PIB Summary- 26th August, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Naval Exercise Malabar

Context: Indian Navy participates in Naval Exercise Malabar.

Details

• Indian Navy is participating in the sea phase of Exercise Malabar 2021 from 26 – 29 August 2021 along with the US Navy (USN), Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
• The Indian Navy’s participation includes INS Shivalik and INS Kadmatt and P8I patrol aircraft.

What is Malabar Exercise?

Malabar Exercise started off in 1992 as a bilateral naval exercise between Indian and US navies. In 2015, Japan joined the exercise Malabar making it a trilateral naval exercise. In 2020, the Australian Navy had joined the Malabar Exercise making it a quadrilateral naval exercise. Earlier, Australia joined the exercise in 2007.

Salient points about Malabar Exercise 

• It is a trilateral naval exercise. But due to the participation of Australia in 2020 & 2021, it has become a quadrilateral exercise.
• It takes place annually in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans alternatively.
• The first Malabar Exercise in the Bay of Bengal took place in 2007.
• Singapore and Australia have been non-permanent members previously.
• This exercise includes a diverse range of activities such as fighter combat operations and maritime interdiction operations.
• The aim of the Malabar Exercise of India, US, Japan and Australia is to coordinate for free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

Key Points Malabar Exercise 2021

1. The first phase of the exercise Malabar 2021 is conducted in the Philippine Sea. The second phase will take place in the Northern Arabian Sea.
2. It is the 25th edition of the Malabar Exercise.
3. Malabar 2021 has been hosted by the US Navy and the first phase of the exercise will be used as an opportunity for the four Indo-Pacific navies to operate together and strengthen their skills in combined maritime operations, anti-submarine warfare operations, air warfare operations, live-fire gunnery events, replenishments-at-sea, cross-deck flight operations, and maritime interdiction operations
4. In 2021 Exercise Malabar, India is going to deploy:
   • INS Shivalik (F 47)
   • INS Kadmatt (P 29)
   • A fleet of P8I maritime surveillance aircraft
5. This year, the exercise includes Naval Special Warfare forces during phase 1 to address irregular maritime threats and enhance integration with traditional naval forces.
6. The ships/aircrafts deployed by the US, Japan and Australian Navies in the Malabar 2021 are mentioned in the table below:
   

Participation of Australia in Malabar Exercise 2021

1. The inclusion of Australia in the Malabar Exercise was discussed upon in October 2020 Foreign Ministers’ Meet of QUAD.
2. In 2017, Australia requested the observer status in the Malabar Exercise.

Malabar 2020 – India, US, Japan & Australia’s Joint Maritime Exercise

In the account of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Malabar Naval Exercise 2020 was planned on a ‘non-contact – at sea’ format. The ships/aircrafts deployed by the US, Japan and Australian Navies in the Malabar 2020 are mentioned in the table below:

Malabar Naval Exercise 2019 – India, US, Japanese Navy Warships,  Submarine, Aircraft’s Participation

India, Japan, and the USA are the participating countries in this trilateral exercise. The 23rd edition was conducted off the coast of Sasebo, Japan. The Trilateral Maritime Exercise began in the last week of September 2019 and ended in the first week of October 2019.
The below table gives the list of countries and their respective ships/aircraft.

Malabar Naval Exercise (2018) –  Indian Navy Participation

In 2018, the annual Malabar Exercise was held from 7th to 16th June 2018. It was conducted off the Guam coast in the Philippine Sea. This was the first time that the exercise was being held in US territory. The exercise was focused on at-sea and onshore training, maritime patrol, aircraft carrier operations, visit, board, reconnaissance operations, search and seizure operations, and professional exchanges.
From the Indian Navy, the following Warships and Aircrafts Participated

1. INS Sahyadri – Stealth frigate
2. INS Shakti – Fleet tanker
3. INS Kamorta
4. Poseidon P-8l aircraft participated in the exercise.

