Geophysical phenomena/GSI
Cyclone Asani

What's the NEWS

• Cyclone Asani, the first cyclone of 2022, is likely to hit Andhaman and Nicobar on March 21.
• It will move towards Bangladesh and Myanmar after hitting Andaman.
• A low-pressure area in the Southeast region of the Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by March 21.
• The cyclone has been named Asani by Sri Lanka.

Know! about the naming of cyclone

• The tropical cyclones forming over different Ocean basins are named by the concerned RSMCs & TCWCs.
• For north Indian Ocean including Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, the RSMC, New Delhi assigns the name to tropical cyclones following a standard procedure.
• The WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) at its twenty-seventh Session held in 2000 in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman agreed in principle to assign names to the tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea.
• After long deliberations among the member countries, the naming of the tropical cyclones over the north Indian Ocean commenced from September 2004.
• This list contained names proposed by then eight member countries of WMO/ESCAP PTC, viz., Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
• While sending their suggestions, countries have to follow some rules such as: The proposed name should be neutral to (a) politics and political figures (b) religious beliefs, (c) cultures and (d) gender

Tropical Cyclone - Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres (TC-RSMCs) and Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs)

• The six tropical cyclone Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) together with four Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs) having regional responsibility, provide advisories and bulletins with up-to-date first level basic meteorological information on all tropical cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons everywhere in the world.

Six RSMC's

1. RSMC Miami - Hurricane Center
2. RSMC Tokyo-Typhoon Center
3. RSMC New Delhi - Tropical Cyclone Center
4. RSMC La Réunion-Tropical Cyclone Centre
5. RSMC Nadi -Tropical Cyclone Centre
6. RSMC Honolulu - Central Pacific Hurricane Center

Four TCWC's

1. TCWC-Jakarta
2. TCWC-Melbourne
3. TCWC-Port Moresby
4. TCWC-Wellington

Defence and Security/Indigenisation of technology/ Infrastructure development/GSIII
Flight Control System Integration complex

What's the NEWS

• Raksha Mantri inaugurated a seven-storeyed Flight Control System (FCS) Integration facility at Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Bengaluru, Karnataka
• The state-of-the-art complex has been constructed in record 45 days, with in-house hybrid technology consisting of conventional, pre-engineered and precast methodology.
• The technology has been developed by DRDO with the help of M/s Larsen & Toubro (L&T).
• Design check and technical support has been provided by the teams of IIT Madras and IIT Roorkee.

Know! about FCS facility

• This FCS facility will support Research & Development (R&D) activities for developing Avionics for Fighter Aircraft and FCS for Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft being undertaken by ADE, Bengaluru.
• The complex will also provide simulator training to the pilots of combat aircraft.
• The simulators provide an opportunity to learn by making mistakes without the possibility of any kinds of losses
• The construction has been completed in 45 days, setting a unique record of completing a permanent building of seven stories with hybrid construction technology for the first time in the history of construction industry in the country.
• In Hybrid Construction Technology, the column and beam elements of the structural frame are built with steel plates.
• The building is also provided with VRF air-conditioning system along with electrical system and fire protection as per the standard National building code.

Defence and Security/GSIII
Offshore Patrol Vessels ICGS Saksham at Goa

What's the NEWS

• Defence Secretary commissioned Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Saksham, the fifth in the series of 105-metre Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) class, at Goa

Know! about Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Saksham

• ‘Saksham', meaning 'capable', is manifestation of ICG will and commitment of ‘Yatra, Tatra, Sarvatra' adage towards the maritime interest of the Nation.
• The 105-meter OPV has been designed and built indigenously by Goa Shipyard Limited and fitted with advance technology, navigation and communication equipment, sensors and machinery.
• The vessel will be also fitted with a 30-mm 2A42 Medak gun and two 12.7-mm Stabilised Remote Controlled Gun (SRCGs) with FCS.
• The ship has been equipped with an Integrated Bridge System (IBS), Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS), Power Management System (PMS) and High Power External fire-fighting (EFF) system.
• The ship is designed to carry a twin-engine helicopter and four high-speed boats including two inflatable boats for boarding operation, search & rescue, law enforcement and maritime patrol.
• The ship is also capable of carrying limited pollution response equipment to contain oil spill in the seas.
• The ship will be deployed extensively for Exclusive Economic Zones surveillance and other duties as enshrined in the Coast Guard charter.

