Regional Grouping/GSII
5^th BIMSTEC Summit
 
What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister participated in the 5^th BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Summit hosted in virtual mode by Sri Lanka, the current chair of
• Theme - Towards a Resilient Region, Prosperous Economies, Healthy People
• Sri Lankan President is chairing the 5^th BIMSTEC Summit with the virtual participation of leaders of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Thailand. Myanmar Foreign Minister is representing the nation at the summit.

• The main outcome of the Summit was the adoption and signing of the BIMSTEC Charter, which formalizes the grouping into an organization made up of members states that are littoral to, and dependent upon, the Bay of Bengal.
• BIMSTEC Charter, formalizes the grouping into an organization with an emblem, flag and formally listed principles to be adhered to.
• The Summit also saw considerable progress being achieved in the BIMSTEC connectivity agenda with the adoption of the ‘Master Plan for Transport Connectivity' by Leaders which lays out a guidance framework for connectivity related activities in the region in the future.
• Indian is working on extending and expanding the scope of the BIMSTEC scholarship program offered by the Nalanda International University.
• India will provide the BIMSTEC secretariat USD 1 million to increase its operational budget

Prime Minister Modi along with other leaders also witnessed the signing of three BIMSTEC agreements which represent progress being achieved in ongoing cooperation activities:

1. BIMSTEC Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters;
2. BIMSTEC Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Cooperation in the field of Diplomatic Training and
3. Memorandum of Association on Establishment of BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility.

• The 'Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)' is a regional multilateral organisation.
• BIMSTEC members are seven countries that lie in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal.
• The BIMSTEC member nations include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand.
• BIMSTEC was initially formed with four member states- Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand on June 6, 1997.
• Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan joined later
• The first BIMSTEC Summit was held on July 31, 2004.
• The BIMSTEC headquarters are in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• BIMSTEC main purpose is to accelerate economic growth and social progress and collaboration in the sub-region through joint initiatives.

Written reply to a question in the Parliament
Satellites likely to be launched by ISRO

• 7 satellites are likely to be launched by ISRO during the current year.
• ISRO has successfully launched the earth observation satellite EOS-4 onboard PSLV-C52 on 14th February, 2022 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, along with INS-2TD & INSPIRESat-1 as co-passengers.
• The Satellites were injected into the polar sun synchronous orbit at 524.84 km altitude.
• EOS-4 is a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging satellite for Earth Observation, operating in C-band at 5.4 GHz frequency, for applications in the domains of agriculture, disaster management, water resources and forestry.
• INS-2TD is the first satellite of the 2nd generation nanosatellites intended to demonstrate indigenously developed Nano systems for in-orbit performance.
• INSPIRESat-1 is a student satellite of the class 9U, jointly developed by Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram, India and Laboratory of Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, the USA, to study the Ionosphere dynamics and sun's coronal heating processes.

• Government of India accorded In-principle approval for Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (LIGO)-India project at an estimated cost of Rs. 1260 crore.
• The In-principle approval, Department of Atomic Energy sanctioned Rs. 75 crore for pre-investment activities.
• India partners with the United States of America (USA) under a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Department of Atomic Energy & Department of Science & Technology and National Science Foundation of USA to set up a LIGO Detector in India as part of a Global Network of Gravitational Wave Detectors under the LIGO-India Project.

• It is the world's largest gravitational wave observatory
• It consists of two widely-separated interferometers within the United States-one in Hanford, Washington and the other in Livingston, Louisiana-operated in unison to detect gravitational waves.
• LIGO currently consists of two interferometers, each with two 4 km (2.5 mile) long arms arranged in the shape of an "L". These instruments act as ‘antennae' to detect gravitational waves.
• They are called interferometers because they work by merging two or more sources of light to create an interference pattern, which can be measured and analysed.
• Unlike optical or radio telescopes, LIGO does not see electromagnetic radiation (e.g., visible light, radio waves, microwaves).
• It doesn't have to because gravitational waves are not part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
• Since LIGO doesn't need to collect light from stars, it doesn't need to be round or dish-shaped like optical telescope mirrors or radio telescope dishes.
• A single LIGO detector could not initially confirm gravitational waves on its own.
• To help electromagnetic observers find a possible light source associated with the detections, we must have multiple detectors - ideally 3 or more - to localize the signal in the sky.

