PIB Summary- 4th August, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

INS Vikrant

Context: Commencement of sea trials of indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC(P71)) ‘Vikrant’.

Details

• Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) ‘Vikrant’ designed by Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND) is being built at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), a Public Sector Shipyard under the Ministry of Shipping.
• IAC Vikrant is a leading example of the nation’s quest for “Atma Nirbhar Bharat” with more than 76% indigenous content.
• This is the maiden attempt of the Indian Navy and Cochin Shipyard to indigenously design and build an Aircraft Carrier.
• INS Vikrant (R11) was the first aircraft carrier to ever grace the arsenal of the Indian Navy. Initially starting life as the HMS Hercules of the British Royal Navy, the ship was re-christened as ‘Vikrant’ after purchase by the Indian Navy. The construction aircraft carrier began when World War II was in full swing, but would not be completed even after the end of the conflict. The incomplete ship was sold to the Indian Navy in 1957, who would finish its construction by the year 1961.
• This R11 is not to to be confused with the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier – 1 (IAC-1) which began its construction in 2013 and is expected to go into sea trials by the end of 2021, entering into service with the Indian navy by 2022.

What is an Aircraft Carrier?

Before we go into detail about INS Vikrant we must understand the type of navy ship it is. INS Vikrant belongs to the Aircraft carrier variant. An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a naval force to project air power worldwide without depending on local bases for staging aircraft operations. Carriers have evolved since their inception in the early twentieth century from wooden vessels used to deploy balloons to nuclear-powered warships that carry numerous fighters, strike aircraft, helicopters, and other types of aircraft.

What is INS Vikrant’s ship design?

INS Vikrant measured a length of 700ft, with a beam of 128 ft wide, considerably short than her sister ship, the INS Viraat (commissioned on May 12, 1987), at 748 ft in length and 160 ft in width. The INS Vikrant was a bridge between full-sized fleet carriers and smaller, more economical escort carriers. In other words, INS Vikrant can be categorised as a “light fleet carrier”. Formally, INS Vikrant falls under the Majestic-class of aircraft carriers.
The indicated horsepower of the ship totalled up to 40,000 (30,000 kW). It gave a speed of 25 knots which is about 46 km/hr. INS Vikrant could house about 1100 officers, men and aircrew.

What is the operational history of INS Vikrant?

After its commissioning in 1961, the INS Vikrant went on its maiden voyage to Tamil Nadu for initial refitting and re-armament. When the war of 1965 (Began on August 5, 1965,) broke out between India and Pakistan, the carrier was being refitted in Mumbai. It would not leave its moorings until the end of the conflict. Its warplanes, meanwhile, had to operate from air bases located on dry land during the conflict.
The war ended with a United Nations-mediated ceasefire with no clear winner, but with both sides claiming victory on the basis of the percentage of territories held at the end of the war.
It would be in the 1971 Indo – Pak war when Vikrant would see its first combat operations. This time INS Vikrant would launch airstrikes and Combat Air Operations led primarily by Hawker Sea Hawk fighter – bombers. The war of 1971 would end in a decisive victory for the Indian Armed forces, resulting in the creation of the infant nation of Bangladesh. Vikrant would play a leading role by using its aircraft squadron in suppressing Pakistani Army ground movements and blockading East Pakistan from vital supplies through air and sea.
The warship was again refitted between the years 1991 – 1994, which did allow some degree of stability in her operations. But it was evident that her best days were behind her, as even the mightiest of ships have a shelf life. The decision was taken to finally decommission her. She was formally decommissioned in the year 1997. INS Vikrant was laid up in Mumbai, where she became a museum ship from 2001 until 2012 before public safety issue and lack of funding from both the Indian Navy and the State Government of Maharashtra proved to be a death-knell for the ship. INS Vikrant was auctioned off in 2013 and ultimately scrapped in November 2014.

