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  • Terrorism and Challenges Related To It

    FATF and Pakistan’s position on its ‘Grey List’

    IOCR | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India

    Pakistan which continues to face an economic crunch from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), is hoping for some respite in the form of its removal from the FATF’s ‘grey list’.

    What is the FATF?

    • The FATF is an international watchdog for financial crimes such as money laundering and terror financing.
    • It was established at the G7 Summit of 1989 in Paris to address loopholes in the global financial system after member countries raised concerns about growing money laundering activities.
    • In the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attack on the US, FATF also added terror financing as a main focus area.
    • This was later broadened to include restricting the funding of weapons of mass destruction.
    • The FATF currently has 39 members.

    Working of FATF

    • The decision-making body of the FATF, known as its plenary, meets thrice a year.
    • Its meetings are attended by 206 countries of the global network.
    • It includes members, and observer organisations, such as the World Bank, some offices of the UN, and regional development banks.

    Functions of FATF

    • The FATF sets standards or recommendations for countries to achieve in order to plug the holes in their financial systems and make them less vulnerable to illegal financial activities.
    • It conducts regular peer-reviewed evaluations called Mutual Evaluations (ME) of countries to check their performance on standards prescribed by it.
    • The reviews are carried out by FATF and FATF-Style Regional Bodies (FSRBs), which then release Mutual Evaluation Reports (MERs).
    • For the countries that don’t perform well on certain standards, time-bound action plans are drawn up.
    • Recommendations for countries range from assessing risks of crimes to setting up legislative, investigative and judicial mechanisms to pursue cases of money laundering and terror funding.

    What are the Black List and the Grey List?

    • The words ‘grey’ and ‘black’ list do not exist in the official FATF lexicon.
    • They however designate countries that need to work on complying with FATF directives and those who are non-compliant.
    1. Black List: The blacklist, now called the “Call for action” was the common shorthand description for the FATF list of “Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories” (NCCTs).
    2. Grey List: Countries that are considered safe haven for supporting terror funding and money laundering are put in the FATF grey list. This inclusion serves as a warning to the country that it may enter the blacklist.

    Consequences of being:

    (1) In the grey list:

    • Economic sanctions from IMF, World Bank, ADB
    • Problem in getting loans from IMF, World Bank, ADB and other countries
    • Reduction in international trade
    • International boycott

    (2) In the black list:

    • High-risk jurisdictions subject to call for action
    • Countries have considerable deficiencies in their AML/CFT (anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing) regimens
    • Enhanced due diligence
    • Members are told to apply counter-measures such as sanctions on the listed countries

    Note: Currently, North Korea and Iran are on the black list.

    Pakistan and FATF

    • Pakistan, which continues to remain on the “grey list” of FATF, had earlier been given the deadline till the June to ensure compliance with the 27-point action plan against terror funding networks.
    • It has been under the FATF’s scanner since June 2018, when it was put on the Grey List for terror financing and money laundering risks.
    • FATF and its partners such as the Asia Pacific Group (APG) are reviewing Pakistan’s processes, systems, and weaknesses on the basis of a standard matrix for anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) regime.

    Why is Pakistan on the grey list?

    • Pakistan has found itself on the grey list frequently since 2008, for weaknesses in fighting terror financing and money laundering.
    • It never addressed concerns on the front of terror financing investigations and prosecutions targeting senior leaders and commanders of UN-designated terrorist groups.
    • However, now steps had been taken in this direction such as the sentencing of terror outfit chief Hafiz Saeed, prosecution of Masood Azhar and seizure of their properties.
    • India meanwhile, a member of FATF, suspects the efficacy and permanence of Pakistani actions.

    Steps taken by Pakistan

    • Pakistan is currently banking on its potential exclusion from the grey list to help improve the status of tough negotiations with the International Monetary Fund to get bailout money.
    • Pakistan is now making a high-level political commitment to the FATF and APG to address its strategic AML/CFT deficiencies.

     

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  • New Guidelines Against Misleading Advertisements

    | Governance | Mains Paper 2: Governance, Transparency & Accountability, Citizens Charters

    The Centre has announced a new set of guidelines for advertisements preventing misleading ads by Celebrities.

