The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by our adversaries across the borders to ferry arms/ammunitions, drugs, etc., is a serious threat to the internal security. Comment on the measures being taken to tackle this threat.
Approach · directive: “comment”
What it asks · Explain why cross-border drones are a distinct internal-security threat and comment on the technological, legal and operational measures against them.
The question has 2 parts — answer each
- Establish why cross-border drones are a serious internal-security threat
- Comment on the measures being taken (technological, operational, regulatory, legal and diplomatic) and their adequacy
Open with · Cheap, low-flying drones now carry arms, narcotics and cash across the Punjab and Jammu borders, bypassing the fence and ground patrols.
Cover
- Threat: drones drop arms, explosives, heroin and cash; the June 2021 attack on the Jammu air force station showed their offensive use.
- Detection and neutralisation: radars, radio-frequency detectors, jammers and anti-drone systems (including one developed by DRDO) deployed by the BSF and other forces.
- Border operations: BSF night patrols, intelligence sharing with Punjab Police, search and recovery drives, and village-level vigilance.
- Regulation: Drone Rules 2021 with registration, the Digital Sky platform, geofencing and no-fly zones near sensitive sites.
- Legal and diplomatic: prosecution under UAPA, the Arms Act and the NDPS Act, and raising the issue with Pakistan through diplomatic channels and border-force meetings.
- Capacity: an indigenous counter-drone grid, trained manpower and R&D, since the challenge grows with cheaper, autonomous drones.
Close with · A layered defence of detection, neutralisation, regulation and intelligence, built on indigenous technology, is the way to keep the border skies secure.
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2023, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 185 words (UPSC limit 150) · Minimalist IAS
Cheap, low-flying drones now ferry arms, narcotics and cash across the Punjab and Jammu borders, slipping past the fence and ground patrols.
The threat
- Payloads of arms, explosives, heroin and cash feed terror modules and narco-networks; the June 2021 drone attack on the Jammu air force station showed their offensive use.
Measures being taken
- Technology: radars, radio-frequency detectors, jammers and anti-drone systems, including one developed by DRDO, deployed with the BSF and other forces.
- Operations: BSF night patrols, joint intelligence with Punjab Police, search and recovery drives, and village-level vigilance to report drops.
- Regulation: the Drone Rules 2021 with registration, the Digital Sky platform, geofencing and no-fly zones around sensitive installations.
- Law and diplomacy: prosecution under UAPA, the Arms Act and the NDPS Act; the issue raised with Pakistan through diplomatic channels and border-force meetings.
Assessment
- Detection remains patchy along a long border, and drones grow cheaper and more autonomous; an indigenous counter-drone grid, trained manpower and sustained R&D are still catching up.
A layered defence of detection, neutralisation, regulation and intelligence, built on indigenous technology, is the way to keep the border skies secure.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.