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APSC Answer Writing (Daily) based on Assam Tribune – 13/05/2025

For APSC CCE and other Assam Competitive examinations aspirants, practicing Daily Answer Writing is vital. This blog covers the most important Main question and its model Answer from the Assam Tribune today (13-05-2025).

🛰️ Mains Question:

Q. Discuss the significance of state-sponsored satellite missions like Assam’s SARAH in enhancing disaster preparedness, environmental monitoring, and governance. What challenges must be addressed to ensure their effective implementation?
(GS Paper 2 & 3: Governance | Disaster Management | Science & Tech in Development)
Word Limit: 250

✅ Model Answer:

🔹 Introduction

India has increasingly leveraged space technology to enhance governance, with ISRO playing a pivotal role in supporting central and state agencies. The launch of Assam’s State-of-the-Art Resource and Analytical Hub (SARAH) satellite marks a pioneering initiative where a state collaborates with ISRO to monitor floods, urban planning, and forest fires through dedicated satellite imagery.

🔑 Significance of SARAH and Similar Missions

Domain	Benefits of SARAH Satellite
Disaster Management	Real-time flood mapping, early warning for floods, landslides
Urban Governance	Monitoring of land use, encroachments, and infrastructure growth
Environmental Protection	Forest fire detection, biodiversity tracking, wetland monitoring
Data-Driven Policy	Satellite data enables evidence-based policy decisions
Decentralized Capacity	Strengthens state-level autonomy in handling spatial data

🚧 Challenges

Challenge	Description
Technical Capacity	Limited expertise at state level in satellite data interpretation
Data Utilization Lag	Delay in integrating space data into departmental workflows
Coordination with ISRO/NE-SAC	Inter-agency coordination is often fragmented and bureaucratic
Funding and Maintenance	High initial cost and operational sustainability concerns
Privacy and Ethics	Need for regulatory safeguards in spatial data use, esp. for surveillance

🚀 Government Initiatives Supporting Satellite Integration

NE-SAC (North Eastern Space Applications Centre): Assists NE states in space-based resource planning
National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC): Provides satellite data to states for disaster response
Digital India Programme: Encourages use of GIS and AI in governance
Bhuvan Portal by ISRO: Enables public access to geospatial data

🧭 Way Forward

Capacity Building: Training state officers in GIS, remote sensing, and spatial data analytics
Integrated Platforms: Linking SARAH data with disaster dashboards, e-governance systems
Policy Standardization: Clear guidelines for ethical use of satellite surveillance data
Public-Private Collaboration: Use of startups for analytics, AI-based risk assessment

🧩 Conclusion

State-sponsored satellites like SARAH reflect a growing trend of tech-enabled governance and climate-resilient planning. For disaster-prone states like Assam, such missions can transform vulnerability into resilience—provided there is parallel investment in human capital, policy alignment, and inter-agency synergy.

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