    Guidelines on Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022: Key takeaways

    (1) Conditions for non-misleading and valid advertisement

    An advertisement shall be considered to be valid and not misleading:

    • If it contains truthful and honest representation;
    • Does not mislead consumers by exaggerating the accuracy,
    • Scientific validity or practical usefulness or capability or performance or service of the goods or product;
    • Does not present rights conferred on consumers by any law as a distinctive feature of advertiser’s offer.

     (2) Bait Advertisement

    • A bait advertisement shall not seek to entice consumers to purchase goods, products or services without a reasonable prospect of selling such advertised goods, products or services at the price offered.
    • The advertiser shall ensure that there is adequate supply of goods, products or services to meet foreseeable demand generated by such advertisement.

    (3) Prohibition of surrogate advertising

    • No surrogate advertisement or indirect advertisement shall be made for goods or services whose advertising is otherwise prohibited or restricted by law.
    • No circumventing of such prohibition or restriction and portraying it to be an advertisement for other goods or services shall be allowed.

    (4) Free claims advertisements

    • A free claims advertisement shall not describe any goods, product or service to be ‘free’, ‘without charge’ or use such other terms if the consumer has to pay anything other than the unavoidable costs.
    • Seller must make clear the extent of commitment that a consumer shall make to take advantage of a free offer.

    (5) Children targeted advertisements

    • An advertisement that addresses or targets or uses children shall not condone, encourage, inspire or unreasonably emulate behaviour that could be dangerous for children or take advantage of children’s inexperience, credulity or sense of loyalty.

    (6) Limitations on Celebrity Endorsers

    • The government has tightened norms for endorsers, including celebrities and sportspersons.
    • They are now required to make material connection disclosures and undertake due diligence while doing advertisements.
    • Endorsements must reflect the honest opinions, belief or experience of the endorsers.
    • The endorsers have to make material connection disclosures and failing to do so will attract penalty under the Consumer Protection Act (CPA).
    • Material disclosures mean any relationship that materially affects the weight or credibility of any endorsement which a reasonable consumer would not expect.
    • Violation of these guidelines will attract a penalty of ₹10 lakh for the first offence and ₹50 lakh for the subsequent offence, under the CPA.

    (7) ASCI rules

    • The latest guidelines will also apply to government advertisements.
    • Moreover, the advertising guidelines for self-regulation issued by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) will also be in place in a parallel manner.

     

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  • Indian Missile Program Updates

    21 Years of BrahMos Missile

    | Security Issues | Mains Paper 3: Indigenization Of Technology

    On June 12, 2001 the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was first tested from a land-based launcher in Chandipur.

    What is BrahMos Missile System?

    • BrahMos is a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
    • The missile derives its name from the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers.
    • Beginning with an anti-ship missile, several variants have since been developed.
    • It is now capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against surface and sea-based targets and has constantly been improved and upgraded.

    Its capabilities

    • BrahMos is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine.
    • Its first stage brings the missile to supersonic speed and then gets separated.
    • The liquid ramjet or the second stage then takes the missile closer to three times the speed of sound in cruise phase.
    • The missile has a very low radar signature, making it stealthy, and can achieve a variety of trajectories.
    • The ‘fire and forget’ type missile can achieve a cruising altitude of 15 km and a terminal altitude as low as 10 m to hit the target.

    Background and development

    • The early 1980s the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme was conceived and led by Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.
    • It started developing a range of missiles including Prithvi, Agni, Trishul, Akash and Nag, with a wide spectrum of capabilities and ranges.
    • In the early 1990s, India’s strategic leadership felt the need for cruise and guided missiles.
    • The need was felt primarily following the use of cruise missiles in the Gulf War.
    • An Agreement was signed with Russia in Moscow in 1998 by Dr Kalam, who headed the DRDO.
    • This led to the formation of BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between DRDO and NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM), the Indian side holding 50.5% and the Russians 49.5%.

    Tests and induction

    • In 1999, work on development of missiles began in labs of DRDO and NPOM after BrahMos Aerospace received funds from the two governments.
    • The first successful test in 2001 was conducted from a specially designed land-based launcher.
    • The missile system has since reached some key milestones, with the first major export order of $375 million received from the Philippines Navy this year.

    Strategic significance

    • Cruise missiles such as BrahMos, called “standoff range weapons”, are fired from a range far enough to allow the attacker to evade defensive counter-fire.
    • What makes the missile system unparalleled is its extreme accuracy and versatility.
    • With missiles made available for export, the platform is also seen as a key asset in defence diplomacy.

