Indian government gifts 2000 metric tonnes of rice to Syria to strengthen food security - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Indian government gifts 2000 metric tonnes of rice to Syria to strengthen food security.

The first consignment of 1000 metric tonnes of rice was handed over by India Ambassador to Syria, Hifzur Rahman to the Minister of Local Administration and Head of Supreme Relief Committee Hussain Makhlouf on Thursday.

India has gifted 2000 metric tonnes of rice to Syria with an aim to strengthen food security in the middle eastern country.

The first consignment of 1000 metric tonnes of rice was handed over by India Ambassador to Syria, Hifzur Rahman to the Minister of Local Administration and Head of Supreme Relief Committee Hussain Makhlouf on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Friday.

The remaining 1000 metric tonnes of rice is expected to reach Syria on February 18. The rice is being supplied in response to a request from the Syrian government for emergency humanitarian assistance.

"India and Syria have historically enjoyed close and friendly relations," the statement read.

The Indian government, the ministry said, has always "stood in solidarity with the people of Syria, and our bilateral engagement has continued apace even during the years of internal conflict there through a number of development and capacity building projects".

Syria's civil war began during the Arab Spring in 2011 as a peaceful uprising against the country's president, Bashar al-Assad. It has since escalated -- shattering the lives of Syrians, destroying cities, straining global politics, and spurring diplomatic efforts that are constantly questioned as the world is witnessing the horrors of ongoing warfare.

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Indian government gifts 2000 metric tonnes of rice to Syria to strengthen food security.

Sensitive data of over 325,000 Indian users leaked in BuyUCoin hack - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Sensitive data of over 325,000 Indian users leaked in BuyUCoin hack.

BuyUcoin is an India-based global cryptocurrency exchange and wallet

In yet another data breach, sensitive data of nearly 3.25 lakh users of India-based global cryptocurrency exchange and wallet, BuyUcoin, have been exposed on the Dark Web.

The data leaked include names, e-mails, mobile numbers, encrypted passwords, user wallet details, order details, bank details, KYC details (PAN number, passport numbers) and deposit history.

According to independent cyber security researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia, the 6GB file on MongoDB database contains three backup files containing BuyUcoin data.

"This is a serious hack as key financial, banking and KYC details have been leaked on the Dark Web," Rajaharia told IANS and shared some screenshots of the leaked data.

Researchers at cyber security firm Kela Research and Strategy Ltd first discovered the stolen data, linked on the same forum, from Wongnai Media Co Ltd, Tuned Global Pvt Ltd, BuyUcoin, Wappalyzer, Teespring Inc and Bonobos.com, which looks the handiwork of infamous hacking group ShinyHunters.

"Over this past summer, ShinyHunters was seen publishing leaked data for free, exposing millions of personal records from all over the world," Victoria Kivilevich, threat intelligence analyst at Kela Research, told SiliconANGLE.

"We have seen collaborators of Shiny Hunters selling and leaking other dumps in the recent months."

BuyUcoin was yet to react to the report.

ShinyHunters has also leaked 1.9 million user records stolen from free online photo editing application Pixlr.

According to Rajaharia, the hacker is the same who earlier leaked BigBasket and JusPay data in India.

In November last year, one of India's popular online grocery stores BigBasket found that its data of over 20 million users had been hacked and were on sale on the dark web for over $40,000.

"Now, the same hacker group is asking about $10,000 in Bitcoin for the BigBasket database and is also selling the three companies' databases," Rajaharia said.

"There is a strong connection between all these recent data leaks, including BigBasket," he added.

Earlier this month, Bengaluru-based digital payments gateway JusPay said that about 3.5 crore records with masked card data and card fingerprint were compromised by the hacker.

Rajaharia also disclosed that three Indian companies -- e-marketplace ClickIndia, fintech startup for small business owners ChqBook and wedding planning website WedMeGood -- were also hacked possibly by the same hacker.

"Nearly 80 lakh users of ClickIndia (name, email, mobile and other personal details), 10 lakh users of ChqBook (name, email, mobile, full address and other personal details) and 13 lakh users of WedMeGood (name, email, hashed password, other sensitive personal information)," Rajaharia had revealed. (Source: The Business Standard)

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Sensitive data of over 325,000 Indian users leaked in BuyUCoin hack.

China deployed fleet of underwater drones in Indian Ocean, says report - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

China deployed fleet of underwater drones in Indian Ocean, says report.

China has deployed a fleet of underwater drones called Sea Wing (Haiyi) glider in the Indian Ocean, which can operate for months on end and make observations for naval intelligence purposes

China has deployed a fleet of underwater drones called Sea Wing (Haiyi) glider in the Indian Ocean, which can operate for months on end and make observations for naval intelligence purposes, according to defence analyst HI Sutton.

Writing for the Forbes magazine, Sutton said that these sea gliders, which the Chinese are deploying "en masse", are a type of Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (UUV) which were launched in mid-December 2019 and recovered in February after making over 3,400 observations.

Citing the government sources, Sutton in his report said that these gliders are similar to those deployed by the US Navy, one of which was seized by Beijing in 2016 to ensure "safe navigation of passing ships."

"Taken at face value, it may be surprising that China is now deploying these types of UUV en masse in the Indian Ocean. China has also deployed the Sea Wing from an ice breaker in the Arctic," Sutton wrote.

