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Tag Wise Current Affairs
Tag: Miscellaneous
HeliNa: Anti-tank missile successfully test-fired
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 09 February 2019
SFDR propulsion-based missile successfully test fired
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 09 February 2019
US approves sale of two missile defence systems for Air India One
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 08 February 2019
Government issues EOI for Procurement of 111 Naval Utility Helicopters
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 13 February 2019
India signs defence pacts with Germany and Sweden
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 15 February 2019
IAF’s all women crew for first time undertake parallel taxi track operation
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 16 February 2019
CISF creates Guinness world record in single-line bicycle parade
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 05 March 2019
BrahMos NG: New deadlier version of BrahMos Missile
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 22 February 2019
Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile successfully test-fired
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 16 March 2019
Platinum Jubilee Commemoration of Battle of Kangla Tongbi
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 08 April 2019
Falcon Slayers: MiG-21 squadron No. 51 gets special uniform patch
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 17 May 2019
Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa new chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 30 May 2019
IAF’s all-women crew flies Mi-17 helicopter for first time
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 30 May 2019
Mohana Singh: 1st woman IAF pilot operational on Hawk advanced jet aircraft
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 01 June 2019
Indian Army commissions air quality monitor station at Fort William
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 04 June 2019
20th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas to be observed in July 2019
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 17 June 2019
Operation Bandar: IAF's code name for Balakot air strikes
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 22 June 2019
Defence Ministry clears acquisition of 2 BrahMos supersonic missile batteries for Navy
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 09 August 2019
US state department approves sale of arms to India
Tags: Miscellaneous
Published on: 21 November 2019
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'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indigenously developed helicopter-launched anti-tank guided missileHeliNa was successfully test fired. It was fired by missile handling unit of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) from ground launcher at Launching Complex-III of Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Balasore off Odisha coast.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>About Test</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This missile for first time was test fired with modified version having close to zero error probability. This paves way for its actual launch from helicopter. Earlier, several trials of this third generation ‘fire and forget’ missile was conducted from both ITR and Pokhran firing range.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>HeliNa Missile</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is air-to-land version or helicopter-launched version of Nag anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), one of five missile systems developed by DRDO under Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Named after HEL of helicopter and NA of Nag (Hindi for cobra). It is manufactured by country’s sole state-owned missile producer Bharat Dynamics Limited.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is one of the most-advanced anti-tank weapons in the world with <strong>hit range of 7-8 km</strong>. It has been designed and developed to be fired from helicopter. <em>Nag missile has maximum range of 4 km.</em></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It has been designed primarily to destroy modern main battle tanks and other heavily armoured targets.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It can be launched from twin-tube stub wing-mounted launchers on board armed light combat helicopters and advanced light helicopters.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It works on “fire and forget” principle and operates in Lock on Before Launch mode, which helps to extend its strike range.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> It is fitted with highly advanced Imaging Infrared Radar (IIR) seeker along with integrated avionics. This technology is possessed by very few countries in the world including India.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Once inducted in Armed forces, it will be integrated with weaponised version of Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, HAL built combat helicopter Rudra and Light Combat Helicopter (LCH).</span></span></li>
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'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted second test of indigenously developed Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) propulsion-based missile system. It was fired from static launcherat Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Balasore off Odisha coast.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>About Test</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">After launch, this missile system was guided to high altitude to simulate aircraft release conditions and subsequently nozzle-less-booster was ignited.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It flew along intended trajectory at speed of Mach 3 (thrice speed of sound) and performed perfectly, validating new indigenous technology.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It meetall its mission objectives and even performance of separation of ground booster and nozzle-less-booster performance were found satisfactory.</span></span></li>
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<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>SFDR propulsion-based missile system</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It has been indigenously by DRDO under joint Indo-Russia R&D project. Its first flight was tested in 2018 and had achieved speed of Mach 3. It is viewed as Indian version of the French Meteor.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The ramjet propulsion system used in it acts as oxidizer and solid propellant reacts as air flows through solid propellant duct.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Unlike conventional rockets that carry propellant and oxidizer, its ramjet engine uses air as oxidizer just like jet engine. Therefore, it eliminates weight of the fuel required.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is designed in such way that it allows for up and down throttling of missile. This further lets missile to amplify its speed until it reaches terminal phase of flight.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The speed increases until the point when sharp turns are required to search for highly manoeuvring targets.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>How it is different?</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Present missile systems, which use booster/sustainer configuration with solid or liquid propellants onboard, which limits its maneuvering at moving targets. It also cannot provide enough energy to maintain their speed in order to hit the targets.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">But, unlike traditional rocket motor, SFDR can throttle its engine during different phases of flight especially while approaching its target. It can also throttle up and down, thus it can maneuver and attack even rapidly maneuvering targets.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Significance</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Success of SFDR propulsion technology is considered as significant milestone in strategic missile program and indigenousation of defence technology.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It will exceptionally enhance endgame maneuverability of missiles at terminal stage when the seeker is locked onto target.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It will pave way for development of long range air-to-air missiles in the country.It will enable these missiles perform better and enhance their strike range, making the weapons more lethal.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">With this, India can have fastest long-range missiles in two categories, providing full-fledged and multi-layered aerial protection from hostile attacks.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'IAF receives first batch of Chinook Helicopters',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">US aerospace major Boeing delivered first batch of four CH-47F (I) Chinook military helicopters to Indian Air Force (IAF) at Mundra port, Gujarat. These helicopters will be assembled in Gujarat and will be ferried to Chandigarh, where they will be formally inducted into IAF.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">IAF currently has place order of 15 Chinook helicopters of which four are delivered. In 2015, Cabinet Committee on Security (CSS) chaired by Prime Minister had approved US $3.1-billion order for 22 AH-64E Apache Longbow attack helicopters (also manufactured by Boeing) and 15 Chinooks to scale up IAF’s capabilities.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">CH-47F (I) Chinook helicopter</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It is an advanced multi-mission military helicopter manufactured by US aerospace company Boeing. It is twin-engined, tandem rotor, heavy-lift helicopter.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It is named after Native American Chinook people of modern-day Washington state of US. It possesses several means of loading various cargoes. Its top speed is of 170 knots (315 km/h).</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">IAF will be using it proving logistics support i.e. for transporting troops, fuel, artillery and equipment. </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It will be also used during humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) operations for mass evacuation missions.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It will provide Indian armed forces with unmatched strategic airlift capability across full spectrum of combat and humanitarian missions.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It will enhance IAF’s heavy-lift chopper capabilities to deliver payloads to high altitudes. It will also replace IAF’s existing fleet of Russia made four gigantic Mi-26s transport helicopters.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">India-US defence ties</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">US is India’s second largest arms supplier after Russia. Since 2008, India has bought or ordered military equipment worth $15 billion from US.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It includes C-130J special operations planes, C-17 transport aircraft, P-8I submarine hunter planes, Harpoon missiles, Apache and Chinook helicopters and M777 lightweight howitzers.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'US approves sale of two missile defence systems for Air India One',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">United States has agreed to sell two state-of-the-art missile defence systems viz. Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCAM) and Self-Protection Suites (SPS) at estimated cost of $190 million. These missile defence systems will be fitted on two Air India One i.e. Boeing 777 Head-of- State aircrafts used for flying President of India and Prime Minister. It will enhance of security of these VIP planes and bring them at par with that of US President’s official airplane Air Force One. US aircraft and missile manufacturer, Boeing will be prime contractor in this defence deal.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCAM)</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is active countermeasure aimed at protecting large aircraft from man-portable missiles.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It defeats threat missile guidance system by directing high-intensity modulated laser beam into the missile seeker.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In addition, it automatically counters advanced IR missile systems with no action required by crew. The pilot will simply be informed that a threat missile was detected and jammed.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Its missile warning subsystem uses multiple sensors to provide full spatial coverage. It also uses lasers mounted in pointer-tracker turret assemblies.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Once installed on plane, this system increases crew-warning time, decreases false alarm rates and automatically counters advanced intermediate range missile systems.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Self-Protection Suites (SPS)</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It will facilitate more robust capability into areas of increased missile threats.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Its package includes infrared and electronic warfare countermeasures suites, countermeasure dispensing systems and missile warning sensors, along with variety of assemblies and associated technical, repair and return support.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>About Air India One</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Air India One (also referred to as AI-1 or AIC001) is call sign of any aircraft with President of India or Prime Minister on board.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Boeing 747-400 owned by Air India, national airline of India are used for this purpose. These aircraft are operated as VIP flight by Indian Air Force (IAF).</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">IAF's Air Headquarters Communication Squadron, based at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in New Delhi, is in charge of operating these aircraft.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align:justify"><img alt="Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures " src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/dcd1/jyvtf831sm4bkzd6g.jpg" style="height:391px; width:628px" /></p>
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
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'title' => 'DRDO launches Dare to Dream contest',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has launched ‘Dare to Dream’ contest to encourage startups and individuals to come up with innovative defence and aerospace technologies. In April 2019, Union Ministry of Defence had launched similar constest Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) aimed at financially supporting innovators from among small- and medium-sized industries, individuals, startups, and institutes.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Dare to Dream contest</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Its objective is to unearth disruptive ideas and concepts in emerging technologies identified by DRDO for enhancing defence capabilities.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">For it applicants are invited to send innovative, workable proposals that can impact various related domains and specified areas.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">The areas of the contest are <em>Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Systems, Cybersecurity, Hypersonic Technologies, Smart Materials, Quantum Computing, and Soldier as System</em>. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">The entries received will be judged by two stage process, firstly it will be screened by Domain Expert Committee and by short-listing and ranking by independent expert committee.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">The winning entries, which should specify plan of executing it into prototype, will get one of five prizes ranging from Rs. 3 to 10 lakh in two separate categories (Individual and Start-up).</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO)</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">DRDO is India's premier organization for research related to country’s defence technology. It is under administrative control if Ministry of Defence.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It is largest and most diverse research organization in India. It was established in 1958 and it is headquartered New Delhi.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif"><strong>Motto: </strong></span><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">"Strength's Origin is in Science".</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif"><strong>Network:</strong> It has network of 52 laboratories engaged in developing defence technologies covering various fields, like aeronautics, armaments, electronics, land combat engineering, life sciences, materials, missiles, and naval systems etc.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Functions:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif"> It is charged with defence research and development. It also advises government on scientific aspects of military equipment and equipment, research, design and development plans. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Achievements:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif"> It has indigenously developed many advanced defense systems. It has acquired expertise in a broad spectrum of defense technologies.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'Government to buy 72,000 SIG716 assault rifles',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Union Ministry of Defence has signed contract with US arms maker Sig Sauer to buy 72,400 SIG716 7.62x51 mm assault rifles at costs around Rs. 700 crores. The deal to purchase these assault rifles is among biggest in recent years. It will overhaul Indian Army's inventory of frontline rifles.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Key Facts</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">SIG716 7.62x51 mm is longer kill range assault rifle. It has effective range of 500 m and weight of less than 3 kg. It will replace ageing Indian-made 5.56x45mm INSAS (Indian small arms system) rifles, built and developed by state owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The 72,400 SIG716 for Indian Armed forces will be manufactured at Sig Sauer’s New Hampshire facility in US. They will be supplied within year under fast-track procurement (FTP) route. This route is only for limited numbers of weapons due to critical operational necessity.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Majority of these rifles -- 66,000 are for Indian Army and remaining will be divided between Indian Navy (2,000) and Indian Air Force (4,000). These rifles will be used by Indian Army troops deployed along 3,600 km long border with China.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Background </span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Indian Army which is world’s second largest standing army has been pressing for fast-tracking procurement of various weapons systems including assault rifles considering evolving security threats.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The overall assault rifles requirement of Indian Army is for 8.16 lakh new 7.62mm assault rifles to replace existing, glitch-prone 5.56mm INSAS rifles. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">In 2017, Indian Army had rejected indigenous assault rifle built by state-run Rifle Factory, Ishapore, when they failed firing tests. After this, it chose SIG716 through competitive process.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'Government issues EOI for Procurement of 111 Naval Utility Helicopters',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Union Ministry of Defence has issued Expression of Interest (EoI) for procurement of 111 Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH) for Indian Navy. This EoI is for shortlisting of potential Indian strategic partners and foreign Original equipment manufacturer (OEMs) for this mega defence deal. It follows Request for Information (RFI) issued earlier for this deal. Now, Indian Navy will issue detailed Request for Proposal (RFP) to short-listed foreign OEM and Indian companies.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Key Facts</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The procurement of these helicopters was approved by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in August 2018, through <strong><em>strategic partnership model</em></strong>. <em>It is first project to be executed through this model</em>. </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Under this, chosen Indian private company will team up with foreign OEM to build product in India. In this deal, 95 helicopters out of 111 will be manufactured in India by selected Indian Strategic Partner and remaining 16 helicopters will be bought in flyaway condition.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Under this deal, foreign OEM is mandated to set up dedicated manufacturing line, including design, integration and manufacturing processes for NUH in India. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is also mandated to make Indian Manufacturing Line as global exclusive facility for NUH platform being offered.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Indian partner company of foreign OEM for this deal will be selected based on its capability of system integration, facility in aerospace domain and financial capability.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It will provide major boost to Government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and fillip to domestic manufacturing capability for helicopters in India.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH)</span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">These helicopters will replace ageing Chetak Helicopters of Indian Navy. They will be utilised for Search and Rescue (SAR), Casualty evacuation (CASEVAC), low intensity maritime operations (LIMO), passenger roles and torpedo drops. They will be also used for communication duties, anti-piracy and anti-terrorism operations, surveillance, humanitarian assistance and targeting.</span></span></span></p>
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(int) 7 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 168,
'title' => 'India signs defence pacts with Germany and Sweden',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India has singed defence cooperation and security protection agreements with Germany and Sweden during ongoing visit of Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to these two countries. Both Germany and Sweden are important suppliers of defence equipment to India and their companies are currently in race for multi-billion tenders to supply submarines and fighter aircrafts to India under Central Government’s <em>strategic partnership (SP) model</em>.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Key Facts</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India-Sweden: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Both countries inked <em>Security Protection Agreement</em> that will enable both countries to share classified information with each other. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It was singed between Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Swedish counterpart Peter Hultqvist in Stockholm. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India and Sweden already have signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in area of defence in 2009.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India-Germany:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Both countries signed implementing arrangement on enhanced defence and defence industry cooperation to strengthen military to military (M2M) engagement as well as defence industry and research and development (R&D) linkages.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Strategic partnership (SP) model</span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It envisages local manufacturing of major defence platforms by Indian strategic partner who will collaborate with foreign original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to set up production facilities in the country. It seeks to provide impetus to ‘Make in India’ programme.</span></span></span></p>
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(int) 8 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
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'id' => (int) 177,
'title' => 'IAF’s all women crew for first time undertake parallel taxi track operation',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Two women pilots of Indian Air Force (IAF) for first time undertook Parallel Taxi Track (PTT) Operations in Dornier 228 aircraft at Sirsa, Haryana. The pilots are Sqn Ldr Kamaljeet Kaur and Sqn Ldr Rakhi Bhandari and belong to “OTTERS” squadron of Western Air Command based at Palam Technical Area. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><em><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It was first PTT Operation undertaken by full women crew. </span></em><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">In this operation, these two women pilots carried out successful parallel taxi track landing and take-off operations using Dornier 228 aircraft.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Parallel Taxi Track Operations </span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It carried out to enable unhindered operations even when runway is not available due to enemy action or any other reasons. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is challenging task as crew is required to land and take off from taxi track, which is considerably smaller in width than runway, with proximity to obstructions as compared to t main runway. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">There cannot be possibility of error during e most critical phases of flight, landing and take-off in this operation.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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(int) 9 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
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'id' => (int) 339,
'title' => 'CISF creates Guinness world record in single-line bicycle parade',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) made into Guinness world record by conducting longest single line bicycle parade. The parade was conducted to mark golden jubilee celebrations (50 years) of CISF. </span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It broke previous record in same field held by Hubballi bicycle club of India, which had conducted rally of 1235 bicycles in single chain formation on 26 January 2109 (Republic Day) in Hubballi, Karnataka</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">CISF- longest single line bicycle parade</span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The record was created at the Yamuna Expressway in Noida, Uttar Pradesj when personnel of CISF rode total of one 1327 bicycles non-stop with uniform distance between bicycles in single line. The bicycle parade covered 3.2 km distance non-stop. </span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">About Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is central armed police force under Ministry of Home Affairs. It is headquarters are at New Delhi. Its motto is “Protection and Security”.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It was raised on March 10, 1969 under CISF Act, 1968 to protect major PSUs. Later it was converted to armed force with larger ambit by amending CISF Act, 1968 in 1983. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Functions: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is tasked with providing security to various industrial units, government infrastructure projects and facilities and establishments.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It also provides security to airports, atomic power plants, refineries, major ports, space installations, VIPs and engages in disaster management amongst others<strong>.</strong></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It has about one lakh 80 thousand personnel in its ranks. It also has its own Fire Wing to response to fire emergencies/accidents.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'metatitle' => 'CISF creates Guinness world record in single-line bicycle parade',
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(int) 10 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
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'id' => (int) 215,
'title' => 'LCA Tejas receives final operational clearance',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India's first self-made fighter jet Light Combat Aircraft Tejas or LCA Tejas has received final operational clearance (FOC) for induction into Indian Air Force (IAF) as fully-weaponised fighter jet. FOC certificate was handed over by country's military aviation regulator CEMILAC to Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa at Aero India 2019 - India's biennial air show in Bengaluru.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Significance of FOC</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is a major milestone for the LCA (Tejas) to get the final operational clearance. It certifies that LCA Tejas is “ready for battle.”</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">FOC aircraft of LCA Tejas has several additional capabilities compared to initial operational clearance (IOC) aircraft. The primary one is being more advanced missile capability with significantly enhanced range.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Some more advanced capabilities of FOC LCA Tejas aircraft Beyond Visual Range Missile capabilities, Air-to-Air Refuelling, Air-to-Ground FOC earmarked advanced weapons and delivery system, and general flight envelope expansion.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Light Combat Aircraft Tejas</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is world’s smallest and lightest supersonic single-seat multi-role jet fighter. It is powered by single engine and uses fourth generation technologies.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It was co-developed by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in cooperation with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It will replace India's ageing MiG-21 fighter aircrafts.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is made entirely of composite structures and has tailless and compound delta wing design. It is equipped with quadruplex digital fly-by-wire flight control system to ease handling by pilot.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It incorporates advanced glass cockpit that comprises all round dialed electro-mechanical instruments.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is fitted with the coherent pulse-Doppler Multi Mode Radar. It also has satellite-aided Inertial Navigation System and digital computer-based attack system and autopilot mode. </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It has numerous stealth features. It has limited operational reach of little over 400-km, reducing its capability mainly for close air-to ground operations.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It can fire air to air missiles, carry bombs and precision guided ammunition. Its different kinds of weaponry including R-73 air-to-air missile, indigenous Astra missile, bomb dropping (including laser guided) etc.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">IAF’s squadron The Flying Daggers (Squadron No 45) is dedicated for LCA Tejas and has formally commenced its operations from Sulur Air Force Station in Tamil Nadu from June 2018.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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(int) 11 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
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'id' => (int) 226,
'title' => 'BrahMos NG: New deadlier version of BrahMos Missile ',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">New smaller and deadlier version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile dubbed as BrahMos NG is under developmental phase. Its prototype will be ready for testing in about three years. It is being designed to take down slow moving `force multipliers’ deep within enemy territory.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Features of BrahMos NG</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It will be sleeker, smaller and more lethal version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with the same capabilities. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It will fly at 3.5 Mach (3.5 times speed of sound) instead of 2.8 Mach speed of existing version. Its range will be same as existing version at 300 km.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">For reducing size, several mechanical components of existing missile will be replaced with electrical components. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The reduced weight will enable it to be carried by indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). LCA can carry two missiles while Su-30MKI can carry five of them. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It will also have anti-land and an anti-ship role as well. It can also be used in submarines as well as it is being designed to be launched from torpedo tubes.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">BrahMos</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is joint venture between India and Russia and named after Brahmaputra and Moscowa rivers. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against surface and sea-based targets. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is two-stage cruise missile, the first being solid and second one ramjet liquid propellant. It is self-propelled guided missile i.e. it can sustain its flight through aerodynamic lift. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is capable of carrying warhead of 300 kgs (both conventional as well as nuclear). It operates on ‘fire and forget principal’ and has strike accuracy rate of 99.99%. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It has top supersonic speed of Mach 2.8 to 3 (roughly three times speed of sound), making it world’s fastest anti-ship cruise missile in operation. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Its range was initially capped at 290 km under obligations of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). But, now it has been extended to 450 km after India’s entry into this elite club.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Its land and sea variants are already operational with Indian Army and Navy and air-launched version is under development</span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'CISF observes 50th Raising Day',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) observed its 50th Raising Day (golden jubilee). The main event to mark 50th Raising Day was organized by 5th Battalion Camp of CISF at Indirapuram in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh and was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is central armed police force under Ministry of Home Affairs. It is headquarters are at New Delhi. Its motto is “Protection and Security”.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It was raised in 1969 under CISF Act, 1968 to protect major PSUs. Later it was converted to armed force with larger ambit by amending CISF Act, 1968 in 1983. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Functions: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is premier multi-skilled security agency tasked with providing security to various critical infrastructure installations both in government and private sector.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It also provides security to critical infrastructure like airports, atomic power plants, refineries, major ports, space installations, VIPs and engages in disaster management amongst others<strong>.</strong></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It has about one lakh 80 thousand personnel in its ranks. It also has its own Fire Wing to response to fire emergencies/accidents.</span></span></span></li>
