November 2024
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Daily Current Capsules
21st December 2022
ARNALA
What's the NEWS
- ‘Arnala', the first of 08 x ASW SWC Project, being built by GRSE for Indian Navy was launched on 20 Dec 22
- The ship has been named Arnala to signify the strategic maritime importance accorded to the island of Arnala (located about 13 Km north of Vasai, Maharashtra) by the great Maratha warrior, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
- Contract for building eight ASW SWC ships was signed between MoD and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata on 29 Apr 19.
- Arnala class of ships will replace the Abhay class ASW Ships of Indian Navy and are designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in coastal waters and Low Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO) including subsurface surveillance in littoral waters.
- The 77.6m ASW SWC ships have a displacement of 900 tons with a maximum speed of 25 knots and endurance of 1800 NM.
- The ASW SWC ships will have over 80% indigenous content
The Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) corvettes
- The ASW shallow water vessels will bolster the Indian Navy's anti-submarine warfare capabilities and help safeguard the nation's maritime interests.
- These platforms will undertake sub-surface surveillance in coastal areas with the purpose of detecting and neutralising underwater threats.
- The ASW-SWC will perform coordinated ASW operations with aircraft, and destroy subsurface targets in inland waters.
- The warships can also perform search and rescue operations during both day and night in coastal areas, defend intruding aircraft, and lay mines on the sea bed.
- The ASW-SWC vessels will be equipped with stealth technologies, making them undetected targets for enemy submarines and other surveillance systems.
- The ASW-SWC warship can sprint fast for short bursts for maintaining contact with a detected submarine.
- It will also have the capability of sharing information of enemy submarine with friendly anti-submarine warships and aircraft through sophisticated data link networks.
- The ASW vessels will be armed with torpedoes, rockets, and two 12.7mm stabilised remote control guns with optronic control systems.
- The mine-laying rails on the vessel will enable it to lay mines on the sea bed.
Indian Navy's ASW SWC project
- ASW SWC ships are a class anti-submarine warfare vessels currently being built for the Indian Navy, by Cochin Shipyard (CSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE)
- The contract for construction of 16 ASW SWC vessels for the Indian Navy was awarded to CSL and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in 2019.
- Under this deal, each company is developing eight shallow craft.
- Mahe (BY 523) is first of eight vessels to be constructed by CSL.
IICA launches ESG Impact Leader Programme
What's the NEWS
- Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, an autonomous institution under the aegis of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India has launched a programme to create Impact Leaders in the areas of Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG).
- IICA has also formed a ‘National Association of Impact Leaders' which is a membership-based association only for ESG professionals.
- The association will provide a platform for further professional advancement and engagement to its members.
- In future this association may also act as a regulatory body to strengthen the ESG Profession in India.
- The impact leaders of the IICA certified ESG professional programme will have this responsibility to balance the purpose, people, planet and profit.
- ESG investing refers to a set of standards for a company's behavior used by socially conscious investors to screen potential investments.
- Environmental criteria consider how a company safeguards the environment, including corporate policies addressing climate change
- ESG data reflect the negative externalities caused by an organization with respect to the environment, to society and to corporate governance.
- ESG data can be used by investors to assess the material risk the organization is taking and by the organization itself as metrics for strategic and managerial purposes.
Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs
- It was registered as a society on September 12, 2008 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
- It is a think-tank, capacity building and service delivery institute
- It is an autonomous institute, working under the aegis of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to deliver opportunities for research, education, and advocacy.
Bilateral Mechanism for Flood Mitigation with Nepal
Steps taken jointly by India - Nepal to mitigate flood
- Several trans-boundary tributaries of Ganga basin system like Sarda, Ghaghra, Rapti, Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Bagmati, Kamla, Kosi, etc. originate from Nepal.
- India has been consistently cooperating with Nepal for deriving mutual benefits like drinking water, power, irrigation, flood control from these rivers through various bilateral agreement and treaties.
- Joint Ministerial Level Commission on Water Resources (JMCWR)
- Joint Committee on Water Resources (JCWR) and
- Joint Standing Technical Committee (JSTC).