    Variants of Brahmos

    • Versions currently being tested include ranges up to 350 km, as compared to the original’s 290 km.
    • Versions with even higher ranges, up to 800 km, and with hypersonic speed are said to be on cards.
    • Efforts are also on to reduce the size and signature of existing versions and augment its capabilities further.
    • Versions deployed in all three Armed forces are still being tested regularly, and so are versions currently under development.
    1. LAND-BASED: The land-based BrahMos complex has four to six mobile autonomous launchers, each with three missiles on board that can be fired almost simultaneously. They are described as ‘tidy’ as they have very few components.
    2. SHIP-BASED: The Navy began inducting BrahMos on its frontline warships from 2005. These can hit sea-based targets beyond the radar horizon. The Naval version has been successful in sea-to-sea and sea-to-land modes.
    3. AIR-LAUNCHED: On November 22, 2017, BrahMos was successfully flight-tested for the first time from a Sukhoi-30MKI against a sea-based target in the Bay of Bengal. It has since been successfully tested multiple times.
    4. SUBMARINE-LAUNCHED: This version can be launched from around 50 m below the water surface. The canister-stored missile is launched vertically from the pressure hull of the submarine and uses different settings for underwater and out-of-the-water flights.

     

     

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  • Parliament – Sessions, Procedures, Motions, Committees etc

    E-Vidhan System for Paperless Legislation

    Prelims Only | Polity | Mains Paper 2: Parliament & State Legislatures

    A delegation of MLAs from Gujarat visited the UP Legislative Assembly to learn about the novel e-Vidhan system for paperless proceedings that has been recently adopted by the UP state assembly.

    E-Vidhan System

    • The National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) is a system for digitising the legislative bodies of all Indian states and the Parliament through a single platform.
    • It includes a website and a mobile app.
    • The house proceedings, starred/unstarred questions and answers, committee reports etc. will be available on the portal.
    • Nagaland became the first state to implement NeVA, in March this year.

    Significance of NeVA

    • There has been a shift towards digitisation in recent years by the government.
    • NeVA aims for streamlining information related to various state assemblies, and to eliminate the use of paper in day-to-day functioning.
    • PM Modi mentioned the idea of “One Nation One Legislative Platform” in November 2021.
    • A digital platform not only gives the necessary technological boost to our parliamentary system, but also connects all the democratic units of the country.

    Has this been done elsewhere?

    • Himachal Pradesh’s Legislative Assembly implemented the pilot project of NeVA in 2014, where touch-screen devices replaced paper at the tables of the MLAs.
    • Though both Houses of Parliament have not gone fully digital yet, governments world over are heading towards embracing the digital mode.
    • In December last year, the Government of Dubai became the world’s first government to go 100 percent paperless.
    • It announced all procedures were completely digitised.
    • This, as per a government statement, would cut expenditure by USD 350 million and also save 14-million-man-hours.

    What are the challenges?

    • Access to devices and reliable internet and electricity was an issue particularly for legislators representing rural constituencies.
    • Lack of training and heightened concerns over security are some more recent issues in the road to digitization.

     

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  • Waste Management – SWM Rules, EWM Rules, etc

    Microplastics found in Antarctica

    Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 1: Important Geophysical Phenomena

    Scientists have found microplastics — plastic pieces much smaller than a grain of rice — in freshly fallen Antarctic snow for the first time.

    What are Microplastics?

    • Microplastics are tiny bits of various types of plastic found in the environment.
    • The name is used to differentiate them from “macroplastics” such as bottles and bags made of plastic.
    • There is no universal agreement on the size of microplastics. It defines microplastic as less than 5mm in length.
    • However, for the purposes of this study, since the authors were interested in measuring the quantities of plastic that can cross the membranes and diffuse into the body via the bloodstream.
    • Hence they agreed on an upper limit on the size of the particles as 0.0007 millimetre.

    Why in news?

    • Researchers have found microplastics in the snow samples from the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica.

    Threats posed by Microplastics

    • Microplastics has the potential to influence the climate by accelerating melting of ice.
    • They limit growth, reproduction, and general biological functions in organisms, as well as humans.