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'title' => 'Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile successfully test-fired',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test fired <strong>Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile </strong>(MPATGM) at Pokharan range, Rajasthan. This was overall 4th development trial of MP-ATGM which is being developed for infantry troops of Indian Army against enemy tank regiment. MP-ATGM are typically unguided weapons and are meant to destroy armoured vehicles, low-flying aircraft (especially helicopters), and field fortifications located at low ranges.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">About Test</span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The recent two test trails of MPATGM were conducted to test missile’s strike range capability including maximum strike range. Both rounds of tests met all the mission objectives. In both missions, the missile hit designated targets precisely at different ranges.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM)</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is 3rd-generation anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) indigenously developed by DRDO in association with Hyderabad based VEM Technologies Ltd.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It incorporates many advanced features such as image infrared radar (IIR) seeker with integrated avionics designed and developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI).</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Is fitted with high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead. It has maximum engagement range of about 2.5 kilometres, with top attack capability.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">To maintain man portability, it weighs around 14.5 kg. It can be fired from shoulder and can be used during day and night.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It has minimum gravity offset and lateral centre. It is effective against both moving and stationary targets. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is best in its class in the world. It is yet to be formally named. It will be deployed in Indian Army’s infantry and parachute battalions.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Significance </span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">MPATGM is critical for Indian Army as it has a requirement for more than 50,000 of these anti-tank missiles.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It will replace 2nd generation French origin anti-tank guided missile Milan and Soviet semi-automatic wire-guided missile Konkur, which are in service.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It will give fillip of indigenization of defence production under Make in India and reduce imports.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'Platinum Jubilee Commemoration of Battle of Kangla Tongbi',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The platinum jubilee commemoration (75th Anniversary) of Battle of Kangla Tongbi (Battle of Kohima) was observed in Nagaland on 7 April 2019 by Army Ordnance Corps at Kangla Tongbi War Memorial near Imphal, Manipur. It honoured valiant brave hearts of Ordnance Personnel of 221 Advance Ordnance Depot who made their supreme sacrifice in the line of duty during battle of World War-II on the night of 6/ 7 April 1944.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Battle of Kangla Tongbi</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It was one of the fiercest battles of World War II. It fought by Ordnance personnel of 221 Advance Ordnance Depot (AOD) of then British Indian Army on the night of 6/7 April 1944 against Japanese forces.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Japanese Army had planned three pronged offensives to capture Imphal and surrounding areas. At Kangla Tongbi, a small detachment of 221 AOD put up stiff resistance against advancing Japanese forces.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">This battle signified unflinching devotion to duty of Ordnance personnel of 221 AOD. It conveys to the world at large that Ordnance personnel, apart from being professional logisticians, are second to none in combat, being equally proficient soldiers, should the occasion demand. </span></span></span></span></p>
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'title' => 'Indian Navy inks MoU with CSIR for joint research',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Indian Navy has singed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to undertake joint research and development of advanced technologies for the Indian Navy. The MoU provides formal framework for interaction between Indian Navy and CSIR and its various labs and Indian industry.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><strong><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Under this MoU </span></span></span></span></strong></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Joint R&D activities will be undertaken in diverse fields of Mechanical, Electronics, Communication, Computer Science, Propulsion systems, Metallurgy and Nanotechnology.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Some of immediate projects will include development of alternative desalination technologies, residual life assessment studies of gas turbine generator blades to improve reliability and installation of wireless MEMS based sensors for remote operation.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Significance</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The collaboration will allow the Indian Navy to leapfrog towards latest technologies. It will enable to jointly engage with CSIR under ‘Make in India’ and other innovative programmes of the Union Government. It will serve as foundation for exchange of ideas and development of new technologies in the future.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) </span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is India’s premier research and development (R&D) organisation. It was established in 1942. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It operates as autonomous body registered under Registration of Societies Act of 1860. It is headquartered in New Delhi.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is mainly funded by Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. Prime Minister is ex-officio chairman of CSIR. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It runs chain of 38 laboratories/institutes, 39 outreach centers, 3 Innovation Centers and 5 units throughout the nation,</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It has been ranked 9th best scientific institution in the world amongst 1207 government institutions, with overall global ranking of 75 in world, covering 5250 institutions. </span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'Falcon Slayers: MiG-21 squadron No. 51 gets special uniform patch',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The MiG-21 squadron, No. 51, of which Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was part has been accorded sobriquet ‘Falcon Slayers’. It has received special uniform patch made to commemorate dogfight undertaken by MiG fighter planes on intruding aircrafts of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in Jammu and Kashmir on February 27, 2019 following India’s pre-emptive non-military airstrike at Balakot. In this encounter, Varthaman had shot down PAF’s F-16 aircraft. In this dogfight, his Bison aircraft was also shot down after which he was ejected into Pakistani territory and was captured by Pakistan but released days later. Besides, Sukhoi-30 squadron, whose aircraft also blunted Pakistani air attack and successfully evaded AMRAAM missiles of the PAF F-16s, have also named themselves ‘AMRAAM Dodger’ in new patches.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">What are Patches?</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">They are cloth badges that depict squadron’s role and often identify itself with important engagement in which the squadron took part. They reflect type of aircraft the squadron flies and is worn on flying overalls. They connect pilots of squadron to feat which unit has performed. They also instill sense of pride in not only present generation of pilots but also future ones. It gives sense of achievement to the pilots.</span></span></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">51 Squadron patch</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">: It depicts MIG-21 Bison in foreground and red-coloured F-16 in background under crosshairs.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Sukhoi-30 squadron patch:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> It shows SU-30MKI with AMRAAM missile going past after narrowly missing it.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Designed By </span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The patches for both squadrons have been designed by aviation enthusiast Saurav Chordia. He also has designed variety of patches for several IAF squadrons in the past, as well as air exercises. The first patch designed by him for IAF was for SU-30MKI squadron in 2015. He also has designed IAF Tejas Patches for the first Tejas squadron in 2016. He has also designed patches for Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team and for Gaganshkati 2018, Exercise Pitch Black 2018, Exercise Cope India 2018 and Vayu Shakti Exercise.</span></span></span></span></p>
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(int) 17 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
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'title' => 'Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa new chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee',
'description' => '<h2 style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa received Baton of Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee from outgoing Chairman (COSC). He will be the chairman COSC with effect from May 31, 2019 after Admiral Sunil Lanba retires. </span></span></span></span></h2>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About Birender Singh Dhanoa</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">He is alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College and National Defence Academy (NDA). He was commissioned in Flying Branch of Indian Air Force in June 1978. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">He is experienced fighter pilot and qualified CAT A’ Flying Instructor with over 3,000 hours of flying experience to his credit. He has mainly flown MiG-21 aircraft and also has flying experience across entire spectrum of fighter aircraft of IAF.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">During the Kargil war (1999), he was Commanding Officer (CO) of frontline ground attack fighter squadron. He has held many coveted operational and staff assignments during his career.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC) </span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Chairman is head of Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC). The most senior chief of staff is appointed to serve as a chairman until he retires.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Mandate of CoSC:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> It advises Union Defence Minister and normally through him Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) headed by Prime Minister of India on all military matters which require ministerial consideration. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Composition of CoSC</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">: It is composed of (a) Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) (b) Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS); (c) Chief of the Air Staff (CAS); and (d) Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CIDS) (non-voting member). Besides, Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister is also invited to attend its meetings whenever needed. </span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'IAF’s all-women crew flies Mi-17 helicopter for first time',
'description' => '<h2 style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) all-women crew for first time flew medium-lift Mi-17 helicopter for a battle training mission. The crew comprised Flight Lieutenant Parul Bhardwaj (Captain), who was led the team, Flying Officer Aman Nidhi (Co-pilot)and Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal (Hina Jaiswal). </span></span></span></span></h2>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key Facts</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
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<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The all women crew flew Mi-17 V5 helicopter for Battle Inoculation Training mission taking off and landing from restricted areas at a forward air base in South Western air command.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Flt Lt Parul Bhardwaj hails from Mukerian in Punjab and is first woman pilot to fly Mi-17 V5. Flt Lt Hina Jaiswal from Chandigarh is the first woman flight engineer of Indian Air Force (IAF). Flying officer Aman Nidhi hails from Ranchi, Jharkhand and is also first woman IAF pilot from the state.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The pilots had undergone their basic flying training at Helicopter Training School at Air Force Station Hakimpet (Telangan) followed by advanced training at Air Force Station Yelahanka (Karnataka).</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The helicopter was certified airworthy by unit engineering officer and Squadron Leader Richa Adhikari.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'Mohana Singh: 1st woman IAF pilot operational on Hawk advanced jet aircraft',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Flight Lt Mohana Singh has become the first woman fighter pilot of Indian Air Force (IAF) to fly by day on Hawk advanced jet aircraft. She achieved this feat after after gruelling 4 Aircraft combat sortie and landed at Air Force station, Kalaikunda , West Bengal, which was the last syllabus sortie, of being fully operational on the Hawk Jets. She was one of three women pilots inducted in the fighter stream of the IAF in 2016.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About Mohana Singh</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Her intense induction training involved flying both air-to-ground and air-to-air combat missions. She had undertaken many practice missions which involved firing of guns, rockets and dropping high calibre bombs. She also had participated in various Air Force level flying exercises. She has over total 500 hours of incident-free flying of which 380 hours are on the Hawk Mk 132 jet.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Note:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> Flight Lt Mohana Singh is among three women officers along with Bhawana Kanth and Avani Chaturvadi who were first batch of women pilots to join fighter stream of IAF in June 2016. Earlier in May 2019, Flight Lt Bhawana Kanth also had created history by becoming the first daytime woman fighter pilot to fly MiG-21 Bison.</span></span></span></span></p>
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(int) 20 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
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'title' => 'Indian Army commissions air quality monitor station at Fort William',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Indian Army has commissioned "Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS)" at its Eastern Command headquarters in William Military Station, Kolkata, West Bengal as part of its countrywide 'Go Green' initiative. It will be overall sixth CAAQMS in Kolkata. It will monitor air pollution of city on real time basis and its readings will be considered a benchmark of quality.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key Facts</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">CAAQMS at William Military station will measure air pollution such as SO2, NO, NO2, NH3, CO, O3, VOC and particulate matters (PM 10 and PM 2.5) continuously throughout the year.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It will also display ambient temperature, wind speed, direction, relative humidity, solar radiation, barometric pressure and rain gauge. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The data collected by this station can be remotely monitored on internet and collated into various desired formats. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It can also be used by West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) or any other local or international weather monitoring bodies.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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(int) 21 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
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'title' => '20th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas to be observed in July 2019',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Indian will celebrate this year 20th anniversary of victory in Kargil war or operation Vijay (also called Kargil Vijay Diwas) for three days from 25 July to 27 July 2019 at Dras (Jammu and Kashmir) and New Delhi. The theme for this year’s celebration will be – “<em>Remember, Rejoice and Renew</em>”. The objective of these celebrations is to evoke feeling of nationalism and patriotism through nationwide campaigns especially amongst youth and to pay homage to the valiant soldiers. </span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India-Pakistan Kargil War </span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It had taken place between May and July of 1999 in Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir. It was started after infiltration of both Pakistani troops and terrorists deep inside Indian territory in strategic positions that overlooked the only road link between Srinagar and Leh.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The conflict is believed to have been orchestrated by then Pakistan army chief General Pervez Musharraf without knowledge of then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Following this illegal infiltration and occupation of strategic positions, Indian Army had launched “Operation Vijay”. It was also supported by Indian Air Force’s operation Safed Sagar. It was for first time air power at height of 32,000 feet. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">This Indo-Pak is always remembered for its strategic and tactical surprises, self-imposed national strategy of restraint in keeping war limited to Kargil - Siachen Sectors and swiftly executed co-ordinated tri-services military strategy and plans.</span></span></span></span></li>
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'title' => 'Operation Bandar: IAF's code name for Balakot air strikes',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The Indian Air Force (IAF) air strike mission to bomb Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist hideout in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26, 2019 was codenamed 'Operation Bandar (Monkey)’. This cross-border airstrike was rare instance when Indian Air Force (IAF) for first time crossed Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and bombed targets in Pakistani territory.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Why code named Operation Bandar?</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The code name was given as nondescript, mundane tag to air strikes, in order to maintain secrecy and ensure that plans about Balakot operations are not leak out. However, there was not any specific reason behind name chosen but in general monkeys had cultural significance and held special place in India’s war culture such as in Ramayana, where Lord Rama’s lieutenant Lord Hanuman swiftly sneaked into Lanka and destroyed entire capital city of Ravana. </span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Balakot Airstrike</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It was termed as "intelligence-led, non-military, pre-emptive" operation aimed at targeting camp run by JeM in Balakot, a town located in the Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. It was conducted in response to February 14, 2019 Pulwama suicide attack, in which 40 jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed. JeM had claimed responsibility for Pulwama suicide bombing. Two weeks later, under Operation Bandar, IAF’s Mirage-2000 fighter jets took off from their home airbases in Gwalor India before dawn on February 26, crossed LoC in J&K and targetted JeM terror camp in Balakot with precision, guided SPICE missiles.</span></span></span></span></p>
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'metatitle' => 'Operation Bandar: IAF's code name for Balakot air strikes',
'metakeyword' => 'The Indian Air Force (IAF) air strike mission to bomb Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist hideout in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26, 2019 was codenamed 'Operation Bandar (Monkey)’',
'metadescription' => 'The Indian Air Force (IAF) air strike mission to bomb Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist hideout in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26, 2019 was codenamed 'Operation Bandar (Monkey)’',
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(int) 23 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
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'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 1855,
'title' => 'Defence Ministry clears acquisition of 2 BrahMos supersonic missile batteries for Navy',
'description' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Context: </strong>To give a boost to indigenisation, the <strong>Defence Acquisition Council </strong>(DAC), <strong>chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, </strong>accorded <strong>approval for procurement of indigenous Software Defined Radio (SDR) and Next Generation Maritime Mobile Coastal Batteries (NGMMCB) for the Indian Navy.</strong></span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Highlights: </strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The MoD has cleared <strong>acquisition of SDR and NGMMCB for armed forces</strong></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indigenously developed equipment are <strong>of the latest generation</strong></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">These equipment would give a <strong>fillip to government's Make in India initiative</strong></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>About the SDR: </strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The SDR is a complex and <strong>state-of-the-art communication system </strong>which has been <strong>indigenously designed and developed by</strong> <strong>DRDO, BEL and Weapons Electronics System Engineering Establishment (WESEE).</strong></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The SDR communication system would <strong>enable information sharing, collaboration and situational awareness through high-speed data and secure voice communication with anti-jamming capabilities.</strong></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>About the NGMMCB:</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The NGMMCB has been <strong>developed and manufactured in India by Indo-Russia joint venture </strong>company M/s BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Next Generation Maritime Mobile Coastal Batteries (Long Range) would be <strong>fitted with supersonic BrahMos surface-to-surface cruise missiles </strong>and would be <strong>deployed along the coast.</strong></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'metatitle' => 'Defence Ministry clears acquisition of 2 BrahMos',
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'metadescription' => 'To give a boost to indigenisation, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded approval',
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(int) 24 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 2192,
'title' => 'NATGRID',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) project wants to link social media accounts to the huge database of records related to immigration entry and exit, banking and telephone details.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The project is an online database for organising scattered pieces of information and putting them on one platform. At least 10 central agencies like Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and others will have access to the data on a secured platform.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The NATGRID links intelligence and investigation agencies. The 10 user agencies will be linked independently with certain databases that would be procured from 21 providing organisations and include telecom, tax records, bank, immigration, etc. to enable the generation of intelligence inputs.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The project has been aimed to solve the issue of "entity resolution" through artificial intelligence.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">NATGRID will not only help to trace the current location of the suspect but also aid in backtrack-ability. The processing speed is likely to be much faster.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Functional NATGRID will help in real-time tracking of a terror operative or suspect.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Opposition for NATGRID</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Intelligence agencies have opposed the NATGRID due to fears that it would encroach on their territory and possibly result in leaks on the lead, which they were working, to other agencies.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Linking the database to social media accounts could jeopardise the entire exercise as it could be exposed to unknown virus attacks from open source Internet</span></span></p>
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(int) 25 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 2848,
'title' => 'US state department approves sale of arms to India',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The US State Department has approved an arms deal for India valued at just over $1 billion, according to a press statement from the Department of Defense (DoD).</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The sale approval was in response to a Government of India request to buy the guns and 3,500 D349 Projectile, 5”/54 MK 92 MOD 1 Ammunition. The proposed sale will include ammunition, spare parts, training of personnel and equipment, technical data, publications, technical and logistical assistance and transport.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the DoD body that implements the U.S.’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, delivered its certification of the proposed sale to the U.S. Congress.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Congress has a thirty day window from when the certification is received to raise any objections to the sale.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The MK-45 Gun System will provide the capability to conduct antisurface warfare and anti-air defense missions while enhancing interoperability with U.S. and other allied forces.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India is planning to use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>India-US defence agreements</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.S. has four foundational agreements that it signs with its defence partners.</span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The first of the four agreements, the <strong>General Security Of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA)</strong>, was signed by India and the U.S. in 2002. The agreement enables the sharing of military intelligence between the two countries and requires each country to protect the others' classified information.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The second agreement, the Logistics <strong>Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA)</strong>, was signed by the two countries on 29 August 2016. The LEMOA permits the military of either country to use the others' bases for re-supplying or carrying out repairs. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The third agreement, <strong>Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA</strong>) was signed during the inaugural 2+2 dialogue in September 2018. It is an India-specific variant of <strong>Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA)</strong> that enables the two countries to share secure communication and exchange information on approved equipment during bilateral and multinational training exercises and operations. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The fourth agreement, <strong>Basic</strong> <strong>Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA)</strong> has not yet been signed. It permits the exchange of unclassified and controlled unclassified geospatial products, topographical, nautical, and aeronautical data, products and services between India and the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Nuclear cooperation</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The India–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement also referred to as the "123 Agreement", is a bilateral agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation which governs civil nuclear trade between American and Indian firms to participate in each other's civil nuclear energy sector.</span></span></p>
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(int) 26 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 4604,
'title' => 'Importance of Pangong Tso lake',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The recent incidents at the Pangong Tso lake area between Indian and Chinese soldiers on the LAC have brought back the region in the focus.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The disputed boundary between India and China, also known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC), is divided into three sectors: western, middle and eastern. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The countries disagree on the exact location of the LAC in various areas, so much so that India claims that the LAC is 3,488 km long while the Chinese believe it to be around 2,000 km long.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The two armies try and dominate by patrol to the areas up to their respective perceptions of the LAC, often bringing them into conflict and leading to incidents such as those witnessed in Naku La in Sikkim earlier this month.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The LAC mostly passes on the land, but Pangong Tso is a unique case where it passes through the water as well. The points in the water at which the Indian claim ends and Chinese claim begins are not agreed upon mutually.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Most of the clashes between the two armies occur in the disputed portion of the lake. As things stand, 45 km-long western portion of the lake is under Indian control, while the rest is under China’s control.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Pangong Tso Lake</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the Ladakhi language, Pangong means extensive concavity, and Tso is lake in Tibetan.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pangong Tso is a long narrow, deep, endorheic (landlocked) lake situated at a height of more than 14,000 ft in the Ladakh Himalayas. The western end of</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Tso lies 54 km to the southeast of Leh. The 135 km-long lake sprawls over 604 sq km in the shape of a boomerang, and is 6 km wide at its broadest point.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The brackish water lake freezes over in winter, and becomes ideal for ice skating and polo. The legendary 19th century Dogra general Zorawar Singh is said to have trained his soldiers and horses on the frozen Pangong lake before invading Tibet.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">By itself, the lake does not have major tactical significance. But it lies in the path of the Chushul approach, one of the main approaches that China can use for an offensive into Indian-held territory.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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(int) 27 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 4825,
'title' => 'Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) Road',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The construction of the 255-km long Darbuk-Shyokh-Daulat Beg Oldie (DSDBO) all-weather road is possibly the most consequential reason for Chinese aggression in LAC.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Its strategic importance is that it connects Leh to DBO, virtually at the base of the Karakoram Pass that separates China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region from Ladakh.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">DBO is the northernmost corner of Indian territory in Ladakh, in the area better known in Army parlance as Sub-Sector North.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">DBO has the world’s highest airstrip, originally built during the 1962 war but abandoned until 2008, when the Indian Air Force (IAF) revived it as one of its many Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) along the LAC, with the landing of an Antonov An-32.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Chinese build-up along the Galwan River valley region overlooks, and hence poses a direct threat to the DSDBO road.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The DSDBO highway provides the Indian military access to the section of theTibet-Xinjaing highway that passes through Aksai Chin. The road runs almost parallel to the LAC at Aksai China, that China occupied in the 1950s.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">To the west of DBO is the region where China abuts Pakistan in the Gilgit-Baltistan area, once a part of the erstwhile Kashmir principality.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This is also the critical region where China is currently constructing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), to which India has objected.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Previously an old road, largely a track, existed along the same alignment as the pucca road, but was practically unusable during summer due to the flooding of the snow-fed <strong>Shyok</strong> river – or River of Death – and its tributaries, including the <strong>Chip Chap, Galwan, </strong>and<strong> Chang Chenmo</strong> that crisscross it.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The Shyok river itself is a tributary of the Indus, flowing through northern Ladakh and Gilgit-Baltistan. It eventually re-joins the <strong>Indus</strong> at Keris.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p> <img alt="" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/b208/kqlkykkfs67ol0x6g.jpg" style="height:204px; width:306px" /></p>
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'metatitle' => 'Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) Road',
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 4887,