According to the defence expert, reports from December last year suggested that 14 would be employed in the Indian Ocean mission but only 12 were used. Sutton said that these gliders are unpowered with large wings to glide that can run for long periods of time, adding that they are not fast or agile, however, they are employed for long-range missions.

Furthermore, the defence analyst said these Chinese gliders that are placed in the Indian Ocean were reportedly gathering oceanography data, which "sounds innocuous" however, is commonly gathered for naval intelligence purposes."

Noting the rising challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat earlier this month had said the world is witnessing a race for strategic bases in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), adding that it is only going to gain momentum in the times to come.

"Of late along with geostrategic competition in the Indo-Pacific, we are also witnessing a race for strategic places and bases in the Indian Ocean region which is only going to gain momentum in the times to come," General Rawat had said while delivering a keynote address at the Global Dialogue Security Summit.

CDS Rawat had said, "In the military field, technology must be a means of deterrence not a source of destruction. Our approach to security hence needs to shift from unilateral to the multilateral mode which mandates increasing training engagements with partner nations in order to fortify the future."

He said that based on the challenges that India face, "we require structured long term planning for capacity building and capability development of our defence forces.

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China deployed fleet of underwater drones in Indian Ocean, says report.

New species of Indian Muraingrass discovered from Western Ghats - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

New species of Indian Muraingrass discovered from Western Ghats.

Besides being of economic significance as it is commonly used as fodder, this species, named Ischaemum janarthanamii, has fought harsh conditions to survive in this ecologically-sensitive region, researchers say.

Researchers from the city-based Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), in collaboration with their counterparts from University of Goa, have discovered a species of Indian Muraingrass along the Western Ghats.

Besides being of economic significance as it is commonly used as fodder, this species, named Ischaemum janarthanamii, has fought harsh conditions to survive in this ecologically-sensitive region, researchers say.

The new species, belonging to Genus Ischaemum was identified after undertaking thorough morphological studies of samples collected from laterite surfaces in the outskirts of Goa’s Bhagwan Mahavir National Park. The species is named after M K Janarthanam, professor of Botany at Goa University. The senior professor has been honoured for his contributions in Indian grass taxonomy and documentation of Goa’s floristic diversity.

“The vegetation is exposed to extreme climatic conditions like extreme heat leading to desiccation and growing in soil with low nutritive value. Despite such adverse conditions, the species blooms every monsoon in the region,” researchers said.

The research team, led by Mandar Datar and Ritesh Kumar Choudhary of ARI, subjected the samples for a study period of over three years, before confirming the new species. This helped carry out detailed analysis of the Muraingrass’s characteristics. India is home to some 61 out of 85 species of Ischaemum known globally. Incidentally, the Western Ghats are abundant with approximately 40 species concentration of the genus.

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New species of Indian Muraingrass discovered from Western Ghats.

Geo Imaging Satellite GISAT-1 can keep a 24/7 watch on Indian subcontinent, say ISRO veterans - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Geo Imaging Satellite GISAT-1 can keep a 24/7 watch on Indian subcontinent, say ISRO veterans.

Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) latest earth observation satellite GISAT-1, the launch of which was postponed by the space agency due to technical reasons on March 4, 2020, can keep a 24/7 watch on Indian subcontinent.

