Daily Current Capsules
23 and 24 January 2023

DRDO's Fuel Cell-based Air Independent Propulsion system

  

What's the NEWS

 

• Fuel Cell-based Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system of DRDO's Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL) will soon be fitted onboard INS Kalvari.
• An agreement was signed between senior officials of NMRL and Naval Group France in Mumbai on January 23, 2023 to extend cooperation to enter into the detailed design phase for integration of indigenous AIP in the Kalvari class submarines.
• As part of the agreement, Naval Group France will certify the AIP design for integration in the submarines.

 

Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system

• AIP is a technology for conventional non-nuclear submarines.
• The conventional submarines use diesel-electric engines, which require them to surface almost daily to get atmospheric oxygen for fuel combustion.
• If fitted with an AIP system, the submarine will need to take in oxygen only once a week.
• The AIP has a force multiplier effect on lethality of a diesel electric submarine as it enhances the submerged endurance by several folds.
• It has merits in performance compared to other technologies and is unique as the hydrogen is generated onboard.

 

Fuel Cell Based AIP system

 

• In a fuel cell based AIP, an electrolytic fuel cell releases energy by combining hydrogen and oxygen, with only water as the waste product ensuring less marine pollution.
• The cells are highly efficient, and do not have moving parts, thus ensuring that the submarine has a low acoustic emission of sound.

 

Conventional diesel-electric submarines

 

• India has 16 conventional diesel-electric submarines, which are classified as SSKs.
• After the last two Kalvari Class subs are commissioned under P-75, this number will go up to 18.

INS Kalvari

• The Kalvari class is an indigenous class of diesel-electric attack submarines based on the Scorpene-class submarine built for the Indian Navy.
• The submarine was built by the Mazagon Docks Limited, Mumbai with technology transfer and assistance from DCNS (French industrial group specialised in naval defence and energy).

 

VAGIR

 

What's the NEWS

• The fifth Scorpene class conventional submarine was commissioned into the In¬dian Navy as INS Vagir
• The sixth and the last of the French ¬origin Scor¬pene¬class submarines, Vagsheer, being built in In¬dia under technology transfer is currently under¬ going sea trials and will be delivered to the Navy in 2024,
• With this, the Navy now has 16 conventional and one nuclear submarine in service.
• It includes seven Rus¬ian Kilo class submarines, four German HDW subma¬rines, five Scorpene class submarines, and the indi¬genous nuclear ballistic missile submarine, INS Arihant.

Indian Navy's Project 75 India

• Project 75 (I) succeeds the Project 75 Kalvari-class submarine for the Indian Navy.
• Six Scorpene Class submarines are being built in India by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with M/s Naval Group, France.
• The submarines under Project-75 Scorpene-Class are powered by diesel-electric propulsion systems.
• INS Vagir would form part of the Western Naval Command's Submarine fleet and would be another potent part of the Command's arsenal.
• Vagir was launched on 12 Nov 20, under Project 75 (P75) and was delivered to Indian Navy on 20 Dec 22 post completion of sea trials.
• Vagir has the distinction of having the lowest build time among all indigenously manufactured submarines till date.
• The Scorpene Submarines are extremely potent platforms, they have advanced stealth features and are also equipped with both long range guided torpedoes as well as anti-ship missiles.
• These submarine have a state of the art SONAR suite and sensor suite permitting outstanding operational capabilities.

 

Submarines under Project 75

 

• Project 75 is a programme by the Indian Navy that envisaged building six Scorpene-Class attack submarines.

1. INS Kalavari - commissioned
2. INS Khanderi - commissioned
3. INS Kharanj - commissioned
4. INS Vela - commissioned
5. INS Vagir - commissioned
6. INS Vagsheer underway.

 

21 Andaman islands named after Param Vir Chakra awardees

 

 

What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister named the 21 largest unnamed is¬ lands in the Andaman & Ni¬ cobar archipelago after 21 Param Vir Chakra awar¬dees.
• The 126th birth anniversary of Netaji is being celebrated nation¬ wide as ‘Parakram Divas
• In 2018, Ross Island was named after Netaji, Neil Island renamed Shaheed Island and Havelock Island named Swaraj Island

 

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

 

• Netaji Jayanti or Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti, officially known as Parakram Diwas is a national event celebrated in India to mark the birthday of the prominent Indian freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
• It is celebrated annually on 23 January
• He played a pivotal role in Indian independence movement.
• He was the head of Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fouj).
• He was the founder-head of the Azad Hind Government.

 

Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar-2023

 

What's the NEWS

 

• Odisha State Disaster Management Authority and Lunglei Fire Station, Mizoram, selected in the Institutional Category for Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar-2023

 

Know! about the award

• Government of India has instituted Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar to recognize and honour the invaluable contribution and selfless service rendered by individuals and organizations in India in the field of disaster management
• The award is announced every year on 23rd January, the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
• The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 51 lakh and a certificate in case of an institution and Rs. 5 lakh and a certificate in case of an individual.