'title' => 'Strategic importance of Ladakh to India and China',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Ladakh and its surrounding area of Aksai Chin has been in news due to the contention between India and China to extend their sovereignty.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In July 1958, an official monthly magazine in China named <em>China pictorial</em> published a map of the country that would become a bone of contention between India and its East Asian neighbour.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The importance of Ladakh to both India and China is rooted in complicated historical processes that led to the territory becoming part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and China’s interest in it post the occupation of Tibet in 1950.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Up until the Dogra invasion of 1834, Ladakh was an independent Himalayan state, much the same way as Bhutan and Sikkim. Ladakh was part of the Tibetan empire which broke up after the assassination of King Langdarma in 742 CE. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Thereafter it became an independent kingdom, though its borders fluctuated at different periods of its history and, at times included much of what is now western Tibet.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Economically, the importance of the region stemmed from the fact that it was an entrepôt between central Asia and Kashmir. At the same time, there was a flourishing trade route across the Karakorum pass to Yarkand and Kashgar to Chinese Turkestan.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The British legacy of the map of the territory though continued to remain the ground upon which India laid its claim on the area. The claims of both governments rested in part on the legacy of imperialism; British imperialism (for India), and Chinese imperialism (over Tibet) for China.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The annexation of Tibet by the People’s Republic of China in 1950 sparked newfound interest in Ladakh, and particularly so after the 1959 Tibetan uprising that erupted in Lhasa when the Dalai Lama fled into exile and was granted political asylum in India.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">There are two main reasons for rising conflict. Firstly, up to 2013 India’s infrastructural development in that area was minimal. From 2013, India started pushing for infrastructure projects there and by 2015, it became a major defence priority.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Second is the August 5, 2019 decision (to remove the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and downgrade the state into two Union Territories). From the Chinese point of view, they would have assumed that if India makes Ladakh a Union Territory, they would be reasserting its control over the entire state.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'Strategic importance of Galwan valley',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh saw a violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops on June 15 resulting in casualties on either side, has strategic significance because of its proximity to the vital road link to Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO).</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) is the world’s highest landing ground that lies close to the Line of Actual Control and serves as an important aerial supply line.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India is engaged in building up border infrastructure in this area, including the all weather 255 km Darbul-Shayok- DBO road. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The road runs almost parallel-at places very close-to the LAC and extends up to the base of the Karakoram pass, which when complete, will reduce the travel time from Leh to DBO from the present two days to just six hours. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Road and bridge construction works have recently been speeded up with a large number of labourers being ferried in.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Galwan valley connects with Shyok on the road under construction and lies between DBO and Chushul to the south near Pangon Tso, another hot spot, providing convenient access to Shyok and the areas beyond.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Control of the ridgeline along the valley also allows domination of the road. Looking eastwards, control of the Galwan valley gives access to the Aksai Chin plateau, through which part of the Xinjiang-Tibet highway passes.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The road serves a vital peace time role in maintaining forward posts and building up reserves. An alternate route to DBO is being developed from a different axis in Ladakh that has adequate depth from the LAC.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Galwan river is to the west of China's 1956 claim line in Aksai Chin. However, in 1960 China advanced its claim line to the west of the river along the mountain ridge adjoining the Shyok river valley. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">During the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict, Indian posts in the Galwan Sector were attacked and overwhelmed by the Chinese, resulting in casualties and some prisoners-of-war. After the war, this sector largely remained dormant till the recent face-offs.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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(int) 30 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 5004,
'title' => 'New weapons deployed by government',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajanth Singh has cleared several proposals that will boost the combat capabilities of all three services—Army, Navy and the Air Force.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">As the government expects the standoff with China to continue well into the winters, the armed forces are ready for the long-haul.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Pinaka missile system</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It will enable raising additional regiments over and above the ones already inducted. It is an all-weather, indirect fire, free flight artillery rocket system<strong>.</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Pinaka weapon system consists of Rocket, Multi Barrel Rocket launcher, Battery Command Post, Loader cum Replenishment Vehicle, Replenishment Vehicle and Digicora MET Radar.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Astra Missiles</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Astra Missiles, with Beyond Visual Range capability will serve as a force multiplier and immensely add to the strike capability of Navy and Air Force.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The BVR class of Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) system is designed to be mounted on fighter aircraft and can be engaged to destroy highly manoeuvring supersonic aircraft.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>MIG 29 and Su-30 MKI</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is a twin-engine, multirole fighter jets, developed by the Soviets in the 1970s, but has been upgraded since. Russia will also upgrade existing 59 Mig-29 aircraft of India.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Long-Range Land Attack Cruise Missile Systems (LRLACM)</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is aimed at enhancing India’s firing range from between 400 km and 500 km of the Brahmos to 1000 km. The seeker development and testing by DRDO laboratories, it said, are demonstrated and is at a high-level of readiness. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The proposed development of fully indigenous long-range land-attack cruise missile can greatly enhance the operational capability of services.</span></span></p>
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(int) 31 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 5024,
'title' => 'Winter diesel',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India’s armed forces may soon be using winter diesel for operations in high altitude areas such as Ladakh, where winter temperatures plummet to extremely low levels.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has sought approval from the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) of the armed forces to approve winter diesel that is said to be usable at temperatures as low as -30° celsius.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Winter diesel is a specialised fuel that was introduced by IOCL last year specifically for high altitude regions and low-temperature regions such as Ladakh, where ordinary diesel can become unusable. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The flow characteristics of regular diesel change at such low temperatures and using it may be detrimental to vehicles. Winter diesel which contains additives to maintain lower viscosity can be used in temperatures as low as -30°C.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Besides a low pour point, it had a higher cetane rating, an indicator of combustion speed of diesel and compression needed for ignition— and lower sulphur content, which would lead to lower deposits in engines and better performance.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Before the launch of winter diesel, consumers in areas that reached such low temperatures were using kerosene to dilute diesel to make it usable, which would lead to more air pollution.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">IOC may begin supplying winter diesel to the armed forces once its use is approved by the Controllerate of Quality Assurance for petroleum products under the Directorate General for Quality Assurance of the armed forces.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">While experts expect that demand may rise given the border tensions, the demand for DHPP-W from the armed forces has not increased significantly since the clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan valley in Ladakh.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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(int) 32 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 5152,
'title' => 'India and Nepal military ties',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On July 10, a soldier from Nepal serving in the Ghurkha regiment, was killed in cross-border firing along the Line of Control in the Nowshera sector of Jammu. This comes amidst a strain in Indo-Nepali ties.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The soldier’s supreme sacrifice is a reminder about the strong ties between the Indian and Nepalese armed forces. Soldiers from Nepal form a significant part of the Indian Army’s legendary Ghurkha regiment. </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India’s military connection with the Himalayan country goes back to the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh whose army in Lahore enlisted Nepalese soldiers called Lahure or soldiers of fortune.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">British India raised the first battalion of the Ghurkha Regiment as the Nasiri regiment on April 24, 1815. By the time the First World War started, there were 10 Ghurkha regiments in the British Indian Army.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">When India got freedom, these regiments were divided between the British and Indian armies as per the Britain–India–Nepal Tripartite Agreement signed in November 1947. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Nepalis can join the Indian Army, both as a jawan and as an officer. A citizen of Nepal can take the National Defence Academy or Combined Defence Services exams and join the Indian Army as an officer.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Nepalese army also sends its officers for training to India’s military academies and combat colleges. The Ghurkha regiments, which have 35 battalions, recruit a large number of troops from Nepal.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Nepali soldiers enjoy the same benefits as the India troops both during service and after retirement. They get the same medical facilities as the Indian soldiers, and often medical teams from the Indian Army tour Nepal. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Unlike the British, who started giving the Nepalese soldiers pension only a few years ago, the Indian Army has never discriminated against the Nepalese soldiers, who can avail of healthcare facilities in India as well. The Indian Army also runs welfare projects in Nepal villages, including small water and power projects.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">There is a convention that dates back to 1972 when then Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, a Ghurkha regiment officer was made the honorary chief of the Nepalese army. Ever since the Army chief of India is the honorary chief of the Nepalese army and vice-versa.</span></span></p>
</li>
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(int) 33 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 5449,
'title' => 'Security audit of telecom networks',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is all set to direct telecom companies to undertake an “information security audit” of their networks and submit the report by October end.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">An information security audit is a step-by-step assessment of the complete network infrastructure which checks for the equipment installed and the latest upgrades done in order to prevent any data leakages.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The auditors also check the data storage and security policies of the company and check whether all sections of the company adhere to the norms set by the company itself.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Apart from that, some auditing agencies also launch a controlled bug into the network of the company to check for vulnerabilities, and see what all systems are being impacted.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The objective of the audit is also to check for ‘backdoor’ and ‘trapdoor’ vulnerabilities. A ‘backdoor’ or a ‘trap door’ is a bug installed in the telecom hardware which allows companies to listen in or collect data being shared on the network.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The audit is likely to increase the scrutiny on Chinese companies Huawei Telecommunication Company and ZTE, which have been alleged to spy for the Chinese government.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Apart from the US, other countries such as the UK and Australia have also banned both the Chinese companies on “national security” concerns with the same allegations.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The DoT is likely to suggest to the companies that the external audit should be done only by an agency empanelled with Cert-IN. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This means that the audit will no longer remain a commercial compliance norm for the company, but will also look into the national security aspects of the telecom network.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Though such internal and external audits are done by companies every three or four years, it will be the first time that the audit will be done by an agency specified by the DoT. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The report of the audit is likely to help DoT put in a concrete plan to bar Chinese vendors from the Indian telecom market space if any problems are found.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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(int) 34 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 5644,
'title' => 'Significance of Chushul',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Chushul sub-sector has come into focus in the standoff between the Indian and PLA troops following the movement that took place on the intervening night of August 29 and 30.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Chushul sub-sector lies south of Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh. It comprises high, broken mountains and heights of Thatung, Black Top, Helmet Top, Gurung Hill, and Magger Hill besides passes such as Rezang La and Rechin La, the Spanggur Gap, and the Chushul valley.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Situated at a height of over 13,000 feet close to the LAC, the Chushul Valley has a vital airstrip that played an important role even during the 1962 War with China.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Chushul is one among the five Border Personnel Meeting points between the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army of China.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Chushul enjoys tremendous strategic and tactical importance because of its location and terrain, which make it a centre for logistics deployment.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This sector has plains that are a couple of kilometres wide, where mechanised forces, including tanks, can be deployed. Its airstrip and connectivity by road to Leh add to its operational advantages.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indian troops have now secured the ridgeline in this sub-sector that allows them to dominate the Chushul bowl on the Indian side, and Moldo sector on the Chinese side.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">They also have a clear sight of the almost 2-km-wide Spanggur gap, which the Chinese used in the past to launch attacks on this sector in the 1962 War.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India’s move has neutralised the advantage that China gained when it secured areas between Finger 4 and Finger 8 on the northern bank of the Pangong Tso.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The harsh winter that lasts for eight months of the year poses a big challenge. It is very difficult to dig in, and make shelters on the ridgeline. The Pangong Tso also freezes, making movement between its north and south banks possible.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 5654,
'title' => 'Border tourism in Uttarakhand',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the backdrop of repeated Chinese incursions along the LAC, the Centre is planning to build a second line of defence in villages bordering China by relaxing tourism-related activities.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The first step in the direction will be to free some parts of the Gangotri area in Uttarakhand from the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system. Uttarakhand has a 350-km border with China.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Government agree that there should be some tourism and economic activity so that the border villages remain inhabited.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Uttarakhand has also decided to provide subsidy for the installation of mobile phone towers in the remote border villages, which are currently mostly out of network coverage area.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">There have been demands for relaxation of the ILP even in the tribal areas of Kumaon. These areas are seeing intrusions from Nepal, with some foreigners settling in border villages, along with an increased use of satellite phones.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The ILP system restricts movement in areas close to the border for everyone other than those with a formal permission from the Union Home Ministry.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Several experts have advocated greater human activity on the Indian side of the border, including more settlements and tourism activities in the border areas that could act as additional eyes and ears of the security forces, and perform as a second line of defence against external aggression or infiltration.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Relaxing the ILP regime of restrictions would allow for houses in the beautiful border villages to be developed as homestays, and will directly contribute towards helping the village economy.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Such a step will help in the permanent protection of borders, and also generate livelihoods for the local population and discourage them from leaving.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
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'id' => (int) 5572,
'title' => 'Vikas Battalion',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A Special Frontier Force (SFF) unit, referred to as Vikas Battalion, has been instrumental in occupying some key heights on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in Ladakh. </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">SFF was raised in the immediate aftermath of the 1962 Sino-India war. It was a covert outfit which recruited Tibetans (now it has a mixture of Tibetans and Gorkhas) and initially went by the name of Establishment 22.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was named so because it was raised by Major General Sujan Singh Uban, an Artillery officer who had commanded 22 Mountain Regiment.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Subsequently, the group was renamed as Special Frontier Force and it now falls under the purview of the Cabinet Secretariat where it is headed by an Inspector General who is an Army officer of the rank of Major General. The units that comprise the SFF are known as Vikas battalions.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The SFF units are not part of the Army but they function under operational control of the Army. The units have their own rank structures which have equivalent status with Army ranks. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">They are highly trained Special Forces personnel who can undertake a variety of tasks which would normally be performed by any Special Forces unit. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The SFF units function virtually as any other Army unit in operational areas despite having a separate charter and history. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">They have their own training establishment where the recruits to SFF are imparted special forces training. Incidentally, women soldiers too form a part of SFF units and perform specialised tasks.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">There are several overt and covert operations in which SFF units have taken part over the years. They took part in operations in the 1971 war, Operation Blue Star in Golden Temple Amritsar, Kargil conflict and in counter-insurgency operations in the country.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In 1971, the SFF operated in the Chittagong hill tracts in East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) to neutralise Pakistan Army positions and help the Indian Army advance ahead. The operation was code-named ‘Operation Eagle’. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">They were airlifted into operational areas and infiltrated behind enemy lines to destroy lines of communication of Pakistan Army. They also played a vital role in preventing the escape of Pakistan Army personnel from Bangladesh into Burma (now Myanmar).</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
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'title' => 'Importance of Pangong Tso south bank',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Indian Army thwarted an attempt by China to change the status quo near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by deploying its troops to a previously un-deployed area on the southern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">While the Pangong Lake has been among the most contentious sectors in the ongoing military standoff, the activity until now had been restricted to the northern bank.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pangong Tso is an <strong>endorheic</strong> lake (landlocked) that is partly in India’s Ladakh region and partly in Tibet. The name reflects the mixed heritage of the lake: Pangong in Ladakhi means extensive concavity, the word Tso is Tibetan for lake.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Karakoram Mountain range, which crosses Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, and India, ends at the north bank of Pangong Tso. Its southern bank too has high broken mountains sloping towards Spangur Lake in the south.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The lake’s water is <strong>brackish</strong>, making it undrinkable. The lake freezes during the winter, allowing some vehicular movement on it as well.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Nearly <strong>two-thirds</strong> of the lake is controlled by <strong>China</strong>, with just about 45 km under Indian control. The LAC, running north-south, cuts the western part of the lake, aligned east-west.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India has traditionally had a stronger presence in the southern bank compared to the north bank, because of its proximity to areas like Chushul and Rezang La.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The area, known as the Chushul approach, is one of the few sectors that can be used as launchpads for an offensive, because of the plains.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">India has occupied a more advantageous position, though still on its side of the LAC, to prevent China from any intrusions in the area.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
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'title' => 'Uttarakhand upgrading defence infra on border',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the context of ongoing tensions and territory issues with China<strong> </strong>and Nepal, the Uttarakhand government, along with the defence forces, has taken measures to strengthen infrastructure along its international border.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Uttarakhand shares a 350-km border with China and a 275-km boundary with Nepal. Five of the state’s 13 districts are border districts. Pithoragarh is strategically very sensitive as it has boundaries with both China and Nepal.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the recent development, the Uttarakhand government has agreed to provide land to the Indian Air Force (IAF) to set up air defence radars in three districts bordering China.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The IAF has also proposed to develop a new Advanced Landing Ground to facilitate its activities in the hill areas.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Advanced Landing Ground in Uttarakhand would be useful for refuelling of aircraft, and for loading and unloading of ammunition.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The state cabinet earlier this month approved a proposal for the expansion of a helipad at the Kedarnath shrine in Rudraprayag district to make it suitable for operating the IAF’s Chinook multi-mission choppers.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Uttarakhand cabinet has approved an amendment in the state’s information technology (IT) policy to provide incentives of up to Rs 40 lakh to facilitate private telecom companies to install towers in “dark villages” in which telecommunication facilities are unavailable at present.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Villagers in border areas have traditionally acted as the eyes and ears of the defence forces, and telecommunications are a force multiplier in this regard.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The Uttarakhand State Wildlife Advisory Board gave the go-ahead to transfer over 73 hectares of forest land in Gangotri National Park in Uttarkashi district for the development of roads.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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(int) 39 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 5703,
'title' => 'State of play in Ladakh',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The People’s Liberation Army has deployed over two regular divisions along with supporting arms and logistic services as back-up. India too, has about two regular Army divisions supported by the Indian Air Force in this sector now.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the PLA has now occupied many areas which were earlier considered ‘disputed’, that is, lying between Chinese and Indian perceptions of the LAC.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On Finger 4, north of Pangong Tso, the opposing troops are deployed a few hundred metres apart. On the south bank of Pangong Tso, they are occupying heights that overlook each other’s military camps and vital road communications.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The pre-emptive occupation of the Kailash Range by Indian troops on August 29-30, and the PLA’s provocative action on September 7, has made the situation on the ground, particularly in the Chushul sector, is indeed very tense and explosive.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On the north bank of Pangong Tso, there are eight major finger-like spurs coming down to the Tso (lake). From heights along these spurs, one can observe military activity on the north and south banks of Pangong Tso.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In May, the PLA occupied the disputed area, deployed troops on Finger 4, and blocked Indian troops, which used to earlier patrol the areas up to Finger 8.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Heights in the mountains enable observation of the adversary’s military activities in the (visible) area, and the ability to bring down accurate direct and indirect fire on the chosen enemy target.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In Demchok, the PLA has been objecting to India’s non-military developmental activities — road and water channel — for India’s civilian population.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">There has been an LAC-related dispute in the Depsang Plains in Sub Sector North. In April 2013, the PLA troops set up a temporary camp in our area, but later withdrew. They have again occupied some area claimed by us.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the recent incidents, China has deliberately violated all the confidence-building agreements and the perceived alignment of the LAC until now.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The IAF has a crucial role at the strategic and operational levels. Besides its primary role of protecting air space and vulnerable areas/assets, it will be actively engaged in aerial reconnaissance, destroying enemy targets, and providing tactical and logistic support to the Army.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
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'id' => (int) 5859,
'title' => 'Dismantling of INS Viraat at Alang',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The historic aircraft carrier INS Viraat, beached at Alang on September 28, will continue to stay in its place until a team of workers start dismantling it.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Usually, when a vessel is beached at Alang, it uses the force of high tide as well as its own engine power to glide on to the shore at speeds ranging between 15-20 knots. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Viraat has been secured by iron ropes that are tied to diesel-powered wrenches. This ensures that the vessel does not tilt or change its position during tides and ebbs.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The owners of Shree Ram Group which bought INS Viraat from an auction said their plots were “green ship recycling” yards which have certificates from Hong Kong Convention and European Union. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">As it is a green yard, it is ensured that the ship is not broken down in the sea and the entire vessel is broken once it is dragged to the shore. Cranes are also used to ensure that the broken parts do not fall into the sea.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">During high tide, the sea-facing wrenches which are connected with iron ropes fastened to the aircraft carrier will be switched on. These wrenches will slowly drag the warship to the empty space on the beach.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The ship will need a “cutting permission” from the Gujarat Pollution Control Board and the Gujarat Maritime Board before the dismantling can commence. This will be done after a physical inspection of the ship by different agencies post-beaching.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The oil in engines and other machinery have to be emptied. Old batteries have to be removed. Any flammable liquids including the left-over fuel in the tanks will have to be pumped out. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">These tanks have to be cleaned and made free of any residue gases accumulated inside the fuel tanks. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Once the ship comes on the shore, an independent agency will prepare an Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM). This agency will go on-board, take all samples including the persistent organic pollutants (POPs).</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This IHM acts as a guide and the ship breaker makes marking on board the vessel indicating the hazardous portions of the ship. Then the HAZMAT (hazardous material) team of the ship breaker will remove the hazardous substances before the breaking begins.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Once the cutting begins, hazardous substances like asbestos, batteries, and ozone-depleting gases will have to be tackled and disposed of safely.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Being a naval ship, it not only has a double hull made of steel plates that are several inches thick but also has multiple small compartments which take time to cut and dismantle. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Parts dismantled from ships at Alang are usually recycled or sold. As far as INS Viraat is concerned, automobile companies have already contacted the ship-breaker for the steel salvaged from the warship.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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(int) 41 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 5864,
'title' => 'Defence offsets',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The government has decided to remove the clause for offsets if the equipment is being bought either through deals or agreements between two countries, or through an ab initio single-vendor deal.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Defence Ministry came up with its latest Defence<strong> </strong>Acquisition<strong> </strong>Procedure<strong> </strong>2020<strong> </strong>(DAP 2020<strong>)</strong>, which comes into effect from October 1. It has changed a 15-year old policy<strong>.</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The offset is an obligation by an international player to boost India’s domestic defence industry if India is buying defence equipment from it. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Since defence contracts are costly, the government wants part of that money either to benefit the Indian industry, or to allow the country to gain in terms of technology.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has defined offsets as a “mechanism generally established with the triple objectives of: (a) partially compensating for a significant outflow of a buyer country’s resources in a large purchase of foreign goods (b) facilitating induction of technology and (c) adding capacities and capabilities of domestic industry”.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">An offset provision in a contract makes it obligatory on the supplier to either “reverse purchase, execute export orders or invest in local industry or in research and development” in the buyer’s domestic industry.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The first policy said that all defence procurements exceeding Rs 300 crore, estimated cost, will entail offset obligations of at least 30%, which could be increased or decreased by the DAC (Defence Acquisition Council).</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The key objective of the Defence Offset Policy is to leverage capital acquisitions to develop Indian defence industry by (i) fostering development of internationally competitive enterprises, (ii) augmenting capacity for Research, Design and Development related to defence products and services and (iii) encouraging development of synergistic sectors like civil aerospace, and internal security”.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Methods of offsets</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Direct purchase of, or executing export orders for, eligible products manufactured by, or services provided by Indian enterprises</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Foreign Direct Investment in joint ventures with Indian enterprises (equity investment) for eligible products and services</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Investment in ‘kind’ in terms of transfer of technology (TOT) to Indian enterprises, through joint ventures or through the non-equity route for eligible products and services</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Investment in ‘kind’ in Indian enterprises in terms of provision of equipment through the non-equity route for manufacture and/or maintenance of products and services</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Provision of equipment and/or TOT to government institutions and establishments engaged in the manufacture and/or maintenance of eligible products, and provision of eligible services, including DRDO (as distinct from Indian enterprises).</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Technology acquisition by DRDO in areas of high technology.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 5680,
'title' => 'India – China five points action plan',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Foreign Ministers of India and China, arrived at a ‘Five Points’ agreement<strong> </strong>to reduce the prevailing tension on the Ladakh border.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The process of dialogue between the nations is vital especially when the two are neighbours with strained relations. </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is in keeping with the Chinese policy of ‘talking and fighting simultaneously’. Besides, it also lent credence to the role of Moscow in setting up the stage for the talks. Some experts have termed these talks as stepping back from the brink of war which it is not.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The genesis of the current stand-off was the aggression undertaken by the PLA in the form of incursions by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Given the scale, extent, and timing, the operation was well planned at the highest level.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The conflict situation consists of actions such as building fortifications, clashes between patrolling parties, laying of mines, air intrusions alongside certain provocative political actions.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> India’s counteraction at Chushul<strong> </strong>by way of the occupation of Kailash Range on August 29-30 took the escalation to a higher level, but well below the threshold of conflict.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The de-escalation process starts with gradual disengagement of troops alongside the dismantling of war-waging infrastructure, pulling back, and finally withdrawal to the designated locations.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Five points action plan</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">• The 1993 ‘Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility Agreement’ forms the basis of all followup agreements.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">• 1996 ‘Confidence Building Measures’ denounced the use of force</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">• 2005 ‘Standard Operating Procedures’ and patrolling modalities.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">• 2012 ‘Process of Consultation and Cooperation’</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">• 2013 ‘Border Cooperation Agreement’, signed as a sequel to Depsang intrusion by PLA</span></span></p>
