Daily Current Capsules

29th and 30th August 2022

 

Defence/ Indigenisation of Technology
INS Vikrant, India's first indigenously-built aircraft carrier, to be commissioned on September 2

What's the NEWS

• The nation's first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-1) will be commissioned on September 2
• Vikrant is the largest warship to have ever been built in India, and the first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy.
• Designed by the Warship Design Bureau (WDB), its in-house organisation, from the manufacturer, Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL)
• Only five or six nations currently have the capability of manufacturing an aircraft carrier, and India has joined this prestigious club now.

Highlights

• The ship will be capable of operating 30 aircraft including MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 Air Early Warning Helicopters, MH-60R Seahawk multi-role helicopters manufactured by the American aerospace and defence company Lockheed Martin, as well as the Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) built by Bengaluru-based Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, and the indigenously manufactured Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) (Navy).
• Using a novel aircraft-operation mode known as Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR), the IAC is equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft, and a set of three ‘arrester wires' for their recovery onboard

Importance of aircraft carrier

• An aircraft carrier is one of the most potent marine assets for any nation, which enhances a Navy's capability to travel far from its home shores to carry out air domination operations.
• It is considered a "blue water" navy - that is, a navy that has the capacity to project a nation's strength and power across the high seas.

India's other aircraft carriers
The INS Vikramaditya - working

• Commissioned in 2013
• Navy's only aircraft carrier
• Originally Soviet-Russian warship ‘Admiral Gorshkov'.

INS Vikrant' and the ‘INS Viraat'- decommissioned

• Originally the British-built ‘HMS Hercules' and ‘HMS Hermes'.
• These two warships were commissioned into the Navy in 1961 and 1987 respectively.

IAC-1 be named ‘INS Vikrant' Why?

• INS Vikrant originally was India's first aircraft carrier
• It was decommissioned in 1997.
• It was acquired from the UK in 1961
• It played a stellar role in the 1971 War with Pakistan.

Know! the Indigenous components used

• Warship-grade steel from Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) in collaboration with Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) and the Indian Navy
• The indigenous content of the project is approximately 76%
• Major Indian industrial houses, viz., BEL, BHEL, GRSE, Keltron, Kirloskar, L&T, Wartsila India, etc., as well as over 100 MSMEs were involved in building of the indigenous equipment and machinery on board.
• The indigenisation efforts led to the development of ancillary industries, and generated employment opportunities
• About 80-85 per cent of the project cost of approximately Rs 23,000 crore had been ploughed back into the Indian economy.

INS Vishal

• Since 2015, the Navy has been seeking approval to build a third aircraft carrier for the country
• It is intended to be a giant 65,000-tonne vessel, much bigger than both IAC-1 and the ‘INS Vikramaditya'.
• United States Navy has 11 aircraft carriers
• China has two carriers now, a third is in the making, and another two are likely to be commissioned within a decade.

STOBAR Vs CATOBAR Type Of Carriers

• Assistance systems for an aircraft to take off from a carrier.
• The runway on the carrier deck is very small compared to the ground based runways.
• Thus aircraft can't take off using only the thrust produced by their own engines.
• They need extra help to get airborne from such a short runway.
• This help is us provided by STOBAR and CATOBAR systems. Let's understand them one by one.

STOBAR Type Of Aircraft Carriers

• STOBAR stands for Short Take-off But Arrested Recovery
• The frontal part of the deck is elevated forming a curve.
• This is called the ‘Ski-jump'.
• Thus when an aircraft leaves the deck at the end of the runway, it is thrown upward due to this curve.
• This helps aircraft in gaining height during the initial period.
• In the meantime aircraft engines with afterburners start generating the required thrust and it gets stabilized in its flight.

• Here aircraft uses its own power to launch and is assisted by Ski-jump.
• Eg - Vikrant, Vikramaditya

CATOBAR Type Of Aircraft Carriers

• CATOBAR stands for Catapult Assisted Take-off But Arrested Recovery (B stands for Barrier also).
• The deck of the carrier is totally flat - ‘Flat-topped' Aircraft carriers.
• Working mechanism of Catapult - The energy is stored in it. When this energy is released, it gets covered in kinetic energy.
• Due to this, the object placed on the catapult is launched with the speed.
• Catapults are there under the deck.