Though the launch was postponed for some time, ISRO veterans claimed that the the geo-imaging satellite GISAT-1, which is one of the first-of-its-kind satellites, is equipped with a very powerful telescope and very sensitive imaging sensors which have been developed indigenously.
Explaining reasons for placing the earth-observation satellites in GEO, Padma Shri Dr Mylswamy Annadurai, Programme Director Chandrayaan 1 and Mangalyaan, Vice President TN State Council for Science and Technology, said, ‘’Satellites in Low earth orbit can only click an image of a particular spot only 2-3 times a day, when they make a pass, but satellites in geostationary orbit (In sync with the movement of the earth) can constantly monitor a vast area. When a satellite is placed in GEO, it can click pictures of a particular spot in India or any spot that is visible to it, almost 24/7.’’
When asked if the image quality will not be adversely affected due to its distance of nearly 36000 km from earth, Annadurai said, ‘’It is true that the resolution and quality of an image would be affected due to the 36,000 km orbit at which the satellite is placed, but besides optical cameras, we can also use other infrared-based imaging sensors that are part of the satellite.’’
Replying to a question if there were other Indian satellites apart from communication satellites which have been placed in GEO, Annadurai said, ‘’Some of our earlier satellites such as Kalpana, INSAT 3D and INSAT 3DR can click images 24/7. INSAT 3D and 3DR are utilized for communication, monitoring climate, environment and for disaster management system and are placed in GSO.’’
‘’These are the satellites that help us track changing weather patterns every 15 minutes. While the earlier ones were multi-purpose satellites, the current satellite GISAT-1 is a more advanced version dedicated mainly to earth observation and can give higher resolution images and incorporates a different kind of technology,’’ he added.
Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai also explained how the new technology will change the functionality of the satellite and said, ‘’Some of our earlier generations of satellites like INSAT series had a scanning mirror in them, that moved east-west in a sweeping motion as a part of the image capturing process. However, since the satellites were also used for communications purposes(and are required to move in such a way that it appears fixed over a particular spot above the equator), the satellite was only moving on its GEO (in sync with the angular velocity of the earth). But since the GISAT is dedicated mainly for different kinds of earth observation, the satellite itself can rotate on an east-west, north-south axis to enable imaging of a specific region. In layman’s terms, its like tilting a handheld camera and moving it for getting the best shot.’’
Meanwhile, Padma Vibhushan Dr G Madhavan Nair, former Chairman, ISRO, said revealed some of the real world applications of the GISAT -1.
Nair said, ‘’If we have a natural calamity in a particular region or a region that has to be monitored, we can issue commands for the satellite to point towards that specific region, or a weather pattern such as a cyclone and look at it in more detail. Low earth orbit satellites can give us better quality pictures, but they can make a pass only every 110minutes or so. But in the case of GISAT, we can continuously observe the area. So if a region is affected by forest fires or floods, we will know it near-real time and (if required) can deploy the satellites in Low Earth Orbit to click high-resolution pictures to improve our awareness of the situation.’’
Explaining why ISRO calls it the first state-of-the-art agile earth observation satellite from Geostationary orbit, Nair said, ‘’As far as India is concerned this is the first-of-its-kind satellite. Basically this is a technology breakthrough as it requires a very powerful telescope and very sensitive imaging sensors which we have developed indigenously. We have been working on this technology for sometime.’’
The launch of ISRO’s GSLV-F10 rocket carrying the geo-imaging satellite GISAT-1, that was scheduled for 5:43 pm on Thursday, was postponed by the ISRO due to technical reasons. ISRO has said that a revised launch date would be announced in due course.
The GSLV rocket will be carrying what ISRO calls a state-of-the-art agile Earth Observation Satellite into Geo Stationary Transfer Orbit(GTO), which is 36,000 km at its farthest point from earth and 170km at its nearest point to earth.
After it is placed in GTO, the satellite would be issued a series of commands to fire its Liquid Apogee Motor(LAM) for a few sequential burns, until it is placed in Geostationary orbit (GEO) of 36000km circular from where the satellite would be seen stationary to all the points from the earth.
According to ISRO, the satellite is meant to provide near real time imaging of large regions of interest at frequent intervals, quick monitoring of natural disasters, episodic events and also obtain spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, disaster warning, cloud properties, snow & glaciers and oceanography.
While conventionally, earth-observation satellites are placed in Low-Earth orbit (between 500 and 2000kms), to ensure high resolution imagery, better capabilities, it is pertinent to note that ISRO’s latest agile earth-observation satellite is to be placed in 36,000kms away. The GEO orbit is generally meant for Communication Satellites that are required to relay signals across a vast landmass. Being placed in the 36,000km circular orbit would also mean that the 2268kg GISAT-1 is beyond the range of Anti-satellite missiles. (Source: pib)

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Geo Imaging Satellite GISAT-1 can keep a 24/7 watch on Indian subcontinent, say ISRO veterans.

Three Indian species now in global protection list for migratory animals - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Three Indian species now in global protection list for migratory animals.

• All the three animals were included in the ‘Appendix I’ of the Convention on the Conservation of migratory species of wild animals
• The government highlighted that the Indian elephant is struggling to survive in the continually shrinking, degraded and fragmented habitat
Three Indian species –the mainland Asian elephant, Great Indian Bustard and the Bengal Florican were selected for priority bio-diversity conservation at the United Nations summit for conservation of migratory species of wild animals, on Thursday.
All the three animals were included in the ‘Appendix I’ of the Convention on the Conservation of migratory species of wild animals (CMS). The announcement was made at the ongoing 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the CMS being hosted by India, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from February 17-22.

The central government’s proposal was unanimously accepted by the Committee of the Whole (COW), late on Thursday.
Inclusion in the 'Appendix I’ is for ‘migratory species threatened with extinction’ would lead to push for greater habitat protection, prohibition against poaching and facilitation of their movement in the regions and countries that are part of these species ranges.
There are about 47 lakh elephants in the wild in the 13 range countries, with 60% of them in India. The government highlighted that the Indian elephant is struggling to survive in the continually shrinking, degraded and fragmented habitat and is frequently coming into conflict with people, apart from threats of poaching and illegal trade.
Since, it is known to naturally migrate across international borders; it faces similar challenges in other range countries, and there is need for a concerted action to protect them.
While, the other two species - the Great Indian Bustard and Bengal Florican have already been identified as critically endangered which face threats of hunting, and collision with power-lines during their migration to neighbouring countries, especially Pakistan and Nepal.
Under the proposal, the government intends to sign an agreement with the range countries to protect these birds from hunting, power-line collision and habitat loss. (Source: Livemint)


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Three Indian species now in global protection list for migratory animals.

South India gets 1st BrahMos armed Sukhoi squad to guard Indian Ocean Region - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

South India gets 1st BrahMos armed Sukhoi squad to guard Indian Ocean Region.

• The BrahMos cruise missile travels at a speed of Mach 2.8, nearly three times that of sound
• The Su-30 MKI aircraft, along with the BrahMos will be a game-changer and extensively enhance the security of the maritime domain
Adding teeth to India's air and maritime dominance in the Indian Ocean Region, a squadron of fourth generation fighter jets Sukhoi-30 MKI equipped with the BrahMos missile was inducted on Monday at the airforce station here, the first such base in South India.
The 'Tigersharks' 222 squadron of Sukhoi 30 MKI jets, formally inducted by Chief of Defence Staff Gen.Bipin Rawat, will be tasked with the air dominance and maritime role and equipped with the air variant of the BrahMos.

