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  • Schemes, Project, and Policies Regarding Science and Tech

     

    5th May 2021

    1. SATHI

    The Department of Science & Technology has launched a unique scheme called “Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institutes(SATHI)”.

    Objectives of the Scheme

    • SATHI will address the problems of accessibility, maintenance, redundancy and duplication of expensive equipment in the institutions.
    • This will also foster a strong culture of collaboration between institutions and across disciplines to take advantage of developments, innovations and expertise in diverse areas.

    2. National Mission on Quantum Technologies & Applications (NM-QTA)

    The Finance Minister in budget 2020 has announced a National Mission on Quantum Technologies & Applications (NM-QTA).

    About NM-QTA

    • The mission will function under the Department of Science & Technology (DST).
    • It will be able to address the ever-increasing technological requirements of society and take into account the international technology trends.
    • The mission will help prepare next-generation skilled manpower, boost translational research and also encourage entrepreneurship and start-up ecosystem development.

    3. Project MANAV: Human Atlas Initiative

    • For the first time, Indian scientists will be mapping every single tissue of the human body to have a deeper understanding of the roles of tissues and cells linked to various diseases.
    • Department of Biotechnology (DBT) launched MANAV: Human Atlas Initiative towards improving knowledge on human physiology.
    • It is a project funded by DBT, which aims at creating a database network of all tissues in the human body from the available scientific literature.
    • It is a project that involves scientific skill development for annotation, science outreach along with handling big data.
    • It will involve gaining better biological insights through physiological and molecular mapping, develop disease models through predictive computing and have a holistic analysis and finally drug discovery.
    • The student community, who will be the backbone on assimilating the information, will be trained and imparted with skills to perform annotation and curation of information that will ultimately form the online network.
    • DBT has invested funds shared between two institutions in Pune – National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) and Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISER), Pune.
    • Besides, Persistent Systems Limited has co-funded the project and is developing the platform.

    4. Project Cosmic Microwave Background-Bharat

    • CMB stands for Cosmic Microwave Background, and the scientific space project CMB-Bharat has been presented as a proposal to ISRO and is under consideration.
    • In the workshop, project CMB-Bharat, which could help us listen to the faintest murmurs of the early universe, was discussed.
    • CMB-Bharat is a proposal for comprehensive next-generation Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) mission in international collaboration with major Indian contribution.
    • This referred to quantum gravitational waves, which are different from what LIGO detectors had observed that were classical in nature.

    5. Phyto-Pharma Plant Mission

    Objectives

    • Rs 50 crore Mission aimed at conservation and cultivation of endangered and threatened endemic medicinal plants, and discovery of new botanical drugs for unmet medical needs using the rich traditional ethnobotanical knowledge and biodiversity of these states and at the same time also improve the availability of authentic and quality botanical raw material on a sustainable basis for a boom in the phyto-pharmaceutical industry
    • Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Science & Technology

    6. Brahmaputra Biodiversity and Biology Boat

    Objectives

    • B4 will establish a large barge on the river with a well-equipped laboratory for analysis of all components of the entire ecosystem of the river and surroundings. The B4 will link to all the local research institutions along the river, as well as national and international laboratories
    • Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Science & Technology

    7. INSPIRE (INNOVATION IN SCIENCE PURSUIT FOR INSPIRED RESEARCH)

    Objectives

    • To attract talent to Science.
    • To communicate to the youth of the country the excitements of creative pursuit of science, attract talent to the study of science at an early age and thus build the required critical human resource pool for strengthening and expanding the Science & Technology system and R&D base.
    • It does not believe in conducting competitive exams for the identification of talent at any level.
    • It believes in and relies on the efficacy of the existing educational structure for the identification of talent.
    • INSPIRE has three components:
    • i. Scheme for Early Attraction of Talent (SEATS)
    • ii. Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE)
    • iii. Assured Opportunity for Research Careers (AORC)
    • The Inspire Awards have been renamed as MANAK

    8. JIGYASA –

    Objectives

    • Student-Scientist Connect Programme
    • Connecting school students and scientists so as to extend student’s classroom learning with that of a very well planned research laboratory-based learning.
    • CSIR + Kendriya Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS).