• The frontal wheel of the aircraft is placed on the moving part of the catapult which is above the deck.
• Once the energy is released, it moves and achieves great speed in a short distance and time.
• Thus the Aircraft is launched from the deck with the required speed to get airborne.

Two types of systems are used to power the catapults.

• One is Steam-powered catapults.
• Another is Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS).
• Examples- US Navy's carriers like USS Nimitz,

STOBAR - Advantages

• They are less expensive to develop.
• Easier to operate
• Less expensive for maintenance as there are no moving parts on the deck.
• No additional system is required to generate force like CATOBAR.

STOBAR - Disadvantages

• Limitation on a maximum weight of aircraft
• Cannot launch aircraft with weighing beyond a certain limit.
• Aircraft have to compromise on their payload.
• This limits weapon and fuel carrying capacity of aircraft.
• on operations.

CATOBAR - Advantages

• It can launch aircraft with a heavy payload.
• Aircraft can carry its full payload and can operate at its full potential.

CATOBAR - Disadvantages

• High cost of developing.
• Comparatively difficult to operate as more crew is needed to operate various complex systems.
• Expensive to maintain due to many moving parts in Catapult.
• Additional systems are needed to generate energy to power catapult systems.

Arrested Recovery

• The runway on carriers is again too short for an aircraft to land.
• Thus arrested recovery technique is used.
• The high-strength arrestor wires are placed on deck.
• The aircraft has a tailhook under its fuselage.
• Thus tail-hook gets arrested in one of the four wires on the deck.
• Due to this Aircraft is decelerated rapidly in a short distance.
• If the aircraft misses all the wires, then it takes off again instantly and reattempts the landing.

Defence
Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR 2022

What's the NEWS

• The 13th Edition of India - USA Joint Special Forces Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR 2022 culminated at Bakloh (HP) on 28 August 2022.
• This annual exercise is hosted alternatively between India and the United States.
• The 12th edition was conducted at Joint Base Lewis Mc Chord, Washington (USA) in October 2021.
• The 21-day joint training provided an opportunity for the Special Forces from both nations to train in Air Borne Operations, Special Operations and Counter Terrorism operations in a joint environment under United Nations Charter.
• Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR with the US Special Forces is significant in terms of security challenges faced by both Nations in the backdrop of the current global situation.

Economy/Financial Inclusion
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) - National Mission for Financial Inclusion, completes eight years

What's the NEWS

• Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY), which is one of the biggest financial inclusion initiatives in the world complete
• PMJDY was announced by Prime Minister, in his Independence Day address on 15th August 2014.

Financial Inclusion

• Delivery of appropriate financial services at an affordable cost, on timely basis to vulnerable groups low-income groups and weaker sections who lack access to even the most basic banking services.

PMJDY Highlights

• Opening of over 46 crore bank accounts
• Deposit balance of Rs 1.74 lakh crore
• Coverage 67% rural or semi-urban areas as well as 56% of women Jan Dhan account holders.

After 2018 -

• shift in focus from "every household' to "every adult"
• emphasis on Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)
• promoting digital payments through the use of RuPay cards, etc

Jandhan Aadhar Mobile Trinity

• Consent-based linking of bank accounts with Aadhar and mobile numbers of the account holders

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)

• National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely, Banking/ Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance, Pension in an affordable manner.