List of  Naval Exercises – Indian Navy & Other Navies

The below table gives details on Joint Maritime Exercises conducted by the Indian Navy.

North Eastern Region (NER) District SDG Index Report

Context: NITI Aayog released the North Eastern Region District SDG Index and Dashboard 2021–22.

Details

• The first edition of the North Eastern Region (NER) District SDG Index Report and Dashboard 2021–22 was released by NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (M/DoNER).
• This is the first of its kind report in the country as it focuses on the North Eastern Region.
• It has been developed with assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

What is the NER District SDG Index?

• The Index measures the performance of the districts of the eight States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura on the Sustainable Development Goals and their corresponding targets and ranks the districts based on the same.
• The index is based on NITI Aayog’s SDG India Index –the principal and official tool for monitoring progress on the SDGs at the national and State/Union Territory levels and shares the common ethos of benchmarking performance and ranking on the SDGs to foster competition among the districts.
• The index offers insights into the social, economic, and environmental status of the region and its districts in their march towards achieving the SDGs.
• It is a unique policy tool which has immense potential to measure district level progress, highlight critical gaps, facilitate resource allocation, and will be a handy tool for policy makers in the eight North Eastern States, Ministry of DoNER and other Union Ministries.

Highlights of the Report

• Out of the 103 districts considered for ranking, 64 districts belonged to the Front Runner category while 39 districts were in the Performer category in the composite score and ranking of districts.
• East Sikkim [Score 75.87] ranks first in the region followed by districts Gomati and North Tripura [Score 75.73] in the second position.

Manthan-2021

Context: Manthan-2021 launched.

About Manthan-2021

• Manthan-2021 is a hackathon aimed at identifying innovative concepts and technology solutions for addressing the security challenges of the 21st century faced by India’s intelligence agencies.
• It is organized by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) in coordination with the Innovation Cell of the Ministry of Education and AICTE.
• During this 36 hours online hackathon, scheduled from 28th November to 1st December 2021, selected youths from education institutions across the country and registered start-ups will participate to offer strong, safe and effective technology solutions using their technical expertise and innovative skills.
• Participants are expected to develop digital solutions under 6 themes for 20 different challenge statements released during Manthan’s launch using new technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Deep Learning, Augmented reality, Machine Learning, etc. for security related challenges, which include photo/video analysis, Fake Content Identification along with the information of creator, predictive Cyber Crime data analytics, etc.
• The hackathon scheduled for November – December is the second stage of the competition. The first phase involves participants submitting their concepts against the problem statements they wish to work on, on the portal, which has been launched.
• Total prize money of Rs.40 lakh has been announced for the winners.

Stop TB Partnership

Context: Union Health Minister Shri Mansukh Mandaviya took charge as Chairperson of Stop TB Partnership Board.

Details

• The Minister will hold the responsibility with immediate effect until 2024.
• He will lead the efforts of the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat, partners, and the TB community at large, towards reaching the UN TB targets by 2022, a milestone moment in the effort to end TB by 2030.

About the Stop TB Partnership

• The Stop TB Partnership was established in 2001 to eliminate tuberculosis as a public health problem.
• The secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and, since 2015, has been administered by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). Previously it was hosted by the World Health Organization.
• The Partnership’s mission is to serve every person who is vulnerable to TB and ensure that high-quality diagnosis, treatment and care are available to all who need it.
• It has over 1700 partners comprising international and technical organizations, government programmes, research and funding agencies, foundations, NGOs, civil society and community groups and the private sector.

National Food and Nutrition Campaign for Farmers

Context: Union Agriculture Minister launched the National Food and Nutrition Campaign for farmers.

Details

• The National Food and Nutrition Campaign for farmers is organized by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Drone Rules, 2021

Context: Ministry of Civil Aviation notified liberalised Drone Rules, 2021.

Background

• In March 2021, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) published the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021.
• Based on the feedback from civil society, which criticised the Rules as being too restrictive and involving a lot of paperwork, the government has decided to repeal the UAS Rules, 2021 and replace the same with the liberalised Drone Rules, 2021.