INS Vikrant – Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 (IAC-1)

INS Vikrant, also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 (IAC-1), is an aircraft carrier constructed by Cochin Shipyard in Kochi, Kerala for the Indian Navy. It is the first aircraft carrier to be built in India.
Work on the ship’s design began in 1999, and the keel was laid in February 2009. The carrier was floated out of its dry dock on 29 December 2011 and was launched on 12 August 2013. The basin trials were completed in December 2020, and the ship is expected to start sea trials by the end of 2021 and enter into service in end of 2022 or early 2023. The project cost has escalated, by 2014, to ₹19,341 crore. With an additional ₹3,000 crore authorised for phase III, in 2019.
It is 262 metres (860 ft) long and 62 metres (203 ft) wide, and displaces about 40,000 metric tons (39,000 long tons). It features a STOBAR configuration with a ski-jump.
Vikrant is powered by four General Electric LM2500+ gas turbines on two shafts, generating over 80 megawatts (110,000 hp) of power. The gearboxes for the carriers were designed and supplied by Elecon Engineering.

Indian Navy Ships – Classification

Surface Ships

1. Aircraft carriers
2. Destroyers
3. Frigates
4. Corvettes
5. Offshore Patrol Vessels
6. Landing and Transport Ships
7. Patrol Vessels
8. Torpedo Recovery Vessels

Submarines

1. Conventionally-powered submarines (SSK)
2. Nuclear-powered submarines (SSN and SSBN)

Auxiliary Fleet

1. Replenishment Ships
2. Research and Survey Vessels
3. Support Ships
4. Training Vessels

MoU between Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), the Netherlands

Context: Cabinet approves MoU between Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), the Netherlands for research collaboration.

Details

• The MoU paves the way for academic programmes and research activities involving students and faculty members of both institutions.
• There are provisions for student exchange programmes, dual/double degree programmes, internships and project work, faculty exchange and joint research collaborations.
• TU Delf is one of the oldest and largest Dutch public technological universities.
• The Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology is an autonomous institute under the Department of Space, GOI.
  • The institute imparts education at the undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral levels on areas with special focus to space sciences, space technology and space applications.
  • It was established in 2007 and is located in Thiruvananthapuram.

Fast Track Special Courts

Context

• Cabinet approves continuation of Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Fast Track Special Courts for two more years.
• 1023 Fast Track Special Courts will be set up for Speedy disposal of Rape and POCSO Act Cases.

Fast Track Special Courts for Speedy disposal of Rape and POCSO Act Cases

Details

• The offences of rape and gang rape of women and children require effective deterrence through fast and time-bound completion of trials relating to sexual offences.
• To bring out more stringent provisions and expeditious trial and disposal of such cases, the Union of India enacted the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018.
  • The Criminal Law (Amendment), Act 2013 was enacted for effective deterrence against sexual offences. This widened the definition of rape and made punishment more stringent.
  • Further, the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 was enacted to prescribe even more stringent penal provisions including death penalty for the rape of a girl below the age of 12 years. The Act also, among other things, mandates the completion of investigation and trials within 2 months each.
• The government has taken up the work of setting up of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) as a part of the National Mission for Safety of Women (NMSW).
  • The government has planned a series of measures to deal with women safety on mission mode and will make a comprehensive programme.
  • The NMSW is going to cover all aspects from free medical care to legal aid to the victims of sexual assault by engaging public prosecutors in states and setting up of nearly 1,023 fast track courts for fast judgements.

NavIC System

Context: Union Minister said the usage of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NavIC system) has increased in sectors like transportation and personal mobility.

What is NavIC?

1. It is an Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System or IRNSS.
2. It was developed in India by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and its commercial wing ANTRIX.
3. It consists of 8 satellites located at a distance of approximately 36,000 Km. Currently, 7 satellites are active.
   • 3 satellites are in Geostationary Orbit (GEO)
   • 5 satellites are in inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (GSO)
4. The objective of the NavIC is to provide navigation, timing, and reliable positioning services in and around India.
5. Working of the NavIC is very similar to the Global Positioning System(GPS) implemented by the United States. 
6. The NavIC is certified by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) which is responsible for coordinating mobile telephony standards globally.

Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)

• It is an independent regional navigational satellite system developed by India.
• Objective:
  • It is being designed to give precise position data service to users located in India and also to users in the area out-spreading up to 1500 Km from India’s boundary.
• The two kinds of services provided by IRNSS will be: 
  • Standard Positioning Service (SPS) and 
  • Restricted Service (RS). 
• The system can offer a position accuracy of more than 20 m within India which is the primary area of service.

The IRNSS is being constructed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and is wholly under the Indian government’s control. The need for such a system of navigation is that the availability of global satellite navigation systems like the GPS is not assured in hostile conditions.

Commercialization of NavIC

1. Antrix, the commercial arm of ISRO has floated two separate tenders to identify industries that can develop dedicated NavIC-based hardware and systems.
2. Suitable device manufacturers are being identified along with integrators of NavIC-based systems.
3. NAVIC is being commercialized for the following reasons :
   • Navigation (Aerial, marines and terrestrial)
   • Maps (Charting, Plotting and Geodetic data capture)
   • Disaster Management 
   • Fleet Management and Vehicle Tracking (important during mining and transport operations)
   • Mobile phone integration
   • Precise timing (useful for power grids and ATMs)
4. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has mandated that all national-permit vehicles must have such tracking devices. As a pilot, many fishing boats have been fitted with these devices that have a unique texting facility.
5. The 3GPP certification will allow multiple possibilities of further commercialization of NavIC.

NAVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) 2019

There are a few recent developments in the NAVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) according to ISRO:

1. The leading semiconductor manufacturer Qualcomm Technologies Inc. developed and tested NavIC-friendly chipsets.
2. This will help NAVIC support upcoming Automotive, Mobile and IoT applications and platforms.
3. The collaboration will enable superior location-based services to India’s industries and technology ecosystem.

NAVIC vs GPS

The use of dual-frequency, both S and L Frequency Bands makes NavIC independent of using any delay-causing frequency models to detect frequency error.

Countries with their own Navigation Satellite System
Some of the countries provide navigation systems on a global scale, some of them provide navigation on a regional scale. The following countries have their own navigation satellite system.

1. The United States Global Positioning System (GPS) – World’s most used GPS system, operational from 1978. Constellation of 32 satellites.
2. Russian GLONASS – It provides global coverage. It has a total of 26 satellites.
3. European Union Galileo – Became operational in 2016, with a constellation of 30 satellites.
4. Chinese BeiDou – Currently it provides regional coverage of the Asia- Pacific region, plans to provide global coverage by 2020. It has a total of 35 satellites.
5. Japanese Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) – It is a regional satellite system covering Japan and the Asia-Oceania region. It has a total of 4 satellites, 7 are planned.
6. India (IRNSS-NAVIC) – Constellation of 8 Satellites.

National Industrial Corridor Programme (NICP)

Context: 11 Industrial Corridors with 32 Projects to be developed in 4 phases in the country as part of National Industrial Corridor Programme (NICP).

About the National Industrial Corridor Programme (NICP)

• The National Industrial Corridor Programme (NICP) has been conceived to promote world class manufacturing facilities and develop futuristic industrial cities in India.
• It is under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
• The broad objective of NICP is to provide plug and play infrastructural facilities for setting up large scale manufacturing units.
• The National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) under the DPIIT is the overarching institutional framework to implement the programme.
• Under the programme, land parcels are developed for immediate allotment to manufacturing units.
• The programme aims to develop new industrial cities as “Smart Cities” and converge next generation technologies across infrastructure sectors.
• The 11 Industrial Corridors being developed are:
  • Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC)
  • Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC)
  • Amritsar Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC)
  • East Coast Industrial Corridor (ECIC) with Vizag Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC) as Phase 1
  • Bengaluru Mumbai Industrial Corridor (BMIC)
  • Extension of CBIC to Kochi via Coimbatore
  • Hyderabad Nagpur Industrial Corridor (HNIC)
  • Hyderabad Warangal Industrial Corridor (HWIC)
  • Hyderabad Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (HBIC)
  • Odisha Economic Corridor (OEC)
  • Delhi Nagpur Industrial Corridor (DNIC)
• Need for such a programme:
  • Industrial corridors are conceived to foster global manufacturing, investment destination hubs and smart cities with the best in-class infrastructure.
  • They have the potential to unleash the manufacturing potential in the country and raise its contribution to GDP by creating quality infrastructure ahead of demand.

