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CBI Official in Top Interpol Panel

Key Highlights

• The elections for various positions for top panel were held at 89th Interpol General Assembly in Istanbul.
• Among the delegates, newly elected Indian candidate will sit with representatives from Sudan, Argentina, China, USA, UK, Kenya, Spain and Turkey.  
• This was a tough election with India running against four other contestants from China, Singapore, Republic of Korea and Jordan for two posts.  
• However, an "intense" and "well-coordinated" campaign across the world by India ensured the victory of Indian candidate.

About Interpol

• Full Name - International Criminal Police Organisation. o Interpol is the radio-telegraph code for the organisation.  
• Interpol is an international police organisation made up of 194 member countries.  
• It does not work under UN. It has enjoyed a special role – that of Permanent Observer at the United Nations since 1996.  
• It was founded in 1923 and is headquartered at Lyon, France.

Functions

• It is not a police force in the traditional sense—its agents are not able to arrest criminals.  
• It is more of an information-sharing network, providing a way for national police forces to co-operate effectively and tackle international crime ranging from human trafficking and terrorism to money laundering and illegal art dealing.  
• The organization operates centralised criminal databases that contain fingerprint records, DNA samples and stolen documents.

Types of Interpol Notices

• Interpol issues different types of notices which have different objectives.
• Types of notices issued – Red, Blue, Yellow, Black, Orange, Purple, Green etc.  
• States are not obliged to follow these notices, but will often treat them as a warrant for someone’s arrest and extradition. 
• Interpol General Assembly  
• The General Assembly is Interpol’s supreme governing body, and comprises representatives from all its member countries.  
• It meets annually for a session lasting approximately four days, to vote on activities and policy. It takes decisions in the form of resolutions.  
• India will host the Interpol General Assembly in 2022 as part of celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence.

New Navy Chief Appointed

• Western Naval Command Chief Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar has been appointed as the next Chief of Naval Staff.  
• He will take over the post from the current chief Admiral Karambir Singh on November 30.  
• Karambir Singh had taken charge as the 24th Chief of the Naval Staff in May 2021. He is the first helicopter pilot to become the Navy chief.

Rashtra Raksha Samarpan Parv

• Recently, a 3-day Rashtra Raksha Samarpan Parv was organised in Jhansi.  
• The Rashtra Raksha Samarpan Parv is part of the ongoing Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.  
• Ministry of Defence organised the Parv jointly with the Uttar Pradesh government.

Defence industrial corridor project in Jhansi

• Recently, the foundation stone of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor project was laid in Jhansi.  
• The Centre has decided to set up two Defence Industrial Corridors in the country-- one in Tamil Nadu and the other in Uttar Pradesh.
• The Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor has nodes at Agra, Aligarh, Jhansi, Chitrakoot, Lucknow and Kanpur.  
• Bharat Dynamics Ltd, a Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU), is setting up a plant for the propulsion system for Anti-Tank Guided Missiles in the Jhansi Node.

Recent Steps Taken To Promote 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' in Defence

• issue of positive indigenisation lists, 
• Earmarking of 64% of capital procurement budget for the domestic industry, promotion of startups under Innovations For Defence Excellence (IDEX) initiative, 
• Speeding up of capital acquisition process 
• Setting up of Defence Industrial Corridors

Military Exercises

• A trilateral naval exercise involving Singapore, India and Thailand was held recently in the Indian Ocean. The 2021 edition was hosted by the Thai Navy. 
• SITMEX has been held each year since 2019 to help improve maritime relationships and interoperability between the three countries

Shakti 2021

• The 6^th Edition of Indo - France joint military exercise "Ex SHAKTI 2021" was held in France.
• India and France carry out three biennial training exercises: 
  • Garuda with the Indian Air Force, 
  • Varuna with the Indian Navy and 
  • Shakti with Indian Army. 
• Exercise Desert Knight-21, between the Air Forces of these two nations, was held in January 2021.

Dosti

• Recently, the 15th edition of the biennial trilateral coast guard exercise 'Dosti' involving India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka took place in Maldives. 
• 2021 marks 30 years since this exercise was first launched, it was first launched in 1991 in bilateral format involving India and Maldives. In 2012, Sri Lanka joined the exercise for the first time.

Dakshin Shakti

• It was held with the Indian Army and the Air Force taking part in it. 
• The drill aims to establish the best coordination among the wings of the armed forces, space technology and artificial intelligence. 
• It was held in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan.

