal of hazardous waste.

Key Provisions

• Prior informed consent of importing countries
• Environmentally sound waste management
• Return of illegal waste shipments at exporter’s cost
• Adopted in 1989 and enforced in 1992.
• India is a signatory to the convention.

Way Forward

Strengthen Formal Recycling

• Expand authorised recycling capacity and collection infrastructure.

Promote Circular Economy

• Recover critical minerals and encourage reuse and refurbishment.

Integrate Informal Sector

• Formalise and skill informal workers for safer recycling practices.

Improve Monitoring

• Develop better tracking systems using digital technologies.

Public Awareness

• Promote responsible consumer behaviour and disposal practices.

Conclusion

• India’s growing e-waste challenge reflects the tension between rapid digital expansion and environmental sustainability.
• The focus should move beyond mere disposal toward resource recovery, environmental protection, and green economic growth.

SPACE

2. Mission Drishti: India’s Push for Sovereign Space Power

Context

• Mission Drishti, developed by Indian startup GalaxEye, was recently launched aboard the Falcon 9 from California.
• The 190-kg satellite was placed into a 500-km orbit and is regarded as the world’s first operational OptoSAR imaging satellite.

About Mission Drishti

• Mission Drishti is an earth-observation satellite developed by GalaxEye, a startup established in 2021.
• It introduces OptoSAR technology, which combines:
  • Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging
  • Seven-band multispectral Electro-Optical (EO) imaging
• It is considered the first operational integration of EO and SAR systems on a single satellite platform.

Key Technological Features

1. OptoSAR Technology

• Integrates EO and SAR imaging to provide:
  • High visual clarity
  • All-weather imaging capability
  • Night-time observation support

2. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)

• Uses radar waves for imaging.
• Functions effectively during:
  • Cloud cover
  • Smoke
  • Rain and poor weather conditions
• Produces radar-based monochromatic imagery.

3. Electro-Optical (EO) Imaging

• Captures images in visible and non-visible spectral bands.
• Produces high-resolution optical images similar to regular satellite photographs.
• However, performance is affected by clouds, pollution, and poor visibility.

4. AI-Based Onboard Processing

• Uses Nvidia’s Jetson Orin computing platform for in-orbit data processing.

Advantages

• Faster image generation
• Reduced reliance on ground stations
• Better bandwidth utilisation
• Real-time data fusion and improved accuracy
• The satellite reportedly offers imagery resolution up to 5 metres.

5. High Revisit Capability

• Revisits the same location every four days, enabling:
  • Monitoring of dynamic changes
  • Detection of recent developments
  • Better temporal analysis

Significance for India

Strengthening Strategic Autonomy

• India has traditionally relied on foreign satellite imagery providers like Maxar Technologies.
• Mission Drishti enhances:
  • Sovereign control over strategic data
  • Independent surveillance capability
  • Border and maritime monitoring

Defence Applications

• Useful for:
  • Border surveillance
  • Tracking military activity
  • Maritime domain awareness
  • Counter-terror operations
• Supports India’s broader objective of strategic self-reliance.

Agriculture & Food Security

• Enables:
  • Crop health monitoring
  • Precision farming
  • Soil moisture assessment
  • Early pest detection
• SAR imaging is especially important in tropical regions like India, where cloud cover frequently affects optical imaging during monsoons.

Disaster Management

• Assists in:
  • Flood mapping
  • Cyclone tracking
  • Forest fire assessment
  • Landslide monitoring
• Radar-based imaging remains effective even during smoke or cloud cover.
• Supports the objectives of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Infrastructure & Urban Planning

• Can help monitor:
  • Highways and railways
  • Illegal mining activities
  • Urban expansion
  • Smart city planning

Economic & Technological Impact

• Promotes growth of India’s space economy
• Encourages deep-tech innovation and startups
• Expands export potential for satellite data services
• Generates employment and investment opportunities

Related Space Sector Reforms in India

Space Sector Reforms (2020)

• Opened the space sector to private participation.
• Allowed private firms to build satellites, launch vehicles, and applications.

Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe)

• Single-window agency under the Department of Space.
• Facilitates approvals, testing, and access to ISRO infrastructure.

NewSpace India Limited (NSIL)

• Commercial arm of ISRO promoting launch services, satellite services, and technology transfer.

Indian Space Policy 2023

• Clarified roles of ISRO, NSIL, IN-SPACe, and private companies.
• Encourages private investment and indigenous manufacturing.

Navigation with Indian Constellation

• India’s indigenous satellite navigation system providing regional positioning services.

Growing Startup Ecosystem

• Startups such as:
  • Skyroot Aerospace
  • Agnikul Cosmos
  • Pixxel
  • Bellatrix Aerospace
  • Dhruva Space
  • GalaxEye
• Contributing in launch systems, propulsion, and satellite analytics.

Defence Space Agency (DSA)

• Strengthens military space capabilities in surveillance, communication, and intelligence.

Challenges Ahead

Technological Challenges

• Sensor miniaturisation
• Managing large data streams
• Maintaining imaging precision

Regulatory & Security Issues

• Data privacy concerns
• Cybersecurity threats
• Strategic misuse of satellite data

Global Competition

• Competition from firms like Maxar, Planet Labs, and Chinese commercial satellite companies.

Conclusion

• Mission Drishti marks a major milestone in India’s space sector evolution.
• By integrating EO and SAR technologies into a single platform, India has demonstrated the growing capability of its private space ecosystem.
• The mission strengthens India’s strategic autonomy, disaster management capacity, agricultural intelligence, and commercial space ambitions while validating the success of recent space sector reforms.

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