     

    Try this PYQ:

    1. Why is there a great concern about the ‘microbeads’ that are released into environment?

    (a) They are considered harmful to marine ecosystems.

    (b) They are considered to cause skin cancer in children.

    (c) They are small enough to be absorbed by crop plants in irrigated fields.

    (d) They are often found to be used as food adulterants.

    Post your answers here.

    Back2Basics: Ross Ice Shelf

    • Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica roughly the size of France.
    • It is several hundred metres thick.
    • The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than 600 kilometres long, and between 15 and 50 metres (50 and 160 ft) high above the water surface.
    • Ninety percent of the floating ice, however, is below the water surface.
    • Most of Ross Ice Shelf is in the Ross Dependency claimed by New Zealand.
    • It floats in, and covers, a large southern portion of the Ross Sea and the entire Roosevelt Island located in the east of the Ross Sea.

     

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  • Surrogacy in India

    Surrogacy Law faces challenge in Court

    | Governance | Mains Paper 2: Health & Education

    A person has approached the Delhi High Court to question why marital status, age or gender should be the criteria for prohibiting someone from commissioning a surrogacy.

    Why in news?

    • Under the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021 a married couple can opt for surrogacy only on medical grounds.
    • The petitioner have challenged in the court the surrogacy law and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021 which provides a regulatory framework for surrogacy.

    Issues raised by the petition

    • Currently, the laws does not allow single men to have child through surrogacy.
    • Married women can only avail surrogacy services if they are unable to produce a child due to medical conditions.
    • Otherwise, for women to avail of surrogacy services, they must be aged between 35 and 45 and widowed or divorced.
    • Women can only offer surrogacy if they are aged between 25 and 35 and married with at least one biological child.
    • The laws also require a surrogate to be genetically related to the couple who intend to have a child through this method, their petition said.

    Basis of the Petition

    • The personal decision of a single person about the birth of a baby through surrogacy, i.e., the right of reproductive autonomy is a facet of the right to privacy guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.
    • Thus, the right to privacy of every citizen or person affecting a decision to bear or beget a child through surrogacy cannot be taken away.

    Distinct features of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021

    • Definition of surrogacy: It defines surrogacy as a practice where a woman gives birth to a child for an intending couple with the intention to hand over the child after the birth to the intending couple.
    • Regulation of surrogacy: It prohibits commercial surrogacy, but allows altruistic surrogacy which involves no monetary compensation to the surrogate mother other than the medical expenses and insurance.
    • Purposes for which surrogacy is permitted: Surrogacy is permitted when it is: (i) for intending couples who suffer from proven infertility; (ii) altruistic; (iii) not for commercial purposes; (iv) not for producing children for sale, prostitution or other forms of exploitation; and (v) for any condition or disease specified through regulations.
    • Eligibility criteria: The intending couple should have a ‘certificate of essentiality’ and a ‘certificate of eligibility’ issued by the appropriate authority ex. District Medical Board.

    Eligibility criteria for surrogate mother:

    • To obtain a certificate of eligibility from the appropriate authority, the surrogate mother has to be:
    1. A close relative of the intending couple;
    2. A married woman having a child of her own;
    3. 25 to 35 years old;
    4. A surrogate only once in her lifetime; and
    5. Possess a certificate of medical and psychological fitness for surrogacy.
    • Further, the surrogate mother cannot provide her own gametes for surrogacy.

    Also read:

    [Burning Issue] Surrogacy in India

     

     

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  • What India must do to protect its ties with the Islamic world

    | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India

    Context

    A controversial remark by the ruling party spokesperson against the Prophet has snowballed into a diplomatic row. Against this backdrop, New Delhi should not stop engaging the Gulf countries and strive to move beyond damage control.

    International reaction against the remarks

    • The United Arab Emirates, Oman, Indonesia, Iraq, the Maldives, Jordan, Libya and Bahrain have joined the growing list of countries in the Islamic world that have condemned the remarks.
    • Earlier, Kuwait, Iran and Qatar had called Indian ambassadors to register their protest, and Saudi Arabia had issued a strongly-worded statement.
    • Campaigners (including a few GCC regimes) demand that Prime Minister of India should tender an apology for all that happened.
    • But New Delhi’s stance is categorial and legitimate insofar as the Union government has nothing to do with such unsolicited comments.

