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  • [pib] INS Karanj – A Kalvari Class Submarine

    Indian Navy’s third stealth Scorpene-class Submarine INS Karanj has been commissioned into the Indian Navy. It also completed the trials of the Indigenous Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) System jointly developed by Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL) and DRDO.

    In a rare case, we would see a question based on various classes of Indian Submarines in the CSP. However, we can expect a question based on the AIP system in the CSP and CAPF exam.

    INS Karanj

    • INS Karanj is the third submarine of the first batch of six Kalvari-class submarines for the Indian Navy.
    • It is a diesel-electric attack submarine based on the Scorpene-class, designed by French naval defence and energy group DCNS and manufactured by Mazagon Dock Limited, an Indian shipyard in Mumbai.

    What is AIP?

    For this, we have to understand how a submarine works. Traditionally we hear about two types of submarines- Nuclear and Diesel Electric.

    Diesel Electric Submarines

    • While Nuclear Submarines can stay submerged for a prolonged period and remain undetected, Diesel Electric submarines cannot do so, and they must surface after a stipulated time interval.
    • Their Diesel Propulsion would need air to run the engine like any other Vehicle or Aircraft engines and for this, they would need oxygen which is not available underwater.
    • Hence they have to move closer to the surface so that their engines can breathe air through their snorkels.

    So, these diesel turbines charge the batteries available in the submarine and once the batteries are fully charged, the submarine goes underwater where the propeller shaft, as well as other systems, runs on the power stored in the batteries.

    • This makes the Submarine very much vulnerable to threats from Air, Sea or even underwater.
    • Not only has this, but the storage of excessive fuel also reduced the overall performance and weapon holding of the submarine too.

    Why don’t we can induct only the Nuclear Submarines in the Navy?

    • Though nuclear submarines can stay underwater for months, they cannot do so with total stealth.
    • While a diesel-electric submarine (while underwater) is making no noise, Nuclear submarines have a lot of vibrations that are generated from the coolant pumping system of their reactors which must run nonstop.
    • This makes even nuclear submarines vulnerable to depth sonars.
    • Moreover, the manufacturing cost of these submarines is several times higher than those of diesel-electric ones.
    • So, the most effective and commercially viable solution is a diesel-electric submarine with AIP.

    What is AIP, then?

    • Over the years the biggest challenge before the mariners was to ensure that the submarines can sustain underwater for a prolonged time.
    • AIP is any marine propulsion technology that allows a non-nuclear submarine to operate without access to atmospheric oxygen (by surfacing or using a snorkel).
    • While there are different types of AIP systems being pursued internationally, the DRDO has applied fuel cell-based AIP using hydrogen onboard.
    • Fuel cell-based AIP has merits in performance compared to other technologies
    • While the first two submarines (INS Kalvari & INS Khanderi) are equipped with French-made AIPs, the rest of the submarines will be equipped with an Indian system.

    Note: The Project 75I-class submarine is a follow-on of the Project 75 Kalvari-class submarine for the Indian Navy.

    Significance for India

    • With this induction, India has joined the club of six other elites who have the capacity to design and install such complex systems.
    • These countries are France, China, Spain, Sweden, Germany and Russia.
    • Indian AIP system is unique. It is one of the most advanced AIP systems of the world where Fuel Cell technology is used to generate onboard power.
    • With indigenous AIP, submarines can stay underwater for more than 3 weeks in low consumption mode, more than 2 weeks in endurance mode and 2-4 days in max power mode.

    Back2Basics: Various classes of Submarines in India

    In maritime terms, a class of ships is a group of vessels that have the same make, purpose and displacement.

    • Chakra Class: Under a 10-year lease from Russia since 2012
    • Arihant Class: Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines
    • Shishumar Class: Diesel-electric attack submarines Indian variant of the Type 209 submarines developed by the German Navy
    • Kalvari Class: Diesel-electric attack submarines designed by French company DCNS
    • Sindhughosh Class: Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines built with the help of Russia

  • Ramagundam Floating Solar Power Plant

    The country’s biggest floating solar power plant, by generation capacity at Ramagundam in Peddapalli district of Telangana is set to be commissioned by May-June.

