Defence
PM Modi hands over Arjun Main Battle Tank to Indian Army

Relevance IN - Prelims (all about Arjun Main Battle Tank (Mark 1A) tanks)
What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister handed over the indigenously developed Arjun Main Battle Tank (Mark 1A) tanks to Army Chief General MM Naravane in Chennai
• The state-of-the-art tank is indigenously designed, developed, and manufactured by the Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment in Chennai
• Fifteen academic institutions, eight labs, and several micro, small and medium enterprises also helped in making of the tank, which has 71 new features.
• The tank made in Tamil Nadu will be used to protect northern borders.
• The development of this tank is being seen as a step towards achieving self-reliance in India's defence production abilities.
• In a high-level meeting, the Defence Ministry had recently cleared the induction of 118 Arjun Mark 1A tanks into the Indian Army, costing around Rs. 8,400 crore

Arjun Mark-1A Main Battle Tank

• The upgraded Arjun Mark-1A Main Battle Tank is widely regarded as India's response to the Russian-made T-90S 'Bhishma' tanks that currently form the bulk of India's armoured vehicle regiments.
• Weighing 68 tonnes, the Mark 1-A is equipped with a 120mm main gun and stands as an upgraded version of the original Arjun Main Battle Tank.
• The numerous improvements made to the tank based on the Army's recommendations have transformed it into one of the nation's most formidable self-protective tanks.
• Compared to the earlier version, the Mark 1-A boasts an improved gunner sight, fitted with automated target tracking capabilities.
• This allows the tank's crew to locate and track mobile targets automatically, enabling attack even when the MBT is moving.
• The MK-1A's gun is operated via a computerised integrated fire control that allows for high first-round kill capabilities.
• It also incorporates day-and-night stabilised sights.
• The Mark 1-A is also integrated with thermobaric and penetration-cum-blast ammunition, in addition to the conventional fin stabilised armour-piercing discarding sabot and high explosive squash head ammunition.
• It incorporates state-of-the-art battle tank technologies making it distinct from other contemporary MBTs while labelling it a "dependable warfighting machine"

Arjun Main Battle Tank programme

• The Arjun Main Battle Tank programme began in 1972 with the DRDO's CVRDE serving as its main laboratory.
• The production of the tanks began in 1996 at the Indian Ordnance Factory's manufacturing facility located in Avadi, Tamil Nadu.
• The first batch of 16 tanks was inducted into the 43 Armoured Regiment of the Indian Army.
• By 2009, the Army had the first Arjun regiment comprising 45 tanks, and by 2011, more than 100 tanks had been delivered.

T-90S tanks and Bhishma tanks

• The Indian Army placed a Rs 20,000 crore order in November 2019 for the manufacture of 464 T-90S tanks to add to the 1,191 Bhishma tanks already inducted

Space Awareness
New satellite to carry Bhagavad Gita, PM Modi's photo
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the upcoming mission of ISRO)
What's the NEWS

• A copy of the Bhagavad Gita, a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the names of 25,000 individuals will be carried to space by the Satish Dhawan Satellite, or SD SAT, which will be launched at the end of the month by the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV).

Know! about the upcoming mission

• The nanosatellite, named after one of the founding fathers of India's space programme and developed by SpaceKidz India, an organisation dedicated to promoting space science among students, will also carry three scientific payloads - one to study space radiation, one to study the magnetosphere, and another that will demonstrate a low-power wide-area communication network.
• This satellite has been completely developed and fabricated in India, including the electronics and circuitry
• The satellite will be transported to the spaceport at Sriharikota after some design changes were made following recommendations by ISRO.
• This is one of the two satellites developed by Indian startups that will be launched for the first time by ISRO after the country opened up the space sector to private entities in June last year.
• The PSLV-C51 mission, scheduled for February 28, will carry Brazil's earth observation satellite Amazonia-1 as the primary satellite along with 20 co-passenger satellites, including a nanosatellite from ISRO, three UnitySats by an academic consortium, and a demonstration satellite by another start-up, Pixxel (incorporated as Syzygy Space Technologies).