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
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'id' => (int) 5713,
'title' => 'Nature of Cyber threat from China',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">An investigation has spotlighted an elaborate operation by a technology company with links to the government in Beijing and the Chinese Communist Party, to keep tabs on a very large number of individuals and entities in India.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The company, Zhenhua Data Information Technology Co. Limited, calls itself a pioneer in using big data for “hybrid warfare” and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">China’s authoritarian government, ruling party, military, and many private companies frequently operate as a giant, coordinated operation, of which countries around the world are targets.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was soon after the Gulf War of 1991 that the Chinese realised that the days of conventional warfare were rapidly coming to an end.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">They analysed that if they get into the ICT (information and communications technology), they could leapfrog a couple of generations and get ahead. This decision also coincided with China turning into the electronics factory of the world.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In 2003, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and China’s Central Military Commission officially approved the concept of “Three Warfares”, comprising psychological, media, and legal warfare. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was then decided at the highest levels that the PLA should be an army ready to fight a war in the information domain by 2020.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Unit 61398 is the ‘Military unit Cover Designator’ (MuCD) of the PLA’s Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) unit that has been accused of several computer hacking attacks.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">China started a policy of weaponising its existing manufacturing capability of civilian products for military purposes by leveraging the control over any instrument by the original equipment manufacturer.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Chinese use the information for kompromat, a Russian term for any information that can compromise a person, and which can therefore, be used to blackmail him/her.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">In 2017, China passed a law under which all Chinese companies were supposed to assist the country’s intelligence-gathering operations.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
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'id' => (int) 5788,
'title' => 'Women in armed forces',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Indian Navy has announced selection of two women officers as Observers in the helicopter stream, making them first women airborne combatants who would be operating from warships.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Supreme Court had upheld that the women Short Service Commission officers in the Navy were eligible for Permanent Commission. The Navy had also inducted the first woman pilot in December last year.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Prior to 1992, women officers were inducted in the Navy only in the medical stream from the Armed Forces Medical Service.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">From July 1992, the Navy started inducting women, initially through a special entry scheme and later through the Short Service Commission, in only select branches of the Navy. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Over the years, various branches were added to the list, and currently women officers can join the Navy in the streams of Air Traffic Control, Observers, Law, Logistics, Education, Naval Architecture, Pilots in Maritime Reconnaissance Stream only, and the Naval Armament Inspectorate. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It needs to be noted like in the Army and the Air Force, women are currently only inducted as Commissioned Officers and not in Other Ranks which are of categories of Junior Commissioned Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Entry in the helicopter stream means that women officers can now be deployed on frontline warships from which helicopters can operate.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In terms of various challenges towards deployment of women onboard warships, the logistics part is not as challenging as one would imagine.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The question of mindset and gender sensitization, on the other hand, is something many believe would require concerted efforts, and concrete steps are being taken in that direction.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">While women officers appreciate the support of many male military leaders in these processes, they also highlight the resistance from the system as a whole.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Women officers hope that these developments would result in them being posted at commanding positions on the ships which are a key for career advancements in the operational streams.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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(int) 45 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 6102,
'title' => 'Infantry day',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Army establishments across the country are today marking ‘Infantry Day’ and paying homage to the thousands of infantry soldiers who have laid down their lives in the line of duty. </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was on this day that first Indian infantry soldiers took part in an action to defend Indian territory from external aggression. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On October 26, 1947 the then Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh, signed the instrument of accession, making his state a part of Indian dominion, and thus paving the day for Indian troops to be deployed in the state to fight against Pakistani invaders.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pakistan had poured in thousands of regular soldiers in the grab of tribals of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) into J&K with the aim of forcibly occupying the state and integrating it into Pakistan. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The initial resistance to the invaders was given by the state forces of J&K. On October 26, after the Maharaja signed the instrument of accession the way was paved for India to send in its troops and ward off the Pakistani invaders.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Seven Dakota aircraft were assembled at Palam airport on the morning of October 27 with each scheduled to do two sorties each to airlift the troops of 1 Sikh and their equipment. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Dakotas took to air carrying first Indian infantry soldiers and a battery of artillery troops into J&K where they would make history by saving the Srinagar airfield from the Pakistani invaders.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Had 1 Sikh not been airlifted into Srinagar on time the airfield would have fallen into the hands of Pakistani invaders. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">With the road link extremely tenuous, this would have meant that getting Indian troops into Srinagar would have been a time-consuming task and would have given ample opportunity to Pakistan to reinforce its invaders through air and thus occupying the Valley.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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(int) 46 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 6114,
'title' => 'BECA pact with US',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India and the United States signed the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA),<strong> </strong>which is the third foundational pact for military cooperation.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India had earlier signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) and the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA).</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">BECA will help India get real-time access to American geospatial intelligence that will enhance the accuracy of automated systems and weapons like missiles and armed drones. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Through the sharing of information on maps and satellite images, it will help India access topographical and aeronautical data, and advanced products that will aid in navigation and targeting.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This could be key to Air Force-to-Air Force cooperation between India and the US. BECA will provide Indian military systems with a high-quality GPS to navigate missiles with real-time intelligence to precisely target the adversary.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Besides the sailing of ships, flying of aircraft, fighting of wars, and location of targets, geospatial intelligence is also critical to the response to natural disasters.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The strengthening of the mechanisms of cooperation between the two militaries must be seen in the context of an increasingly aggressive China, which threatens a large number of countries in its neighbourhood and beyond.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">While LEMOA means one partner trusts the other enough to expose its valuable assets, COMCASA means one is confident that it can rely on encrypted systems to connect the two militaries. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">And the latest pact, BECA, means the countries can share highly classified information in real time without fear of being compromised.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>LEMOA</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">LEMOA was the first of the three pacts to be signed in August 2016.<strong> </strong>LEMOA allows the militaries of the US and India to replenish from each other’s bases, and access supplies, spare parts, and services from each other’s land facilities, air bases, and ports, which can then be reimbursed.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">LEMOA is extremely useful for India-US Navy-to-Navy cooperation, since the two countries are cooperating closely in the Indo-Pacific. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The signing of LEMOA was in itself an affirmation of the mutual trust between the two militaries, and its application will enhance the trust. </span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>COMCASA</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The pact allows the US to provide India with its encrypted communications equipment and systems so that Indian and US military commanders, and the aircraft and ships of the two countries, can communicate through secure networks during times of both peace and war. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The signing of COMCASA paved the way for the transfer of communication security equipment from the US to India to facilitate “interoperability” between their forces — and potentially with other militaries that use US-origin systems for secure data links.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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(int) 47 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 6164,
'title' => 'QUAD and Malabar exercise',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Australia’s participation in the annual Malabar exercises marks the emergence of the Quad as a new feature of the Indo-Pacific geopolitics.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">After the withdrawal of Australia from QUAD in 2008, the grouping took a backseat. After the resurgence of Chinese threats, the group is being revived.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>QUAD</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD, also known as the Quad) is an informal strategic forum between the United States, Japan, Australia, and India that is maintained by semi-regular summits, information exchanges, and military drills between member countries.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The forum was initiated as a dialogue in 2007 by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, with the support of Vice President Dick Cheney of the US, Prime Minister John Howard of Australia, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The diplomatic and military arrangement was widely viewed as a response to increased Chinese[a] economic and military power.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Quadrilateral was supposed to establish an "Asian Arc of Democracy," envisioned to ultimately include countries in central Asia, Mongolia, the Korean peninsula, and other countries in Southeast Asia.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Quad also draws comparisons by Asian commentators to NATO. China negatively portrays the Quad as a precursor to a militarised Asian NATO.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Malabar Exercise</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is a multilateral naval exercise that includes simulated war games and combat manoeuvres. It started in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between the Indian and US navies. Japan joined in 2015. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This year the exercise will be held in two phases, the first off the coast near Visakhapatnam, and the second in the Arabian Sea in mid-November.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India seeks to increase cooperation with other countries in the maritime security domain and in the light of increased defence cooperation with Australia, Malabar 2020 will see the participation of the Australian Navy.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">As the standoff in eastern Ladakh continues, the participation of four large navies from the Indo-Pacific region will send a message to China.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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(int) 48 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {
'tag' => 'Miscellaneous',
'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5',
'id' => (int) 6257,
'title' => 'Kalvari class submarines',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indian Navy’s fifth Kalvari-class Diesel Electric attack submarine INS Vagir was launched at Mazgaon Dock in Mumbai.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">These stealthy class of submarines have been built under Project 75 and whose design is based on the Scorpene class of the submarines.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vagir is the fifth among the six Kalvari-class submarines being constructed by the public sector shipbuilder Mazgaon Dock Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The other vessels in the class are <strong>INS Kalvari</strong>,<strong> INS Khanderi</strong>,<strong> INS Karanj</strong>,<strong> INS Vela, </strong>and<strong> INS Vagsheer</strong>. Of these Kalvari and Khanderi have been commissioned in 2017 and 2019, Vela and Karanj and undergoing sea trials, Vagir has now been launched and Vagsheer is under construction. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The submarines in the current Kalvari-class take their names from erstwhile decommissioned classes of submarines named Kalvari.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The now-decommissioned Kalvari and Vela classes were one of the earliest of the submarines in post independence Indian Navy, which belonged to Soviet origin Foxtrot class of vessels.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This class of submarines have Diesel Electric transmission systems and these are primarily attack submarines or ‘hunter-killer’ type which means they are designed to target and sink adversary naval vessels.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Kalvari-class submarines have capability of operating in a wide range of Naval combat including anti-warship and anti-submarine operations, intelligence gathering and surveillance, and naval mine laying.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The modern variants of the Scorpene class of submarines have what is called the Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) which enables non-nuclear submarines to operate for a long time without access to surface oxygen.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Project 75</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Project 75 India (P75I) envisages the construction of six conventional submarines with better sensors and weapons and the Air Independent Propulsion System (AIP). </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The P75I project is part of a 30-year submarine building plan that ends in 2030. As part of this plan, India was to build 24 submarines — 18 conventional submarines and six nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs). </span></span></p>
</li>
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<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
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</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">“Microwave weapons” that were allegedly deployed by China in Ladakh used beams of high-frequency electromagnetic radiation to heat the water in a human target’s skin, causing pain and discomfort.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">“Microwave weapons” are supposed to be a type of direct energy weapons, which aim highly focused energy in the form of sonic, laser, or microwaves, at a target.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">China had first put on display its “microwave weapon”, called <strong>Poly WB-1</strong>, at an air show in 2014.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The US apparently deployed such a weapon in Afghanistan, but withdrew it without ever using it against human targets.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">American diplomats and members of their families in Cuba and China were suspected to have been targeted using ‘microwave weapons’. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The symptoms included nausea, severe headaches, fatigue, dizziness, sleep problems, and hearing loss, which have since come to be known as ‘<strong>Havana</strong> <strong>Syndrome’</strong>.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Concerns have been raised on whether they can damage the eyes, or have a carcinogenic impact in the long term.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Principle of microwave</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In a microwave oven, an electron tube called a magnetron produces electromagnetic waves (microwaves) that bounce around the metal interior of the appliance, and are absorbed by the food. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The microwaves agitate the water molecules in the food, and their vibration produces heat that cooks the food. Foods with high water content cook faster in a microwave often than drier foods.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
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<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report claimed that Chinese forces had turned two strategic hilltops occupied by Indian soldiers “into a microwave oven”, forcing them to retreat, and allowing the positions to be retaken without an exchange of conventional fire.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">“Microwave weapons” that were allegedly deployed by China in Ladakh used beams of high-frequency electromagnetic radiation to heat the water in a human target’s skin, causing pain and discomfort.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">“Microwave weapons” are supposed to be a type of direct energy weapons, which aim highly focused energy in the form of sonic, laser, or microwaves, at a target.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">China had first put on display its “microwave weapon”, called <strong>Poly WB-1</strong>, at an air show in 2014.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The US apparently deployed such a weapon in Afghanistan, but withdrew it without ever using it against human targets.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">American diplomats and members of their families in Cuba and China were suspected to have been targeted using ‘microwave weapons’. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The symptoms included nausea, severe headaches, fatigue, dizziness, sleep problems, and hearing loss, which have since come to be known as ‘<strong>Havana</strong> <strong>Syndrome’</strong>.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Concerns have been raised on whether they can damage the eyes, or have a carcinogenic impact in the long term.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Principle of microwave</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In a microwave oven, an electron tube called a magnetron produces electromagnetic waves (microwaves) that bounce around the metal interior of the appliance, and are absorbed by the food. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
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depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'cacategories' } ] $breadcrumb = [ (int) 0 => [ 'name' => 'Home', 'link' => 'https://currentaffairs.studyiq.com/' ], (int) 1 => [ 'name' => 'Miscellaneous', 'link' => 'https://currentaffairs.studyiq.com/tags/miscellaneous-5' ] ] $currentaffairs = [ (int) 0 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 110, 'title' => 'HeliNa: Anti-tank missile successfully test-fired', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indigenously developed helicopter-launched anti-tank guided missileHeliNa was successfully test fired. It was fired by missile handling unit of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) from ground launcher at Launching Complex-III of Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Balasore off Odisha coast.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>About Test</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This missile for first time was test fired with modified version having close to zero error probability. This paves way for its actual launch from helicopter. Earlier, several trials of this third generation ‘fire and forget’ missile was conducted from both ITR and Pokhran firing range.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>HeliNa Missile</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is air-to-land version or helicopter-launched version of Nag anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), one of five missile systems developed by DRDO under Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Named after HEL of helicopter and NA of Nag (Hindi for cobra). It is manufactured by country’s sole state-owned missile producer Bharat Dynamics Limited.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is one of the most-advanced anti-tank weapons in the world with <strong>hit range of 7-8 km</strong>. It has been designed and developed to be fired from helicopter. <em>Nag missile has maximum range of 4 km.</em></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It has been designed primarily to destroy modern main battle tanks and other heavily armoured targets.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It can be launched from twin-tube stub wing-mounted launchers on board armed light combat helicopters and advanced light helicopters.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It works on “fire and forget” principle and operates in Lock on Before Launch mode, which helps to extend its strike range.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> It is fitted with highly advanced Imaging Infrared Radar (IIR) seeker along with integrated avionics. This technology is possessed by very few countries in the world including India.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Once inducted in Armed forces, it will be integrated with weaponised version of Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, HAL built combat helicopter Rudra and Light Combat Helicopter (LCH).</span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'helina-anti-tank-missile-test-fired', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/453a/1t3b1m2vn6o06i66g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/453a/1t3b1m2vn6o06i66g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'HeliNa: Anti-tank missile successfully test-fired | Study IQ', 'metakeyword' => 'In Defence Current Affairs, helicopter-launched, anti-tank guided missile, Nag Missile', 'metadescription' => 'Indigenously developed helicopter-launched anti-tank guided missileHeliNa was successfully test fired. It was fired by missile handling unit of HAL', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/4y4xe4bxesig4um/9feb_helina.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 1 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 109, 'title' => 'SFDR propulsion-based missile successfully test fired', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted second test of indigenously developed Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) propulsion-based missile system. It was fired from static launcherat Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Balasore off Odisha coast.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>About Test</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">After launch, this missile system was guided to high altitude to simulate aircraft release conditions and subsequently nozzle-less-booster was ignited.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It flew along intended trajectory at speed of Mach 3 (thrice speed of sound) and performed perfectly, validating new indigenous technology.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It meetall its mission objectives and even performance of separation of ground booster and nozzle-less-booster performance were found satisfactory.</span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>SFDR propulsion-based missile system</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It has been indigenously by DRDO under joint Indo-Russia R&D project. Its first flight was tested in 2018 and had achieved speed of Mach 3. It is viewed as Indian version of the French Meteor.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The ramjet propulsion system used in it acts as oxidizer and solid propellant reacts as air flows through solid propellant duct.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Unlike conventional rockets that carry propellant and oxidizer, its ramjet engine uses air as oxidizer just like jet engine. Therefore, it eliminates weight of the fuel required.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is designed in such way that it allows for up and down throttling of missile. This further lets missile to amplify its speed until it reaches terminal phase of flight.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The speed increases until the point when sharp turns are required to search for highly manoeuvring targets.</span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>How it is different?</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Present missile systems, which use booster/sustainer configuration with solid or liquid propellants onboard, which limits its maneuvering at moving targets. It also cannot provide enough energy to maintain their speed in order to hit the targets.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">But, unlike traditional rocket motor, SFDR can throttle its engine during different phases of flight especially while approaching its target. It can also throttle up and down, thus it can maneuver and attack even rapidly maneuvering targets.</span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Significance</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Success of SFDR propulsion technology is considered as significant milestone in strategic missile program and indigenousation of defence technology.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It will exceptionally enhance endgame maneuverability of missiles at terminal stage when the seeker is locked onto target.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It will pave way for development of long range air-to-air missiles in the country.It will enable these missiles perform better and enhance their strike range, making the weapons more lethal.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">With this, India can have fastest long-range missiles in two categories, providing full-fledged and multi-layered aerial protection from hostile attacks.</span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'sfdr-propulsion-based-missile', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/3ce8/bg0mcwu04p5wsmq6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/3ce8/bg0mcwu04p5wsmq6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'SFDR propulsion-based missile successfully test fired | Study IQ', 'metakeyword' => 'In Defence Current Affairs, DRDO, Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet, SFDR propulsion-based missile system, Balasore, Odisha, ', 'metadescription' => 'Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted second test of SFDR propulsion-based missile system', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/75gwvf33do99l76/9feb_SFDR_propulsion.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 2 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 119, 'title' => 'IAF receives first batch of Chinook Helicopters', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">US aerospace major Boeing delivered first batch of four CH-47F (I) Chinook military helicopters to Indian Air Force (IAF) at Mundra port, Gujarat. These helicopters will be assembled in Gujarat and will be ferried to Chandigarh, where they will be formally inducted into IAF.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">IAF currently has place order of 15 Chinook helicopters of which four are delivered. In 2015, Cabinet Committee on Security (CSS) chaired by Prime Minister had approved US $3.1-billion order for 22 AH-64E Apache Longbow attack helicopters (also manufactured by Boeing) and 15 Chinooks to scale up IAF’s capabilities.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">CH-47F (I) Chinook helicopter</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It is an advanced multi-mission military helicopter manufactured by US aerospace company Boeing. It is twin-engined, tandem rotor, heavy-lift helicopter.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It is named after Native American Chinook people of modern-day Washington state of US. It possesses several means of loading various cargoes. Its top speed is of 170 knots (315 km/h).</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">IAF will be using it proving logistics support i.e. for transporting troops, fuel, artillery and equipment. </span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It will be also used during humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) operations for mass evacuation missions.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It will provide Indian armed forces with unmatched strategic airlift capability across full spectrum of combat and humanitarian missions.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It will enhance IAF’s heavy-lift chopper capabilities to deliver payloads to high altitudes. It will also replace IAF’s existing fleet of Russia made four gigantic Mi-26s transport helicopters.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">India-US defence ties</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">US is India’s second largest arms supplier after Russia. Since 2008, India has bought or ordered military equipment worth $15 billion from US.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It includes C-130J special operations planes, C-17 transport aircraft, P-8I submarine hunter planes, Harpoon missiles, Apache and Chinook helicopters and M777 lightweight howitzers.</span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'first-batch-chinook-helicopters-recieved', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/473b/ca000whbae2dhml6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/473b/ca000whbae2dhml6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'IAF receives first batch of Chinook Helicopters', 'metakeyword' => 'In Defence Current Affairs, First batch of four CH-47FI Chinook military helicopters to Indian Air Force (IAF) ', 'metadescription' => 'Boeing delivers first batch of four CH-47FI Chinook military helicopters to Indian Air Force IAF at Mundra port, Gujarat', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/zle99bnpa9ew62q/11feb_IAF_receives_first_batch.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 3 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 97, 'title' => 'US approves sale of two missile defence systems for Air India One', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">United States has agreed to sell two state-of-the-art missile defence systems viz. Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCAM) and Self-Protection Suites (SPS) at estimated cost of $190 million. These missile defence systems will be fitted on two Air India One i.e. Boeing 777 Head-of- State aircrafts used for flying President of India and Prime Minister. It will enhance of security of these VIP planes and bring them at par with that of US President’s official airplane Air Force One. US aircraft and missile manufacturer, Boeing will be prime contractor in this defence deal.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCAM)</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is active countermeasure aimed at protecting large aircraft from man-portable missiles.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It defeats threat missile guidance system by directing high-intensity modulated laser beam into the missile seeker.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In addition, it automatically counters advanced IR missile systems with no action required by crew. The pilot will simply be informed that a threat missile was detected and jammed.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Its missile warning subsystem uses multiple sensors to provide full spatial coverage. It also uses lasers mounted in pointer-tracker turret assemblies.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Once installed on plane, this system increases crew-warning time, decreases false alarm rates and automatically counters advanced intermediate range missile systems.</span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Self-Protection Suites (SPS)</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It will facilitate more robust capability into areas of increased missile threats.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Its package includes infrared and electronic warfare countermeasures suites, countermeasure dispensing systems and missile warning sensors, along with variety of assemblies and associated technical, repair and return support.</span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>About Air India One</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Air India One (also referred to as AI-1 or AIC001) is call sign of any aircraft with President of India or Prime Minister on board.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Boeing 747-400 owned by Air India, national airline of India are used for this purpose. These aircraft are operated as VIP flight by Indian Air Force (IAF).</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">IAF's Air Headquarters Communication Squadron, based at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in New Delhi, is in charge of operating these aircraft.