    Try this PYQ:

    With reference to technologies for solar power production, consider the following statements :

    1. ‘Photovoltaics’ is a technology that generates electricity by direct conversion of light into electricity, while ‘Solar Thermal’ is a technology that utilizes the Sun’s rays to generate heat which is further used in electricity generation process.
    2. Photovoltaics generate Alternating Current (AC), while Solar Thermal generates Direct Current (DC).
    3. India has manufacturing base for Solar Thermal technology, but not for Photovoltaics.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 1, 2 and 3

    (d) None

    Ramagundam Solar Plant

    • It would be one of the renewable (solar) energy plants being developed by NTPC with an installed capacity of 447MW in the Southern Region and the entire capacity would be commissioned by March 2023.
    • It will be spread over 450 acres of water surface area in the reservoir.
    • It will be the single location largest floating solar plant in the country as of now; 92 MW floating unit at Kayamkulam gas plant in Kerala and a 25 MW unit at Simhadri power plant.
    • In addition, we are setting up a 230 MW ground-mounted solar power plant in Ettayapuram near Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu

    Why floating solar?

    • One of the biggest advantages of floating solar panels is that the installations do not require valuable land space.
    • Many of these installations can take up unused space on bodies of water, such as hydroelectric dam reservoirs, wastewater treatment ponds, or drinking water reservoirs.
    • Additionally, installing solar panels out on open water reduces the need for tree removal and forest clearing, a practice used in the case of some larger solar panel installations.
    • The bodies of water that host floating solar arrays help cool down the solar equipment, which means the panels produce electricity at higher efficiencies in hot climates than they might otherwise.
    • The floating solar panel structure shades the body of water and reduces evaporation from these ponds, reservoirs, and lakes.
    • This is a particularly useful benefit in areas susceptible to drought, as water loss to evaporation can add up over time and contribute to a shortage.

  • 11th March 2021 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

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  • Critical information infrastructure

    The article underscores the threat of cyberattacks on the critical infrastructure and also suggests the steps to be taken to secure these infrastructures.

    Cyberattack on the power grid

    • On October 12 last year, Mumbai plunged into darkness as the electric grid supply to the city failed.
    • Recently, a study by Massachusetts-based Recorded Future,  said that the Mumbai power outage could have been a cyberattack aimed at critical infrastructure.
    • It was carried out by the state-sponsored group Red Echo.
    • As recently as in February, the Centre’s nodal agency National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) had reported concerted attempts by Red Echo to hack the critical grid network.
    • CERT-In, is reported to have detected the ShadowPad malware in one of the largest supply chain attacks a month after the Mumbai outage.
    • Many of the suspected IP addresses identified by NCIIPC and CERT-In were the same and most have been blocked in time.
    • The Chinese focus in the past was stealing information and not projecting power, but the situation with India might be different.

    Why critical infrastructures are so vulnerable

    • As many of these critical infrastructures were never designed keeping security in mind and always focused on productivity and reliability, their vulnerability is more evident today.
    • With devices getting more interconnected and dependent on the internet facilitating remote access during a pandemic, the security of cyber-physical systems has, indeed, become a major challenge for utility companies.

    Critical information infrastructure protection

    • For more than a decade, there have been concerns about critical information infrastructure protection (CIIP).
    • In January 2014, the NCIIPC was notified to be the national nodal agency for CIIP and over these years has been working closely with the various agencies.
    • In January 2019, the government also announced a National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), with a budget of Rs 3,660 crore for the next five years, to strengthen the sector.

    Way forward

    • Most ministries and departments need better budget allocations for cybersecurity as well as a more robust infrastructure, processes and audit system.
    • The Industrial Cybersecurity Standards (IEC62443) launched by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), has to be adopted soon.
    • For the power sector, a strong regulation on the lines of the North American Electric Reliability Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC) policy could serve as a guide.

    Consider the question “Discuss the importance of critical information infrastructure protection (CIIP)? Also mention the steps taken by the government in this regard.” 

    Conclusion

    Clearly, the incident is a wake-up call for better preparedness in terms of a more robust cyber security ecosystem in place. The new cyber security policy awaiting imminent announcement will hopefully cater to that.

  • Enabling the Business of Agriculture (EBA) 2019,

    Enabling the Business of Agriculture (EBA) 2019, published by the World Bank highlights the constraints faced by farmers. The article highlights the key findings of the publication.