Objectives

• Ensure access of financial products & services at an affordable cost
• Use of technology to lower cost & widen reach

Basic tenets of the scheme

• Banking the unbanked - Opening of basic savings bank deposit (BSBD) account with minimal paperwork, relaxed KYC, e-KYC, account opening in camp mode, zero balance & zero charges
• Securing the unsecured - Issuance of Indigenous Debit cards for cash withdrawals & payments at merchant locations, with free accident insurance coverage of Rs. 2 lakh
• Funding the unfunded - Other financial products like micro-insurance, overdraft for consumption, micro-pension & micro-credit

Initial Features
The scheme was launched based upon the following 6 pillars:

1. Universal access to banking services - Branch and BC
2. Basic savings bank accounts with overdraft facility of Rs. 10,000/- to every eligible adult
3. Financial Literacy Programme- Promoting savings, use of ATMs, getting ready for credit, availing insurance and pensions, using basic mobile phones for banking
4. Creation of Credit Guarantee Fund - To provide banks some guarantee against defaults
5. Insurance - Accident cover up to Rs. 1,00,000 and life cover of Rs. 30,000 on account opened between 15 Aug 2014 to 31 January 2015
6. Pension scheme for Unorganized sector

Extension of PMJDY with New features (2018)

• Focus shift from ‘Every Household' to Every Unbanked Adult'
• RuPay Card Insurance - Free accidental insurance cover on RuPay cards increased from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 2 lakh for PMJDY accounts opened after 28.8.2018.

Enhancement in overdraft facilities -

• OD limit doubled from Rs 5,000/- to Rs 10,000/-; OD upto Rs 2,000/- (without conditions).
• Increase in upper age limit for OD from 60 to 65 years

Jan Dhan Darshak App

• A mobile application, was launched to provide a citizen centric platform for locating banking touch points such as bank branches, ATMs, Bank Mitras, Post Offices, etc. in the country.
• Over 8 lakh banking touchpoints have been mapped on the GIS App.
• The facilities under Jan Dhan Darshak App could be availed as per the need and convenience of common people.

Factoids
Durga Puja in Kolkata' on the Representative List of ICH of Humanity in 2021

What's the NEWS

• The Ministry of Culture along Sangeet Natak Akademi, the designated nodal agency for ICH, organized the celebration of the successful inscription of ‘Durga Puja in Kolkata' on the Representative List of ICH of Humanity in 2021.
• ‘Durga Puja in Kolkata' was inscribed on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during its 16th session held in Paris, France from 13th to 18th December 2021.
• Recently, on 7th July 2022, India was elected as a member of the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO's 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage for the 2022-2026 cycle.
• India now has 14 intangible cultural heritage elements on the prestigious UNESCO Representative List of ICH of Humanity.

 

Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage

• Aim of ensuring the better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and to create awareness of their significance.

To draw attention to the importance of safeguarding intangible heritage.
Two lists have been created by the UNESCO program:

1. The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity - This list includes cultural practices and expressions that assist to highlight the variety of this heritage and raise awareness of its significance.
2. The List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding - This list is made up of cultural aspects that concerned groups and countries consider vulnerable and in need of immediate protection.

UNESCO's 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
Five domains

1. Oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage
2. Performing arts
3. Social practices, rituals and festive events
4. Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
5. Traditional craftsmanship

14 Indian elements on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

1. Tradition of Vedic chanting - 2008
2. Ramlila, the traditional performance of the Ramayana - 2008
3. Koodiyattam, Sanskrit theatre - 2008
4. Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, India - 2009
5. Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala - 2010
6. Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan - 2010
7. Chhau dance - 2010
8. Buddhist chanting of Ladakh: recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir, India - 2012
9. Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur - 2013
10. Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab, India - 2014
11. Yoga - 2016
12. Nawrouz - 2016
13. Kumbh Mela - 2017
14. Durga Puja in Kolkata - 2021

Location in NEWS
INS SUMEDHA VISITS PORT KLANG

What's the NEWS

• As part of the Indian Navy's long-range operational deployment, INS Sumedha deployed to South East Asia, visited Port Klang, Malaysia
• INS Sumedha's visit to Port Klang is aimed at strengthening bilateral ties, enhancing maritime cooperation and interoperability between Indian Navy and Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).
• INS Sumedha is an indigenously built Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel deployed for multiple roles independently and in support of Fleet Operations.

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