Sagar Shakti

• Recently, Sagar Shakti military exercise conducted in the Creek sector of the Kutch peninsula.
• It witnessed participation of the Indian Army. Indian Navy. Indian Air Force. Indian Coast Guard. Border Security Force. Gujarat Police and the Marine Police.
• The aim of this high intensity exercise was to test the combat readiness of the agencies in a real-time scenario.

International Counter Terrorism Conference 2022

• GCTC is an International Think-Tank Council with an overarching mission of reducing the vulnerability of people worldwide to terrorism by preventing, combating and prosecuting terrorist acts and countering incitement and recruitment to terrorism.
• Earlier, in the 13th BRICS Summit held in 2021, BRICS counter terrorism action plan was adopted.

Key Points

• Emergence of New Religiophobia:
  (i) Emergence of new “religiophobia”, especially against Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs, is a matter of serious concern and needs to be recognised, just like Christianophobia, Islamophobia and anti-semitism, to bring a balance in discussions on such issues.
  (ii) Religiophobia: An irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety of religion, religious faith, religious people or religious organisations.
  (iii) Labeling Terrorism: In the past two years, several Member States have been trying to label terrorism into categories such as racially and ethnically motivated violent extremism, violent nationalism, right wing extremism, etc.
  (iv) Calling it a “dangerous” tendency, India said this goes against some of the accepted principles agreed to by all UN Member States in the recently adopted Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.  Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy states that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations should be condemned and there cannot be any justification for any act of terrorism, whatsoever.

India’s Efforts to Counter Terrorism

• India’s Annual Resolution on Counter-Terror
  (i)  India’s annual resolution on the issue of counterterrorism was adopted by consensus in the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
  (ii) India, a victim of state-sponsored crossborder terrorism, has been at the forefront in highlighting the serious threat to international peace and security emanating from acquisition of weapons of mass destruction by terrorist groups.
• Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism: Amid growing fears that terrorists will again nest in Afghanistan and increase attacks in Africa, India’s foreign minister has recently urged for the adoption of the convention.
  • In 1996, with the objective of providing a comprehensible legal framework to counter terrorism, India proposed to the UNGA the adoption of the “Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism” (CCIT).
  • CCIT seeks a universal definition of terrorism, prosecution of terrorists under special laws, making cross-border terrorism an extraditable offence worldwide, among others.
• Financial Action Task Force (FATF): India is a member of FATF whose objective is to set standards and promote effective imple mentation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.

Terrorism in India

• Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act is the primary anti- terrorism law in force in India.  The National Security Guard (NSG) is a paramilitary force that is primarily responsible for counterterrorism and anti-hijacking operations.  India faces terrorism from secessionists in Kashmir, the north-east and to an extent in Punjab, from left-wing extremist groups in central, east-central and south-central India.
• India is one of the countries which is most affected by terrorism in the world.

AFSPA Extended in Nagaland

• The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958 has been extended in Nagaland for six months from 30th December 2021.

Konyak

• The Konyak are the largest tribe, followed by Ao, Tangkhul, Sema, and Angami in Nagaland. Other Naga tribes include Lotha, Sangtam, Phom, Chang, Khiemnungam, Yimchungre, Zeliang, Chakhesang (Chokri), and Rengma.
• The term ‘Konyak’ is believed to have been derived from the words ‘Whao’ meaning ‘head’ and ‘Nyak’ meaning ‘black’ translating to ‘men with black hair’.
• They can be grouped into two groups, namely ‘Thendu’, which means the ‘Tattooed Face’ and ‘Thentho’, meaning the ‘White face’.

2. Habitat
Reside mostly in the Mon district also known as ‘The Land of The Anghs’, they are also found in some districts of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Myanmar. In Arunachal Pradesh, they are known as the Wanchos (‘Wancho’ is a synonymous term for ‘Konyak’).

• Ethnically, culturally, and linguistically the Noctes and Tangsa of the same neighbouring state of Arunachal Pradesh, are also closely related to the Konyaks.

3. Festivals Celebrated
The three most significant festivals were Aolingmonyu, Aonyimo and Laoun-ongmo.

• Aolingmonyu is celebrated in the first week of April after sowing of seeds, and this marks the beginning of a new year. Its religious significance is to appease God for a prosperous harvest.
• The Aonyimo is celebrated in July or August after the harvest of the first crops such as maize and vegetables.
• The Laoun-ongmo is a thanks-giving festival and is celebrated after all agricultural activities are completed.