    Constraints in carrying out farming activity

    • Debates around the farm laws have brought to light the issue of developing a sound regulatory framework to promote India’s agricultural growth.
    • The fact remains that farmers, mainly smallholders, across India continue to face various constraints.
    • They include constraints in accessing agricultural inputs, markets, finance, human resources, and information, which are critical for increasing farmers’ competitiveness.
    • A recent publication by the World Bank titled Enabling the Business of Agriculture (EBA) 2019 measures the extent to which government regulatory systems in 101 countries worldwide make it easier for their farmers to operate agricultural activities.
    • These indicators measure the strength of a country’s agricultural regulatory environment pertaining to market integration and entrepreneurship in agriculture.
    • Among 101 countries covered, India ranked 49 on the EBA aggregate score.

    Key takeaways from EBA for India

    • India lags behind its close competitors in world agriculture, namely China, Brazil, and Russia.
    • Compared to these three countries, India has the weakest performance on five out of eight indicators.
    • They are registering fertilizer and machinery, securing water, sustaining livestock, and protecting plant health indicators.
    • Registering fertilizer and machinery indicators measure domestic laws and regulations that provide farmers access to fertilizer and agricultural machinery.
    • The regulatory processes that help farmers make appropriate decisions regarding the level of investment in irrigation are measured by securing water indicator.
    • Sustaining livestock indicator captures the quality of regulations affecting farmers’ access to livestock farming inputs.
    • The quality of legislation on phytosanitary standards (SPS) is captured through the protecting plant health indicator.

    Need to develop a suitable regulatory system

    • Governments can play a critical role in this regard by enacting laws and regulations.
    • Such laws and regulations can influence farmers’ access to agricultural inputs, cost of production, agricultural markets and value chains, the competitiveness of farmers, and private investment in the farming sector.
    • The regulatory system that governs irrigation management is essential for reducing the variability of farm output, prices, and incomes, minimising vulnerability to natural shocks, and incentivising the production of riskier and high returns crops.
    • Gaining access to the global agricultural value chain requires a sound regulatory framework on SPS.

    India’s strong areas

    • The comparative score of India on supplying seed, trading food, and accessing finance indicators is high.
    • Supplying seed indicator evaluates laws and regulations that ensure timely release of seed to farmers.
    • The trading food indicator assesses laws and regulations that facilitate exporting of farm products by farmers.
    • The regulatory framework on the use of warehouse receipts is assessed using accessing finance indicator.
    • A robust warehouse receipts system enables the farmers to obtain the credit needed to invest in agriculture.

    Opportunity for India

    • The future of world agriculture and food production is expected to increasingly depend on middle-income countries such as China, India, Brazil, and Indonesia.
    • To make the best use of this great opportunity, India needs to put in place an agricultural regulatory system that would make it easier for its farmers to conduct agricultural activities.

    Consider the question “Farmers, mainly smallholders, across India continue to face various constraints in carrying out farming activities. What are the implications of such constraints? What role government can play in removing these constraints?”

    Conclusion

    The EBA project results reveal that, compared to its close competitors, the strength of India’s agricultural regulatory environment is weak on the whole and with respect to key performance indicators.

  • Quad Summit

    As India deepens its engagement with the Quad, it must consider several aspects related to such engagement. The article deals with this issue.

    Background of India’s engagement with Quad

    • India’s engagement with the Quad goes back to China’s expanding footprint in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region over the last few years.
    • China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative rang alarm bells in India as the projects were viewed as encroachments into India’s strategic space.
    • The U.S.’s focus on the west Pacific due to aggressive Chinese maritime activity gradually pulled India into the ambit of the Indo-Pacific that views the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean as an integrated geopolitical space.
    • Besides the U.S. navy, India expanded its maritime ties with other regional states, the most high-profile of the interactions being the Quad.

    Core structural problems with Quad

    • The Quad has a core structural problem as well in that it pivots around the U.S.
    • The Quad riles China as a hostile grouping, but hardly serves the security interests of its members.
    • The U.S. views China’s rise as a threat to the world order it has led since the Second World War.
    • Despite rhetoric relating to the promotion of a ‘rules-based’ world order, the Quad neither shares a strategic vision nor is it animated by a shared agenda.
    • This is obvious not only from its inability to deter China in the west Pacific, but also by its members’ anxiety to maintain close ties with China.