</span></span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align:justify"><img alt="Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures " src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/dcd1/jyvtf831sm4bkzd6g.jpg" style="height:391px; width:628px" /></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'us-approves-sale-of-2-missile', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/246d/3ghuj6m3oukm35h6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/246d/3ghuj6m3oukm35h6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'US approves sale of two missile defence systems for Air India One', 'metakeyword' => 'Defence Current Affairs, India-US, Missile defence systems, LAIRCAM, SPS, Air India One', 'metadescription' => 'United States has agreed to sell two state-of-the-art missile defence systems viz. Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCAM) and Self-Protection Suites ', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/c6hjn5192gbka75/8_FEB_US_approves_sale.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 4 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 134, 'title' => 'DRDO launches Dare to Dream contest', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has launched ‘Dare to Dream’ contest to encourage startups and individuals to come up with innovative defence and aerospace technologies. In April 2019, Union Ministry of Defence had launched similar constest Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) aimed at financially supporting innovators from among small- and medium-sized industries, individuals, startups, and institutes.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Dare to Dream contest</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Its objective is to unearth disruptive ideas and concepts in emerging technologies identified by DRDO for enhancing defence capabilities.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">For it applicants are invited to send innovative, workable proposals that can impact various related domains and specified areas.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">The areas of the contest are <em>Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Systems, Cybersecurity, Hypersonic Technologies, Smart Materials, Quantum Computing, and Soldier as System</em>. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">The entries received will be judged by two stage process, firstly it will be screened by Domain Expert Committee and by short-listing and ranking by independent expert committee.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">The winning entries, which should specify plan of executing it into prototype, will get one of five prizes ranging from Rs. 3 to 10 lakh in two separate categories (Individual and Start-up).</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO)</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">DRDO is India's premier organization for research related to country’s defence technology. It is under administrative control if Ministry of Defence.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">It is largest and most diverse research organization in India. It was established in 1958 and it is headquartered New Delhi.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif"><strong>Motto: </strong></span><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">"Strength's Origin is in Science".</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif"><strong>Network:</strong> It has network of 52 laboratories engaged in developing defence technologies covering various fields, like aeronautics, armaments, electronics, land combat engineering, life sciences, materials, missiles, and naval systems etc.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Functions:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif"> It is charged with defence research and development. It also advises government on scientific aspects of military equipment and equipment, research, design and development plans. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif">Achievements:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"quicksand",serif"> It has indigenously developed many advanced defense systems. It has acquired expertise in a broad spectrum of defense technologies.</span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'drdo-launches-dare-to-dream-contest', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/6f97/rgj21gqrvf1kqs56g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/6f97/rgj21gqrvf1kqs56g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'DRDO launches Dare to Dream contest', 'metakeyword' => 'In Defence Current Affairs, DRDO launches ‘Dare to Dream’ contest to encourage startups and individuals to come up with innovative defence and aerospace technologies', 'metadescription' => 'DRDO has launched ‘Dare to Dream’ contest to encourage startups and individuals to come up with innovative defence and aerospace technologies', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/ahkcgsuhnu7qckc/12feb_DRDO_launches.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 5 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 142, 'title' => 'Government to buy 72,000 SIG716 assault rifles', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Union Ministry of Defence has signed contract with US arms maker Sig Sauer to buy 72,400 SIG716 7.62x51 mm assault rifles at costs around Rs. 700 crores. The deal to purchase these assault rifles is among biggest in recent years. It will overhaul Indian Army's inventory of frontline rifles.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Key Facts</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">SIG716 7.62x51 mm is longer kill range assault rifle. It has effective range of 500 m and weight of less than 3 kg. It will replace ageing Indian-made 5.56x45mm INSAS (Indian small arms system) rifles, built and developed by state owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The 72,400 SIG716 for Indian Armed forces will be manufactured at Sig Sauer’s New Hampshire facility in US. They will be supplied within year under fast-track procurement (FTP) route. This route is only for limited numbers of weapons due to critical operational necessity.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Majority of these rifles -- 66,000 are for Indian Army and remaining will be divided between Indian Navy (2,000) and Indian Air Force (4,000). These rifles will be used by Indian Army troops deployed along 3,600 km long border with China.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Background </span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Indian Army which is world’s second largest standing army has been pressing for fast-tracking procurement of various weapons systems including assault rifles considering evolving security threats.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The overall assault rifles requirement of Indian Army is for 8.16 lakh new 7.62mm assault rifles to replace existing, glitch-prone 5.56mm INSAS rifles. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">In 2017, Indian Army had rejected indigenous assault rifle built by state-run Rifle Factory, Ishapore, when they failed firing tests. After this, it chose SIG716 through competitive process.</span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'govt-inks-contract-72000-assault-rifles', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/f90a/1z7gio3rcosifc26g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/f90a/1z7gio3rcosifc26g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Government to buy 72,000 SIG716 assault rifles', 'metakeyword' => 'In Defence Current Affairs, Ministry of Defence has signed contract with US arms maker Sig Sauer to buy 72,400 SIG716 7.62x51 mm assault rifles at costs around Rs. 700 crores.', 'metadescription' => 'Union Ministry of Defence has signed contract with US arms maker Sig Sauer to buy 72,400 SIG716 7.62x51 mm assault rifles at costs around Rs. 700 crores.', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/c6a47a6tustuaxy/13feb_Government_to_buy.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 6 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 149, 'title' => 'Government issues EOI for Procurement of 111 Naval Utility Helicopters', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Union Ministry of Defence has issued Expression of Interest (EoI) for procurement of 111 Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH) for Indian Navy. This EoI is for shortlisting of potential Indian strategic partners and foreign Original equipment manufacturer (OEMs) for this mega defence deal. It follows Request for Information (RFI) issued earlier for this deal. Now, Indian Navy will issue detailed Request for Proposal (RFP) to short-listed foreign OEM and Indian companies.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Key Facts</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The procurement of these helicopters was approved by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in August 2018, through <strong><em>strategic partnership model</em></strong>. <em>It is first project to be executed through this model</em>. </span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Under this, chosen Indian private company will team up with foreign OEM to build product in India. In this deal, 95 helicopters out of 111 will be manufactured in India by selected Indian Strategic Partner and remaining 16 helicopters will be bought in flyaway condition.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Under this deal, foreign OEM is mandated to set up dedicated manufacturing line, including design, integration and manufacturing processes for NUH in India. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is also mandated to make Indian Manufacturing Line as global exclusive facility for NUH platform being offered.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Indian partner company of foreign OEM for this deal will be selected based on its capability of system integration, facility in aerospace domain and financial capability.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It will provide major boost to Government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and fillip to domestic manufacturing capability for helicopters in India.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH)</span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">These helicopters will replace ageing Chetak Helicopters of Indian Navy. They will be utilised for Search and Rescue (SAR), Casualty evacuation (CASEVAC), low intensity maritime operations (LIMO), passenger roles and torpedo drops. They will be also used for communication duties, anti-piracy and anti-terrorism operations, surveillance, humanitarian assistance and targeting.</span></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'eoi-procurement-111-naval-utility-helicopters', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/08ff/oozoktxdzrudaxf6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/08ff/oozoktxdzrudaxf6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Govt issues EOI for Procurement of 111 Naval Utility Helicopters', 'metakeyword' => 'In Defence Current Affairs, Government issues EOI for Procurement of 111 Naval Utility Helicopters', 'metadescription' => 'Ministry of Defence has issued Expression of Interest (EoI) for procurement of 111 Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH) for Indian Navy', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/mxrgbgabbvafvco/13feb_Government_issues_EOI.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 7 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 168, 'title' => 'India signs defence pacts with Germany and Sweden', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India has singed defence cooperation and security protection agreements with Germany and Sweden during ongoing visit of Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to these two countries. Both Germany and Sweden are important suppliers of defence equipment to India and their companies are currently in race for multi-billion tenders to supply submarines and fighter aircrafts to India under Central Government’s <em>strategic partnership (SP) model</em>.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Key Facts</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India-Sweden: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Both countries inked <em>Security Protection Agreement</em> that will enable both countries to share classified information with each other. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It was singed between Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Swedish counterpart Peter Hultqvist in Stockholm. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India and Sweden already have signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in area of defence in 2009.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India-Germany:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Both countries signed implementing arrangement on enhanced defence and defence industry cooperation to strengthen military to military (M2M) engagement as well as defence industry and research and development (R&D) linkages.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Strategic partnership (SP) model</span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It envisages local manufacturing of major defence platforms by Indian strategic partner who will collaborate with foreign original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to set up production facilities in the country. It seeks to provide impetus to ‘Make in India’ programme.</span></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-signs-defence-pacts-with-germany-sweden', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0a74/vz2ddt90i1wows16g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0a74/vz2ddt90i1wows16g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India signs defence pacts with Germany and Sweden', 'metakeyword' => 'In Defence Current affairs, India has singed defence cooperation and security protection agreements with Germany and Sweden during ongoing visit of Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to these two countries. ', 'metadescription' => 'India has singed defence cooperation and security protection agreements with Germany and Sweden during ongoing visit of Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to these two countries. ', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/nxge40wngh06m5o/15feb_India_signs_defence_pacts.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 8 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 177, 'title' => 'IAF’s all women crew for first time undertake parallel taxi track operation', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Two women pilots of Indian Air Force (IAF) for first time undertook Parallel Taxi Track (PTT) Operations in Dornier 228 aircraft at Sirsa, Haryana. The pilots are Sqn Ldr Kamaljeet Kaur and Sqn Ldr Rakhi Bhandari and belong to “OTTERS” squadron of Western Air Command based at Palam Technical Area. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><em><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It was first PTT Operation undertaken by full women crew. </span></em><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">In this operation, these two women pilots carried out successful parallel taxi track landing and take-off operations using Dornier 228 aircraft.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Parallel Taxi Track Operations </span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It carried out to enable unhindered operations even when runway is not available due to enemy action or any other reasons. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is challenging task as crew is required to land and take off from taxi track, which is considerably smaller in width than runway, with proximity to obstructions as compared to t main runway. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">There cannot be possibility of error during e most critical phases of flight, landing and take-off in this operation.</span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'all-women-crew-operate-parallel-taxi-track-in-dornier-aircraft-in-haryana', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/54d3/0t881o4458li43h6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/54d3/0t881o4458li43h6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'All-Women Crew of IAF Operate Parallel Taxi Track ', 'metakeyword' => 'In Defence Current Affairs, All-Women Crew Operate Parallel Taxi Track In Dornier Aircraft In Haryana', 'metadescription' => 'Two women pilots of Indian Air Force (IAF) for first time undertook Parallel Taxi Track (PTT) Operations in Dornier 228 aircraft at Sirsa, Haryana. ', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/ugkgsbz06szm8mh/16feb_IAF%25E2%2580%2599s_all_women_crew.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 9 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 339, 'title' => 'CISF creates Guinness world record in single-line bicycle parade', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) made into Guinness world record by conducting longest single line bicycle parade. The parade was conducted to mark golden jubilee celebrations (50 years) of CISF. </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It broke previous record in same field held by Hubballi bicycle club of India, which had conducted rally of 1235 bicycles in single chain formation on 26 January 2109 (Republic Day) in Hubballi, Karnataka</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">CISF- longest single line bicycle parade</span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The record was created at the Yamuna Expressway in Noida, Uttar Pradesj when personnel of CISF rode total of one 1327 bicycles non-stop with uniform distance between bicycles in single line. The bicycle parade covered 3.2 km distance non-stop. </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">About Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is central armed police force under Ministry of Home Affairs. It is headquarters are at New Delhi. Its motto is “Protection and Security”.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It was raised on March 10, 1969 under CISF Act, 1968 to protect major PSUs. Later it was converted to armed force with larger ambit by amending CISF Act, 1968 in 1983. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Functions: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is tasked with providing security to various industrial units, government infrastructure projects and facilities and establishments.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It also provides security to airports, atomic power plants, refineries, major ports, space installations, VIPs and engages in disaster management amongst others<strong>.</strong></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It has about one lakh 80 thousand personnel in its ranks. It also has its own Fire Wing to response to fire emergencies/accidents.</span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'cisf-guinness-world-record-single-line-bicycle-parade', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/4887/b29jnga2g1o0en46g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/4887/b29jnga2g1o0en46g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'CISF creates Guinness world record in single-line bicycle parade', 'metakeyword' => 'In Security Current Affairs, CISF, Guinness world record, longest single line bicycle parade,Golden jubilee celebrations, 50 years, CISF', 'metadescription' => 'CISF created Guinness world record in longest single line bicycle parade. The parade was conducted to mark golden jubilee celebrations (50 years) of CISF.', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/k7v6bf4mj14bvbp/5Mar_CISF_creates_Guinness_world.pdf', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 10 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 215, 'title' => 'LCA Tejas receives final operational clearance', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India's first self-made fighter jet Light Combat Aircraft Tejas or LCA Tejas has received final operational clearance (FOC) for induction into Indian Air Force (IAF) as fully-weaponised fighter jet. FOC certificate was handed over by country's military aviation regulator CEMILAC to Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa at Aero India 2019 - India's biennial air show in Bengaluru.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Significance of FOC</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is a major milestone for the LCA (Tejas) to get the final operational clearance. It certifies that LCA Tejas is “ready for battle.”</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">FOC aircraft of LCA Tejas has several additional capabilities compared to initial operational clearance (IOC) aircraft. The primary one is being more advanced missile capability with significantly enhanced range.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Some more advanced capabilities of FOC LCA Tejas aircraft Beyond Visual Range Missile capabilities, Air-to-Air Refuelling, Air-to-Ground FOC earmarked advanced weapons and delivery system, and general flight envelope expansion.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Light Combat Aircraft Tejas</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is world’s smallest and lightest supersonic single-seat multi-role jet fighter. It is powered by single engine and uses fourth generation technologies.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It was co-developed by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in cooperation with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It will replace India's ageing MiG-21 fighter aircrafts.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is made entirely of composite structures and has tailless and compound delta wing design. It is equipped with quadruplex digital fly-by-wire flight control system to ease handling by pilot.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It incorporates advanced glass cockpit that comprises all round dialed electro-mechanical instruments.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is fitted with the coherent pulse-Doppler Multi Mode Radar. It also has satellite-aided Inertial Navigation System and digital computer-based attack system and autopilot mode. </span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It has numerous stealth features. It has limited operational reach of little over 400-km, reducing its capability mainly for close air-to ground operations.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It can fire air to air missiles, carry bombs and precision guided ammunition. Its different kinds of weaponry including R-73 air-to-air missile, indigenous Astra missile, bomb dropping (including laser guided) etc.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">IAF’s squadron The Flying Daggers (Squadron No 45) is dedicated for LCA Tejas and has formally commenced its operations from Sulur Air Force Station in Tamil Nadu from June 2018.</span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'lca-tejas-receives-final-operational-clearance', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/33ab/2bcli083jndji2u6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/33ab/2bcli083jndji2u6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'LCA Tejas receives final operational clearance', 'metakeyword' => 'In Defence Current Affairs, India's first self-made fighter jet Light Combat Aircraft Tejas or LCA Tejas has received final operational clearance (FOC) for induction into Indian Air Force (IAF) as fully-weaponised fighter jet. ', 'metadescription' => 'India's first self-made fighter jet Light Combat Aircraft Tejas or LCA Tejas has received final operational clearance (FOC) for induction into Indian Air Force (IAF) as fully-weaponised fighter jet. ', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/5ybn4olshmd87rj/21feb_LCA_Tejas_receives_final.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 11 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 226, 'title' => 'BrahMos NG: New deadlier version of BrahMos Missile ', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">New smaller and deadlier version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile dubbed as BrahMos NG is under developmental phase. Its prototype will be ready for testing in about three years. It is being designed to take down slow moving `force multipliers’ deep within enemy territory.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Features of BrahMos NG</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It will be sleeker, smaller and more lethal version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with the same capabilities. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It will fly at 3.5 Mach (3.5 times speed of sound) instead of 2.8 Mach speed of existing version. Its range will be same as existing version at 300 km.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">For reducing size, several mechanical components of existing missile will be replaced with electrical components. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The reduced weight will enable it to be carried by indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). LCA can carry two missiles while Su-30MKI can carry five of them. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It will also have anti-land and an anti-ship role as well. It can also be used in submarines as well as it is being designed to be launched from torpedo tubes.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">BrahMos</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is joint venture between India and Russia and named after Brahmaputra and Moscowa rivers. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against surface and sea-based targets. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is two-stage cruise missile, the first being solid and second one ramjet liquid propellant. It is self-propelled guided missile i.e. it can sustain its flight through aerodynamic lift. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is capable of carrying warhead of 300 kgs (both conventional as well as nuclear). It operates on ‘fire and forget principal’ and has strike accuracy rate of 99.99%. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It has top supersonic speed of Mach 2.8 to 3 (roughly three times speed of sound), making it world’s fastest anti-ship cruise missile in operation. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Its range was initially capped at 290 km under obligations of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). But, now it has been extended to 450 km after India’s entry into this elite club.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Its land and sea variants are already operational with Indian Army and Navy and air-launched version is under development</span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'brahmos-ng-deadlier-version-brahmos-missile ', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/afed/n335790irx1bms86g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/afed/n335790irx1bms86g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'BrahMos NG: New deadlier version of BrahMos Missile ', 'metakeyword' => 'In Defence Current Affairs, New smaller and deadlier version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile dubbed as BrahMos NG is under developmental phase', 'metadescription' => 'New smaller and deadlier version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile dubbed as BrahMos NG is under developmental phase', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/rlbdwm1v3odr5f5/22feb_BrahMos_NG.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 12 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 420, 'title' => 'CISF observes 50th Raising Day', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) observed its 50th Raising Day (golden jubilee). The main event to mark 50th Raising Day was organized by 5th Battalion Camp of CISF at Indirapuram in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh and was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is central armed police force under Ministry of Home Affairs. It is headquarters are at New Delhi. Its motto is “Protection and Security”.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It was raised in 1969 under CISF Act, 1968 to protect major PSUs. Later it was converted to armed force with larger ambit by amending CISF Act, 1968 in 1983. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Functions: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is premier multi-skilled security agency tasked with providing security to various critical infrastructure installations both in government and private sector.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It also provides security to critical infrastructure like airports, atomic power plants, refineries, major ports, space installations, VIPs and engages in disaster management amongst others<strong>.</strong></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It has about one lakh 80 thousand personnel in its ranks. It also has its own Fire Wing to response to fire emergencies/accidents.</span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'cisf-observes-50th-raising-day', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/bfb9/dncuhwt9uup2yss6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/bfb9/dncuhwt9uup2yss6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'CISF observes 50th Raising Day | Defence Current Affairs, GK News', 'metakeyword' => 'CISF observes 50th Raising Day', 'metadescription' => 'CISF observes 50th Raising Day, Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) observed its 50th Raising Day (golden jubilee)', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/050dc5q7oju5kfd/11Mar_CISF_observes_50th_Raising_Day.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 13 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 470, 'title' => 'Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile successfully test-fired', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test fired <strong>Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile </strong>(MPATGM) at Pokharan range, Rajasthan. This was overall 4th development trial of MP-ATGM which is being developed for infantry troops of Indian Army against enemy tank regiment. MP-ATGM are typically unguided weapons and are meant to destroy armoured vehicles, low-flying aircraft (especially helicopters), and field fortifications located at low ranges.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">About Test</span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The recent two test trails of MPATGM were conducted to test missile’s strike range capability including maximum strike range. Both rounds of tests met all the mission objectives. In both missions, the missile hit designated targets precisely at different ranges.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM)</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is 3rd-generation anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) indigenously developed by DRDO in association with Hyderabad based VEM Technologies Ltd.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It incorporates many advanced features such as image infrared radar (IIR) seeker with integrated avionics designed and developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI).</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Is fitted with high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead. It has maximum engagement range of about 2.5 kilometres, with top attack capability.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">To maintain man portability, it weighs around 14.5 kg. It can be fired from shoulder and can be used during day and night.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It has minimum gravity offset and lateral centre. It is effective against both moving and stationary targets. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is best in its class in the world. It is yet to be formally named. It will be deployed in Indian Army’s infantry and parachute battalions.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Significance </span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">MPATGM is critical for Indian Army as it has a requirement for more than 50,000 of these anti-tank missiles.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It will replace 2nd generation French origin anti-tank guided missile Milan and Soviet semi-automatic wire-guided missile Konkur, which are in service.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It will give fillip of indigenization of defence production under Make in India and reduce imports.</span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'man-portable-anti-tank-guided-missile-successfully-test-fired', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/209b/isbkbznon8c2smp6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/209b/isbkbznon8c2smp6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile successfully test-fired', 'metakeyword' => 'In Defence Current Affairs, DRDO, successfully, test fired, Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile, MPATGM, Pokharan range, Rajasthan', 'metadescription' => 'DRDO successfully test fired Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) at Pokharan range, Rajasthan', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/3kkkibr4rajgs1r/16_Mar_Man-Portable_Anti-Tank_Guided_Missile.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 14 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 711, 'title' => 'Platinum Jubilee Commemoration of Battle of Kangla Tongbi', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The platinum jubilee commemoration (75th Anniversary) of Battle of Kangla Tongbi (Battle of Kohima) was observed in Nagaland on 7 April 2019 by Army Ordnance Corps at Kangla Tongbi War Memorial near Imphal, Manipur. It honoured valiant brave hearts of Ordnance Personnel of 221 Advance Ordnance Depot who made their supreme sacrifice in the line of duty during battle of World War-II on the night of 6/ 7 April 1944.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Battle of Kangla Tongbi</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It was one of the fiercest battles of World War II. It fought by Ordnance personnel of 221 Advance Ordnance Depot (AOD) of then British Indian Army on the night of 6/7 April 1944 against Japanese forces.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Japanese Army had planned three pronged offensives to capture Imphal and surrounding areas. At Kangla Tongbi, a small detachment of 221 AOD put up stiff resistance against advancing Japanese forces.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">This battle signified unflinching devotion to duty of Ordnance personnel of 221 AOD. It conveys to the world at large that Ordnance personnel, apart from being professional logisticians, are second to none in combat, being equally proficient soldiers, should the occasion demand. </span></span></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'platinum-jubilee-commemoration-battle-kangla-tongbi', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/bac5/w6oy048n2csiycp6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/bac5/w6oy048n2csiycp6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Platinum Jubilee Commemoration of Battle of Kangla Tongbi', 'metakeyword' => 'Platinum Jubilee Commemoration of Battle of Kangla Tongbi', 'metadescription' => 'Platinum Jubilee Commemoration of Battle of Kangla Tongbi, The platinum jubilee commemoration (75th Anniversary) of Battle of Kangla Tongbi', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/6p661tn8283f5g0/Platinum_Jubilee.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 15 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 707, 'title' => 'Indian Navy inks MoU with CSIR for joint research', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Indian Navy has singed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to undertake joint research and development of advanced technologies for the Indian Navy. The MoU provides formal framework for interaction between Indian Navy and CSIR and its various labs and Indian industry.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><strong><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Under this MoU </span></span></span></span></strong></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Joint R&D activities will be undertaken in diverse fields of Mechanical, Electronics, Communication, Computer Science, Propulsion systems, Metallurgy and Nanotechnology.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Some of immediate projects will include development of alternative desalination technologies, residual life assessment studies of gas turbine generator blades to improve reliability and installation of wireless MEMS based sensors for remote operation.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Significance</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The collaboration will allow the Indian Navy to leapfrog towards latest technologies. It will enable to jointly engage with CSIR under ‘Make in India’ and other innovative programmes of the Union Government. It will serve as foundation for exchange of ideas and development of new technologies in the future.