    Why WANA is important for India

    • Engagement with WANA: Countries in West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region do not have a fixed position vis-à-vis India.
    • Delhi has vibrant economic and strategic ties with almost all regimes in the region.
    • That’s precisely the reason these countries are unwilling to join the Islamabad-led chorus or go beyond passing resolutions.
    • India’s signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) with the UAE and the ongoing negotiations for a wider FTA with the GCC could be an eye-opener for the country’s detractors.
    • India’s energy needs: As much as 40 per cent of oil and an equal share of gas requirements are met through India’s strategic cooperation with the Gulf regimes.
    • Mutuality of interests: India and the WANA regimes know that there is a mutuality of interests in these transactions which cannot be substituted by any other segments of the world system.
    • Indian diaspora: Equally important is the role of the more than eight million-strong Indian diaspora in the WANA region.
    • The “Gulf remittance” is an important part of the Indian economy, as important as the Indian investment in the GCC and GCC investment in India.

    Way forward

    • India’s foreign policy strategy — which includes strategic bargaining with regional and international actors — would fetch reasonable dividends.
    • The response to its Ukraine war strategy has convinced South Block that it has adequate manoeuvrability in global affairs.

    Conclusion

    New Delhi should not stop engaging the countries, especially the ones in the WANA region, as both have shared interests. Therefore, South Block must go beyond a mere damage-control exercise.

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  • Forest Conservation Efforts – NFP, Western Ghats, etc.

    Tendu Leaves Collection in India

    | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    Tribal residents in Chhattisgarh have decided to file an FIR against an official of the state forest department after he confiscated the tendu leaves that they had collected.

    Tendu Leaves

    • Leaves of tree species Diospyros melanoxyion are used as wrappers of tobacco to produce bidi.
    • This tree is commonly known as “tendu,” but also called “abnus” in Andhra Pradesh, “kendu” in Orissa and West Bengal, “tembru” in Gujarat, “kari” in Kerala, “tembhurni” in Maharahstra, and “bali tupra” in Tamil Nadu.
    • This leaf is considered the most suitable wrapper on account of the ease with which it can be rolled and its wide availability.
    • Tendu is also called ‘green gold’ and is a prominent minor forest produce in India.

    How it is traded?

    • In 1964, the trade in tendu leaves was nationalised in then-undivided Madhya Pradesh.
    • Until then, people were free to sell tendu leaves in markets across the country.
    • Maharashtra adopted the same system in 1969, undivided Andhra Pradesh in 1971, Odisha in 1973, Gujarat in 1979, Rajasthan in 1974 and Chhattisgarh in 2000.
    • Under this arrangement, the state forest department collects tendu leaves, allows their transportation and sells them to traders.

    Why is there a dispute?

    • The dispute is essentially about who has the right to sell the leaves.
    • State governments say only they can do so due to nationalization.
    • On the other hand, tendu leaf collectors cite The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 and the 2013 Supreme Court verdict in the Niyamgiri Case to say private collectors can sell them on their own.
    • Tendu leaf collectors allege that the government gives them a lower price for the leaves, while it fetches a higher price in the open market.

    What do the tribals want?

    • The tribals, after having obtained forest rights leases under the FRA 2006, now want to sell tendu leaves on their own, with the permission of Gram Sabhas and make good profits.
    • Many types of minor forest produce like Mahua, Salbeej or the seeds of the Sal tree (Shorea robusta) and Chironji or Almondette kernels (Buchanania lanzan) are collected and sold by tribals.
    • Hence, there should not be a dispute over tendu leaves.

    Back2Basics: Forest Produce in India

    • Forest produce is defined under section 2(4) of the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
    • Its legal definition includes timber, charcoal, catechu, wood-oil, resin, natural varnish, bark, lac, mahua flowers, trees and leaves, flowers and fruit, plants (including grass, creepers, reeds and moss), wild animals, skins, tusks, horns, bones, cocoons, silk, honey, wax, etc.
    • Forest produce can be divided into several categories.
    • From the point of view of usage, forest produce can be categorized into three types: Timber, Non-Timber and Minor Minerals.
    • Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are known also as minor forest produce (MFP) or non-wood forest produces (NWFP).
    • The NTFP can be further categorized into medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP), oilseeds, fibre & floss, resins, edible plants, bamboo, reeds and grasses

     

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  • Nuclear Energy

    What is TVS-2M Nuclear Fuel?