    Implications for India

    • By affiliating with the U.S.-led maritime coalition, India ignored the principal areas of its security concerns which is an undemarcated 3,500-km land border with China.
    • From April 2020, Indian and Chinese forces had their latest border face-off in Ladakh, abruptly ending a long period of productive relations.
    • In retrospect, this confrontation appears to be China’s sharp response to the steady shift in India’s regional posture in favour of an alignment with the U.S. and its allies against China.
    • The stand-off at Ladakh has been a bitter experience for India: it has affirmed the limits of India-U.S. security ties, the folly of Indian involvement in the Quad.
    • The stand-off has also underscored need to focus national attention and resources in areas of abiding interest for India — the border, the neighbours and the Indian Ocean.

    Lessons for India

    • Ladakh also offers some valuable lessons for India.
    • One, the rebuilding of ties with China will have to be a priority concern.
    • India need to dilute its focus on the Indo-Pacific and the Quad and accept that the borders and the Indian Ocean are where its crucial interests lie.
    • Two, the Ladakh experience has highlighted certain deficiencies at home:
    • It hardly needs reiteration that India’s capacities can only be built by a united people committed to the national cause.
    • Finally, foreign policy cannot be a part-time concern of the national leadership; in terms of priority and attention, it should be on a par with domestic affairs.

    Consider the question “Examine the factors that India should consider as it seeks to deepen its engagement in the Quad.”

    Conclusion

    As the global scenario gets more complex and India’s ambitions increase, a cohesive strategic vision would give substance and drive to India’s pursuit of its interests over the long term.

  • 10th March 2021| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement

    Important Announcement:  Topics to be covered on 11th March-

    GS-1  Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues. 

    GS-4 Case Studies.

    Question 1)

    Ancient Indian sculptural art is highly rich in its traditions. Trace the development ancient Indian sculpture that go back to the Indus Valley civilisation. 10 marks

    Question 2)

    Discuss the factors that contributed to India’s growing engagement with the Quad. What are the implications of India’s engagement on the regional geopolitical concerns? 10 marks

    Question 3)

    Farmers, mainly smallholders, across India continue to face various constraints in carrying out farming activities. What are the constraints faced by the smallholders? Suggest the ways to deal with the issue.10 marks

    Question 4)  

    The Government in the anticipation of vaccine for Covid-19 had taken a list of frontline workers such as doctors, nurses, ward boys, police personnel and other essential workers to be vaccinated first. As the vaccine arrives, a limited number of vials of vaccine is disbursed as per pervious list that was recorded. You, as the Health Officer, are put in charge of making sure all the previously enlisted people are vaccinated in your city. The instructions given by the Government for vaccination are as follows: Only the people who were enrolled as Frontline workers in the list can be given vaccine. The health officer should ensure no enrolled Frontline worker, who is available on the day of vaccination, is left behind for whatsoever reason. The vaccination process has to be finished on the same day as vaccine arrives due to limited shelf life of the vaccine and limited cold storage facilities. In case there is any additional vial of vaccine or any of the enlisted frontline warriors are unable to take the vaccine due to any important reason, it is left to discretion of the Health Officer to select ‘most urgent’ cases from general public to be vaccinated from the extra vials remaining. On the day, the vaccination process goes seamlessly as the Frontline workers are vaccinated. At the end of the process it is found out that there are 3 vials remaining. You being an enlisted Frontline worker are yet to be vaccinated and there are some urgent cases in front of you as follows: A youth from rural village has qualified for international athletic meet in Russia but the international sports association is allowing only vaccinated candidates to partake in the meet. It’s a once in lifetime opportunity for the youth, who with immense difficulty arranged the finances for travel in absence of a sponsor. He also has a decent chance of winning laurels for the country. The mayor of the city, who had enlisted as an essential worker got himself vaccinated. After coming to know of additional vials, demands one for his wife. He states that his wife is diabetic, has high blood pressure and hence qualifies to be an urgent case. You even get a call from the Municipal Commissioner, who is your superior, to consider mayor’s wife for vaccine. A person who is immuno-compromised, is in need of a lifesaving surgery. Though the hospital is not insistent on vaccine but doctors feel it will be better if the patient is vaccinated. This will prevent the risk of nosocomial infection of Covid-19 as number of cases are on rise in the city due to the new strain and the hospital in which the surgery is to take place also treats covid-19 patients. A family friend who is a senior doctor, posted and enrolled for vaccine in the neighboring city, which also happens to be your hometown, has come to your current city for his personal work. As he is still in your city and unable to go back, he contacts you for vial of vaccine. He says that, in case you allow him vial of vaccine, he will get his designated vial allotted in the neighboring city to a person of your choosing. He reminds that it will be better that your mother who is Asthmatic and has breathing issues, takes a vaccine in his place in your hometown and you give him a vial here in your city. The Vaccine has a limited shelf life and will expire in a few hours. Given the above scenarios, who will you allocate the vaccine vials? 10 marks