    9. VAJRA

    Objectives –

    • The Government of India recently launched VAJRA (Visiting Advanced Joint Research) Faculty scheme by the Department of Science and Technology which enables NRIs and overseas scientific community to participate and contribute to research and development in India. The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body of the Department will implement the Scheme.
    • International Faculty / scientists/technologists including Non-resident Indians (NRI) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) / Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) are offered adjunct / visiting faculty positions in Indian Institutions / Universities for a period of 1-3 months under this scheme. The faculty can also undertake the role of teaching /mentoring apart from R&D.
    • Public funded institutions and national laboratories are allowed to host the VAJRA faculty.
    • Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Science & Technology

    10. National Initiative for Developing & Harnessing Innovation (NIDHI)

    Objectives

    A programme to address the complete chain of innovation ecosystem right from scouting to mentoring to scaling up innovations. launched by DST. Establishment of a research park at IIT Gandhinagar has been supported at a cost of Rs.90 cr.

    11.Surya Jyoti

    Objectives

    • In order to capture daylight and concentrate the same inside a dark room, particularly in the urban slum or rural areas which lack electricity supply, a low cost and energy-efficient Micro Solar Dome (Surya Jyoti) has been tested and developed. -Potential users of this device are10 million households.
    • According to preliminary estimates, if this technology is adopted in 10 million households only, it has the potential of saving 1750 million units of energy.
    • It would also lead to an emission reduction of about 12.5 million ton of CO2 equivalent, hence giving a fillip to the mission of ‘Clean India, Green India’.
    • The manufacturing process, being labour-intensive, would also generate huge job opportunities in the economy.
    • Nodal Ministry – Department of Science & Technology.

    12. Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan

    • Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan is running successfully to motivate children to learn Science, Maths and Technology through observation and experimentation.
    • It was launched on 9th July 2015 by Late Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Former President of India.
    • Nodal Ministry-HRD Ministry.

    13. Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIIT) Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020

    About the Bill:

    • Amend the principal act: Introduction of the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 will amend the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Act of 2014 and Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public-Private Partnership) Act, 2017.
    • The principal acts of 2014 and 2017 are the unique initiatives of the Government of India to impart knowledge in the field of Information Technology to provide solutions to the challenges faced by the country.
    • It will grant statutory status to five Indian Institutes of Information Technology in Public-Private Partnership mode at Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala and Raichur.
    • The new bill will declare them as Institutions of National Importance along with already existing 15 Indian Institutes of Information Technology under the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public-Private Partnership) Act, 2017

    14. Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (WISTEMM) program

    • TheIndo-U.S. Fellowship for WISTEMM is providinginternational exposureto severalwomen scientists of India
    • It is a fellowship for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine.
    • It is a program of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in association with Indo-U.S. Science & Technology Forum (IUSSTF).
    • It aims to provide opportunities to Indian Women Scientists, Engineers & Technologists to undertake international collaborative research in premier institutions in the U.S.A , to enhance their research capacities and capabilities
    • The fellowship is for bright Indian women Citizen within the age bracket of 21 to 45 years.

    The programme is run for two categories of women scientists:

    1. Women Overseas Student Internship (Module I) for women students pursuing PhD.
    2. Women Overseas Fellowship (Module II) for women with a PhD degree and holding a regular position
      at any recognized institution/laboratory in India.

     

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  • [pib] Cabinet approval to MoU between India and UK on Global Innovation Partnership

    Cabinet approval to GIP

    • The Union Cabinet gave ex-post facto approval to the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) India and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom on Global Innovation Partnership (GIP).
    • GIP will support Indian innovators to scale up their innovations in third countries thereby helping them explore new markets and become self-sustainable.

    How GIP will help India

    • It will also foster an innovative ecosystem in India.
    • GIP innovations will focus on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) related sectors thereby assisting recipient countries achieve their SDGs.
    • Through seed funding, grants, investments and technical assistance, the Partnership will support Indian entrepreneurs and innovators to test, scale-up and take their innovative development solutions to select developing countries.
    • GIP will also develop an open and inclusive e-marketplace (E-BAAZAR) for cross-border innovation transfer and will focus on results-based impact assessment thereby promoting transparency and accountability.