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Russia has supplied the first batches of more reliable and cost-efficient nuclear fuel over the existing one, the TVS-2M nuclear fuel, to India for the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP).

    What is TVS-2M Nuclear Fuel?

    • The TVS-2M FAs contain gadolinium-oxide which is mixed with U-235 enrichments.
    • The core does not contain BARs (Burnable Absorbers Rods).

    How are they prepared?

    • Once the uranium is enriched, it is ready to be converted into nuclear fuel.
    • At a nuclear fuel fabrication facility, the UF6, in solid form, is heated to gaseous form, and then the UF6 gas is chemically processed to form uranium dioxide (UO2) powder.
    • The powder is then compressed and formed into small ceramic fuel pellets.
    • The pellets are stacked and sealed into long metal tubes that are about 1 centimetre in diameter to form fuel rods.
    • The fuel rods are then bundled together to make up a fuel assembly.
    • Depending on the reactor type, each fuel assembly has about 179 to 264 fuel rods.
    • A typical reactor core holds 121 to 193 fuel assemblies.

    Benefits offered

    • TVS-2M fuel assemblies have a number of advantages making them more reliable and cost-efficient.
    • The new fuel has increased uranium capacity – one TVS-2M assembly contains 7.6% more fuel material as compared to UTVS.
    • Besides, the special feature of the Kudankulam fuel in particular is the new generation anti-debris filter ADF-2, efficiently protecting fuel assemblies.
    • Once the new TVS-2 M fuel is used in the next refuelling, the reactor will start operations with an 18-month fuel cycle.
    • It means the reactor, which has to be stopped for every 12 months for removing the spent fuel and inserting the fresh fuel bundles and allied maintenance, will have to be stopped for every 18 months.

    Back2Basics: India-Russia Energy Cooperation

    • The Soviet Union supplied India with nuclear reactors and fuel when India was denied technologies and was hit with sanctions from the West for its refusal to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).
    • In 1988, the Soviet Union agreed, allegedly without an official deal, to build two nuclear reactors at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu.  The deal was made official in 1992.
    • In 2000, Russia and India signed another secret MoU, to cooperate on “peaceful uses” of nuclear energy, and for Russia to supply India with low-enriched uranium fuel for the Tarapur reactor in Maharashtra.
    • In 2009, the two countries entered into a major nuclear deal, with Russia agreeing to install four nuclear reactors at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu, and one in West Bengal.
    • Two units at Kudankulam are currently operational, and the third and fourth units are being prepared for installation.
    • Russia is also aiding with the ongoing construction of the fifth and sixth units.

     

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  • ISRO Missions and Discoveries

    What is IN-SPACe?

    | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    The Prime Minister inaugurated the headquarters of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) at Bopal, Ahmedabad.

    What is IN-SPACe?

    • The establishment of IN-SPACe was announced in June 2020.
    • It is an autonomous and single window nodal agency in the Department of Space for the promotion, encouragement and regulation of space activities of both government and private entities.
    • It also facilitates the usage of ISRO facilities by private entities.
    • It comprises technical experts for space activities along with safety expert, academic experts and legal and strategic experts from other departments.
    • It also comprises members from PMO and MEA of Government of India.

    Roles and Responsibilities

    • Space activities including building of launch vehicles and satellites and providing space based services as per the definition of space activities.
    • Sharing of space infrastructure and premises under the control of ISRO with due considerations to on-going activities.
    • Establishment of temporary facilities within premises under ISRO control based on safety norms and feasibility assessment

    How is it different from ANTRIX?

    • Antrix Corporation Limited (ACL), Bengaluru is a wholly-owned Government of India Company under the administrative control of the Department of Space.
    • It is as a marketing arm of ISRO for promotion and commercial exploitation of space products, technical consultancy services and transfer of technologies developed by ISRO.
    • Antrix is engaged in providing Space products and services to international customers worldwide.

    What about New Space India Limited (NSIL)?

    • It functions under the administrative control of the Department of Space (DOS).
    • It aims to commercially exploit the research and development work of ISRO Centres and constituent units of DOS.
    • The NSIL would enable Indian Industries to scale up high-technology manufacturing and production base for meeting the growing needs of the Indian space program.
    • It would further spur the growth of Indian Industries in the space sector.

     

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