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  • National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP)

    The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development has slammed the Centre’s meagre pension allocations under National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP).

    What did the new report flag?

    • The panel slammed the government’s laxity in raising the amount, pointing out the recommendations to increase the sums.
    • It observed the meagre amount of assistance ranging from ₹200 to ₹500 per month under the different components of this Scheme.
    • The panel also flagged delays and statewide disparities in the payment of wages and unemployment allowances under the flagship MGNREGA scheme.

    NSAP

    • NSAP is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the GoI that provides financial assistance to the elderly, widows and persons with disabilities in the form of social pensions.
    • It was launched on 15th August 1995.
    • The scheme represents a significant step towards the fulfilment of the Directive Principles in Article 41.
    • Article 41 of the Constitution of India directs the State to provide public assistance to its citizens in case of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement.
    • For getting benefits under NSAP the applicant must belong to a Below Poverty Line (BPL) family.

    Check this PYQ from CSP 2012:

    Q. Who among the following can join the National Pension System (NPS)?

    (a) Resident Indian citizens only

    (b) Persons of age from 21 to 55 only

    (c) All-State Government employees joining the services after the date of notification by the respective State Governments

    (d) All Central Governments Employees including those of Armed Forces joining the services on or after 1st April 2004

    Components of NSAP

    • The NSAP at its inception in 1995 had three components namely
    1. National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS,
    2. National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) and
    3. National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS).
    • The NMBS was subsequently transferred on 1st April 2001 from the Ministry of Rural Development to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
    • On 1st April 2000, a new Scheme known as Annapurna Scheme was launched.
    • In February 2009, two new Schemes are known as Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) and Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS) were introduced.

    Presently NSAP comprises of five schemes, namely –

    1. Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS)
    2. Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS)
    3. Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS)
    4. National Family Benefit Scheme NFBS) and
    5. Annapurna

  • NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)

    Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has completed the development of a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR).

    Note the key features of the Mission. Every statement has a unique information.

    NASA-ISRO SAR

    • NISAR is a joint collaboration for a dual-frequency L and S-band SAR for earth observation.
    • NASA and Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO signed a partnership on September 30, 2014, to collaborate on and launch NISAR.
    • The mission is targeted to launch in early 2022 from ISRO’s Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore district, about 100km north of Chennai.
    • It is capable of producing extremely high-resolution images for a joint earth observation satellite mission with NASA.
    • It will be the first satellite mission to use two different radar frequencies (L-band and S-band) to measure changes in our planet’s surface less than a centimetre across.

    Objectives of the NISAR

    • NISAR will observe Earth’s land and ice-covered surfaces globally with 12-day regularity on ascending and descending passes, sampling Earth on average every six days for a baseline three-year mission.
    • It will measure Earth’s changing ecosystems, dynamic surfaces and ice masses, providing information about biomass, natural hazards, sea-level rise and groundwater, and will support a host of other applications.
    • It would also provide data on natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.

    What are L and S Bands?

    • L band waves are used for GPS units because they are able to penetrate clouds, fog, rain, storms, and vegetation.
    • The S-band is used by airport surveillance radar for air traffic control, weather radar, surface ship radar, and some communications satellites, especially those used by NASA to communicate with the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station.
    • NISAR uses a sophisticated information-processing technique known as SAR to produce extremely high-resolution images.
    • Radar penetrates clouds and darkness, enabling NISAR to collect data day and night in any weather.

    What is collaboration?

    • NASA is providing the mission’s L-band SAR, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder and payload data subsystem.
    • ISRO is providing the spacecraft bus, the S-band radar, the launch vehicle and associated launch services for the mission, whose goal is to make global measurements of the causes and consequences of land surface changes using advanced radar imaging.

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