Relevance IN - Prelims ( about SLINEX-20 )
What's the NEWS

• The Eighth Edition of annual Indian Navy (IN) - Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) bilateral maritime exercise SLINEX-20 is scheduled off Trincomalee, Sri Lanka from 19 to 21 October 2020.
• The Indian Navy will be represented by SLN Ships Sayura (Offshore Patrol Vessel) and Gajabahu(Training Ship)
• Indigenously built ASW corvettes Kamorta and Kiltan will represent the Indian Navy.
• The previous edition of SLINEX was conducted off Visakhapatnam in September 2019.

• It aims to enhance inter-operability, improve mutual understanding and exchange best practices and procedures for multi-faceted maritime operations between both navies.
• In addition, the exercise will also showcase capabilities of our indigenously constructed naval ships and aircraft.
• SLINEX series of exercise exemplifies the deep engagement between India and Sri Lanka which has strengthened mutual cooperation in the maritime domain.

• Synergy developed during SLINEX exercises resulted in seamless coordination of joint SLN - IN efforts in September 2020 to render assistance to MT New Diamond, a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), which had caught fire off the East Coast of Sri Lanka.

Relevance IN - Prelims ( all about BrahMos) + Mains ( GS III security challenges and its management in border areas)
What's the NEWS

• BrahMos, the supersonic cruise missile was successfully test fired from Indian Navy's indigenously-built stealth destroyer INS Chennai, hitting a target in the Arabian Sea.
• The missile hit the target successfully with pin-point accuracy after performing high-level and extremely complex manoeuvres.
• BrahMos as ‘prime strike weapon' will ensure the warship's invincibility by engaging naval surface targets at long ranges, thus making the destroyer another lethal platform of Indian Navy.

Know! about the recent Brahmos developments

• The 290-km range missile an Indo-Russian joint venture has land, air and naval variants.
• The missile has a top speed of Mach 2.8 nearly three times the speed of sound.
• Few days back India had test-fired an extended-range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile that can hit targets 400 km away.
• The range has been increased from the existing 290 km.
• The extended-range variant was tested from the Integrated Test Range at Balasore in Odisha
• It is the world's fastest supersonic cruise missile with increased missile range
• Increasing the missile's range became possible after India's induction into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in June 2016.

INS Chennai

• Commissioned into the navy in November 2016, the 7,500-tonne INS Chennai incorporates new design concepts for improved survivability, stealth and manoeuvrability.
• The warship can carry 16 BrahMos missiles in two eight-cell vertical launch systems, besides other sophisticated weapons and sensors
• Other weapons recently tested by India include a new version of the nuclear-capable hypersonic Shaurya missile with a range of 750 km and the anti-radiation missile to take down enemy radars and surveillance systems.

Connect to the Past ( Current Capsule 01 October)
The BrahMos Land-Attack Cruise Missile (LACM)

• BrahMos surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile featuring indigenous Booster, Airframe Section, propulsion system, power supply and many other major components.
• The test jointly conducted by DRDO and BrahMos Aerospace for an extended range of 450 km has paved the way for the serial production of the indigenous booster and other indigenous components of the powerful weapon system
• The BrahMos Land-Attack Cruise Missile (LACM) was cruising at a top speed of Mach 2.8.
• The range of the new land attack version of the missile has been extended to 450 km from the original 290 km
• The speed has been maintained at Mach 2.8 which is nearly three times that of sound.
• The land-attack version of the missile has been operationalised in the Indian Army since 2007, this test validated the indigenous components incorporated to achieve higher strike range.
• The extended-range version of BrahMos was developed after India's full membership to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which removed caps on the range of the cruise missile. The strike range of the missile has been enhanced from 290 km to 450 km.
• The nine-metre long two-stage missile is capable of carrying a conventional warhead weighing up to 300 kg.
• The BrahMos missile has three versions - land, ship and air. It can effectively engage targets from an altitude as low as 10 metres for surgical strikes at terror training camps across the border without causing collateral damage.

Know! about BrahMos

• BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russian joint venture, produces the supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or from land platforms.
• In May last year, the Indian Air successfully test fired the aerial version of the BrahMos missile from a Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft.
• The BrahMos missile provides the IAF a much-desired capability to strike from large stand-off ranges on any target at sea or on land with pinpoint accuracy by day or night in all weather conditions.
• The IAF is also integrating the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile on over 40 Sukhoi fighter jets which is aimed at bolstering overall combat capability of the force.