  • Scientists see flaws in SUTRA’s approach to forecast pandemic

    About SUTRA

    • SUTRA (Susceptible, Undetected, Tested (positive), and Removed Approach) first came into public attention when one of its expert members announced in October that India was “past its peak”.
    • Unlike many epidemiological models that extrapolated cases based on the existing number of cases, the behaviour of the virus and manner of spread, the SUTRA model chose a “data centric approach”.
    • However, the surge in the second wave was several times what any of the modellers had predicted.
    • The predictions of the SUTRA model were too variable to guide government policy.

    So, what went wrong in the model

    • The SUTRA model was problematic as it relied on too many parameters, and recalibrated those parameters whenever its predictions broke down.
    • The more parameters you have, the more you are in danger of overfitting.
    • One of the main reasons for the model not gauging an impending, exponential rise was that a constant indicating contact between people and populations went wrong.
    • Further the model was ‘calibrated’ incorrectly.
    • The model relied on a serosurvey conducted by the ICMR in May that said 0.73% of India’s population may have been infected at that time.
    • This calibration led our model to the conclusion that more than 50% population was immune by January.
    • The SUTRA model’s omission of the importance of the behaviour of the virus; the fact that some people were bigger transmitters; a lack of accounting for social or geographic heterogeneity and not stratifying the population by age as it didn’t account for contacts between different age groups also undermined its validity.
  • ESCAPE THE SNOOZE MODE IN YOUR UPSC-CSE PREPARATION

    ESCAPE THE SNOOZE MODE IN YOUR UPSC-CSE PREPARATION

    Click here to fill the Samanvaya form for 1-1 mentorship. We will call you within 24 hours.(Also provided at the bottom of the article)

    We talked to 8000+ aspirants in the last one year and their answers will surprise you.

    Inconsistency in UPSC preparation is like getting up at 5 am. A night before you set up your alarm. The motivation to get up is high at this point. But in the morning, when the alarm rings, we swipe it to the right with a thought “IN 5 MINUTES…FOR SURE!!”. This snooze cycle usually continues for some time till we realize it is 8 am. Already a bad start to the day! To add to it, you will spend the whole day repenting upon not being able to get up early, instead of focusing upon the time we have. The same goes for UPSC preparation. You set your targets but one slight glitch and your whole preparation go off track. Till the time you yourself realize this mismanagement, it is a bit too late. Anxiety builds up, performance levels fall. You are not able to achieve even 10% OF YOUR TRUE POTENTIAL on the D-day.

    WE ASKED 8000+ STUDENTS ONE SIMPLE QUESTION –

    “WHAT IS THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE THAT YOU ARE FACING IN YOUR UPSC PREPARATION?”

    YOU WILL BE ASTOUNDED THAT ONE ANSWER WAS COMMON IN REPLIES – INCONSISTENCY.

    They are Consistently Inconsistent. Meaning, they go through these highs and lows in their preparation. They are able to study for days, week but they hit a sudden gap in preparation. Then, they find it very hard to come back. The good news is that we have the solution.

    Click here to fill the Samanvaya form for 1-1 mentorship. We will call you within 24 hours.

    Our philosophy behind MENTORSHIP is to get you out of this Snooze cycle. This ensures that you are the BEST VERSION of yourself in this journey. If you are under the impression that mentorship is weekly calls you attend, then you are mistaken, my friend. Trust us, your mentor will be your ‘FRIEND, PHILOSOPHER AND GUIDE’.

    How Mentorship can fight inconsistency in preparation?

    TO EACH THEIR OWN – Every aspirant is different. Their strengths and weaknesses are different. Their time availability is also different. Identifying this is important so you don’t end up making unrealistic targets and lose momentum. Your mentor will make sure you start slow but remain consistent to build your confidence. Making your schedule structured based on our experience of working with 2500+ students is our first priority. 

    TRACK YOUR PROGRESS – When you see yourself grow, it becomes easier to motivate yourself to push boundaries. Tracking your progress can happen in many ways like mentorship calls or chat sessions or by regular tests. The idea is to ensure that you don’t go off track in your preparation, and even if you do, we have your back.

    Click here to fill the Samanvaya form for 1-1 mentorship. We will call you within 24 hours.

    EVOLUTION – A constant guidance is important to bring consistency to your UPSC preparation. Guidance is not about clearing your doubts or asking you to study when you don’t. It is also about the evolution of your preparation. This is where you and your mentor work as a team. A constant effort to PLAN AND BUILD UP YOUR ABILITY to learn in a faster and more efficient way.