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) </span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is India’s premier research and development (R&D) organisation. It was established in 1942. </span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It operates as autonomous body registered under Registration of Societies Act of 1860. It is headquartered in New Delhi.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is mainly funded by Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. Prime Minister is ex-officio chairman of CSIR. </span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It runs chain of 38 laboratories/institutes, 39 outreach centers, 3 Innovation Centers and 5 units throughout the nation,</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It has been ranked 9th best scientific institution in the world amongst 1207 government institutions, with overall global ranking of 75 in world, covering 5250 institutions. </span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'indian-navy-inks-mou-with-csir-joint-research', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/13fc/0haan6a8vl13ek86g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/13fc/0haan6a8vl13ek86g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Indian Navy inks MoU with CSIR for joint research', 'metakeyword' => 'In Defence Current Affairs, Indian Navy inks MoU with CSIR for joint research', 'metadescription' => 'Indian Navy inks MoU with CSIR for joint research, The MoU provides formal framework for interaction between Indian Navy and CSIR ', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/5v8dd6ezdneeju2/Indian_Navy_inks_MoU.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 16 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 1114, 'title' => 'Falcon Slayers: MiG-21 squadron No. 51 gets special uniform patch', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The MiG-21 squadron, No. 51, of which Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was part has been accorded sobriquet ‘Falcon Slayers’. It has received special uniform patch made to commemorate dogfight undertaken by MiG fighter planes on intruding aircrafts of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in Jammu and Kashmir on February 27, 2019 following India’s pre-emptive non-military airstrike at Balakot. In this encounter, Varthaman had shot down PAF’s F-16 aircraft. In this dogfight, his Bison aircraft was also shot down after which he was ejected into Pakistani territory and was captured by Pakistan but released days later. Besides, Sukhoi-30 squadron, whose aircraft also blunted Pakistani air attack and successfully evaded AMRAAM missiles of the PAF F-16s, have also named themselves ‘AMRAAM Dodger’ in new patches.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">What are Patches?</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">They are cloth badges that depict squadron’s role and often identify itself with important engagement in which the squadron took part. They reflect type of aircraft the squadron flies and is worn on flying overalls. They connect pilots of squadron to feat which unit has performed. They also instill sense of pride in not only present generation of pilots but also future ones. It gives sense of achievement to the pilots.</span></span></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">51 Squadron patch</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">: It depicts MIG-21 Bison in foreground and red-coloured F-16 in background under crosshairs.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Sukhoi-30 squadron patch:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> It shows SU-30MKI with AMRAAM missile going past after narrowly missing it.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Designed By </span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The patches for both squadrons have been designed by aviation enthusiast Saurav Chordia. He also has designed variety of patches for several IAF squadrons in the past, as well as air exercises. The first patch designed by him for IAF was for SU-30MKI squadron in 2015. He also has designed IAF Tejas Patches for the first Tejas squadron in 2016. He has also designed patches for Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team and for Gaganshkati 2018, Exercise Pitch Black 2018, Exercise Cope India 2018 and Vayu Shakti Exercise.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'falcon-slayers-mig-21-squadron-gets-special-uniform', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/5cc5/r2w4ix5sijvpu506g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/5cc5/r2w4ix5sijvpu506g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Falcon Slayers: MiG-21 squadron No. 51 gets special uniform patch', 'metakeyword' => 'Falcon Slayers: MiG-21 squadron No. 51 gets special uniform patch', 'metadescription' => 'Falcon Slayers: MiG-21 squadron No. 51 gets special uniform patch, The MiG-21 squadron, No. 51, of which Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/p4h4s5ks8cb5997/Falcon_Slayers.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 17 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 1273, 'title' => 'Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa new chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee', 'description' => '<h2 style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa received Baton of Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee from outgoing Chairman (COSC). He will be the chairman COSC with effect from May 31, 2019 after Admiral Sunil Lanba retires. </span></span></span></span></h2> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About Birender Singh Dhanoa</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">He is alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College and National Defence Academy (NDA). He was commissioned in Flying Branch of Indian Air Force in June 1978. </span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">He is experienced fighter pilot and qualified CAT A’ Flying Instructor with over 3,000 hours of flying experience to his credit. He has mainly flown MiG-21 aircraft and also has flying experience across entire spectrum of fighter aircraft of IAF.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">During the Kargil war (1999), he was Commanding Officer (CO) of frontline ground attack fighter squadron. He has held many coveted operational and staff assignments during his career.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC) </span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Chairman is head of Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC). The most senior chief of staff is appointed to serve as a chairman until he retires.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Mandate of CoSC:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> It advises Union Defence Minister and normally through him Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) headed by Prime Minister of India on all military matters which require ministerial consideration. </span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Composition of CoSC</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">: It is composed of (a) Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) (b) Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS); (c) Chief of the Air Staff (CAS); and (d) Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CIDS) (non-voting member). Besides, Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister is also invited to attend its meetings whenever needed. </span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'air-chief-marshal-bs-dhanoa-new-chairman', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/512e/8312y86t2m0ub9m6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/512e/8312y86t2m0ub9m6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa new chairman of CoSC', 'metakeyword' => 'Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa new chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee', 'metadescription' => 'Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa new chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/62he54j9pfgtw6b/Air_Chief_Marshal_BS_Dhanoa.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 18 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 1266, 'title' => 'IAF’s all-women crew flies Mi-17 helicopter for first time', 'description' => '<h2 style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) all-women crew for first time flew medium-lift Mi-17 helicopter for a battle training mission. The crew comprised Flight Lieutenant Parul Bhardwaj (Captain), who was led the team, Flying Officer Aman Nidhi (Co-pilot)and Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal (Hina Jaiswal). </span></span></span></span></h2> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key Facts</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The all women crew flew Mi-17 V5 helicopter for Battle Inoculation Training mission taking off and landing from restricted areas at a forward air base in South Western air command.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Flt Lt Parul Bhardwaj hails from Mukerian in Punjab and is first woman pilot to fly Mi-17 V5. Flt Lt Hina Jaiswal from Chandigarh is the first woman flight engineer of Indian Air Force (IAF). Flying officer Aman Nidhi hails from Ranchi, Jharkhand and is also first woman IAF pilot from the state.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The pilots had undergone their basic flying training at Helicopter Training School at Air Force Station Hakimpet (Telangan) followed by advanced training at Air Force Station Yelahanka (Karnataka).</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The helicopter was certified airworthy by unit engineering officer and Squadron Leader Richa Adhikari.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'iaf-all-women-crew-mi-17-helicopter', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/d51f/dni7mp48gc90a4q6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/d51f/dni7mp48gc90a4q6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'IAF’s all-women crew flies Mi-17 helicopter for first time', 'metakeyword' => 'IAF’s all-women crew flies Mi-17 helicopter for first time', 'metadescription' => 'IAF’s all-women crew flies Mi-17 helicopter for first time, Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) all-women crew for first time flew medium-lift Mi-17 helicopter for a battle training mission.', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/crttchclveea544/IAF%C6s_all-women_crew_flies_Mi-17_helicopter_for_first_time.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 19 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 1302, 'title' => 'Mohana Singh: 1st woman IAF pilot operational on Hawk advanced jet aircraft', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Flight Lt Mohana Singh has become the first woman fighter pilot of Indian Air Force (IAF) to fly by day on Hawk advanced jet aircraft. She achieved this feat after after gruelling 4 Aircraft combat sortie and landed at Air Force station, Kalaikunda , West Bengal, which was the last syllabus sortie, of being fully operational on the Hawk Jets. She was one of three women pilots inducted in the fighter stream of the IAF in 2016.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About Mohana Singh</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Her intense induction training involved flying both air-to-ground and air-to-air combat missions. She had undertaken many practice missions which involved firing of guns, rockets and dropping high calibre bombs. She also had participated in various Air Force level flying exercises. She has over total 500 hours of incident-free flying of which 380 hours are on the Hawk Mk 132 jet.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Note:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> Flight Lt Mohana Singh is among three women officers along with Bhawana Kanth and Avani Chaturvadi who were first batch of women pilots to join fighter stream of IAF in June 2016. Earlier in May 2019, Flight Lt Bhawana Kanth also had created history by becoming the first daytime woman fighter pilot to fly MiG-21 Bison.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'mohana-singh-1st-woman-iaf-pilot-operational', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/9243/tzhyk1mpd6mk69m6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/9243/tzhyk1mpd6mk69m6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Mohana Singh: 1st woman IAF pilot to become operational on Haw', 'metakeyword' => 'Flight Lt Mohana Singh, first woman fighter pilot, Indian Air Force, fly by day, Hawk advanced jet aircraft', 'metadescription' => 'Flight Lt Mohana Singh has become the first woman fighter pilot of Indian Air Force (IAF) to fly by day on Hawk advanced jet aircraft.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/gfpx7c7h3g84gqp/Mohana_Singh_1st_woman_IAF_pilot.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 20 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 1331, 'title' => 'Indian Army commissions air quality monitor station at Fort William', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Indian Army has commissioned "Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS)" at its Eastern Command headquarters in William Military Station, Kolkata, West Bengal as part of its countrywide 'Go Green' initiative. It will be overall sixth CAAQMS in Kolkata. It will monitor air pollution of city on real time basis and its readings will be considered a benchmark of quality.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key Facts</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">CAAQMS at William Military station will measure air pollution such as SO2, NO, NO2, NH3, CO, O3, VOC and particulate matters (PM 10 and PM 2.5) continuously throughout the year.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It will also display ambient temperature, wind speed, direction, relative humidity, solar radiation, barometric pressure and rain gauge. </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The data collected by this station can be remotely monitored on internet and collated into various desired formats. </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It can also be used by West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) or any other local or international weather monitoring bodies.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'indian-army-commissions-caaqms-fort-william', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/2e5c/r9ay801qm5hrf4z6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/2e5c/r9ay801qm5hrf4z6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Indian Army commissions air quality monitor station', 'metakeyword' => 'Indian Army has commissioned "Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS), Eastern Command headquarters,William Military Station, Kolkata,', 'metadescription' => 'Indian Army has commissioned "Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS), Eastern Command headquarters,William Military Station, Kolkata,', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/2b0ww2ote2qk19b/Indian_Army_commissions_air_quality_monitor_station_at_Fort_William.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 21 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 1464, 'title' => '20th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas to be observed in July 2019', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Indian will celebrate this year 20th anniversary of victory in Kargil war or operation Vijay (also called Kargil Vijay Diwas) for three days from 25 July to 27 July 2019 at Dras (Jammu and Kashmir) and New Delhi. The theme for this year’s celebration will be – “<em>Remember, Rejoice and Renew</em>”. The objective of these celebrations is to evoke feeling of nationalism and patriotism through nationwide campaigns especially amongst youth and to pay homage to the valiant soldiers. </span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India-Pakistan Kargil War </span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It had taken place between May and July of 1999 in Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir. It was started after infiltration of both Pakistani troops and terrorists deep inside Indian territory in strategic positions that overlooked the only road link between Srinagar and Leh.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The conflict is believed to have been orchestrated by then Pakistan army chief General Pervez Musharraf without knowledge of then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Following this illegal infiltration and occupation of strategic positions, Indian Army had launched “Operation Vijay”. It was also supported by Indian Air Force’s operation Safed Sagar. It was for first time air power at height of 32,000 feet. </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">This Indo-Pak is always remembered for its strategic and tactical surprises, self-imposed national strategy of restraint in keeping war limited to Kargil - Siachen Sectors and swiftly executed co-ordinated tri-services military strategy and plans.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => '20th-anniversary-kargil-vijay-diwas', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/9087/6ic2yuk96pdug9c6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/9087/6ic2yuk96pdug9c6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => '20th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas', 'metakeyword' => 'Indian will celebrate this year 20th anniversary of victory in Kargil war or operation Vijay , also called Kargil Vijay Diwas for three days', 'metadescription' => 'Indian will celebrate this year 20th anniversary of victory in Kargil war or operation Vijay , also called Kargil Vijay Diwas for three days', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/yllbp6b94a2btvb/20th_anniversary.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 22 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 1510, 'title' => 'Operation Bandar: IAF's code name for Balakot air strikes', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The Indian Air Force (IAF) air strike mission to bomb Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist hideout in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26, 2019 was codenamed 'Operation Bandar (Monkey)’. This cross-border airstrike was rare instance when Indian Air Force (IAF) for first time crossed Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and bombed targets in Pakistani territory.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Why code named Operation Bandar?</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The code name was given as nondescript, mundane tag to air strikes, in order to maintain secrecy and ensure that plans about Balakot operations are not leak out. However, there was not any specific reason behind name chosen but in general monkeys had cultural significance and held special place in India’s war culture such as in Ramayana, where Lord Rama’s lieutenant Lord Hanuman swiftly sneaked into Lanka and destroyed entire capital city of Ravana. </span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Balakot Airstrike</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It was termed as "intelligence-led, non-military, pre-emptive" operation aimed at targeting camp run by JeM in Balakot, a town located in the Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. It was conducted in response to February 14, 2019 Pulwama suicide attack, in which 40 jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed. JeM had claimed responsibility for Pulwama suicide bombing. Two weeks later, under Operation Bandar, IAF’s Mirage-2000 fighter jets took off from their home airbases in Gwalor India before dawn on February 26, crossed LoC in J&K and targetted JeM terror camp in Balakot with precision, guided SPICE missiles.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'operation-bandar-code-name-balakot-air-strikes', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/4776/3x8a4wa1yduudmn6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/4776/3x8a4wa1yduudmn6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Operation Bandar: IAF's code name for Balakot air strikes', 'metakeyword' => 'The Indian Air Force (IAF) air strike mission to bomb Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist hideout in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26, 2019 was codenamed 'Operation Bandar (Monkey)’', 'metadescription' => 'The Indian Air Force (IAF) air strike mission to bomb Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist hideout in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26, 2019 was codenamed 'Operation Bandar (Monkey)’', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/27v8i0k7hvw34dc/Operation_Bandar_IAF%27s_code_name.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 23 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 1855, 'title' => 'Defence Ministry clears acquisition of 2 BrahMos supersonic missile batteries for Navy', 'description' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Context: </strong>To give a boost to indigenisation, the <strong>Defence Acquisition Council </strong>(DAC), <strong>chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, </strong>accorded <strong>approval for procurement of indigenous Software Defined Radio (SDR) and Next Generation Maritime Mobile Coastal Batteries (NGMMCB) for the Indian Navy.</strong></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Highlights: </strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The MoD has cleared <strong>acquisition of SDR and NGMMCB for armed forces</strong></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indigenously developed equipment are <strong>of the latest generation</strong></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">These equipment would give a <strong>fillip to government's Make in India initiative</strong></span></span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>About the SDR: </strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The SDR is a complex and <strong>state-of-the-art communication system </strong>which has been <strong>indigenously designed and developed by</strong> <strong>DRDO, BEL and Weapons Electronics System Engineering Establishment (WESEE).</strong></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The SDR communication system would <strong>enable information sharing, collaboration and situational awareness through high-speed data and secure voice communication with anti-jamming capabilities.</strong></span></span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>About the NGMMCB:</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The NGMMCB has been <strong>developed and manufactured in India by Indo-Russia joint venture </strong>company M/s BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited.</span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Next Generation Maritime Mobile Coastal Batteries (Long Range) would be <strong>fitted with supersonic BrahMos surface-to-surface cruise missiles </strong>and would be <strong>deployed along the coast.</strong></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'defence-ministry-clears-acquisition', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/5366/0ea88in6ibjq15z6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/5366/0ea88in6ibjq15z6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Defence Ministry clears acquisition of 2 BrahMos', 'metakeyword' => 'Defence Ministry clears acquisition, 2 BrahMos supersonic missile', 'metadescription' => 'To give a boost to indigenisation, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded approval', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/bppvsnj2jnknl73/Defence_Ministry_clears_acquisition_of_2_BrahMos.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 24 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 2192, 'title' => 'NATGRID', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) project wants to link social media accounts to the huge database of records related to immigration entry and exit, banking and telephone details.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The project is an online database for organising scattered pieces of information and putting them on one platform. At least 10 central agencies like Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and others will have access to the data on a secured platform.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The NATGRID links intelligence and investigation agencies. The 10 user agencies will be linked independently with certain databases that would be procured from 21 providing organisations and include telecom, tax records, bank, immigration, etc. to enable the generation of intelligence inputs.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The project has been aimed to solve the issue of "entity resolution" through artificial intelligence.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">NATGRID will not only help to trace the current location of the suspect but also aid in backtrack-ability. The processing speed is likely to be much faster.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Functional NATGRID will help in real-time tracking of a terror operative or suspect.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Opposition for NATGRID</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Intelligence agencies have opposed the NATGRID due to fears that it would encroach on their territory and possibly result in leaks on the lead, which they were working, to other agencies.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Linking the database to social media accounts could jeopardise the entire exercise as it could be exposed to unknown virus attacks from open source Internet</span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'natgrid', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/5998/i8g20jgyos755cv6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/5998/i8g20jgyos755cv6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'NATGRID | Intelligence agencies', 'metakeyword' => 'working, to other agencies.Intelligence agencies', 'metadescription' => 'Intelligence agencies have opposed the NATGRID due to fears that it would encroach on their territory and possibly result in leaks on the lead, which they were ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/mnhkfz2xcox84py/NATGRID.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 25 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 2848, 'title' => 'US state department approves sale of arms to India', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The US State Department has approved an arms deal for India valued at just over $1 billion, according to a press statement from the Department of Defense (DoD).</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The sale approval was in response to a Government of India request to buy the guns and 3,500 D349 Projectile, 5”/54 MK 92 MOD 1 Ammunition. The proposed sale will include ammunition, spare parts, training of personnel and equipment, technical data, publications, technical and logistical assistance and transport.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the DoD body that implements the U.S.’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, delivered its certification of the proposed sale to the U.S. Congress.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Congress has a thirty day window from when the certification is received to raise any objections to the sale.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The MK-45 Gun System will provide the capability to conduct antisurface warfare and anti-air defense missions while enhancing interoperability with U.S. and other allied forces.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India is planning to use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>India-US defence agreements</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The U.S. has four foundational agreements that it signs with its defence partners.</span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The first of the four agreements, the <strong>General Security Of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA)</strong>, was signed by India and the U.S. in 2002. The agreement enables the sharing of military intelligence between the two countries and requires each country to protect the others' classified information.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The second agreement, the Logistics <strong>Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA)</strong>, was signed by the two countries on 29 August 2016. The LEMOA permits the military of either country to use the others' bases for re-supplying or carrying out repairs. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The third agreement, <strong>Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA</strong>) was signed during the inaugural 2+2 dialogue in September 2018. It is an India-specific variant of <strong>Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA)</strong> that enables the two countries to share secure communication and exchange information on approved equipment during bilateral and multinational training exercises and operations. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The fourth agreement, <strong>Basic</strong> <strong>Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA)</strong> has not yet been signed. It permits the exchange of unclassified and controlled unclassified geospatial products, topographical, nautical, and aeronautical data, products and services between India and the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Nuclear cooperation</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The India–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement also referred to as the "123 Agreement", is a bilateral agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation which governs civil nuclear trade between American and Indian firms to participate in each other's civil nuclear energy sector.</span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'us-state-department-approves-sale-of-arms-to-india', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/64f2/pkj9np63trk4i4c6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/64f2/pkj9np63trk4i4c6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'US state department approves sale of arms to India', 'metakeyword' => 'US state department approves sale of arms to India', 'metadescription' => 'The US State Department has approved an arms deal for India valued at just over $1 billion, according to a press statement from the Department of Defense (DoD).', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/7j8v77738l52b15/US_state_department_approves_sale_of_arms_to_India.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 26 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 4604, 'title' => 'Importance of Pangong Tso lake', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The recent incidents at the Pangong Tso lake area between Indian and Chinese soldiers on the LAC have brought back the region in the focus.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The disputed boundary between India and China, also known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC), is divided into three sectors: western, middle and eastern. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The countries disagree on the exact location of the LAC in various areas, so much so that India claims that the LAC is 3,488 km long while the Chinese believe it to be around 2,000 km long.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The two armies try and dominate by patrol to the areas up to their respective perceptions of the LAC, often bringing them into conflict and leading to incidents such as those witnessed in Naku La in Sikkim earlier this month.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The LAC mostly passes on the land, but Pangong Tso is a unique case where it passes through the water as well. The points in the water at which the Indian claim ends and Chinese claim begins are not agreed upon mutually.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Most of the clashes between the two armies occur in the disputed portion of the lake. As things stand, 45 km-long western portion of the lake is under Indian control, while the rest is under China’s control.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Pangong Tso Lake</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the Ladakhi language, Pangong means extensive concavity, and Tso is lake in Tibetan.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pangong Tso is a long narrow, deep, endorheic (landlocked) lake situated at a height of more than 14,000 ft in the Ladakh Himalayas. The western end of</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Tso lies 54 km to the southeast of Leh. The 135 km-long lake sprawls over 604 sq km in the shape of a boomerang, and is 6 km wide at its broadest point.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The brackish water lake freezes over in winter, and becomes ideal for ice skating and polo. The legendary 19th century Dogra general Zorawar Singh is said to have trained his soldiers and horses on the frozen Pangong lake before invading Tibet.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">By itself, the lake does not have major tactical significance. But it lies in the path of the Chushul approach, one of the main approaches that China can use for an offensive into Indian-held territory.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'importance-of-pangong-tso-lake', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/bea8/5qb5ycwnlwq5nvv6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/bea8/5qb5ycwnlwq5nvv6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Importance of Pangong Tso lake', 'metakeyword' => 'Importance of Pangong Tso lake', 'metadescription' => 'The recent incidents at the Pangong Tso lake area between Indian and Chinese soldiers on the LAC have brought back the region in the focus.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/e5s5pca5sqvyddz/2.Importance_of_Pangong_Tso_lake.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 27 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 4825, 'title' => 'Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) Road', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The construction of the 255-km long Darbuk-Shyokh-Daulat Beg Oldie (DSDBO) all-weather road is possibly the most consequential reason for Chinese aggression in LAC.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Its strategic importance is that it connects Leh to DBO, virtually at the base of the Karakoram Pass that separates China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region from Ladakh.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">DBO is the northernmost corner of Indian territory in Ladakh, in the area better known in Army parlance as Sub-Sector North.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">DBO has the world’s highest airstrip, originally built during the 1962 war but abandoned until 2008, when the Indian Air Force (IAF) revived it as one of its many Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) along the LAC, with the landing of an Antonov An-32.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Chinese build-up along the Galwan River valley region overlooks, and hence poses a direct threat to the DSDBO road.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The DSDBO highway provides the Indian military access to the section of theTibet-Xinjaing highway that passes through Aksai Chin. The road runs almost parallel to the LAC at Aksai China, that China occupied in the 1950s.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">To the west of DBO is the region where China abuts Pakistan in the Gilgit-Baltistan area, once a part of the erstwhile Kashmir principality.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This is also the critical region where China is currently constructing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), to which India has objected.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Previously an old road, largely a track, existed along the same alignment as the pucca road, but was practically unusable during summer due to the flooding of the snow-fed <strong>Shyok</strong> river – or River of Death – and its tributaries, including the <strong>Chip Chap, Galwan, </strong>and<strong> Chang Chenmo</strong> that crisscross it.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The Shyok river itself is a tributary of the Indus, flowing through northern Ladakh and Gilgit-Baltistan. It eventually re-joins the <strong>Indus</strong> at Keris.