• LIGO-India project is to be built at an estimated Rs 1,200 crore, and will come up at Dudhala village in Hingoli district of Maharashtra.
• The observatory in India will be jointly funded by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• LIGO-India is a collaboration between the LIGO Laboratory (operated by Caltech and MIT) and three Institutes in India: The Raja Ramanna Center for Advanced Technology (RRCAT, in Indore), the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR in Ahmedabad), and the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA, in Pune)

What's the NEWS

• Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) Army weapon system has once again proved its effectiveness as two missiles, during the flight tests, achieved direct hits against high speed aerial targets
• The launches were carried out establishing the accuracy and reliability of the weapon system against targets covering the sea skimming and high altitude functionality within the envelope.
• On March 27, 2022, the missile system was successfully flight tested twice against high-speed aerial targets for different ranges as part of the live firing trials.

• This MRSAM version is a Surface-to-Air Missile, developed jointly by DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for use by the Indian Army.
• It provides air defence against fighter aircraft, UAVs, guided and unguided munitions & cruise missiles.

• The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri has approved procurement of 15 Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Limited Series Production at the cost of Rs. 3,887 Cr along with Infrastructure sanctions worth Rs. 377 Cr.

• It is an indigenously designed, developed and manufactured state of the art modern combat helicopter containing approx. 45% indigenous content by value which will progressively increase to more than 55% for SP Version.
• The future Series Production version will consist of further modern & indigenous systems.

• This helicopter is equipped with requisite agility, maneuverability, extended range, high altitude performance and around-the-clock, all-weather combat capability to perform roles of Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), Destruction of Enemy Air Defence (DEAD), Counter Insurgency (CI) operations, against slow moving aircraft and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs), high altitude bunker busting operations, Counter Insurgency operations in jungle and urban environments and support to ground forces and would be a potent platform to meet the operational requirements of Indian Air Force & Indian Army.

• The Chetak helicopter in the inventory of the Indian Armed Forces has completed 60 years of glorious service to the Nation.
• To commemorate this momentous event, a Conclave is being organized on 2nd April 2022 by Air Force Station Hakimpet under the aegis of Indian Air Force & Training Command, IAF.
• The Conclave intends to provide a platform to showcase six decades of helicopter operations in the country, highlighting Chetak helicopter operations in particular.

• IAF inducted the French-origin helicopters, called Aloutte III, in 1962.
• State-run plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) delivered the first licence-produced Chetak (Aloutte III) to IAF in 1965.
• The Chetak, a two-tonne helicopter, has a maximum speed of 185kmph and a range of 500km. The single-engine helicopter can carry seven people, including two pilots.
• The Chetak is operated by each of the three services and the coast guard as well, and has been military's workhorse for decades, but the ageing helicopter's safety record has come under scrutiny after a spate of recent crashes.
• The Chetak's design and compactness have made it the platform of choice for landing in restricted areas in diverse terrains and on warships as well.
• It is now due for replacement along with the Cheetah helicopter fleet operated by the air force and the army.
• Having done 60 years, it is time to retire it gracefully and induct a more modern machine like the light utility helicopter (LUH)
• India plans to replace the Chetaks and Cheetahs with the indigenous LUH.
• Last November, India's Defence Acquisition Council cleared the purchase of locally produced military hardware worth ₹7,965 crore, including 12 LUH for the army and the air force.
• HAL expects the army and IAF to place combined orders for at least 187 light helicopters in the coming years - 126 for the army and 61 for the IAF.
• Currently, the Chetak and Cheetah helicopters are a critical lifeline for troops in high-altitude areas, including the Siachen glacier.
• HAL has licence-produced 625 Chetak and Cheetah choppers.
• The last Chetak helicopter was delivered to the air force by HAL in March 2021

• The maiden edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Maritime Exercise 2022 (IMEX-22) was conducted at Goa and in Arabian Sea from 26 - 30 Mar 22.
• The aim of the exercise was to enhance interoperability in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations among member navies.
• The exercise witnessed participation of 15 out of the 25 member nations of IONS.
• The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), established in 2007, is a premier forum for cooperation and collaboration among navies of littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region.
• The forum has enabled discussions on regional maritime issues, promoted friendly relationships, and significantly improved maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region.

• IMEX - 22 comprised a Harbour Phase at Marmugao port, Goa from 26 to 27 March 22 followed by a Sea Phase in the Arabian Sea from 28 to 30 March 22.
• The participation included warships, Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft and helicopters from the Navies of Bangladesh, France, India and Iran.
• 22 Observers from 15 IONS member navies, namely Australia, Bangladesh, France, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UAE and UK also participated in the exercise.
• The participants validated the IONS HADR guidelines and developed response mechanisms for providing HADR from sea to shore as well as for rendering assistance to ships and crafts in distress at sea.
• The Chiefs of Indian and French Navies witnessed exercises during the sea phase of IMEX - 22 and also attended the post exercise debrief.
• The exercise is seen as a significant stepping stone for regional navies to collaborate and respond collectively to natural disasters in the region and paves way for further strengthening regional cooperation.

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