 

Following is a summary of the outstanding work of the winners of 2023 Award in the field of Disaster Management:

Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA)

 

• It was established in 1999 in the aftermath of the Super Cyclone.
• OSDMA embarked on multiple initiatives including raising of the Odisha Disaster Response Action Force (ODRAF), Multi-hazard Early Warning Service (MHEWS) framework, and a cutting-edge technology-enabled web/smartphone-based platform called "SATARK" (System for Assessing, Tracking, and Alerting Disaster Risk Information based on Dynamic Risk Knowledge).
• OSDMA provided effective response during various cyclones, Hudhud (2014), Fani (2019), Amphan (2020) and Odisha floods (2020).

 

Lunglei Fire Station, Mizoram

 

• This fire station responded efficiently and effectively to a massive forest fire which was reported on 24 April 2021 in the uninhabited forest areas that surrounded Lunglei town and spread to more than 10 village council areas.

 

G20-Chief Science Advisers Roundtable (G20-CSAR)

 

What's the NEWS

 

• 
  
• The planning meeting of the G20-Chief Science Advisers Roundtable (G20-CSAR) was held to discuss the agenda topics and planning for the proposed high-level roundtables.
• G20-CSAR is a government-to-government level initiative conceptualised through India's G20-Presidency.
• The motivation of this initiative is to bring together the Chief Science Advisers and their equivalents of G20 member countries
• This initiative will also help in establishing an effective and coherent global science advice mechanism.
• These G20-CSA roundtables will be an effective platform to discuss and achieve solutions to some of the long pending as well as anticipated issues related to scientific research, technology development and deployment.
• The G20-CSAR initiative will complement and cross-feed into other working groups and initiatives under the larger G20 framework.

 

 

Amrabad Tiger Reserve

What's the NEWS

• The Forest department of Telangana will soon launch two more safari tours into the Amrabad Tiger Reserve in Nagarkurnool district, in an effort to promote eco-tourism.

 

Know! about Amrabad Tiger Reserve

 

• The Amrabad Tiger Reserve which is part of the Nallamala Forest track has rich Biological Diversity with several endemic species of flora and fauna.
• This Forest tract is home to the largest number of Tigers in Telangana State.
• The hilly terrain of this Tiger Reserve with deep valleys and gorges forms the catchment of the Krishna River.
• This Tiger Reserve (ATR) is one of the largest tiger reserves in India that extends about 2611.4 Sq Km over Nagarkurnool and Nalgonda districts of Telangana State.
• This is the second-largest Tiger Reserve in terms of core area but the sixth-largest tiger reserve in terms of total area among 51 Tiger Reserves in India.
• The reserve was notified as a sanctuary in the year 1983 and after the bifurcation of Telugu States in 2014, it was declared as Amarabad Tiger Reserve.
• It lies in the three forest divisions of Amarabad, Achampet in Nagarkurnool district, and Nagarjunsagar division in Nalgonda district.
• Major reservoirs like the Srishailam Dam and Nagarjunsagar Dam are fed by the river Krishna and its several perennial streams that originate in the Tiger Reserve.

 

Poompuhar

What's the NEWS

 

• Researchers of Bharathidasan University's Department of Remote Sensing, the lead agency of a Department of Science and Technology claimed to have found traces of an ancient port city buried undersea, at a depth of 50-100 metres, about 30-40 km off the coast of the present-day Poompuhar in Mayiladuthurai district.

Know! about the lost city Poompuhar

• The city, was spread over about 250 sq. km, complete with a huge harbour, a lighthouse, ship and dockyards, and settlements.
• The study covered the coastal area and about 1,000 square kilometres of the offshore area in the Bay of Bengal, and the findings were based on satellite, the General Bathymetry Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) and multi-beam eco sounder (MBES) data.
• The MBES data were collected by the National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai.
• A major finding, based on a study of the past sea levels, is that Poompuhar is not just 2,500 years old as believed widely and might be more than 15,000 years old.
• It might be one of the oldest port cities in the world
• Poompuhar, also known Kaveripoompattinam, was submerged by the sea, and there are references to this in the Tamil epic Manimekalai.
• The disappearance of the port city remained a mystery.
• The studies carried out using GEBCO data showed a series of three deltas of the Cauvery, which run up to 40 km in the sea.
• The MBES data led to the discovery of a major coastal land system with sand banks, backwaters, beach ridges, rivers, estuaries and ancient shorelines.

General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO)

• It is a publicly available bathymetric chart of the world's oceans.
• The project was conceived with the aim of preparing a global series of charts showing the general shape of the seafloor.
• Over the years it has become a reference map of the bathymetry of the world's oceans for scientists and others.
• GEBCO operates under the joint auspices of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.

MBES

• A multibeam echosounder (MBES) is a type of sonar that is used to map the seabed. It emits acoustic waves in a fan shape beneath its transceiver.

 

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