The squadron based in this ancient Chola capital, about 340 kms from Chennai, is seen as a gamechanger in guarding the strategically important Indian Ocean Region (IOR) that has seen growing Chinese presence.
Expected to set right the military balance in the IOR, the Su-30 MKI is a state-of-the-art all weather multi-role fighter aircraft capable of undertaking varied air defence, ground attack and maritime missions.
BrahMos, an Indo-Russian joint venture weapon, is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile capable of being launched from submarines, warships, fighter jets or land. The 2.5-tonne missile has a strike range of nearly 300 km.
The BrahMos cruise missile travels at a speed of Mach 2.8, nearly three times that of sound. Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria and senior defence officials were among those present on the occasion of the induction ceremony with the former describing it as a historic day for the Indian Air Force.
"So the role it will undertake is the Air Defence of Southern Peninsula and more importantly with this special maritime capability in combination of Brahmos it will be in for maritime role in support of nation," Bhadauria said. A defence release said with the operationalisation of the squadron, the air defence capablilites of IAF, particularly in the Southern Air Command area will be strengthened. "This would also provide protection to our island territories and sea lines of communication in the Indian Ocean Region.
The IOR is increasingly gaining importance and the presence of a fighter squadron will provide security cover to all our strategic and vital assets in the region," it added. The Sukhois have a combat radius of almost 1,500 km without midair refuelling. "There has been a gradual to an accelerated expansion of varied maritime forces in the region which could afffect the existing military balance. Therefore, there is a need to protect our military and economic interests in the IOR," the release said in an apparent reference to the Chinese presence in the IOR and the need to respond to it.
China already has a military base at the strategically located Djibouti at the horn of Africa, its first in a foreign nation, and it is also looking at expanding its presence. Enhancement of the IAF's capability with the induction of the squad was in response to both conventional and non conventional threats in the IOR and to ensure security and stability in the region, the release said. General Rawat, in his address said the "Tigersharks" underscored "integration," which is the future of the Indian Armed Forces.
The Su-30 MKI aircraft, along with the BrahMos will be a game-changer and extensively enhance the security of the maritime domain, he noted. The squadron will be operating closely with the army and navy to get the ball rolling and thus harmonizing with the armed forces, he said. While the fighter jets got a water salute, the induction ceremony culminated with a flying display by light combat aircraft, Sarang helicopter display team and Surya Kiran aerobatic team. Bhadauria, in his address, said it was a historic day for the Indian Air Force. On the decision to choose Thanjavur as the base for the SU 30 MKI squadron, he said it was because of its strategic location.
He complimented the Southern Air Command and all personnel of air force station here for their efforts in advancing the induction by almost a year. Apart from that the station would also handle all other roles that Air Force would assign in terms of offensive or defensive as part of any other missions, he said. The 222 squadron was raised at Ambala in 1969 with Sukhoi Su-7 aircraft. In July 1971, it was moved to Halwara and was engaged in combat with the Pakistan Air Force in the 1971 war.
In 1985, the Tigersharks became the first Indian squadron to be equipped with the Mig-27 aircraft and it is now being "resurrected," with the Su-30 MKI at Thanjavur. With the induction, integrated flying training is also set to commence along with the indigenous Tejas aircraft which is already present in Coimbatore. According to the IAF, latest radars will be deployed in the region to further strengthen its integrated surveillance system.
During the IAF exercise Gagan Shakti-2018, the capabilities of this aircraft were amply demonstrated. Also, it showcased an extended air operational range with the help of air to air refuelling by the IL-78 aircraft.
The Indian Ocean Region, faced numerous challenges such as drug trafficking, piracy and maritime terrorism and the busiest trans oceanic trade route. The IOR is so important that more than 80 per cent of India's energy supply was routed through it and it is likely to grow to 95 per cent by 2025. (Source: Livemint)


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South India gets 1st BrahMos armed Sukhoi squad to guard Indian Ocean Region.

Four Indian airports receive international recognition for reducing emissions - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Four Indian airports receive international recognition for reducing emissions.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) announced that four airports in the country have managed a transition from level 1 to level 2 with a reduction in the carbon emissions by grading their systems as per the Airports Council International (ACI).

The airports had adopted the grading system in 2018 and successfully implemented the carbon emission plan.
"Four AAI airports - Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata; Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar; Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi and Trivandrum International Airport have met all the necessary requirements to upgrade to level 2: 'reduction', by constituting Carbon Management Plan and reducing the carbon emissions at airports as per the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) Program," said AAI in a press statement on Wednesday.

As per the data provided for the CO2 emission of four years - 2015,16,17,18; these airports witnessed a decrease in emission despite an increase in air traffic.
The grading system of ACI has four categories - mapping, reduction, optimization and neutrality.
"Carbon mapping occurs when the airport has a policy commitment to emissions reduction and development of a Carbon Footprint for the airport's scope-1 and scope-2 emissions, which are under its control. Carbon reduction occurs when the airport shows the reduction in carbon emissions as compared to the base year," added AAI.


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Four Indian airports receive international recognition for reducing emissions.

MEA Expands Indian Ocean Division to Include Islands off African Coast - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

MEA Expands Indian Ocean Division to Include Islands off African Coast.

With a view to exhibit New Delhi’s expansive view of the concept of Indo-Pacific, the Ministry of External Affairs has, for the first time, brought together all the major islands nation-states in the western and south Indian Ocean from Madagascar to Sri Lanka under one department.