Samarth-class offshore patrol vessel

• The Samarth-class offshore patrol vessel are a series of eleven offshore patrol vessels being built by Goa Shipyard Limited for the Indian Coast Guard.
• The construction of Samarth class was motivated by a desire to triple the Coast Guard assets in the aftermath of 2008 Mumbai attacks.
• They are an improvement over the earlier Sankalp class, with a larger beam and more powerful engines.
• The ships are being constructed in two batches-a batch of six ordered in May 2012 that was completed in December 2017 and a follow-on batch of five ordered in August 2016.

Science and Technology/GSIII
India's Arctic Policy

What's the NEWS

• Union Minister of Science & Technology released India's Arctic policy titled 'India and the Arctic: building a partnership for sustainable development' from the Ministry of Earth Sciences Headquarters in New Delhi.
• India's Arctic policy shall be implemented through an action plan, and an effective governance and review mechanism involving the inter‐ministerial Empowered Arctic Policy Group.
• Implementing India's Arctic policy will involve multiple stakeholders, including academia, the research community, business, and industry.

India's engagement with the Arctic - Highlights

• India's engagement with the Arctic dates back to a century when ‘Svalbard Treaty' was signed in February 1920 in Paris and, today India is undertaking several scientific studies and research in the Arctic region.
• Indian researchers are monitoring arctic glaciers for their mass balance and comparing them with glaciers in the Himalayan region.
• India has also been actively involved in studies related to the Arctic oceanography, atmosphere, pollution and microbiology.
• Over twenty-five Institutes and Universities are currently involved in Arctic research in India.
• About a hundred peer-reviewed papers have been published on Arctic issues since 2007.
• Thirteen (13) nations are observers in the Arctic Council which include France, Germany, Italian Republic, Japan, The Netherlands, People's Republic of China, Poland, India, Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
• In 2014 and 2016, India's first multi-sensor moored observatory in Kongsfjorden and the northernmost atmospheric laboratory in Gruvebadet, Ny Alesund, were launched in the Arctic region.
• Until 2022, India has successfully conducted thirteen expeditions to the Arctic.
• The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in Goa, an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, is the nodal institution for India's Polar research programme, which includes Arctic studies.

India's Arctic policy - Highlights

India's Arctic policy titled 'India and the Arctic: building a partnership for sustainable development' lays down six pillars:

1. Strengthening India's scientific research and cooperation,
2. Climate and environmental protection,
3. Economic and human development,
4. Transportation and connectivity,
5. Governance and international cooperation,
6. National capacity building in the Arctic region.

• India has a significant stake in the Arctic.
• It is one of thirteen nations holding Observer status in the Arctic Council, a high-level intergovernmental forum that addresses issues faced by the Arctic governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic.
• India's engagement with the Arctic region has been consistent and multidimensional.

India's Arctic policy aims to promote the following agenda-

1. Strengthening national capabilities and competencies in science and exploration, climate
2. Inter-ministerial coordination in pursuit of India's interests in the Arctic.
3. Enhancing understanding of the impact of climate change in the Arctic on India's climate, economic, and energy security.
4. Contributing better analysis, prediction, and coordinated policymaking on the implications of ice melting in the Arctic on India's economic, military and strategic interests related to global shipping routes, energy security, and exploitation of mineral wealth.
5. Studying linkages between polar regions and the Himalayas.
6. Deepen cooperation between India and countries of the Arctic region
7. Increase India's participation in the Arctic Council

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