Miscellaneous
Air pollution
Relevance IN - Prelims/Mains Fodder
Reasons for air pollution

• The primary reasons for air pollution are vehicular emissions, industrial emissions, dust from construction and demolition sites, biomass burning, poor waste management and stubble burning.
• Pollution in northern India during winters gets exacerbated when these factors combine with geographical and meteorological factors.

Steps taken by the Central government to combat air pollution

• A holistic approach towards reduction of Air Pollution is being implemented across the country and the Ministry of Environment through the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) is implementing the same across 122 cities in the country.
• NCAP targets to achieve 20 to 30 % reduction in PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations by 2024 across the country.
• Introduction of BS VI compliant vehicle standard since April 2020 across the country helped reduce pollution caused by vehicles.
• BSVI fuel reduces the NOx emission by 70% in diesel cars, by 25% in petrol cars and reduces particulate matter(PM) in vehicles by 80%.

CPCB's SAMEER App

• It gives complete information about the polluted areas in various cities across the country. It identifies areas having heavy pollution with a red mark.

International
New Caledonia referendum

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about New Caledonia - geographical location) + Mains ( GS II International Relations)
What's the NEWS

• People in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia have narrowly rejected independence from France in a referendum.
• The archipelago voted to remain French with 53.26% of votes, according to final results
• In a similar vote two years ago, the margin was slightly wider, with 56.7% voting to stay French.
• New Caledonia has been a French territory for nearly 170 years.

Know! more about it

• The referendum was part of a series of votes agreed two decades ago, following bouts of violence in the 1980s over the issue of independence between the islands' indigenous Kanak people and descendants of European settlers.
• Kanaks represent around 40% of the population, while Europeans, mostly born in the territory, make up about a third. Others come from other Pacific islands or are of mixed heritage.

Noumea Accord

• The referendum was a part of a decolonisation plan agreed in 1998, known as the Noumea Accord.
• The Noumea Accord, which was concluded in 1998, provided for a practically sovereign status.
• Several agreements were signed including the 1998 Noumea Accord, which set out a roadmap for greater autonomy for the territory.
• Under this agreement, New Caledonia is allowed up to three referendums on independence. A third referendum can take place by 2022, if requested by a third of the local assembly.
• It enjoys a large degree of autonomy but depends heavily on France for matters like defence and education and still receives large subsidies from Paris.
• It is one of the UN's 17 "non-self governing territories" - where the process of decolonisation has not been completed.

Know! about New Caledonia

• It is an archipelago located in the southwest Pacific Ocean.
• It was discovered in 1774 by the British navigator James Cook.
• It was annexed by France in 1853.
• In 1946, it became an overseas territory.
• By 1953, French citizenship had been granted to all New Caledonians, regardless of ethnicity.
• New Caledonia has large deposits of nickel, a vital component in manufacturing electronics, and is seen by France as a strategic political and economic asset in the region.

Social Issues
India Ranks 94 Out Of 107 Nations In Global Hunger Index, Categorised 'Serious'

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about GHI and report highlights) + Mains ( GS II Social issues)
What's the NEWS

• India ranked 94 among 107 nations in the Global Hunger Index 2020 and is in the 'serious' hunger category
• Last year, India's rank was 102 out of 117 countries.
• The neighbouring Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan too are in the 'serious' category but ranked higher than India in this year's hunger index.
• While Bangladesh ranked 75, Myanmar and Pakistan are in the 78th and 88th position.
• Nepal in 73rd and Sri Lanka in 64th position are in 'moderate' hunger category
• Seventeen nations, including China, Belarus, Ukraine, Turkey, Cuba and Kuwait, shared the top rank with GHI scores of less than five

Global Hunger Index (HIGHLIGHTS)

• 14 per cent of India's population is undernourished.
• 37.4 per cent stunting rate among children under five and a wasting rate of 17.3 per cent.
• The under-five mortality rate stood at 3.7 per cent.
• Wasting is children who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition. Stunting is children under the age of five who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition.

GHI score is calculated on four indicators
1. Undernourishment
2. Child wasting, the share of children under the age of five who are wasted-- who have low weight for their height reflecting acute undernutrition);
3. Child stunting, children under the age of five who have low height for their age reflecting chronic undernutrition
4. Child mortality - the mortality rate of children under the age of five.

Global Hunger Index

• The Global Hunger Index is a peer-reviewed annual report, jointly published by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels.

Reasons behind the low ranking.

• poor implementation processes
• lack of effective monitoring
• siloed approach in tackling malnutrition
• poor performance by large states

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