The Ministry of External Affairs is organised on the basis of divisions, which are based on geography or along certain themes. Over the years, these divisions have evolved, split or have been merged based on foreign policy priorities.
Earlier this year, the MEA got a brand-new Indo-Pacific division to reflect the priority given to the region and bring about a sense of coherence within its various regions. The division would also look at the multilateral linkages in the region in a holistic fashion. The new division largely subsumed the previous ASEAN (multilateral) division, and included the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), and the ‘Quad’ in its ambit.
It was separate from the Indian Ocean region division which looked at bilateral relations with Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles. Now, this division has been further expanded westwards.

On December 16, the MEA issued an office memorandum that the western Indian ocean nations of Madagascar, Comoros and the French territory of Reunion islands will now be part of the IOR division. They were earlier a part of the East and Southern Africa division.
This was tailored, as per officials, to reflect the geographic expanse of India’s definition of Indo-Pacific. “This makes sense as even these island nations did not necessarily want to be clubbed with Africa and had a separate identity,” said an MEA official.
In a speech last Saturday, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar admitted that there was still no consensus on the definition of Indo-Pacific, but suggested that this should not prevent further engagement with the concept.
“One step in building this concept outward is enhancing the Indian Ocean region’s community’s involvement with, and in, the notion of an Indo-Pacific. While the nations of the eastern Indian Ocean and States on the connecting seas leading to the Pacific are defining their vision of the Indo-Pacific, there is room for a western Indian Ocean version of this concept too,” he said at the valedictory session of Delhi Dialogue.
He also noted that India’s view of Indo-Pacific included not just the eastern part of the Indian ocean, but also neighbours in the gulf, island nations of the Arabian sea and “partners in Africa”.
Against a backdrop where Chinese presence has continued to shore up, India has stepped up bilateral contacts with states in the western Indian Ocean region. Last year, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind visited Madagascar for the first time. This year, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu visited Comoros in October. (Source:defencenews.in)


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MEA Expands Indian Ocean Division to Include Islands off African Coast.

Afghanistan first country to recognize Indian Pharmacopoeia - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Afghanistan first country to recognize Indian Pharmacopoeia.

New Beginning for Indian Pharmaceuticals and Standards
The Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) has been recognised formally by the National Department of Regulation of Medicines and Health Products of the Ministry of Public Health of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. It will also be used based on the requirement as reputable pharmacopoeia in the laboratory of medicines and health products quality. With this, a new beginning has been made and Afghanistan has become the first country to recognize IP pursuant to the efforts of Department of Commerce and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
IP is an officially recognized book of standards as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules 1945 thereunder. The IP specifies the standards of drugs manufactured and marketed in India in terms of their identity, purity and strength.

The quality, efficacy and safety of the medicines are important from healthcare perspective. In order to ensure the quality of medicinal products, the legal and scientific standards are provided by Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) in the form of Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP). As per, the Second Schedule of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, IP is designated as the official book of standards for drugs imported and/or manufactured for sale, stock or exhibition for sale or distribution in India.
The IP Commission’s mission is to promote public and animal health in India by bringing out authoritative and officially accepted standards for quality of drugs including active pharmaceutical ingredients, excipients and dosage forms, used by health professionals, patients and consumers. This is achieved by developing the standards for medicines and supporting their implementation. In addition, IPC also develops IP Reference Substances (IPRS) that act as fingerprint for identification of an article under test and its purity as prescribed in the IP monographs. Standards prescribed in the IP are authoritative in nature and are enforced by the regulatory authorities for quality control of medicines in India.


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Afghanistan first country to recognize Indian Pharmacopoeia.

Are Indian lower courts awarding too many death sentences? - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Are Indian lower courts awarding too many death sentences?.

In 2018, India was among top seven countries to award death penalty. The lower courts awarded death penalty to 162 convicts, according to Project 39 of the National Law University, Delhi

three milestone judgments - Bachan Singh vs State of Punjab of 1980 being the last of the series - the Supreme Court laid the principle of "rarest of rare" for awarding death penalty to convicts found guilty of murder.
Three years later, the Supreme Court struck down Section 303 of the Indian Penal Code that made it mandatory to award death penalty to a person already convicted of some offence if she commits murder.
This establishes that the Supreme Court considers death penalty an avoidable sentence to the maximum extent possible.
Yet, in 2018, India was among top seven countries to award death penalty. The lower courts awarded death penalty to 162 convicts, according to Project 39 of the National Law University, Delhi. This is the figure quoted by the Amnesty International in its annual report on death penalty.
In the top eight countries - all awarding death sentences in excess of 100 in 2018 - India is clubbed with countries such as China, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Viet Nam. China and Viet Nam are communist dictatorial regimes while the rest have Islam as their state religion and are not known for guarantee to human rights.
With 162 death sentences, the number of convicts having been awarded death penalty was the highest in 2018 since the turn of the century, according to Project 39. The previous highest was 154 death sentences awarded in 2007. At the end of 2018, there were 426 people on the death row.
Of these death sentences, 45 were awarded for murder and 58 for murder involving sexual offences.