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p> <img alt="" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/b208/kqlkykkfs67ol0x6g.jpg" style="height:204px; width:306px" /></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'daulat-beg-oldie-dbo-road', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/ed37/sevehnulrxp05rv6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/ed37/sevehnulrxp05rv6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) Road', 'metakeyword' => 'Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) Road', 'metadescription' => 'The construction of the 255-km long Darbuk-Shyokh-Daulat Beg Oldie (DSDBO) all-weather road is possibly the most consequential reason for Chinese aggression in LAC.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/lubm9vx48c09c6o/3.Daulat_Beg_Oldie_%2528DBO%2529_Road_%2528D%2526S%2529.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 28 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 4887, 'title' => 'Strategic importance of Ladakh to India and China', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Ladakh and its surrounding area of Aksai Chin has been in news due to the contention between India and China to extend their sovereignty.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In July 1958, an official monthly magazine in China named <em>China pictorial</em> published a map of the country that would become a bone of contention between India and its East Asian neighbour.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The importance of Ladakh to both India and China is rooted in complicated historical processes that led to the territory becoming part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and China’s interest in it post the occupation of Tibet in 1950.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Up until the Dogra invasion of 1834, Ladakh was an independent Himalayan state, much the same way as Bhutan and Sikkim. Ladakh was part of the Tibetan empire which broke up after the assassination of King Langdarma in 742 CE. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Thereafter it became an independent kingdom, though its borders fluctuated at different periods of its history and, at times included much of what is now western Tibet.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Economically, the importance of the region stemmed from the fact that it was an entrepôt between central Asia and Kashmir. At the same time, there was a flourishing trade route across the Karakorum pass to Yarkand and Kashgar to Chinese Turkestan.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The British legacy of the map of the territory though continued to remain the ground upon which India laid its claim on the area. The claims of both governments rested in part on the legacy of imperialism; British imperialism (for India), and Chinese imperialism (over Tibet) for China.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The annexation of Tibet by the People’s Republic of China in 1950 sparked newfound interest in Ladakh, and particularly so after the 1959 Tibetan uprising that erupted in Lhasa when the Dalai Lama fled into exile and was granted political asylum in India.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">There are two main reasons for rising conflict. Firstly, up to 2013 India’s infrastructural development in that area was minimal. From 2013, India started pushing for infrastructure projects there and by 2015, it became a major defence priority.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Second is the August 5, 2019 decision (to remove the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and downgrade the state into two Union Territories). From the Chinese point of view, they would have assumed that if India makes Ladakh a Union Territory, they would be reasserting its control over the entire state.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'strategic-importance-of-ladakh-to-india-and-china', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/4628/gbf4rxoyp28x9st6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/4628/gbf4rxoyp28x9st6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Strategic importance of Ladakh to India and China', 'metakeyword' => 'Strategic importance of Ladakh to India and China', 'metadescription' => 'Ladakh and its surrounding area of Aksai Chin has been in news due to the contention between India and China to extend their sovereignty.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/pkmzfjavliciut0/5.Strategic.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 29 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 4876, 'title' => 'Strategic importance of Galwan valley', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh saw a violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops on June 15 resulting in casualties on either side, has strategic significance because of its proximity to the vital road link to Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO).</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) is the world’s highest landing ground that lies close to the Line of Actual Control and serves as an important aerial supply line.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India is engaged in building up border infrastructure in this area, including the all weather 255 km Darbul-Shayok- DBO road. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The road runs almost parallel-at places very close-to the LAC and extends up to the base of the Karakoram pass, which when complete, will reduce the travel time from Leh to DBO from the present two days to just six hours. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Road and bridge construction works have recently been speeded up with a large number of labourers being ferried in.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Galwan valley connects with Shyok on the road under construction and lies between DBO and Chushul to the south near Pangon Tso, another hot spot, providing convenient access to Shyok and the areas beyond.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Control of the ridgeline along the valley also allows domination of the road. Looking eastwards, control of the Galwan valley gives access to the Aksai Chin plateau, through which part of the Xinjiang-Tibet highway passes.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The road serves a vital peace time role in maintaining forward posts and building up reserves. An alternate route to DBO is being developed from a different axis in Ladakh that has adequate depth from the LAC.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Galwan river is to the west of China's 1956 claim line in Aksai Chin. However, in 1960 China advanced its claim line to the west of the river along the mountain ridge adjoining the Shyok river valley. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">During the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict, Indian posts in the Galwan Sector were attacked and overwhelmed by the Chinese, resulting in casualties and some prisoners-of-war. After the war, this sector largely remained dormant till the recent face-offs.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'strategic-importance-of-galwan-valley', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/be9c/uwzh5wqjzk6e9e96g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/be9c/uwzh5wqjzk6e9e96g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Strategic importance of Galwan valley', 'metakeyword' => 'Strategic importance of Galwan valley', 'metadescription' => 'The Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh saw a violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops on June 15 resulting in casualties on either side, has strategic significance', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/b7jnxc56w54hqgf/4.Strategic.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 30 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 5004, 'title' => 'New weapons deployed by government', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajanth Singh has cleared several proposals that will boost the combat capabilities of all three services—Army, Navy and the Air Force.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">As the government expects the standoff with China to continue well into the winters, the armed forces are ready for the long-haul.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Pinaka missile system</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It will enable raising additional regiments over and above the ones already inducted. It is an all-weather, indirect fire, free flight artillery rocket system<strong>.</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Pinaka weapon system consists of Rocket, Multi Barrel Rocket launcher, Battery Command Post, Loader cum Replenishment Vehicle, Replenishment Vehicle and Digicora MET Radar.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Astra Missiles</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Astra Missiles, with Beyond Visual Range capability will serve as a force multiplier and immensely add to the strike capability of Navy and Air Force.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The BVR class of Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) system is designed to be mounted on fighter aircraft and can be engaged to destroy highly manoeuvring supersonic aircraft.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>MIG 29 and Su-30 MKI</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is a twin-engine, multirole fighter jets, developed by the Soviets in the 1970s, but has been upgraded since. Russia will also upgrade existing 59 Mig-29 aircraft of India.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Long-Range Land Attack Cruise Missile Systems (LRLACM)</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is aimed at enhancing India’s firing range from between 400 km and 500 km of the Brahmos to 1000 km. The seeker development and testing by DRDO laboratories, it said, are demonstrated and is at a high-level of readiness. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The proposed development of fully indigenous long-range land-attack cruise missile can greatly enhance the operational capability of services.</span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'new-weapons-deployed-by-government', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/955b/otag78ivpbixbyp6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/955b/otag78ivpbixbyp6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'New weapons deployed by government', 'metakeyword' => 'New weapons deployed by government', 'metadescription' => 'The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajanth Singh has cleared several proposals that will boost the combat capabilities', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/3cl9qc3skxjjikn/3.New_weapons_deployed_by_government.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 31 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 5024, 'title' => 'Winter diesel', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India’s armed forces may soon be using winter diesel for operations in high altitude areas such as Ladakh, where winter temperatures plummet to extremely low levels.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has sought approval from the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) of the armed forces to approve winter diesel that is said to be usable at temperatures as low as -30° celsius.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Winter diesel is a specialised fuel that was introduced by IOCL last year specifically for high altitude regions and low-temperature regions such as Ladakh, where ordinary diesel can become unusable. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The flow characteristics of regular diesel change at such low temperatures and using it may be detrimental to vehicles. Winter diesel which contains additives to maintain lower viscosity can be used in temperatures as low as -30°C.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Besides a low pour point, it had a higher cetane rating, an indicator of combustion speed of diesel and compression needed for ignition— and lower sulphur content, which would lead to lower deposits in engines and better performance.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Before the launch of winter diesel, consumers in areas that reached such low temperatures were using kerosene to dilute diesel to make it usable, which would lead to more air pollution.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">IOC may begin supplying winter diesel to the armed forces once its use is approved by the Controllerate of Quality Assurance for petroleum products under the Directorate General for Quality Assurance of the armed forces.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">While experts expect that demand may rise given the border tensions, the demand for DHPP-W from the armed forces has not increased significantly since the clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan valley in Ladakh.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'winter-diesel', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/978a/rno3fy7zedc29dh6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/978a/rno3fy7zedc29dh6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Winter diesel', 'metakeyword' => 'Winter diesel', 'metadescription' => 'India's armed forces may soon be using winter diesel for operations in high altitude areas such as Ladakh, where winter temperatures plummet to extremely low levels', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/jif8pm84js7pwlp/3.Winter_diesel.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 32 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 5152, 'title' => 'India and Nepal military ties', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On July 10, a soldier from Nepal serving in the Ghurkha regiment, was killed in cross-border firing along the Line of Control in the Nowshera sector of Jammu. This comes amidst a strain in Indo-Nepali ties.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The soldier’s supreme sacrifice is a reminder about the strong ties between the Indian and Nepalese armed forces. Soldiers from Nepal form a significant part of the Indian Army’s legendary Ghurkha regiment. </span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India’s military connection with the Himalayan country goes back to the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh whose army in Lahore enlisted Nepalese soldiers called Lahure or soldiers of fortune.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">British India raised the first battalion of the Ghurkha Regiment as the Nasiri regiment on April 24, 1815. By the time the First World War started, there were 10 Ghurkha regiments in the British Indian Army.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">When India got freedom, these regiments were divided between the British and Indian armies as per the Britain–India–Nepal Tripartite Agreement signed in November 1947. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Nepalis can join the Indian Army, both as a jawan and as an officer. A citizen of Nepal can take the National Defence Academy or Combined Defence Services exams and join the Indian Army as an officer.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Nepalese army also sends its officers for training to India’s military academies and combat colleges. The Ghurkha regiments, which have 35 battalions, recruit a large number of troops from Nepal.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Nepali soldiers enjoy the same benefits as the India troops both during service and after retirement. They get the same medical facilities as the Indian soldiers, and often medical teams from the Indian Army tour Nepal. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Unlike the British, who started giving the Nepalese soldiers pension only a few years ago, the Indian Army has never discriminated against the Nepalese soldiers, who can avail of healthcare facilities in India as well. The Indian Army also runs welfare projects in Nepal villages, including small water and power projects.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">There is a convention that dates back to 1972 when then Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, a Ghurkha regiment officer was made the honorary chief of the Nepalese army. Ever since the Army chief of India is the honorary chief of the Nepalese army and vice-versa.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-and-nepal-military-ties', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/3593/s6kr83k7oi9uc4l6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/3593/s6kr83k7oi9uc4l6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India and Nepal military ties', 'metakeyword' => 'India and Nepal military ties', 'metadescription' => 'On July 10, a soldier from Nepal serving in the Ghurkha regiment, was killed in cross-border firing along the Line of Control in the Nowshera sector of Jammu.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/qru6lykqivkwlmq/2.India+and+Nepal+military+ties.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 33 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 5449, 'title' => 'Security audit of telecom networks', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is all set to direct telecom companies to undertake an “information security audit” of their networks and submit the report by October end.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">An information security audit is a step-by-step assessment of the complete network infrastructure which checks for the equipment installed and the latest upgrades done in order to prevent any data leakages.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The auditors also check the data storage and security policies of the company and check whether all sections of the company adhere to the norms set by the company itself.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Apart from that, some auditing agencies also launch a controlled bug into the network of the company to check for vulnerabilities, and see what all systems are being impacted.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The objective of the audit is also to check for ‘backdoor’ and ‘trapdoor’ vulnerabilities. A ‘backdoor’ or a ‘trap door’ is a bug installed in the telecom hardware which allows companies to listen in or collect data being shared on the network.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The audit is likely to increase the scrutiny on Chinese companies Huawei Telecommunication Company and ZTE, which have been alleged to spy for the Chinese government.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Apart from the US, other countries such as the UK and Australia have also banned both the Chinese companies on “national security” concerns with the same allegations.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The DoT is likely to suggest to the companies that the external audit should be done only by an agency empanelled with Cert-IN. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This means that the audit will no longer remain a commercial compliance norm for the company, but will also look into the national security aspects of the telecom network.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Though such internal and external audits are done by companies every three or four years, it will be the first time that the audit will be done by an agency specified by the DoT. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The report of the audit is likely to help DoT put in a concrete plan to bar Chinese vendors from the Indian telecom market space if any problems are found.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'security-audit-of-telecom-networks', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/a48b/pgam5iq0pko4cve6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/a48b/pgam5iq0pko4cve6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Security audit of telecom networks', 'metakeyword' => 'Security audit of telecom networks', 'metadescription' => 'The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is all set to direct telecom companies to undertake an “information security audit” of their networks and submit the report', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/jdgg89usic624x8/1.Security+audit+of+telecom+networks.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 34 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 5644, 'title' => 'Significance of Chushul', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Chushul sub-sector has come into focus in the standoff between the Indian and PLA troops following the movement that took place on the intervening night of August 29 and 30.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Chushul sub-sector lies south of Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh. It comprises high, broken mountains and heights of Thatung, Black Top, Helmet Top, Gurung Hill, and Magger Hill besides passes such as Rezang La and Rechin La, the Spanggur Gap, and the Chushul valley.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Situated at a height of over 13,000 feet close to the LAC, the Chushul Valley has a vital airstrip that played an important role even during the 1962 War with China.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Chushul is one among the five Border Personnel Meeting points between the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army of China.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Chushul enjoys tremendous strategic and tactical importance because of its location and terrain, which make it a centre for logistics deployment.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This sector has plains that are a couple of kilometres wide, where mechanised forces, including tanks, can be deployed. Its airstrip and connectivity by road to Leh add to its operational advantages.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indian troops have now secured the ridgeline in this sub-sector that allows them to dominate the Chushul bowl on the Indian side, and Moldo sector on the Chinese side.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">They also have a clear sight of the almost 2-km-wide Spanggur gap, which the Chinese used in the past to launch attacks on this sector in the 1962 War.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India’s move has neutralised the advantage that China gained when it secured areas between Finger 4 and Finger 8 on the northern bank of the Pangong Tso.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The harsh winter that lasts for eight months of the year poses a big challenge. It is very difficult to dig in, and make shelters on the ridgeline. The Pangong Tso also freezes, making movement between its north and south banks possible.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'significance-of-chushul', 'image' => '', 'fbimage' => '', 'metatitle' => 'Significance of Chushul', 'metakeyword' => 'Significance of Chushul', 'metadescription' => 'The Chushul sub-sector has come into focus in the standoff between the Indian and PLA troops following the movement that took place on the intervening', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => '', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 35 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 5654, 'title' => 'Border tourism in Uttarakhand', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the backdrop of repeated Chinese incursions along the LAC, the Centre is planning to build a second line of defence in villages bordering China by relaxing tourism-related activities.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The first step in the direction will be to free some parts of the Gangotri area in Uttarakhand from the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system. Uttarakhand has a 350-km border with China.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Government agree that there should be some tourism and economic activity so that the border villages remain inhabited.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Uttarakhand has also decided to provide subsidy for the installation of mobile phone towers in the remote border villages, which are currently mostly out of network coverage area.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">There have been demands for relaxation of the ILP even in the tribal areas of Kumaon. These areas are seeing intrusions from Nepal, with some foreigners settling in border villages, along with an increased use of satellite phones.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The ILP system restricts movement in areas close to the border for everyone other than those with a formal permission from the Union Home Ministry.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Several experts have advocated greater human activity on the Indian side of the border, including more settlements and tourism activities in the border areas that could act as additional eyes and ears of the security forces, and perform as a second line of defence against external aggression or infiltration.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Relaxing the ILP regime of restrictions would allow for houses in the beautiful border villages to be developed as homestays, and will directly contribute towards helping the village economy.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Such a step will help in the permanent protection of borders, and also generate livelihoods for the local population and discourage them from leaving.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'border-tourism-in-uttarakhand', 'image' => '', 'fbimage' => '', 'metatitle' => 'Border tourism in Uttarakhand', 'metakeyword' => 'Border tourism in Uttarakhand', 'metadescription' => 'In the backdrop of repeated Chinese incursions along the LAC, the Centre is planning to build a second line of defence in villages bordering China by relaxing', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => '', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 36 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 5572, 'title' => 'Vikas Battalion', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A Special Frontier Force (SFF) unit, referred to as Vikas Battalion, has been instrumental in occupying some key heights on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in Ladakh. </span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">SFF was raised in the immediate aftermath of the 1962 Sino-India war. It was a covert outfit which recruited Tibetans (now it has a mixture of Tibetans and Gorkhas) and initially went by the name of Establishment 22.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was named so because it was raised by Major General Sujan Singh Uban, an Artillery officer who had commanded 22 Mountain Regiment.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Subsequently, the group was renamed as Special Frontier Force and it now falls under the purview of the Cabinet Secretariat where it is headed by an Inspector General who is an Army officer of the rank of Major General. The units that comprise the SFF are known as Vikas battalions.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The SFF units are not part of the Army but they function under operational control of the Army. The units have their own rank structures which have equivalent status with Army ranks. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">They are highly trained Special Forces personnel who can undertake a variety of tasks which would normally be performed by any Special Forces unit. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The SFF units function virtually as any other Army unit in operational areas despite having a separate charter and history. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">They have their own training establishment where the recruits to SFF are imparted special forces training. Incidentally, women soldiers too form a part of SFF units and perform specialised tasks.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">There are several overt and covert operations in which SFF units have taken part over the years. They took part in operations in the 1971 war, Operation Blue Star in Golden Temple Amritsar, Kargil conflict and in counter-insurgency operations in the country.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In 1971, the SFF operated in the Chittagong hill tracts in East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) to neutralise Pakistan Army positions and help the Indian Army advance ahead. The operation was code-named ‘Operation Eagle’. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">They were airlifted into operational areas and infiltrated behind enemy lines to destroy lines of communication of Pakistan Army. They also played a vital role in preventing the escape of Pakistan Army personnel from Bangladesh into Burma (now Myanmar).</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'vikas-battalion', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/a8ce/vaobw56ng4exz796g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/a8ce/vaobw56ng4exz796g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Vikas Battalion', 'metakeyword' => 'Vikas Battalion', 'metadescription' => 'A Special Frontier Force (SFF) unit, referred to as Vikas Battalion, has been instrumental in occupying some key heights on the Line of Actual Control (LAC)', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/8a7d7rl8ho3v6s5/3.Vikas+Battalion.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 37 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 5584, 'title' => 'Importance of Pangong Tso south bank', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Indian Army thwarted an attempt by China to change the status quo near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by deploying its troops to a previously un-deployed area on the southern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">While the Pangong Lake has been among the most contentious sectors in the ongoing military standoff, the activity until now had been restricted to the northern bank.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pangong Tso is an <strong>endorheic</strong> lake (landlocked) that is partly in India’s Ladakh region and partly in Tibet. The name reflects the mixed heritage of the lake: Pangong in Ladakhi means extensive concavity, the word Tso is Tibetan for lake.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Karakoram Mountain range, which crosses Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, and India, ends at the north bank of Pangong Tso. Its southern bank too has high broken mountains sloping towards Spangur Lake in the south.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The lake’s water is <strong>brackish</strong>, making it undrinkable. The lake freezes during the winter, allowing some vehicular movement on it as well.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Nearly <strong>two-thirds</strong> of the lake is controlled by <strong>China</strong>, with just about 45 km under Indian control. The LAC, running north-south, cuts the western part of the lake, aligned east-west.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India has traditionally had a stronger presence in the southern bank compared to the north bank, because of its proximity to areas like Chushul and Rezang La.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The area, known as the Chushul approach, is one of the few sectors that can be used as launchpads for an offensive, because of the plains.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">India has occupied a more advantageous position, though still on its side of the LAC, to prevent China from any intrusions in the area.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'importance-of-pangong-tso-south-bank', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/a5d4/gsbk3nnjk4z1sc16g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/a5d4/gsbk3nnjk4z1sc16g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Importance of Pangong Tso south bank', 'metakeyword' => 'Importance of Pangong Tso south bank', 'metadescription' => 'The Indian Army thwarted an attempt by China to change the status quo near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by deploying its troops to a previously un-deployed ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/sagdqwtph1ua6j4/5.Importance+of+Pangong+Tso+south+bank.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 38 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 5702, 'title' => 'Uttarakhand upgrading defence infra on border', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the context of ongoing tensions and territory issues with China<strong> </strong>and Nepal, the Uttarakhand government, along with the defence forces, has taken measures to strengthen infrastructure along its international border.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Uttarakhand shares a 350-km border with China and a 275-km boundary with Nepal. Five of the state’s 13 districts are border districts. Pithoragarh is strategically very sensitive as it has boundaries with both China and Nepal.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the recent development, the Uttarakhand government has agreed to provide land to the Indian Air Force (IAF) to set up air defence radars in three districts bordering China.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The IAF has also proposed to develop a new Advanced Landing Ground to facilitate its activities in the hill areas.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Advanced Landing Ground in Uttarakhand would be useful for refuelling of aircraft, and for loading and unloading of ammunition.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The state cabinet earlier this month approved a proposal for the expansion of a helipad at the Kedarnath shrine in Rudraprayag district to make it suitable for operating the IAF’s Chinook multi-mission choppers.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Uttarakhand cabinet has approved an amendment in the state’s information technology (IT) policy to provide incentives of up to Rs 40 lakh to facilitate private telecom companies to install towers in “dark villages” in which telecommunication facilities are unavailable at present.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Villagers in border areas have traditionally acted as the eyes and ears of the defence forces, and telecommunications are a force multiplier in this regard.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The Uttarakhand State Wildlife Advisory Board gave the go-ahead to transfer over 73 hectares of forest land in Gangotri National Park in Uttarkashi district for the development of roads.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'uttarakhand-upgrading-defence-infra-on-border', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/3d83/jym8jw11o4ck1ul6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/3d83/jym8jw11o4ck1ul6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Uttarakhand upgrading defence infra on border', 'metakeyword' => 'Uttarakhand upgrading defence infra on border', 'metadescription' => 'In the context of ongoing tensions and territory issues with China and Nepal, the Uttarakhand government, along with the defence forces, has taken measures', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/6tigwg9rlo4tr0t/Uttarakhand+upgrading+defence+infra+on+border.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 39 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 5703, 'title' => 'State of play in Ladakh', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The People’s Liberation Army has deployed over two regular divisions along with supporting arms and logistic services as back-up. India too, has about two regular Army divisions supported by the Indian Air Force in this sector now.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the PLA has now occupied many areas which were earlier considered ‘disputed’, that is, lying between Chinese and Indian perceptions of the LAC.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On Finger 4, north of Pangong Tso, the opposing troops are deployed a few hundred metres apart. On the south bank of Pangong Tso, they are occupying heights that overlook each other’s military camps and vital road communications.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The pre-emptive occupation of the Kailash Range by Indian troops on August 29-30, and the PLA’s provocative action on September 7, has made the situation on the ground, particularly in the Chushul sector, is indeed very tense and explosive.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On the north bank of Pangong Tso, there are eight major finger-like spurs coming down to the Tso (lake). From heights along these spurs, one can observe military activity on the north and south banks of Pangong Tso.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In May, the PLA occupied the disputed area, deployed troops on Finger 4, and blocked Indian troops, which used to earlier patrol the areas up to Finger 8.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Heights in the mountains enable observation of the adversary’s military activities in the (visible) area, and the ability to bring down accurate direct and indirect fire on the chosen enemy target.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In Demchok, the PLA has been objecting to India’s non-military developmental activities — road and water channel — for India’s civilian population.