PIB Summary- 22nd August, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

World Sanskrit Day

Context: Sanskrit day is observed on every Poornima of Shravana month according to the Hindu calendar.

About World Sanskrit Day

• The government of India decided to observe Sanskrit Day on every Poornima of the Shravana month in 1969 to illuminate the next generation about the ancient Indian language.
• The day is also the festival of Raksha Bandhan.
• The day was chosen because the academic year in ancient India started on this day, some believe.
• One of the oldest languages in the world, Sanskrit is also known as ‘Dev Vani’ or the language of the gods.
• Sanskrit is the second official language of the state of Uttarakhand.

Malabar Naval Exercise

Details

• Indian Naval Ships Shivalik and Kadmatt arrived at Guam, an Island Territory of the USA as part of their ongoing deployment to nations in South East Asia and the Pacific Ocean.
• The two ships are scheduled to participate in the annual Exercise MALABAR-21, between the navies of Australia, India, Japan and the USA.

What is Malabar Exercise?

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

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

About the Participating Ships

• INS Shivalik is a multi-role Guided Missile Stealth Frigate.
• INS Kadmatt is an Anti-Submarine Corvette.
• Both are indigenously built and form part of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam, Eastern Naval Command.
• The two ships are equipped with a versatile array of weapons and sensors, can carry multi-role helicopters and represent the growth of India’s warship building capabilities.