According to Project 39, the high courts confirmed only 23 death penalties in 2018 in 18 cases. The corresponding figures for 2017 were 11 death sentences confirmed by the high courts against 108 awarded by the trial courts; and 15 death sentences confirmation in 2016 against 150 awarded by the lower courts.
What is more, the high courts in 2018 acquitted 23 persons who were awarded death sentences by the lower courts in 12 cases. The corresponding figures for 2017 and 2016 were 35 and 20.
The Supreme Court, however, upheld death sentences to only three persons in 2018, and seven and one in previous two years. The Supreme Court, overall, heard 12 cases involving death sentences awarded to convicts in 2018. It upheld death sentences in just one case.
India awards death sentences to persons convicted of:
• Waging war against the State
• Terrorism
• Aiding or abetting Sati
• Aiding or abetting suicide by minor
• Falsely implicating an SC/ST person in a capital case
• Murder
• Rape/gangrape and murder
• Rape/gangrape of minor below 12
Death penalty for rape of a minor below 12 was introduced following public outcry in the aftermath of gang rape and murder of a paramedic student in Delhi in December 2012 - known as the Nirbhaya case.
Nevertheless, Law Commission report of 2015 dismissed the idea that death penalty is a deterrent to heinous crimes including rape and murder. The Law Commission suggested doing away with death penalty except in the cases of waging war against the State and those related to terrorism.
However, the lower courts awarded 420 death sentences in the subsequent three years (2016-18). This may be in the sharp contrast to the general principle of "rarest of rare" laid out by the Supreme Court and the observations of the Law Commission but is in sync with the growing clamour for death penalty in society especially in the view of reports of crimes against women.
Execution of death penalty, though, has been slow in India. Only four convicts have been hanged in the last 20 years. Three of them - Ajmal Kasab, Afzal Guru and Yaqoob Memon - were convicted in cases related to terrorism. The other convict, Dhananjoy Chatterjee was hanged for raping and killing a 14-year-old girl in West Bengal. (Source: The Indian Express)


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Are Indian lower courts awarding too many death sentences?.

Indian Railways to become 'net zero' carbon emitter by 2030 - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Indian Railways to become 'net zero' carbon emitter by 2030.

• Railways will be an integral part of the Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’ path towards climate justice, Goyal said

• He added by 2023, Indian Railways will be 100% electrically run, the first such railways system of its size in the world to do so
As part of India’s strategy to combat climate change, Indian Railways will become "net zero" carbon emitter by 2030, said railways and commerce minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday.
India is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US and China, and is among countries most vulnerable to climate change.
Meanwhile, the national carrier has a rail network of around 125,000km, making it the world’s largest railway network under a single management. It also has large tracts of land along its network, which will be used to set up solar power generation capacities.
As the country prepares to curb pollution and cut its dependence on foreign oil, India has become one of the top renewable energy producers globally with ambitious capacity expansion plans. The country has an installed renewable energy capacity of about 80 gigawatts (GW) and is running the world’s largest renewable energy programme, with plans to achieve 175GW by 2022 and 500GW by 2030, as part of its climate commitments.
Speaking at the India Energy Forum by CERAWEEK, Goyal said while there may be challenges, the net total consumption will be all green.
“We have had discussions, we welcome it," said power and new and renewable energy minister Raj Kumar Singh at the same conference.
This assumes significance given that with a requirement of about 12 billion units of electricity a year, Indian Railways’ power consumption has been growing at an average 5% a year. The railways plans to source 10% of its electricity needs through renewable energy sources by 2020.
Railway infrastructure will need an overall investment of Rs50 lakh crore between 2018 and 2030. The investment will also help bring down logistic costs. India has been grappling with high logistics costs of 16-18%, making its exports uncompetitive vis-а-vis China, which has lower logistics costs of 8-10%.
Goyal added that by 2023, Indian Railways will be 100% electrically run, the first such railways system of its size in the world to do so.
Indian Railways employs a staggering 1.4 million people. It runs around 20,849 trains daily and transports 23 million passengers and three million tonnes of freight. It operates 10,773 locomotives, 63,046 coaches and 245,000 wagons.
From electrification of 610 route km in 2013-14, the railways has completed electrification of 4,087 route km in 2017-18. A complete electrification of Broad Gauge Routes of Indian Railways is targeted by 2021-22.
Railways will be an integral part of the Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’ path towards climate justice, Goyal said.
This comes at a time when India’s emerging green economy is expected to require investments of around $80 billion till 2022, growing more than threefold to $250 billion during 2023-30.


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Indian Railways to become 'net zero' carbon emitter by 2030.

53% of top Indian firms have male to female employee ratio of 10:1: Study - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

53% of top Indian firms have male to female employee ratio of 10:1: Study.

A total of 103 companies have actually reported a reduction in the number of women employees.

Around 53 per cent of top Indian companies have a male to female employee ratio of 10:1 or worse and 70 per cent of the top firms have less than one per cent of employees with disability, a study by a think-tank claimed on Thursday.
The study noted that only 39 out of the top 300 Indian companies have "proactively disclosed" having employees from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) or Other Backward Classes (OBC) groups. Data of 300 out of the top 500 BSE-listed companies in India was analysed for the study by Corporate Responsibility Watch (CRW), a think-tank consisting of 14 civil society organisations.
"The entire north-east received only Rs 29.9 crores of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) funds, while Maharashtra is leading in terms of fund receipts with Rs 2,482.75 crore," the study claimed.
According to government data, in 2014-15, as many as 16,785 companies shelled out Rs 10,065 crore towards CSR activities. The study showed "startling data that presents a strong bias against the disabled and women".
"Over 70 per cent of businesses having reported either zero or less than 1 per cent disabled employees and about 53 per cent having a male to female ratio of just 10:1 or worse," it claimed.