Exercise INDRA-21

Context: The Indo – Russia joint training Exercise INDRA 2021 commenced at Prudboy Ranges, Volgograd.

Important Points on Exercise Indra

1. The exercise Indra was initiated as a bilateral single-service exercise in 2003. However, in October 2017, the first tri-service Indra Exercise took place in the Eastern Military District of Russia.
2. The second edition of the tri-service Indra Exercise was held in December 2019 simultaneously at Babina (near Jhansi), Pune, and Goa.
3. During the Indra Exercise 2020, India and Russia Defence Ministers met in Moscow and commemorated the 75th anniversary of the second world war.
4. The main aim of the Indra 2020 exercise to enhance the interoperability of the Indian and Russian Navies.
5. As Indra Exercise 2020 took place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of the exercise was a ‘Non-contact, at sea only.’
6. Representatives from the Indian Navy side:
   • Guided-missile destroyer Ranvijay
   • Indigenous frigate Sahyadri
   • Fleet tanker Shakti

INS Ranvijay

1. It is a Rajput-Class Destroyer.
2. It was commissioned in the Indian Navy in 1988.
3. The Destroyer Ranvijay has also participated in the Malabar Naval Exercise in 2011.
4. Similarly, it has also participated in Indra War Games in 2014 and SIMBEX 2016.
5. It has received the award for the best ship of the Eastern Fleet Trophy twice.

INS Sahyadri

1. It is a Shivalik-class stealth multi-role frigate that was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2012.
2. It has participated in Indra 2015.

INS Shakti

1. It is a Deepak-class fleet tanker and is the Indian Navy’s one of the largest ships.
2. It was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2011.
3. It represented India in Malabar Exercise 2012, 2014; Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX) 2012; TROPEX 2013, SIMBEX 2015 etc.

Border Roads Organisation (BRO)

Context: BRO constructs highest motorable road in the world in Eastern Ladakh.

Details

• The road constructed is at 19,300 ft at Umlingla Pass in Eastern Ladakh.
• BRO has constructed a 52-km long tarmac road through Umlingla Pass, bettering the previous record of a road in Bolivia connecting to its volcano Uturuncu at 18,953 ft.
• The road now connects the important towns in Chumar sector of Eastern Ladakh.
• It will prove to be a boon to the local population as it offers an alternate direct route connecting Chisumle and Demchok from Leh. It will enhance the socio-economic conditions and promote tourism in Ladakh.
• The Border Roads Organisation is responsible for constructing and maintaining the road network in India’s border areas.

Central Board for Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC)

Context: CBIC launched Compliance Information Portal (CIP).

Details

• The CBIC launched the CIP to provide free access to information on all customs procedures and regulatory compliance for nearly 12,000 Customs Tariff Items.
• The portal would also have information related to partner government agencies like FSSAI, drug controller, etc., to carry out imports and exports.
• CIP can be used by entering either the Customs Tariff Heading (CTH) or the description of the goods in question to get information to step-by-step procedures, regulatory compliances requirements like licence, certificates, etc., for imports as well as exports.
• This includes import and export through posts and courier, import of samples, reimport and re-export of goods, self-sealing facility for exporters and project imports.
• Another important feature of CIP is a pan-India map showing all the customs seaports, airports, and land customs stations, etc. It also contains addresses of the regulatory agencies and their websites.