Science and Technology/GSIII
DRDO and IIT Delhi scientists demonstrate Quantum Key Distribution between two cities 100 kilometres apart

What's the NEWS

• A joint team of scientists from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, for the first time in the country successfully demonstrated Quantum Key Distribution link between Prayagraj and Vindhyachal in Uttar Pradesh, a distance of more than 100 kilometres.

• This technological breakthrough was achieved over a commercial grade optical fibre already available in field.
• With this success, the country has demonstrated indigenous technology of secure key transfer for bootstrapping military grade communication security key hierarchy.
• The performance parameters have been measured and have been found to be repetitively within the reported international standards at sifted key rates of up to 10 KHz.
• This technology will enable security agencies to plan a suitable quantum communication network with indigenous technology backbone.

• It is a secure communication method which implements a cryptographic protocol involving components of quantum mechanics.
• It enables two parties to produce a shared random secret key known only to them, which can then be used to encrypt and decrypt messages.
• It is often incorrectly called quantum cryptography, as it is the best-known example of a quantum cryptographic task.
• An important and unique property of quantum key distribution is the ability of the two communicating users to detect the presence of any third party trying to gain knowledge of the key.

What's the NEWS

• The latest edition of Indian Navy's multilateral exercise MILAN 2022 is scheduled to commence from 25 Feb 22 in the ‘City of Destiny', Visakhapatnam.
• MILAN 22 is being conducted over a duration of 9 days in two phases with the harbour phase scheduled from 25 to 28 February and Sea Phase from 01 to 04 March.
• The theme of the MILAN 2022 exercise is ‘Camaraderie - Cohesion - Collaboration'which aims to project India as a responsible maritime power to the world at large.
• The aim of the exercise is to hone operational skills, imbibe best practices and procedures, and enable doctrinal learning in the maritime domain, through professional interaction between friendly navies.

• MILAN is a biennial multilateral naval exercise incepted by Indian Navy in 1995 at Andaman and Nicobar Command.
• Since its inception, the event has been held biennially except for 2001, 2005, 2016 and 2020.
• While the 2001 and 2016 editions were not held due to International Fleet Reviews, the 2005 editions was rescheduled to 2006 due to the 2004 Tsunami.
• 2020 edition of MILAN was postponed to 2022 due to COVID-19.
• Starting with the participation of only four countries, viz Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand, in the 1995 edition, the exercise has since transitioned leaps and bounds in terms of number of participants and complexity of exercises.
• Originally conceived in consonance with India's ‘Look East Policy', MILAN expanded in ensuing years with the GOI's ‘Act East policy' and Security And Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) initiative, to include participation from island nations in the Western IOR as also IOR littorals.
• Participation increased from six regional countries to 18 countries in 2014 which included IOR littorals.

• It will witness its largest ever participation, with more than 40 countries sending their warships/ high level delegations.
• This edition of MILAN would be larger in ‘scope and complexity' with focus on exercises at sea including exercises in surface, sub-surface and air domains and weapon firings.
• MILAN 22 will also host an International Maritime Seminar with the theme - ‘Harnessing Collective Maritime Competence through Collaboration' on 27-28 February.

• The 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIH) set up across the country through the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) are boosting new and emerging technologies to power national initiatives in key areas.
• They are bringing out several technological solutions for people-centric problems.
• Several technologies and technology platforms established under the mission have helped push impact in multiple sectors.
• A total of 496 technological products, including 46 new technologies, have been developed through these TIHs.

• The NM-ICPS is a comprehensive Mission which would address technology development, application development, human resource development & skill enhancement, entrepreneurship and start-up development in Cyber Physical System (CPS) and associated technologies.
• The Mission aims at establishment of 15 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIH), six Application Innovation Hubs (AIH) and four Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRP).
• These Hubs & TTRPs will connect to Academics, Industry, Central Ministries and State Government in developing solutions at reputed academic, R&D and other organizations across the country in a hub and spoke model.

• Technology Development,
• HRD & Skill Development,
• Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Start-ups Ecosystem Development, and
• International Collaborations.

• CPS and its associated technologies, like Artificial Intelligence (Al), Internet of Things (loT), Machine Learning (ML), Deep Learning (DP), Big Data Analytics, etc. have pervaded and is playing a transformative role in almost every field of human endeavour all most in all sectors.
• Therefore, It has become imperative for government and industries to be prepared to adopt these emerging and disruptive technologies in order to remain competitive, drive societal progress, generate employment, foster economic growth and to improve the overall quality of life and sustainability of the environment.

• A cyber-physical system (CPS) or intelligent system is a computer system in which a mechanism is controlled or monitored by computer-based algorithms.
• Cyber-physical systems integrate sensing, computation, control and networking into physical objects and infrastructure, connecting them to the Internet and to each other.
• CPS technologies provide a cutting edge to a Nation's scientific, engineering, and technological innovative capabilities; support other missions of the government, provide industrial and economic competitiveness and have truly became a Strategic Resource.
• NM-ICPS, which fosters technological solutions in health, education, energy, environment, agriculture, strategy cum security, Industry 4.0 is being implemented through 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) established in top academic, and National R&D Institutes was approved at by the Union Cabinet at a total cost of Rs 3660 crores in December 2018. All the hubs are working on developing solutions for people-centric problems.

• Indian Air Force will participate in a multi nation air exercise named 'Ex Cobra Warrior 22' at Waddington, UK from 06 to 27 March 2022.
• IAF Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas will participate in the exercise along with fighter aircraft of UK and other leading Air Forces.
• The exercise is aimed at providing operational exposure and share best practices amongst the participating Air Forces, thereby enhancing combat capability and forging bonds of friendship.
• This will be a platform for LCA Tejas to demonstrate its manoeuvrability and operational capability.
• Five Tejas aircraft will fly to the United Kingdom. IAF C-17 aircraft will provide the necessary transport support for induction and de-induction.

• A committee constituted by the Union Home Ministry in December to study the withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, or AFSPA, from Nagaland, slated to submit a report within 45 days as claimed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, is yet to conclude its findings.
• The panel was formed in the wake of growing civilian anger against the botched ambush by an elite unit of the Army that led to the killing of 13 civilians at Oting in Nagaland's Mon district on December 4.
• The six-member committee, headed by Registrar-General of India Vivek Joshi, made a solitary visit to the State in January.
• The announcement of the constitution of the committee was made by the Nagaland Chief Minister in Kohima on December 26.

• Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 is an act of the Parliament of India that grants special powers to the Indian Armed Forces to maintain public order in "disturbed areas".
• It is a law that gives enormous discretionary powers to the armed forces over a civilian population.
• Currently, AFSPA is in effect in Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Assam, Manipur (with the exception of the Imphal municipal area) and parts of Arunachal Pradesh.
• It has been retained in Arunachal for areas bordering Assam and Myanmar.
• In Arunachal Pradesh, the ‘disturbed area' notification is confined to the districts of Tirap, Changlang and Longding, and the areas falling under Namsai and Mahadevpur police stations, bordering Assam.

KEEP Learning KEEP Evolving
TEAM CL IAS