    Click here to fill the Samanvaya form for 1-1 mentorship. We will call you within 24 hours.

    TALK IT OUT – The biggest hurdle in achieving your highest level of consistency is the emotional part. Every now and then, you. surround yourself with negative thoughts, you feel scared and depressed. Instead of resolving these emotional issues, you avoid them as it seems like a waste of your precious time. You have to understand that ignoring emotional troubles does not solve them. What your doing is building an emotional time bomb that may burst a week before your mains or prelims! This is where your MENTOR AS A FRIEND comes in. All our mentors have been through this journey. We understand your fears and anxieties. So, TALK IT OUT.

    Click here to fill the Samanvaya form for 1-1 mentorship. We will call you within 24 hours.

    Don’t let inconsistency keep you away from your dreams.

    Fill up the SAMANVAYA form given below. Let us know your problems and we will find a solution to it, just like our students say ” TOGETHER WE CAN AND WE WILL”.

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  • Article 21 and the right of non-refoulement

    Significance of Manipur High Court judgement

    • The High Court of Manipur on Monday allowed seven Myanmar nationals, to travel to New Delhi to seek protection from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
    • “The far-reaching and myriad protection afforded by Article 21 of our Constitution, as interpreted and adumbrated by our Supreme Court time and again, would indubitably encompass the right of non-refoulement,” the court said.

    What is the principle of non-refoulemennt

    • Non-refoulement is the principle under international law that a person fleeing from persecution from his own country should not be forced to return.
    • Though India is not a party to the UN Refugee Conventions, the court observed that the country is a party to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966.

  • A ‘One Health’ approach that targets people, animals

    The article highlights the need for a holistic approach to animal and human health as more than two-thirds of existing and emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic.

    Need to document the link between environment animal and human health

    • Studies indicate that more than two-thirds of existing and emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, or can be transferred between animals and humans, and vice versa.
    • Another category of diseases, anthropozoonotic infections, gets transferred from humans to animals.
    • The transboundary impact of viral outbreaks in recent years such as the Nipah virus, Ebola, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has reinforced the need for us to consistently document the linkages between the environment, animals, and human health.

    India’s ‘One Health’ vision

    • India’s ‘One Health’ vision derives its blueprint from the agreement between the tripartite-plus alliance.
    • The alliance comprises the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) — a global initiative supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank under the overarching goal of contributing to ‘One World, One Health’.
    • In keeping with the long-term objectives, India established a National Standing Committee on Zoonoses as far back as the 1980s.
    • This year, funds were sanctioned for setting up a ‘Centre for One Health’ at Nagpur.
    • Further, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) has launched several schemes to mitigate the prevalence of animal diseases since 2015.
    • Hence, under the National Animal Disease Control Programme, ₹13,343 crore have been sanctioned for Foot and Mouth disease and Brucellosis control.
    • In addition, DAHD will soon establish a ‘One Health’ unit within the Ministry.
    • Additionally, the government is working to revamp programmes that focus on capacity building for veterinarians such as  Assistance to States for Control of Animal Diseases (ASCAD).
    • There is increased focus on vaccination against livestock diseases and backyard poultry.
    •  DAHD has partnered with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the National Action Plan for Eliminating Dog Mediated Rabies.

    Need for coordination

    •  There are more than 1.7 million viruses circulating in wildlife, and many of them are likely to be zoonotic.
    • Therefore, unless there is timely detection, India risks facing many more pandemics in times to come.
    • There is need to address challenges pertaining to veterinary manpower shortages, the lack of information sharing between human and animal health institutions, and inadequate coordination on food safety at slaughter.
    • These issues can be remedied by consolidating existing animal health and disease surveillance systems — e.g., the Information Network for Animal Productivity and Health, and the National Animal Disease Reporting System.

    Conclusion

    As we battle yet another wave of a deadly zoonotic disease (COVID-19), awareness generation, and increased investments toward meeting ‘One Health’ targets is the need of the hour.

  • India-UK Relations

    The article highlights the factors that make building sustainable partnership with Britain hard for India and suggests the ways to find fresh basis for bilateral relationship.

