Bilateral Relations
India, Maldives sign agreements for developing naval harbour, boosting defence

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the agreements + about Uthuru Thila Falhu naval base) + Mains ( GS II Bilateral relations)
What's the NEWS

• India extended a $50-million line of credit to the Maldives for defence projects and the two countries signed an agreement to develop and maintain a key naval facility for the armed forces of the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Uthuru Thila Falhu naval base

• The agreements for the defence line of credit and developing the harbour at Uthuru Thila Falhu naval base were signed on the second and final day of external affairs minister S Jaishankar's visit to the Maldives.
• Five other agreements, including one for a $25-million line of credit for the development of roads, were signed
• The agreement between India's EXIM Bank and the Maldivian government for the defence line of credit will facilitate capability building in the maritime domain, Jaishankar said without giving details.
• India signed the agreement to "develop, support and maintain" the Coast Guard harbour in Uthuru Thila Falhu.
• The facility will strengthen the capability of the Maldivian Coast Guard and facilitate regional humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts.
• The Maldives doesn't have a navy and the Coast Guard functions as the armed maritime component of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).
• There is strong maritime cooperation between India and the Maldives, and in the past, New Delhi has provided patrol vessels and maritime surveillance aircraft to bolster MNDF's capabilities.
• No foreign military personnel will be stationed at the facility, which will be used to dock, maintain and repair Coast Guard vessels.
• The agreement on developing the harbour was in line with several requests made by the Maldives since 2013 for India's support to enhance the capability of its defence forces to effectively control and conduct surveillance in its exclusive economic zone.
• The agreement is also in line with a bilateral action plan for defence cooperation signed in April 2016 and subsequent discussions held during 2016-19.

Defence
Successful Launches of VL-SRSAM Missile System

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM)
What's the NEWS

• Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted two successful launches of Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM).
• The launches were carried out today from a static vertical launcher from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.

Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM).

• Indigenously designed and developed by DRDO for Indian Navy, VL-SRSAM is meant for neutralizing various aerial threats at close ranges including sea-skimming targets.
• The current launches were carried out for demonstration of vertical launch capability as part of its maiden launch campaign.
• On both occasions, the missiles intercepted the simulated targets with pinpoint accuracy. The missiles were tested for minimum and maximum range.
• VL-SRSAM with Weapon Control System (WCS) were deployed during the trials.
• The present trials have proved the effectiveness of the weapon system and few more trials will be conducted shortly before deployment on Indian Naval ships.
• Once deployed, the VL-SRSAM system will prove to be a force multiplier for the Indian Navy.

Prelims Factoids
Centre of excellence on hydrogen
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Centre of excellence on hydrogen)
What's the NEWS

• Indian Oil has signed a preliminary agreement with Norway's Greenstat to set up a centre of excellence on hydrogen.

Centre of excellence on hydrogen.

• The centre of excellence on hydrogen will be a vehicle for promoting R&D projects in green and blue hydrogen between Norwegian and Indian R&D institutions/universities
• The centre will facilitate transfer and sharing of technology, know-how and experience through the green hydrogen value chain and other relevant technologies including hydrogen storage and fuel cells, it said.
• The institute will also act as a think-tank towards developing codes and standards for best industrial practices, safety, product protocols and regulations in the area of hydrogen and fuel cells
• The partnership between Indian Oil and Greenstat will assist stakeholders in developing business models besides offering consultancies to industry, utilities and regulators on hydrogen storage, hydrogen production, refuelling stations, fuel cells and carbon capture technologies.
• The government plans to set up a national hydrogen mission, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said in her Budget speech.