- Currently, the Flood Forecasting & Early Warning System on rivers flowing from Nepal to India is in place.
- As a non-structural measure of flood management, flood forecasts are formulated and issued for rivers common to Nepal and India, namely Sharda, Ghaghra, Rapti, Gandak, Burhi-Gandak, Bagmati, Kamala, Kosi and Mahananda
- Pancheshwar Development Authority (PDA) has been set up jointly by India and Nepal for execution, operation and maintenance of the Pancheshwar Multi-purpose Project on river Sharda.
- Survey and investigation work, including preparation of DPRs, of Sapta Kosi High Dam Project and Sun Kosi Storage-cum- Diversion scheme in the Sapta Kosi basin in Nepal has been undertaken jointly by India and Nepal.
Social Progress Index (SPI)
What's the NEWS
- Economic Advisory Council-Prime Minister, along with the Institute for Competitiveness and Social Progress Imperative, released the Social Progress Index for states and districts of India as mandated by the EAC-PM.
- SPI is a comprehensive tool that can serve as a holistic measure of a country's social progress at the national and sub-national levels.
- The index assesses states and districts based on 12 components across three critical dimensions of social progress - Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Wellbeing, and Opportunity.
- Basic Human Needs assess the performance of states and districts in terms of Nutrition and Basic Medical Care, Water and Sanitation, Personal Safety and Shelter.
- Foundations of Wellbeing evaluates the progress made by the country across the components of Access to Basic Knowledge, Access to Information and Communication, Health and Wellness, and Environmental Quality.
- Opportunity focuses on Personal Rights, Personal Freedom and Choice, Inclusiveness, and Access to Advanced Education.
The tiers are
- Tier 1: Very High Social Progress
- Tier 2: High Social Progress
- Tier 3: Upper Middle Social Progress
- Tier 4: Lower Middle Social Progress Tier 5: Low Social Progress
- Tier 6: Very Low Social Progress.
SPI Report Highlights
- Puducherry has the highest SPI score of 65.99 in the country, attributable to its remarkable performance across components like Personal Freedom and Choice, Shelter, and Water and Sanitation.
- Lakshadweep and Goa closely follow it with scores of 65.89 and 65.53, respectively.
- Jharkhand and Bihar scored the lowest, 43.95 and 44.47, respectively.
State |
SPI |
Rank |
Puducherry |
65.99 |
1 |
Lakshadweep |
65.89 |
2 |
Goa |
65.53 |
3 |
Tier-II: High Social Progress
State |
SPI |
Rank |
Jammu and Kashmir |
60.76 |
10 |
Punjab |
60.23 |
11 |
Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu |
59.81 |
12 |
Ladakh |
59.53 |
13 |
Nagaland |
59.24 |
14 |
Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
58.76 |
15 |
Tier-III: Upper Middle Social Progress
State |
SPI |
Rank |
Uttarakhand |
58.26 |
16 |
Karnataka |
56.77 |
17 |
Arunachal Pradesh |
56.56 |
18 |
Delhi |
56.28 |
19 |
Manipur |
56.27 |
20 |
Tier-IV: Lower Middle Social Progress
State |
SPI |
Rank |
Haryana |
54.15 |
21 |
Gujarat |
53.81 |
22 |
Andhra Pradesh |
53.60 |
23 |
Tier-V: Low Social Progress
State |
SPI |
Rank |
Uttar Pradesh |
49.16 |
31 |
Odisha |
48.19 |
32 |
Madhya Pradesh |
48.11 |
33 |
Tier-VI: Very Low Social Progress
State |
SPI |
Rank |
Assam |
44.92 |
34 |
Bihar |
44.47 |
35 |
Jharkhand |
43.95 |
36 |
- By evaluating change in the performance of some key indicators since 2015-16, the report presents a broad picture of the social progress in India.
- In addition, the report highlights progress made by the 112 aspirational districts in the country, helping them track their social progress journey and understand the areas that require more attention.
- The findings in the report are based on a robust methodology and in-depth research and analysis, paving the way for policymakers to take informed decisions in the years to come.
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