    Need to tap potential for bilateral strategic cooperation

    • The long-scheduled summit between Prime Ministers of India and UK will take place with a digital conversation scheduled for Tuesday.
    • India and the UK must tap into the enormous potential for bilateral strategic cooperation in the health sector and contributions to the global war on the virus.
    • Foreign ministers of India, Japan and Australia would also join this meeting to set the stage for the “Group of Seven Plus Three” physical summit next month hosted by the British Prime Minister.

    Challenges in forming a sustainable partnership with Britain

    • Few Western powers are as deeply connected to India as Britain.
    • While India’s relations with countries as different as the US and France have dramatically improved in recent years, ties with Britain have lagged.
    • One reason for this failure has been the colonial prism that has distorted mutual perceptions.
    • The bitter legacies of the Partition and Britain’s perceived tilt to Pakistan have long complicated the engagement between Delhi and London.
    • Also, the large South Asian diaspora in the UK transmits the internal and intra-regional conflicts in the subcontinent into Britain’s domestic politics.

    Finding fresh basis for bilateral relationship

    • The two leaders are expected to announce a 10-year roadmap to transform the bilateral relationship that will cover a range of areas.
    • Both countries are on the rebound from their respective regional blocs.
    • Britain has walked out of the European Union and India has refused to join the China-centred Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
    • Although both will continue to trade with their regional partners, they are eager to build new global economic partnerships.
    • While remaining a security actor in Europe, Britain is tilting to the Indo-Pacific, where India is a natural ally.
    • India needs as wide a coalition as possible to restore a semblance of regional balance.
    • Britain could also contribute to the strengthening of India’s domestic defence industrial base.
    • The two sides could also expand India’s regional reach through sharing of logistical facilities.
    • Both countries are said to be exploring an agreement on “migration and mobility” to facilitate the legal movement of Indians into Britain.
    • Both sides are committed to finding common ground on climate change.

    Consder the question “What are the factors that introduce friction in the sustainability of India’s bilateral relations with the Britain? Identify the areas in which both the countries can find fresh basis for the bilateral relations?”

    Conclusion

    If leaders of both the countries succeed in laying down mutually beneficial terms of endearment, future governments might be less tempted to undermine the partnership.

  • Important Straits

     

    4th May 2021

    Important straits in the news.

    A strait is a naturally formed, narrow, typically navigable waterway that connects two larger bodies of water. Most commonly it is a channel of water that lies between two landmasses. Some straits are not navigable, for example, because they are too shallow, or because of an unnavigable reef or archipelago.

    Strait of Hormuz

     

    • It links the Persian Gulf (west) with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea (southeast).
    • On the north coast lies Iran, and on the south coast the United Arab Emirates and Musandam, an exclave of Oman. 
    • The strait is 35 to 60 miles (55 to 95 km) wide and separates Iran from the Arabian Peninsula.
    • It contains the islands of Qeshm (Qishm), Hormuz, and Hengām (Henjām) and is of great strategic and economic importance, especially as oil tankers collecting from various ports on the Persian Gulf must pass through the strait.
    • OPEC members Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE, Kuwait and Iraq export most of their crude via the Strait
    • Qatar, the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, sends almost all of its LNG through the Strait
    • The UAE and Saudi Arabia have sought to find other routes to bypass the Strait, including building pipelines.

    2. Strait of Malacca

    • Strait of Malacca connects the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pacific Ocean).
    • Stretching about 800km, it is the longest straits in the world and facilitates not just shipping and the movement of people in the surrounding communities but is a confluence of trade, cultures, ideas, and knowledge between the East and West.
    • It runs between the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the west and peninsular (West) Malaysia and extreme southern Thailand to the east and has an area of about 25,000 square miles (65,000 square km).
    • The strait derived its name from the trading port of Melaka (formerly Malacca)—which was of importance in the 16th and 17th centuries—on the Malay coast.
    • As the link between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca is the shortest sea route between India and China and hence is one of the most heavily travelled shipping channels in the world.
    • Singapore, one of the world’s most important ports, is situated at the strait’s southern end.
    • The global shift in economic power from the West to the East coupled with burgeoning trade, investments, and production in areas spanning the Indian and Pacific Ocean regions has given increasing importance to this region.