A total of 103 companies have actually reported a reduction in the number of women employees, the study added.
It also revealed that of the total prescribed amount of Rs 23,247.90 crore to be spent by the mandated companies on CSR, only 57 per cent has been spent. CRW is a voluntary network of 14 organisations and independent consultants that watches and analyses the corporate environment in India from a civil society perspective.
The CRW consists of AccountAid India, Business and Community Foundation, Centre for Responsible Business, Christian Aid, Consumer Voice, Indian Institute of Dalit Studies, National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights and National Confederation of Dalit Organisations.
It also includes National Foundation for India, OpenSpace, Partners in Change, Prakruthi, Praxis Institute for Participatory Practices and Socio Research and Reform Foundation. (Source: The Business standard)


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53% of top Indian firms have male to female employee ratio of 10:1: Study.

Indian Medical Council Amendment Bill cleared - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Indian Medical Council Amendment Bill cleared.

In an effort to make the Dental Council of India more effective, the Union Cabinet also approved the introduction of a Bill to amend the Dentists Act, 1948

The Cabinet has approved the Indian Medical Council (Amendment Bill), 2019, and the Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment Bill), 2019, both of which had lapsed in the 16th Lok Sabha session. Both the Bills are now set to be reintroduced in the upcoming Parliament session beginning next week.
The Indian Medical Council (Amendment Bill), 2019, is aimed at bringing in transparency, accountability and quality in the governance of medical education in the country and would provide for supersession of the Medical Council of India (MCI) for a period of two years from August 26, 2018, the Centre said.

“During this period, the Board of Governors shall exercise the powers and functions of the MCI as assigned under the IMC Act, 1956. The number of members in the Board of Governors will be increased from existing 7 to 12,” it added.
The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment Bill), 2019, meanwhile, seeks to extend the period for reconstitution of the Central Council from an existing period of one year to two years so that the tenure of the Board of Governors may be extended for a further period of one year with effect from May 17, 2019.
In an effort to make the Dental Council of India more effective, the Union Cabinet also approved the introduction of a Bill to amend the Dentists Act, 1948. The Bill would help restructure the Dental Councils and the representation of Central government members and elected members would no longer be made mandatory in the Dental Councils. (Source: The Hindu)


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Indian Medical Council Amendment Bill cleared.

All Indian missiles may fall under new Missile Treaty’s limits - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

All Indian missiles may fall under new Missile Treaty’s limits.

Almost all Indian missiles may fall under the limits of a potential new treaty on intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles that would involve an expanded list of counties, Vice President of India’s Observer Research Foundation Nandan Unnikrishnan told TASS.

"If we imagine that such a treaty is made, then most of our ballistic missiles - the Agni class missiles - may fall under its limits," he said.
The expert pointed out that the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) applied to land-based missiles of intermediate range (1,000-5,000 kilometers) and shorter range (500-1,000 kilometers).
The bulk of India’s missile arsenal is made up of the Agni class missiles, including the Agni-1 missile with a range of 700-1000 kilometers, the Agni-2 with a range of 2,500-3,000 kilometers, the Agni-3 with a range of over
3,000 kilometers and the Agni-4 that has a range of up to 4,000 kilometers. All of them would fall under the limits of such a treaty.
According to earlier reports, India is working on the Agni-5 and Agni-6 missiles that will have a range of over 5,000 kilometers.
"If all countries that have this kind of weapons decided to give them up, it would be tempting. But India will not even consider the possibility of joining such a treaty unless China agrees to do the same. However, judging by recent media reports, Beijing opposes increasing the number of the treaty’s participants, calling on Moscow and Washington to negotiate a solution," Unnikrishnan noted.
INF Treaty issue :
The INF Treaty, signed by the Soviet Union and the United States on December 8, 1987, took effect on June 1, 1988. It applies to deployed and non-deployed ground-based missiles of intermediate range (1,000-5,000 kilometers) and shorter range (500-1,000 kilometers). Washington on many occasions accused Russia of violating the Treaty but Moscow strongly dismissed all accusations and expressed grievances concerning Washington’s non-compliance.
On February 1, Trump and US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo announced the suspension of Washington’s obligations under the INF Treaty starting February 2. Washington is determined to withdraw from the Treaty in six months unless Russia returns to "real and verifiable" compliance.
On February 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow was also suspending the Treaty. He handed down instructions to refrain from initiating talks with Washington on the issue and stressed that the US needed to show readiness for an equal and substantive dialogue.(Source:Livemint)


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All Indian missiles may fall under new Missile Treaty’s limits.

Cabinet approves first-ever three way merger in Indian Banking with amalgamation of Vijaya, Dena and Bank of Baroda - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Cabinet approves first-ever three way merger in Indian Banking with amalgamation of Vijaya, Dena and Bank of Baroda.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the scheme of amalgamation for amalgamating Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank, with Bank of Baroda as the transferee bank and Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank as transferor banks.