Governance
India is putting out its mapping, geospatial data available for general use
Relevance IN - Prelims ( geospatial data + Geospatial Information Regulation Act, 2016) + GS II Governance + GS III awareness in the field of S&T
What's the NEWS

• India's Department of Science and Technology (DST) opened access to its geospatial data and services, including maps, for all Indian entities by saying, "what is readily available globally does not need to be regulated."
• The move is said to release a lot of data that is currently restricted and not available for free.
• The update represents a major change in the country's mapping policy, which earlier required individuals and companies to seek approval for use of mapping data under the Geospatial Information Regulation Act, 2016.

Geospatial data

• Geospatial data includes location information about natural or man-made, physical or imaginary features, whether above the ground or below, boundaries, points of interest, natural phenomena, mobility data, weather patterns, and other statistical information.

Liberalisation of the mapping

• Liberalisation of the mapping industry and democratization of existing datasets will spur domestic innovation and enable Indian companies to compete in the global mapping ecosystem by leveraging modern geospatial technologies

• The announcement comes at a time when advances in mapping technology, including aerial vehicles, mobile mapping systems, LIDAR and RADAR sensors, and satellite-based remote sensing techniques, are giving a lift to innovation in eCommerce, logistics and urban transportation sectors.
• India has so far been reliant on foreign resources for mapping technologies and services.
• The new guidelines for Maps and Geospatial Data are a path breaking reform ending decades of regulatory inertia.
• It has completely liberalised the generation and usage of maps and made it possible for India to take advantage of future map technologies
• The reforms will unlock tremendous opportunities for country's start-ups, private sector, public sector and research institutions to drive innovations and build scalable solutions.
• This will also generate employment and accelerate economic growth.

Geospatial data (benefits)

• This could potentially lead to private players seeking maps and data that suit their specific purposes. For instance,
• Local delivery of products and services requires highly specific details of a locality within a town. This, in turn, could lay the ground work for future smart city projects.
• It will help drive efficiencies in agriculture and emergency-response capabilities while also facilitating rise of new-age industries.
• PM Swamitva Yojana is a shining example of the use of geospatial data to empower our rural population
• Increased participation of private sector will augment the growth of new technologies, platforms and application of geospatial data contributing to the country's progress.
• Geospatial data is foundational and vital to all manner of planning, governance, services, infrastructure, and applications

Geospatial information" mean?

• Geospatial imagery or data acquired through space or aerial platforms such as satellite, aircrafts, airships, balloons, unmanned aerial vehicles
• Graphical or digital data depicting natural or man-made physical features, phenomenon or boundaries of the earth
• Any information related thereto including surveys, charts, maps, terrestrial photos referenced to a co-ordinate system and having attributes;
• In simple terms, any addition or creation of anything that has to do with any geospatial information - or location - within the territory of India will need the permission of the government or, in this case, a Security Vetting Authority.
• Security Vetting Authority will grant licenses to organisations/individuals who want to use geospatial data.
• It will check the content and data provided and make sure it is well within national policies, "with the sole objective of protecting national security, sovereignty, safety and integrity"
• Illegal acquisition of geospatial information of India - Fine ranging from Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 100 crore and/or imprisonment for a period up to seven years.
• Use of geospatial information of India outside India - Fine ranging from Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 100 crore and/or imprisonment for a period up to seven years.

Agriculture
Commercial Jute seed distribution scheme
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about commercial Jute seed distribution scheme + steps taken by the government )
What's the NEWS

• Union Textile Minister rolled out the commercial Jute seed distribution scheme.
• Jute Corporation of India had last year, signed an MoU with National Seeds Corporation for commercial distribution of 1 thousand Metric Tonne certified jute seeds for the year 2021-22.

Steps taken by the government to boost the Jute Industry

• The government increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Jute by nearly 76 per cent in the last 6 years.
• The highly productive variant of Jute seeds will help enhance the income of nearly 5 lakh Jute farmers in the country.
• The Agriculture Ministry and the Textile Ministry is working with enhanced synergy to extend support to the Jute growing farmers.
• Centre's decision regarding mandatory packaging in jute materials will benefit over 4 lakh farmers directly including nearly 40 lakh agri-based households.
• Inclusion of excavation for Jute-retting tanks under MGNREGA will help create 46 lakh mandays of work under the central scheme.

Know! about Jute

• It is a natural fibre having a golden, soft, long, and silky shine. Jute is the cheapest fibre which is procured from skin of the plant's stem. Jute is also called as the golden fibre.
• The Golden Fibre Revolution in India is associated to the jute production. Jute industry is one among the oldest textile industries in India that involved directly or indirectly a large chunk of people.

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