Highlights of the liberalised Drone Rules, 2021

• Several approvals have been abolished (such as unique authorisation number, unique prototype identification number, certificate of manufacturing and airworthiness, certificate of conformance, certificate of maintenance, import clearance, among others).
• Number of forms reduced from 25 to 5.
• Types of fee reduced from 72 to 4.
• Quantum of fee reduced to nominal levels and delinked with the size of drone.
  • For instance, the fee for a remote pilot license fee has been reduced from INR 3000 (for large drone) to INR 100 for all categories of drones; and is valid for 10 years.
• Interactive airspace map with green, yellow and red zones shall be displayed on the digital sky platform.
• No permission required for operating drones in green zones.
• Yellow zone reduced from 45 km to 12 km from the airport perimeter.
• No remote pilot licence required for micro drones (for non-commercial use) and nano drones.
• No requirement for security clearance before issuance of any registration or licence.
• No restriction on foreign ownership in Indian drone companies.
• Import of drones to be regulated by Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
• Requirement of import clearance from Directorate General of Civil Aviation abolished.
• Coverage of drones under Drone Rules, 2021 increased from 300 kg to 500 kg. This will cover drone taxis also.
• Remote pilot licence to be issued by DGCA within 15 days of pilot receiving the remote pilot certificate from the authorised drone school through the digital sky platform.
• Testing of drones for issuance of Type Certificate to be carried out by Quality Council of India or authorised testing entities.
• Type Certificate required only when a drone is to be operated in India. Importing and manufacturing drones purely for exports are exempt from type certification and unique identification number.
• Nano and model drones (made for research or recreation purposes) are exempt from type certification.
• Manufacturers and importers may generate their drones’ unique identification number on the digital sky platform through the self-certification route.
• Maximum penalty for violations reduced to INR 1 lakh.
• Drone corridors will be developed for cargo deliveries.
• Drone promotion council to be set up by Government with participation from academia, startups and other stakeholders to facilitate a growth-oriented regulatory regime.

Prelims Facts

Women’s Equality Day

• Women’s Equality Day is celebrated annually on August 26, to commemorate the adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1920.
  • This amendment granted all women the right to vote in the USA.
• The United States Congress formally recognised and designated August 26 as Women’s Equality Day in 1971, to mark the continuous efforts made by women to achieve equal status in society.
• This day is celebrated to recognise the journey of women to achieve equal standing in a male-dominated society.
• This day is celebrated to raise awareness of the problems faced by women in society in terms of pay disparity, abortion rights, equal opportunities, gender-based violence, and gender-based discrimination.
• It also acknowledges the important achievements made by women in various fields that were once designated only for men.

Indian Coast Guard Ship Vigraha

• Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Ship Vigraha is the seventh in the series of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs).
• The ship will be based in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh and operate on the eastern seaboard under the Operational and Administrative Control of the Commander, Coast Guard Region (East).
• The 98-meter OPV, with a complement of 11 officers and 110 sailors, has been designed and built indigenously by Larsen & Toubro Ship Building Limited.
• It is fitted with advanced technology radars, navigation & communication equipment, sensors and machinery capable of operating in tropical sea conditions.
• The vessel is armed with a 40/60 Bofors gun and fitted with two 12.7 mm Stabilised Remote Control Gun with fire control system.
• The ship is also equipped with integrated bridge system, integrated platform management system, automated power management system and high-power external fire-fighting system.
• The ship is also designed to carry one twin-engine Helicopter and four high speed boats for boarding operation, search & rescue, law enforcement and maritime patrol. The ship is also capable of carrying pollution response equipment to contain oil spill at sea.
• It can attain a maximum speed of 26 nautical miles per hour with endurance of 5000 nm at economical speed.
• ICGS Vigraha will be deployed extensively for EEZ surveillance and other duties.
• With this ship joining the fleet, the Indian Coast Guard will have 157 ships and 66 aircraft in its inventory.