Culture
Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav

Relevance IN - Prelims (about the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav)
What's the NEWS

• The second phase of the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Culture & Tourism

Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav

• The festival is being held from 22nd February to 24th February. The Governor of West Bengal, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar will grace the closing ceremony on 24th February 2021.
• The Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav is organised to promote the spirit of Ek Bharat Sreshtha Bharat.
• The 3-day event in Darjeeling will begin with a choreographic presentation by Odissi Vision and Movement Centre, followed by recitals by Dona Ganguly (Odissi), Michael (Saxophone), Shayne Hyrapiet (Band).
• The Ministry of Culture is mandated with the task of preservation, promotion and propagation of Indian Culture, both tangible and intangible which inter-alia includes traditional folk dances and art forms, performing arts and rich tribal heritage. It organizes cultural programs, festivals and theatrical performances to fulfill this mandate.
• RashtriyaSanskriti Mahotsav, the flagship festival of this Ministry organized since 2015 with the active participation of Seven Zonal Culture Centres has been playing a pivotal role to take the vibrant culture of India out to the masses instead of confining to auditoria and galleries.
• It has been instrumental in showcasing, folk and tribal art, dance, music, cuisines & culture of one state in other states reinforcing the cherished goal of "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat" and at the same time providing an effective platform to the artists and artisans to support their livelihood.
• Ten editions of RSM have been held till date since November, 2015 in various states and cities such as Delhi, Varanasi, Bengaluru, Tawang, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tehri and Madhya Pradesh.

Prelims Factoids
International Mother Language Day

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about International Mother Language Day)
What's the NEWS

• Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the Webinar on the occasion of ‘International Mother Language Day'.

• The Webinar on ‘Fostering Multilingualism for Inclusion in Education and Society' is being organised jointly by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture and IGNCA.

International Mother Language Day

• The declaration of 21^st February as the International Mother Language Day, (Matribhasha Diwas) UNESCO in 1999, this day is being celebrated every year since 2015 in a grand manner by involving all the higher educational institutions/schools across the country to organize various activities like Debating, Singing, Essay Writing and Painting competitions
• The he purpose of the celebrations is to promote the preservation and protection of all languages spoken by the people globally and also to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism of the languages.
• International Mother Language Day recognizes that languages and multilingualism can advance inclusion, and the Sustainable Development Goals' focus on leaving no one behind.
• UNESCO believes education, based on the first language or mother tongue, must begin from the early years as early childhood care and education is the foundation of learning.
• This year's observance is a call on policymakers, educators and teachers, parents and families to scale up their commitment to multilingual education, and inclusion in education to advance education recovery in the context of COVID-19.
• This effort also contributes to the United Nations International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032), for which UNESCO is the lead agency, and which places multilingualism at the heart of indigenous peoples' development.
• The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, 21 February is the anniversary of the day when the people of Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) fought for recognition for the Bangla language. It is also celebrated in West Bengal, India.

Defence
DRDO Skill Development Centre for Fire Safety Training

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Skill Development Centre (SDC) + Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES)
What's the NEWS

• Raksha Mantri inaugurated Skill Development Centre (SDC) for Fire Safety Training of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at Pilkhuwa in Uttar Pradesh

Skill Development Centre (SDC)

• The facility, created by Delhi based DRDO laboratory Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES); is aimed at developing trained human resources, fire safety technology and products to save precious human lives and valued assets.
• To prevent the such losses, this Training Centre will go a long way in ensuring quality training to the personnel and preventing such mishaps.
• The first of its kind in India, the SDC has been created by adopting state of art technology and setting up of simulation systems for validation of fire at realistic scale in order to meet the challenges and enhance the skills of Defence Fire Service Personnel and combatants from the Armed Forces.
• The DRDO facility would be utilised for imparting fire prevention and fire-fighting training to the Fire Service personnel of Indian Armed Forces, DRDO, Ordnance Factories, Coast Guard and defence undertakings. In addition, trainees from Bhutan, Sri Lanka and other neighbouring countries would also be imparted training at the Centre.
• The facility is likely to strengthen their knowledge and fire-fighting skills and prepare them for handling fire threats in the emerging high-tech environment.

Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety

• The Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) is an Indian defence laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• Located in Timarpur, Delhi, its main function is the development of technologies and products in the area of explosive, fire and environmental safety.
• CFEES is organised under the Armaments Directorate of DRDO.
• The Centre for Explosive and Environment Safety (CEES) was established in 1992 by merging three DRDO establishments; DRDO Computer Centre, Delhi, The Directorate of Explosives Safety, DRDO HQ, and the Fire Adviser's Office, DRDO HQ
• In 2000 another DRDO lab, "Defence Institute of Fire Research (DIFR)" was merged with CEES.
• In order to emphasise the importance of fire science, the Government renamed CEES as CFEES in 2003.

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