    3. Bab-el-Mandab

    • The Bab al-Mandab strait is the narrow waterway that separates the Arabian Peninsula from the Horn of Africa.
    • It links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
    • At its narrowest point, the strait is only 29 km wide between Yemen on one side and Djibouti and Eritrea on the other.
    • It is a key strategic channel for commerce and trade, with an estimated 4 percent of global oil supply passing through it.

    4. Palk Strait

    • It connects the Bay of Bengal in the northeast with Palk Bay in the southwest.
    • The strait is 40 to 85 miles (64 to 137 km) wide, 85 miles long, and less than 330 feet (100 metres) deep.
    • It receives several rivers, including the Vaigai (India), and it contains many islands on the Sri Lankan side.
    • The Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project (SSCP) is a 167 km long shipping canal, and envisages the creation of a navigable canal from the Gulf of. Mannar to the Bay of Bengal to facilitate the movement of ships.
    • The Adam’s Bridge is a series of sand shoals created by sedimentation over a period of time.
    • All islands are made up of a calcareous framework of dead reef and sand.
    • In India, the Gulf of Mannar region in Tamil Nadu is one of the four major coral reef areas and the others are Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat, Lakhsadweep and Andaman and Nicobar islands.
    • With its rich biodiversity of over 4,000 species of various flora and fauna, part of this Gulf of Mannar between Rameswaram and Tuticoirin covering 21 islands and the surrounding shallow coastal waters was declared as a Marine National Park in 1986.

    5.Sunda Strait

    • It links the Java Sea (Pacific Ocean) with the Indian Ocean (south).
    • Sunda Strait, Indonesian Selat Sunda, is a channel, 16–70 miles (26–110 km) wide, between the islands of Java (east) and Sumatra.
    • The Sunda Strait is an important passage connecting the Indian Ocean with eastern Asia.
    • The strait stretches in a roughly northeast/southwest orientation, with a minimum width of 24 km (15 mi) at its northeastern end between Cape Tua on Sumatra and Cape Pujat on Java.
    • It is very deep at its western end, but as it narrows to the east it becomes much shallower, with a depth of only 20 m (65 feet) in parts of the eastern end.
    • It is notoriously difficult to navigate because of this shallowness, very strong tidal currents, sandbanks, and man-made obstructions such as oil platforms off the Java coast.
    • The strait’s narrowness, shallowness, and lack of accurate charting make it unsuitable for many modern, large ships, most of which use the Strait of Malacca instead.

    6.Mozambique Channel

    • It is located between the island nation of Madagascar on the east and Mozambique on the African mainland (west).
    • About 1,000 miles (1,600 km) long, it varies in width from 250 to 600 miles (400 to 950 km) and reaches a maximum depth of 10,000 feet (3,000 m).
    • The Comoro Archipelago marks the northern entrance, and the islands of Bassas da India and Europa lie in the south.
    • An important route for shipping in eastern Africa, it receives all major Madagascar rivers and has the ports of Mahajanga (Majunga) and Toliary (Tuléar) on the same coast.
    • Along the opposite coast are the mouth of the Zambezi River and the ports of Maputo (formerly Lourenço Marques), Moçambique, and Beira.
    • The Mozambique Current passes through the strait.

    7.Gibraltar Strait

    • It is a channel connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, lying between southernmost Spain and northwesternmost Africa.
    • It is 36 miles (58 km) long and narrows to 8 miles (13 km) in width between Point Marroquí (Spain) and Point Cires (Morocco).
    • It is one of the most significant global sea lanes because it provides a means of seaborne transit for shipping between the Atlantic and Mediterranean, and via the Suez Canal into the Indian Ocean and beyond.
    • After the English Channel, the Strait is the world’s busiest shipping lane.

    8. Bosphorus strait and Dardanelles strait

    • Bosphorus,also known as the Strait of Istanbul, is a narrow, natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in northwestern Turkey.
    • The Bosporus connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, and, by extension via the Dardanelles, the Aegean and Mediterranean seas.
    • It is the world’s narrowest strait used for international navigation.
    • Dardanelles is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey that forms part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia, and separates Asian Turkey from European Turkey.
    • The Dardanelles connects the Sea of Marmara with the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, while also allowing passage to the Black Sea by extension via the Bosphorus.
    • The Dardanelles is 61 kilometres (38 mi) long, and 1.2 to 6 kilometres (0.75 to 3.73 mi) wide, averaging 55 metres (180 ft) deep with a maximum depth of 103 metres (338 ft) at its narrowest point abreast the city of Çanakkale