Key Points

• A reincarnation of the British-era legislation that was enacted to quell the protests during the Quit India movement, the AFSPA was issued by way of four ordinances in 1947.
• The ordinances were replaced by an Act in 1948 and the present law effective in the Northeast was introduced in Parliament in 1958 by the then Home Minister, G.B. Pant.
• It was known initially as the Armed Forces (Assam and Manipur) Special Powers Act, 1958.
• After the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland came into being, the Act was adapted to apply to these States as well.

About

• The ASFPA gives unfettered powers to the armed forces and the Central armed police forces deployed in “disturbed areas” to kill anyone acting in contravention of law and arrest and search any premises without a warrant and with protection from prosecution and legal suits.
• The law first came into effect in 1958 to deal with the uprising in the Naga Hills, followed by the insurgency in Assam.

Disturbed Areas

• The Act was amended in 1972 and the powers to declare an area as “disturbed” were conferred concurrently upon the Central government along with the States.
• Currently, the Union Home Ministry issues periodic “disturbed area” notification to extend AFSPA only for Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
• The notification for Manipur and Assam is issued by the State governments.
• Tripura revoked the Act in 2015 and Meghalaya was under AFSPA for 27 years, until it was revoked by the MHA from 1st April 2018.
• The Act was implemented in a 20-km area along the border with Assam.
• Jammu and Kashmir has a separate J&K Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1990.

2. Controversy Around the Act:
Human Rights Violations

• The law empowers security personnel, down to non-commissioned officers, to use force and shoot “even to the causing of death” if they are convinced that it is necessary to do so for the “maintenance of public order”.
• It also grants soldiers executive powers to enter premises, search, and arrest without a warrant.
• The exercise of these extraordinary powers by armed forces has often led to allegations of fake encounters and other human rights violations by security forces in disturbed areas while questioning the indefinite imposition of AFSPA in certain states, such as Nagaland and J&K.

Recommendations of Jeevan Reddy Committee

• In November 2004, the Central government appointed a five-member committee headed by Justice B P Jeevan Reddy to review the provisions of the act in the northeastern states.
• The committee recommended that:  AFSPA should be repealed and appropriate provisions should be inserted in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967
•  The Unlawful Activities Act should be modified to clearly specify the powers of the armed forces and paramilitary forces and Grievance cells should be set up in each district where the armed forces are deployed.
• Second ARC Recommendation: The 5th report of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) on public order has also recommended the repeal of the AFSPA. However, these recommendations have not been implemented.

3. Supreme Court Views on the Act:
The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of AFSPA in a 1998 judgment (Naga People’s Movement of Human Rights v. Union of India).  In this judgment, the Supreme Court held that

• a suo-motu declaration can be made by the Central government, however, it is desirable that the state government should be consulted by the central government before making the declaration;
• the declaration has to be for a limited duration and there should be a periodic review of the declaration 6 months have expired;
• while exercising the powers conferred upon him by AFSPA, the authorized officer should use minimal force necessary for effective action.

Indigenous Aircraft Carrier

Why in News
Recently, the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) 1, which will be called INS Vikrant once it enters service with the Indian Navy, began another set of sea trials.

• INS Vikrant is the largest and most complex warship to be built in India

Key Points

• An aircraft carrier is “a large ship that carries military aircraft and has a long, flat surface where they take off and land.”
  These floating air bases are equipped with a full-length flight deck capable of carrying, arming, deploying and recovering aircraft.
• They act as command and control of a naval fleet in times of war and peace.
  A carrier battle group consists of an aircraft carrier and its escorts, together making the group.
• During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Navy was the first to assemble a large number of carriers into a single task force known as Kido Butai.
• This task force was used during the Pearl Harbour Attack.

2. Aircraft Carrier in India
INS Vikrant (decommissioned): Beginning with INS Vikrant which served India from 1961 to 1997.

• India acquired the Vikrant from the United Kingdom in 1961, and the carrier played a stellar role in the 1971 war with Pakistan that led to the birth of Bangladesh.
• In 2014, INS Vikrant, was broken down in Mumbai. INS Viraat (decommissioned): INS Vikrant was followed by the Centaur-class carrier HMS (Her Majesty’s Ship) Hermes, which was rechristened in India as INS Viraat and served in the Indian Navy from 1987 to 2016.