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">There has been an LAC-related dispute in the Depsang Plains in Sub Sector North. In April 2013, the PLA troops set up a temporary camp in our area, but later withdrew. They have again occupied some area claimed by us.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the recent incidents, China has deliberately violated all the confidence-building agreements and the perceived alignment of the LAC until now.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The IAF has a crucial role at the strategic and operational levels. Besides its primary role of protecting air space and vulnerable areas/assets, it will be actively engaged in aerial reconnaissance, destroying enemy targets, and providing tactical and logistic support to the Army.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'state-of-play-in-ladakh', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/da4f/7oa82ju6pqohyky6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/da4f/7oa82ju6pqohyky6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'State of play in Ladakh', 'metakeyword' => 'State of play in Ladakh', 'metadescription' => 'The People’s Liberation Army has deployed over two regular divisions along with supporting arms and logistic services as back-up. India too, has about two regular', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/adi69y6zkhuc367/State+of+play+in+Ladakh.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 40 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 5859, 'title' => 'Dismantling of INS Viraat at Alang', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The historic aircraft carrier INS Viraat, beached at Alang on September 28, will continue to stay in its place until a team of workers start dismantling it.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Usually, when a vessel is beached at Alang, it uses the force of high tide as well as its own engine power to glide on to the shore at speeds ranging between 15-20 knots. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Viraat has been secured by iron ropes that are tied to diesel-powered wrenches. This ensures that the vessel does not tilt or change its position during tides and ebbs.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The owners of Shree Ram Group which bought INS Viraat from an auction said their plots were “green ship recycling” yards which have certificates from Hong Kong Convention and European Union. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">As it is a green yard, it is ensured that the ship is not broken down in the sea and the entire vessel is broken once it is dragged to the shore. Cranes are also used to ensure that the broken parts do not fall into the sea.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">During high tide, the sea-facing wrenches which are connected with iron ropes fastened to the aircraft carrier will be switched on. These wrenches will slowly drag the warship to the empty space on the beach.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The ship will need a “cutting permission” from the Gujarat Pollution Control Board and the Gujarat Maritime Board before the dismantling can commence. This will be done after a physical inspection of the ship by different agencies post-beaching.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The oil in engines and other machinery have to be emptied. Old batteries have to be removed. Any flammable liquids including the left-over fuel in the tanks will have to be pumped out. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">These tanks have to be cleaned and made free of any residue gases accumulated inside the fuel tanks. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Once the ship comes on the shore, an independent agency will prepare an Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM). This agency will go on-board, take all samples including the persistent organic pollutants (POPs).</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This IHM acts as a guide and the ship breaker makes marking on board the vessel indicating the hazardous portions of the ship. Then the HAZMAT (hazardous material) team of the ship breaker will remove the hazardous substances before the breaking begins.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Once the cutting begins, hazardous substances like asbestos, batteries, and ozone-depleting gases will have to be tackled and disposed of safely.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Being a naval ship, it not only has a double hull made of steel plates that are several inches thick but also has multiple small compartments which take time to cut and dismantle. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Parts dismantled from ships at Alang are usually recycled or sold. As far as INS Viraat is concerned, automobile companies have already contacted the ship-breaker for the steel salvaged from the warship.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'dismantling-of-ins-viraat-at-alang', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/bbee/q05hiufvueiv7ig6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/bbee/q05hiufvueiv7ig6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Dismantling of INS Viraat at Alang', 'metakeyword' => 'Dismantling of INS Viraat at Alang', 'metadescription' => 'The historic aircraft carrier INS Viraat, beached at Alang on September 28, will continue to stay in its place until a team of workers start dismantling it.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/gn5mui6dun85stn/2.Dismantling_of_INS_Viraat_at_Alang.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 41 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 5864, 'title' => 'Defence offsets', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The government has decided to remove the clause for offsets if the equipment is being bought either through deals or agreements between two countries, or through an ab initio single-vendor deal.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Defence Ministry came up with its latest Defence<strong> </strong>Acquisition<strong> </strong>Procedure<strong> </strong>2020<strong> </strong>(DAP 2020<strong>)</strong>, which comes into effect from October 1. It has changed a 15-year old policy<strong>.</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The offset is an obligation by an international player to boost India’s domestic defence industry if India is buying defence equipment from it. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Since defence contracts are costly, the government wants part of that money either to benefit the Indian industry, or to allow the country to gain in terms of technology.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has defined offsets as a “mechanism generally established with the triple objectives of: (a) partially compensating for a significant outflow of a buyer country’s resources in a large purchase of foreign goods (b) facilitating induction of technology and (c) adding capacities and capabilities of domestic industry”.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">An offset provision in a contract makes it obligatory on the supplier to either “reverse purchase, execute export orders or invest in local industry or in research and development” in the buyer’s domestic industry.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The first policy said that all defence procurements exceeding Rs 300 crore, estimated cost, will entail offset obligations of at least 30%, which could be increased or decreased by the DAC (Defence Acquisition Council).</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The key objective of the Defence Offset Policy is to leverage capital acquisitions to develop Indian defence industry by (i) fostering development of internationally competitive enterprises, (ii) augmenting capacity for Research, Design and Development related to defence products and services and (iii) encouraging development of synergistic sectors like civil aerospace, and internal security”.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Methods of offsets</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Direct purchase of, or executing export orders for, eligible products manufactured by, or services provided by Indian enterprises</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Foreign Direct Investment in joint ventures with Indian enterprises (equity investment) for eligible products and services</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Investment in ‘kind’ in terms of transfer of technology (TOT) to Indian enterprises, through joint ventures or through the non-equity route for eligible products and services</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Investment in ‘kind’ in Indian enterprises in terms of provision of equipment through the non-equity route for manufacture and/or maintenance of products and services</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Provision of equipment and/or TOT to government institutions and establishments engaged in the manufacture and/or maintenance of eligible products, and provision of eligible services, including DRDO (as distinct from Indian enterprises).</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Technology acquisition by DRDO in areas of high technology.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'defence-offsets', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/68c5/k271bdsy5d8p4av6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/68c5/k271bdsy5d8p4av6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Defence offsets', 'metakeyword' => 'Defence offsets', 'metadescription' => 'The government has decided to remove the clause for offsets if the equipment is being bought either through deals or agreements between two countries,', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/m13bc67e5lidmzz/2.Defence_offsets.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 42 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 5680, 'title' => 'India – China five points action plan', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Foreign Ministers of India and China, arrived at a ‘Five Points’ agreement<strong> </strong>to reduce the prevailing tension on the Ladakh border.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The process of dialogue between the nations is vital especially when the two are neighbours with strained relations. </span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is in keeping with the Chinese policy of ‘talking and fighting simultaneously’. Besides, it also lent credence to the role of Moscow in setting up the stage for the talks. Some experts have termed these talks as stepping back from the brink of war which it is not.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The genesis of the current stand-off was the aggression undertaken by the PLA in the form of incursions by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Given the scale, extent, and timing, the operation was well planned at the highest level.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The conflict situation consists of actions such as building fortifications, clashes between patrolling parties, laying of mines, air intrusions alongside certain provocative political actions.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> India’s counteraction at Chushul<strong> </strong>by way of the occupation of Kailash Range on August 29-30 took the escalation to a higher level, but well below the threshold of conflict.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The de-escalation process starts with gradual disengagement of troops alongside the dismantling of war-waging infrastructure, pulling back, and finally withdrawal to the designated locations.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Five points action plan</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">• The 1993 ‘Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility Agreement’ forms the basis of all followup agreements.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">• 1996 ‘Confidence Building Measures’ denounced the use of force</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">• 2005 ‘Standard Operating Procedures’ and patrolling modalities.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">• 2012 ‘Process of Consultation and Cooperation’</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">• 2013 ‘Border Cooperation Agreement’, signed as a sequel to Depsang intrusion by PLA</span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-china-five-points-action-plan', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/977e/5wpgy33r6dgo80s6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/977e/5wpgy33r6dgo80s6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India – China five points action plan', 'metakeyword' => 'India – China five points action plan', 'metadescription' => 'The Foreign Ministers of India and China, arrived at a ‘Five Points’ agreement to reduce the prevailing tension on the Ladakh border.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/8hglw0c678sak97/1.India__China_five_points_action_plan.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 43 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 5713, 'title' => 'Nature of Cyber threat from China', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">An investigation has spotlighted an elaborate operation by a technology company with links to the government in Beijing and the Chinese Communist Party, to keep tabs on a very large number of individuals and entities in India.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The company, Zhenhua Data Information Technology Co. Limited, calls itself a pioneer in using big data for “hybrid warfare” and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">China’s authoritarian government, ruling party, military, and many private companies frequently operate as a giant, coordinated operation, of which countries around the world are targets.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was soon after the Gulf War of 1991 that the Chinese realised that the days of conventional warfare were rapidly coming to an end.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">They analysed that if they get into the ICT (information and communications technology), they could leapfrog a couple of generations and get ahead. This decision also coincided with China turning into the electronics factory of the world.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In 2003, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and China’s Central Military Commission officially approved the concept of “Three Warfares”, comprising psychological, media, and legal warfare. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was then decided at the highest levels that the PLA should be an army ready to fight a war in the information domain by 2020.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Unit 61398 is the ‘Military unit Cover Designator’ (MuCD) of the PLA’s Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) unit that has been accused of several computer hacking attacks.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">China started a policy of weaponising its existing manufacturing capability of civilian products for military purposes by leveraging the control over any instrument by the original equipment manufacturer.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Chinese use the information for kompromat, a Russian term for any information that can compromise a person, and which can therefore, be used to blackmail him/her.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">In 2017, China passed a law under which all Chinese companies were supposed to assist the country’s intelligence-gathering operations.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'nature-of-cyber-threat-from-china', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/937a/788vo08jqbb0ccn6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/937a/788vo08jqbb0ccn6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Nature of Cyber threat from China', 'metakeyword' => 'Nature of Cyber threat from China', 'metadescription' => 'An investigation has spotlighted an elaborate operation by a technology company with links to the government in Beijing and the Chinese Communist Party,', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/pljawfqk7kh6n7c/4.Nature_of_Cyber_threat_from_China.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 44 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 5788, 'title' => 'Women in armed forces', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Indian Navy has announced selection of two women officers as Observers in the helicopter stream, making them first women airborne combatants who would be operating from warships.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Supreme Court had upheld that the women Short Service Commission officers in the Navy were eligible for Permanent Commission. The Navy had also inducted the first woman pilot in December last year.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Prior to 1992, women officers were inducted in the Navy only in the medical stream from the Armed Forces Medical Service.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">From July 1992, the Navy started inducting women, initially through a special entry scheme and later through the Short Service Commission, in only select branches of the Navy. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Over the years, various branches were added to the list, and currently women officers can join the Navy in the streams of Air Traffic Control, Observers, Law, Logistics, Education, Naval Architecture, Pilots in Maritime Reconnaissance Stream only, and the Naval Armament Inspectorate. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It needs to be noted like in the Army and the Air Force, women are currently only inducted as Commissioned Officers and not in Other Ranks which are of categories of Junior Commissioned Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Entry in the helicopter stream means that women officers can now be deployed on frontline warships from which helicopters can operate.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In terms of various challenges towards deployment of women onboard warships, the logistics part is not as challenging as one would imagine.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The question of mindset and gender sensitization, on the other hand, is something many believe would require concerted efforts, and concrete steps are being taken in that direction.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">While women officers appreciate the support of many male military leaders in these processes, they also highlight the resistance from the system as a whole.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Women officers hope that these developments would result in them being posted at commanding positions on the ships which are a key for career advancements in the operational streams.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'women-in-armed-forces', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/1eda/mcwb1vu7ttnnsdp6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/1eda/mcwb1vu7ttnnsdp6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Women in armed forces', 'metakeyword' => 'Women in armed forces', 'metadescription' => 'The Indian Navy has announced selection of two women officers as Observers in the helicopter stream, making them first women airborne combatants who would', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/6inby1lxhnmxhmb/1.Women_in_armed_forces.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 45 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 6102, 'title' => 'Infantry day', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Army establishments across the country are today marking ‘Infantry Day’ and paying homage to the thousands of infantry soldiers who have laid down their lives in the line of duty. </span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was on this day that first Indian infantry soldiers took part in an action to defend Indian territory from external aggression. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On October 26, 1947 the then Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh, signed the instrument of accession, making his state a part of Indian dominion, and thus paving the day for Indian troops to be deployed in the state to fight against Pakistani invaders.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pakistan had poured in thousands of regular soldiers in the grab of tribals of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) into J&K with the aim of forcibly occupying the state and integrating it into Pakistan. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The initial resistance to the invaders was given by the state forces of J&K. On October 26, after the Maharaja signed the instrument of accession the way was paved for India to send in its troops and ward off the Pakistani invaders.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Seven Dakota aircraft were assembled at Palam airport on the morning of October 27 with each scheduled to do two sorties each to airlift the troops of 1 Sikh and their equipment. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Dakotas took to air carrying first Indian infantry soldiers and a battery of artillery troops into J&K where they would make history by saving the Srinagar airfield from the Pakistani invaders.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Had 1 Sikh not been airlifted into Srinagar on time the airfield would have fallen into the hands of Pakistani invaders. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">With the road link extremely tenuous, this would have meant that getting Indian troops into Srinagar would have been a time-consuming task and would have given ample opportunity to Pakistan to reinforce its invaders through air and thus occupying the Valley.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'infantry-day', 'image' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/f82c/xq1y8mb2fbuih2o6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/f82c/xq1y8mb2fbuih2o6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Infantry day', 'metakeyword' => 'Infantry day', 'metadescription' => 'Army establishments across the country are today marking ‘Infantry Day’ and paying homage to the thousands of infantry soldiers who have laid down their lives', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/0j4gfak7vf6ebul/1.Infantry_day.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 46 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 6114, 'title' => 'BECA pact with US', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India and the United States signed the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA),<strong> </strong>which is the third foundational pact for military cooperation.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India had earlier signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) and the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA).</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">BECA will help India get real-time access to American geospatial intelligence that will enhance the accuracy of automated systems and weapons like missiles and armed drones. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Through the sharing of information on maps and satellite images, it will help India access topographical and aeronautical data, and advanced products that will aid in navigation and targeting.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This could be key to Air Force-to-Air Force cooperation between India and the US. BECA will provide Indian military systems with a high-quality GPS to navigate missiles with real-time intelligence to precisely target the adversary.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Besides the sailing of ships, flying of aircraft, fighting of wars, and location of targets, geospatial intelligence is also critical to the response to natural disasters.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The strengthening of the mechanisms of cooperation between the two militaries must be seen in the context of an increasingly aggressive China, which threatens a large number of countries in its neighbourhood and beyond.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">While LEMOA means one partner trusts the other enough to expose its valuable assets, COMCASA means one is confident that it can rely on encrypted systems to connect the two militaries. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">And the latest pact, BECA, means the countries can share highly classified information in real time without fear of being compromised.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>LEMOA</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">LEMOA was the first of the three pacts to be signed in August 2016.<strong> </strong>LEMOA allows the militaries of the US and India to replenish from each other’s bases, and access supplies, spare parts, and services from each other’s land facilities, air bases, and ports, which can then be reimbursed.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">LEMOA is extremely useful for India-US Navy-to-Navy cooperation, since the two countries are cooperating closely in the Indo-Pacific. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The signing of LEMOA was in itself an affirmation of the mutual trust between the two militaries, and its application will enhance the trust. </span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>COMCASA</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The pact allows the US to provide India with its encrypted communications equipment and systems so that Indian and US military commanders, and the aircraft and ships of the two countries, can communicate through secure networks during times of both peace and war. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The signing of COMCASA paved the way for the transfer of communication security equipment from the US to India to facilitate “interoperability” between their forces — and potentially with other militaries that use US-origin systems for secure data links.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'beca-pact-with-us', 'image' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/4918/mntk0bgk9fjtriv6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/4918/mntk0bgk9fjtriv6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'BECA pact with US', 'metakeyword' => 'BECA pact with US', 'metadescription' => 'India had earlier signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) and the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA).', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/lh46h2l81d0shdc/3.BECA_pact_with_US.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 47 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 6164, 'title' => 'QUAD and Malabar exercise', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Australia’s participation in the annual Malabar exercises marks the emergence of the Quad as a new feature of the Indo-Pacific geopolitics.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">After the withdrawal of Australia from QUAD in 2008, the grouping took a backseat. After the resurgence of Chinese threats, the group is being revived.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>QUAD</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD, also known as the Quad) is an informal strategic forum between the United States, Japan, Australia, and India that is maintained by semi-regular summits, information exchanges, and military drills between member countries.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The forum was initiated as a dialogue in 2007 by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, with the support of Vice President Dick Cheney of the US, Prime Minister John Howard of Australia, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The diplomatic and military arrangement was widely viewed as a response to increased Chinese[a] economic and military power.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Quadrilateral was supposed to establish an "Asian Arc of Democracy," envisioned to ultimately include countries in central Asia, Mongolia, the Korean peninsula, and other countries in Southeast Asia.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Quad also draws comparisons by Asian commentators to NATO. China negatively portrays the Quad as a precursor to a militarised Asian NATO.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Malabar Exercise</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is a multilateral naval exercise that includes simulated war games and combat manoeuvres. It started in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between the Indian and US navies. Japan joined in 2015. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This year the exercise will be held in two phases, the first off the coast near Visakhapatnam, and the second in the Arabian Sea in mid-November.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India seeks to increase cooperation with other countries in the maritime security domain and in the light of increased defence cooperation with Australia, Malabar 2020 will see the participation of the Australian Navy.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">As the standoff in eastern Ladakh continues, the participation of four large navies from the Indo-Pacific region will send a message to China.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'quad-and-malabar-exercise', 'image' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/a7d4/5m3thgrt3bndw7c6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/a7d4/5m3thgrt3bndw7c6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'QUAD and Malabar exercise', 'metakeyword' => 'QUAD and Malabar exercise', 'metadescription' => 'After the withdrawal of Australia from QUAD in 2008, the grouping took a backseat. After the resurgence of Chinese threats, the group is being revived.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/k4c7s4tleym4add/3.QUAD_and_Malabar_exercise.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 48 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 6257, 'title' => 'Kalvari class submarines', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indian Navy’s fifth Kalvari-class Diesel Electric attack submarine INS Vagir was launched at Mazgaon Dock in Mumbai.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">These stealthy class of submarines have been built under Project 75 and whose design is based on the Scorpene class of the submarines.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vagir is the fifth among the six Kalvari-class submarines being constructed by the public sector shipbuilder Mazgaon Dock Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The other vessels in the class are <strong>INS Kalvari</strong>,<strong> INS Khanderi</strong>,<strong> INS Karanj</strong>,<strong> INS Vela, </strong>and<strong> INS Vagsheer</strong>. Of these Kalvari and Khanderi have been commissioned in 2017 and 2019, Vela and Karanj and undergoing sea trials, Vagir has now been launched and Vagsheer is under construction. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The submarines in the current Kalvari-class take their names from erstwhile decommissioned classes of submarines named Kalvari.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The now-decommissioned Kalvari and Vela classes were one of the earliest of the submarines in post independence Indian Navy, which belonged to Soviet origin Foxtrot class of vessels.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This class of submarines have Diesel Electric transmission systems and these are primarily attack submarines or ‘hunter-killer’ type which means they are designed to target and sink adversary naval vessels.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Kalvari-class submarines have capability of operating in a wide range of Naval combat including anti-warship and anti-submarine operations, intelligence gathering and surveillance, and naval mine laying.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The modern variants of the Scorpene class of submarines have what is called the Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) which enables non-nuclear submarines to operate for a long time without access to surface oxygen.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Project 75</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Project 75 India (P75I) envisages the construction of six conventional submarines with better sensors and weapons and the Air Independent Propulsion System (AIP). </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The P75I project is part of a 30-year submarine building plan that ends in 2030. As part of this plan, India was to build 24 submarines — 18 conventional submarines and six nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs). </span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'kalvari-class-submarines', 'image' => '', 'fbimage' => '', 'metatitle' => 'Kalvari class submarines | Project 75I', 'metakeyword' => 'Kalvari class submarines | Project 75I', 'metadescription' => 'These stealthy class of submarines have been built under Project 75 and whose design is based on the Scorpene class of the submarines.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => '', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 49 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Miscellaneous', 'keyword' => 'miscellaneous-5', 'id' => (int) 6306, 'title' => 'Microwave weapons', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Indian Army has rejected a report in a British daily newspaper, which had claimed that the Chinese army had used “microwave weapons” to drive Indian soldiers away from their positions in eastern Ladakh.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India and China have been locked in a tense standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh for the last six months. Twenty Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese were killed in a fierce clash between the two armies in Galwan Valley on June 15.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report claimed that Chinese forces had turned two strategic hilltops occupied by Indian soldiers “into a microwave oven”, forcing them to retreat, and allowing the positions to be retaken without an exchange of conventional fire.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">“Microwave weapons” that were allegedly deployed by China in Ladakh used beams of high-frequency electromagnetic radiation to heat the water in a human target’s skin, causing pain and discomfort.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">“Microwave weapons” are supposed to be a type of direct energy weapons, which aim highly focused energy in the form of sonic, laser, or microwaves, at a target.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">China had first put on display its “microwave weapon”, called <strong>Poly WB-1</strong>, at an air show in 2014.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The US apparently deployed such a weapon in Afghanistan, but withdrew it without ever using it against human targets.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">American diplomats and members of their families in Cuba and China were suspected to have been targeted using ‘microwave weapons’. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The symptoms included nausea, severe headaches, fatigue, dizziness, sleep problems, and hearing loss, which have since come to be known as ‘<strong>Havana</strong> <strong>Syndrome’</strong>.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Concerns have been raised on whether they can damage the eyes, or have a carcinogenic impact in the long term.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Principle of microwave</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In a microwave oven, an electron tube called a magnetron produces electromagnetic waves (microwaves) that bounce around the metal interior of the appliance, and are absorbed by the food. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The microwaves agitate the water molecules in the food, and their vibration produces heat that cooks the food. Foods with high water content cook faster in a microwave often than drier foods.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'microwave-weapons', 'image' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/06f5/i9rt9c5xwrmmqxg6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/06f5/i9rt9c5xwrmmqxg6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Microwave weapons | China's use of microwave weapons', 'metakeyword' => 'Microwave weapons | China's use of microwave weapons', 'metadescription' => 'The Indian Army has rejected a report in a British daily newspaper, which had claimed that the Chinese army had used “microwave weapons” to drive Indian soldiers', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/2gatk9m1g06rcr9/4.Microwave_weapons.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => 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