    9. Yucatan Strait

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea

    Location: Mexico-Cuba

    10. Mesina Strait  

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Mediterranean Sea

    Location: Italy-Sicily

    11. Otranto Strait

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies :Adriatic Sea & Ionian Sea

    Location: Italy-Albania

    12. Cook Strait 

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies :South Pacific Ocean

    Location:  New Zealand (North & South Islands)

    13. North Channel

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies :Irish Sea & Atlantic Ocean

    Location: Ireland-England

    14. Hudson strait     

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Gulf of Hudson & Atlantic Ocean

    Location: Canada

    15. Magellan strait   

    Join: Pacific and South Atlantic Ocean

    Location: Chile

    16. Makassar Strait

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies: the Java Sea & Celebes Sea

    Location: Indonesia

    17. Tsugaru Strait 

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies: Japan Sea and Pacific Ocean

    Location: Japan (Hokkaido-Honshu Island)

    18. Tatar Strait  

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies: Japan Sea & Okhotsk Sea

    Location: Russia (East Russia-Sakhalin Islands)

    19. Fovex Strait 

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies: South Pacific Ocean

    Location: New Zealand (South Island- Stewart Island)

    20. Formosa Strait  

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies: the South China Sea & East China Sea

    Location: China-Taiwan

    21. Taurus Strait

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies:Arafura Sea & Gulf of Papua

    Location: Papua New Guinea — Australia

    22. Bass Strait

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies: the Tasman Sea & South Sea

    Location: Australia

    23. Bering Strait

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies: the Bering Sea & Chukchi Sea

    Location: Alaska-Russia

    24. Bonne-Fasio Strait

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies: Mediterranean Sea

    Location: Corsica — Sardinia

    25. Davis Strait  

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : the Baffin Bay & Atlantic Ocean

    Location: Greenland-Canada

    26. Denmark Strait 

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies: North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean

    Location: Greenland-Iceland

    27. Dover strait  

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies: The English Channel & North Sea

    Location: England-France

    28. Florida Strait

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies: Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean

    Location: USA-Cuba

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  • [pib] India-UK Virtual Summit

    India-UK Virtual Summit

    • Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and The Rt Hon’ble Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom held a Virtual Summit today.
    • An ambitious ‘Roadmap 2030’ was adopted at the Summit to elevate bilateral ties to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’.
    • The two Prime Ministers launched an ‘Enhanced Trade Partnership’ (ETP) by setting an ambitious target of more than doubling bilateral trade by 2030.
    • As part of the ETP, India and the UK agreed on a roadmap to negotiate a comprehensive and balanced FTA, including consideration of an Interim Trade Agreement for delivering early gains.
    • The enhanced trade partnership between India and UK will generate several thousands of direct and indirect jobs in both the countries.

    Collaboration and partnerships

    • The UK is India’s second-largest partner in research and innovation collaborations.
    • A new India-UK ‘Global Innovation Partnership’ was announced at the Virtual Summit that aims to support the transfer of inclusive Indian innovations to select developing countries, starting with Africa.
    • Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation on new and emerging technologies, including Digital and ICT products, and work on supply chain resilience.
    • They also agreed to strengthen defence and security ties, including in the maritime, counter-terrorism and cyberspace domains.

  • [pib] First supply of UCO-based Biodiesel flagged off

    Eco-system for collection and conversion of UCO into Biodiesel

    • Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas flagged off the first supply of UCO (Used Cooking Oil) based Biodiesel blended Diesel under the EOI Scheme.
    • To create an eco-system for collection and conversion of UCO, Expressions of Interest had been initiated for “Procurement of Bio-diesel produced from Used Cooking Oil” on the occasion of World Biofuel Day on 10th August 2019.
    • Under this initiative, Oil Marketing Companies (OMC) offer periodically incremental price guarantees for five years and extend off-take guarantees for ten years to prospective entrepreneurs.

    Advantages

    • This is a landmark in India’s pursuance of Biofuels and will have a positive impact on the environment.
    • This initiative will garner substantial economic benefits for the nation by shoring up indigenous Biodiesel supply, reducing import dependence, and generating rural employment.

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