INS Vikramaditya

• It is the Indian Navy’s largest aircraft carrier and warship converted from the Russian Navy’s decommissioned Admiral Gorshkov/Baku.
• INS Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier that was commissioned into service in November 2013.

INS Vikrant

• In order to commemorate the legacy of INS Vikrant (decommissioned), the First IAC will be named as INS Vikrant.
• It is built at Cochin Shipyard Limited.
• It is currently undergoing sea trials and is likely to be commissioned in 2023.
• Its construction propelled India into a select group of countries having capabilities to build state-of-the-art aircraft carriers.
• Operational Modalities: According to the Indian Navy, the warship will operate MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 helicopters, MH-60R multi-role helicopters and the indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH).

3. Significance of Aircraft Carriers
Currently, most of the world powers are operating or building technologically advanced aircraft carriers to safeguard their maritime rights and interests.
Thirteen navies across the world now operate aircraft carriers. Following are the name of a few:

• Nimitz Class, US
• Gerald R Ford Class, US
• Queen Elizabeth Class, UK
• Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia
• Liaoning, China
• INS Vikramaditya, India
• Charles De Gaulle, France
• Cavour, Italy
• Juan Carlos I, Spain
• USS America, US  Aircraft Carrier for India, provides a deterrent naval capability, that is not only essential but a strategic need.
• This is because India’s area of responsibility ranges from the east coast of Africa to the Western Pacific.

4. Future Endeavours

• Since 2015, the Navy has been seeking approval to build a third aircraft carrier for the country, which, if approved, will become India’s second Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-2).
• This proposed carrier, to be named INS Vishal, is intended to be a giant 65,000-tonne vessel, much bigger than IAC-1 and the INS Vikramaditya

Central Armed Police Forces Reforms

• Also, more Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel died by suicide in the Covid-19 pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.
• Domestic problems, illness and financial problems are some of the contributory factors among others behind the incidents of suicide.

What are Central Armed Police Forces?

• The Ministry of Home Affairs maintains seven CAPFs:
  • The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which assists in internal security and counterinsurgency.
  • The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which protects vital installations (like airports) and public sector undertakings.
  • The National Security Guards (NSG), which is a special counterterrorism force.
  • Four border guarding forces, which are the Border Security Force(BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and AssamRifles (AR).

What are Major Functions of CAPFs?

• Border Security: Safeguard the security of borders of India and promote a sense of security among the people living in border areas.
  • Prevent trans-border crimes, smuggling, unauthorised entry into or exit from the territory of India and to prevent any other illegal activity.
• Industrial Security: Provide security to sensitive installations, persons at security risk.
• Other Functions: Counter Insurgency Operations, Anti Naxal Operations, Internal Security Duties, VIP Protection, Lead Intelligence Agency, Security To Diplomatic Missions Abroad, United Nations(UN) Peacekeeping Operations, Disaster Management, Civic Action Nodal Agency for UN Police Missions, etc.

What are Associated Issues with CAPFs?

• Working Conditions: The Standing Committee on Home Affairs in the year 2017 had expressed concern over the working conditions of personnel of the border guarding forces.
  • The Committee observed that they had to work 16-18 hours a day, with little time for rest or sleep.
  • The personnel were also not satisfied with medical facilities that had been provided at border locations.
  • In addition, the Standing Committee observed that personnel of the CAPFs have not been treated at par with the Armed Forces, in terms of pay and allowances.
• Impediments to Modernisation: The MHA has been making efforts to provide modern arms, ammunition, and vehicles to the CAPFs.
  • The Plan aims to provide financial support to CAPFs for modernisation in areas of arms, clothing, and equipment.
• However, the Estimates Committee observed that the procurement process under the Plan was cumbersome and time consuming. 
• Burdened By States’ Responsibilities: There is heavy  dependence of states on CAPFs, even for everyday law and order issues.
  • This affects the anti-insurgency and border guarding operations, besides curtailing the training needs of these forces.
• Cadre Management Issue: Each of the seven has its own cadre of officers, but they are headed by officers of the Indian Police Service.
  • This has a demoralising effect on the officers of the CAPFs, and impacts the effectiveness of the forces.
  • In addition, there was frustration in CAPFs due to stagnation in promotions and lack of cadre review.
• Increasing Cases of Fratricide: There have been more than 25 incidents of fratricide (killing of one’s brother or sister) reported in the forces since 2019.

What can be the Way Forward for CAPFs?

• Modernising the CAPFs: MHA should ensure the bottlenecks in procurement should be identified and corrective action should be taken.
  • Moreover, given the evolution of hybrid warfare, the contents of training should be a mix of conventional matters as well as latest technologies such as ICT, and cyber security.
• Augmenting States’ Capacity: States must develop their own systems, and augment their police forces by providing adequate training and equipment.
  • The central government should supplement the efforts of state governments by providing financial assistance and other help needed by states for capacity building of their forces.
• Corrective Measures in Cadre Policy: Citing the dissatisfaction in Cadre policy, Joshi Committee recommended that top positions should be filled from the respective cadre of the CAPF.
  • Further, the Committee recommended that cadre review of all the CAPFs should be carried out within a defined timeline.
  • It is high time to implement these recommendations as soon as possible.
• Personnel Reforms: Workshops on stress management should regularly be undertaken, and yoga and meditation be made part of the daily exercise for CAPF personnel.
• Further, the provision of accommodation near the deployment of the respective force, to enable personnel to meet their family members, can also be explored.

Assam Rifles

What is the Key Role of Assam Rifles?

• Assam Rifles is a Central Paramilitary Force under the Central Armed Police Forces.
• It came into being in 1835, as a militia called the ‘Cachar Levy’, to primarily protect British Tea estates and their settlements against tribal raids.
• It significantly contributed to the opening of Assam region to administration and commerce and over time it came to be known as the “right arm of the civil and left arm of the military”.
• Assam Rifles has two battalions stationed in Jammu and Kashmir and one National Disaster Relief Force battalion, which is playing its active role in case of natural calamities.
• Although India has been contributing to the UN peacekeeping for many years, the addition of the Riflewomen Team of the Assam Rifles adds another social and human dimension to our commitment to the community of nations.

Major role post-Independence:

• Conventional combat role during the Sino-India War 1962.
• Operations in a foreign land as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force to Sri Lanka in 1987 (Operation Pawan).
• Peacekeeping role in the North-Eastern areas of India.
• In November 2019, MHA proposed to merge it with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
• ITBP is a specialized mountain force, raised in October 1962
• It is deployed on border guarding duties from Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Jachep La in Arunachal Pradesh covering 3488 km of Indo-China Border.

What is the Central Armed Police Forces?
The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) refers to seven security forces in India under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

• Assam Rifles (AR)
• Border Security Force (BSF)
• Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)
• Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
• Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
• National Security Guard (NSG)
• Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)

Hypersonic Missiles

Why in News
Recently, Russia used a hypersonic missile for the first time in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

What is a Hypersonic Missile?

• A hypersonic missile is a weapon system which flies at least at the speed of Mach 5 i.e. five times the speed of sound and is manoeuvrable.
• The manoeuvrability of the hypersonic missile is what sets it apart from a ballistic missile as the latter follows a set course or a ballistic trajectory.
• Thus, unlike ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles do not follow a ballistic trajectory and can be manoeuvred to the intended target.
• The two types of hypersonic weapons systems are Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGV) and Hypersonic Cruise Missiles.
• The HGV are launched from a rocket before gliding  to the intended target while the hypersonic cruise missile is powered by air breathing high speed engines or ‘scramjets’ after acquiring their target.

What are the advantages of hypersonic missiles?

• They can enable responsive, long range strike options against distant, defended or time critical threats (such as road mobile missiles) when other forces are unavailable, denied access or not preferred.
• Conventional hypersonic weapons use only kinetic energy i.e. energy derived from motion, to destroy unhardened targets or even underground facilities.

Are hypersonic missiles detectable in flight?

• Hypersonic weapons can challenge detection and defence due to their speed, manoeuvrability and low altitude of flight.
• The Ground based radars or terrestrial radars cannot detect hypersonic missiles until late in the flight of the weapon. 
  • This delayed detection makes it difficult for the responders to the missile attack to assess their options and to attempt to intercept the missile.

Which countries possess hypersonic weapons?

• While the US, Russia and China are in advanced stages of hypersonic missile programmes, India, France, Germany, Japan and Australia too are developing hypersonic weapons

What is the Indian Hypersonic Missile Programme?

• India is also developing an indigenous, dual capable (conventional as well as nuclear) hypersonic cruise missile as part of its Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle Programme and has successfully tested a Mach 6 scramjet in June 2019 and September 2020.
• India operates approximately 12 hypersonic wind tunnels and is capable of testing speeds upto Mach 13.