The amalgamation will be the first-ever three-way consolidation of banks in India, with the amalgamated bank being India's second largest Public Sector Bank.
The amalgamation will help create a strong globally competitive bank with economies of scale and enable realisation of wide-ranging synergies. Leveraging of networks, low-cost deposits and subsidiaries of the three banks has the potential of yielding significant synergies for positioning the consolidated entity for substantial rise in customer base, market reach, operational efficiency, wider bouquet of products and services, and improved access for customers.
Key points of the Scheme of amalgamation:
(a) Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank are transferor banks and BoB is transferee bank.
(b) The scheme shall come into force on 1.4.2019.
(c) Upon commencement of the scheme, the undertakings of the transferor banks as a going concern shall be transferred to and shall vest in the transferee bank, including, inter alia, all business, assets, rights, titles, claims, licenses, approvals and other privileges and all property, all bor¬rowings, liabilities and obligations.
(d) Every permanent and regular officer or employee of the transferor banks shall become an officer or employee and shall hold his office or service therein in the transferee bank such that the pay and allowance offered to the employees/officers of transferor banks shall not be less favourable as compared to what they would have drawn in the respective transferor bank.
(e) The Board of the transferee bank shall ensure that the interests of all transferring employees and officers of the transferor bank are protected.
(f) The transferee bank shall issue shares to the shareholders of transferor banks as per share exchange ratio. Shareholders of the transferee bank and transferor banks shall be entitled to raise their grievances, if any, in relation to the share exchange ratio, through an expert committee.
Some of the strengths of the envisaged amalgamated entity are-
• The amalgamated bank will be better equipped in the changing environment to meet the credit needs of a growing economy, absorb shocks and capacity to raise resources. Economies of scale and wider scope would position it for improved profitability, wider product offerings, and adoption of technology and best practices across amalgamating entities for cost efficiency and improved risk management, and financial inclusion through wider reach.
• It would also enable creation of a bank with scale comparable to global banks and capable of competing effectively in India and globally.
• Strengths of individual banks - such as Dena Bank's relatively higher access to low-cost CASA deposits, Vijaya Bank's profitability and availability of capital for growth, and the extensive and global network and offerings of BoB will translate into advantages in terms of market reach, operational efficiencies and the ability to support a wider offering of product and services.
• The amalgamated banks will have access to a wider talent pool, and a large database that may be leveraged through analytics for competitive advantage in a rapidly digitalising banking context. Benefits would also flow as a result of wider reach and distribution network and reduction in distribution costs for the products and services through subsidiaries.
• Public at large shall benefit in terms of enhanced access to banking services through a stronger network, the ability to support a wider offering of product and services, and easy access to credit.


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Cabinet approves first-ever three way merger in Indian Banking with amalgamation of Vijaya, Dena and Bank of Baroda.

Cabinet approves Indian Human Spaceflight Initiative: Gaganyaan Programme - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Cabinet approves Indian Human Spaceflight Initiative: Gaganyaan Programme.

Cabinet approves Indian Human Spaceflight Initiative: Gaganyaan Programme Two unmanned & one manned flight planned First manned flight in 40 months Estimates for Phase-I expenditure- Rs 9023 Crores.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Gaganyaan Programme with demonstration of Indian Human Spaceflight capability to low earth orbit for a mission duration ranging from one orbital period to a maximum of seven days. A human rated GSLV Mk-lll will be used to carry the orbital module which will have necessary provisions for sustaining a 3-member crew for the duration of the mission. The necessary infrastructure for crew training, realization of flight systems and ground infrastructure will be established to support the Gaganyaan Programme. ISRO will collaborate extensively with National agencies, laboratories, academia and industry to accomplish the Gaganyaan Programme objectives.
Expenditure:
The total fund requirement for the Gaganyaan Programme is within Rs.10,000 crore and includes cost of technology development, flight hardware realization and essential infrastructure elements. Two unmanned flights and one manned flight will be undertaken as part of Gaganyaan Programme.
Benefits:
• Gaganyaan Programme will establish a broader framework for collaboration between ISRO, academia, industry, national agencies and other scientific organizations.
• It This will allow pooling in of diverse technological and industrial capabilities and enable broader participation in research opportunities and technology development benefitting large number of students and researchers.
• The flight system realization will be through Industry.
• It is expected to generate employment and train human resources in advanced technologies.
• It will inspire large number of young students to take up science and technology careers for national development.
• Gaganyaan Programme is a national effort and will involve the participation of the Industry, Academia and National Agencies spread across the length and breadth of the country.
lmplementation Strategy and Targets:
Gaganyaan Programme will be a national effort in collaboration with Industry, Academia and other scientific agencies and laboratories as stake holders along with ISRO. ISRO will be responsible for realizing the flight hardware through Industry. National agencies, laboratories and Academia will participate in crew training, human life science technology development initiatives as well as design reviews. First human space flight demonstration is targeted to be completed within 40 months from the date of sanction. Prior to this, two unmanned flights in full complement will be carried out to gain confidence on the technology and mission management aspects.
Impact:
• The programme is expected to spur research and development within the country in niche science and technology domains.
• Huge potential for technology spinoffs in areas such as medicine, agriculture, industrial safety, pollution, waste management, water and food resource management etc.
• Human spaceflight programme will provide a unique micro-gravity platform in space for conducting experiments and test bed for future technologies.
• The programme is expected to give impetus to economic activities within the country in terms of employment generation, human resource development and enhanced industrial capabilities.
• Human Spaceflight capability will enable India to participate as a collaborating partner in future Global space exploration initiatives with long term national benefits.
Background:
ISRO has completed the development of launch vehicle GSLV Mk-lll which has the necessary payload capability to launch a 3-member crew module in low earth orbit. ISRO has also tested the crew escape system which is an essential technology for human space flight. The aerodynamic characterization of crew module has b3een completed as part of GSLV Mk-lll X mission flight. Elements of life support system and Space suit also have been realized and tested. In addition, the orbital & re-entry mission and recovery operations have been flight demonstrated in Space Capsule Re-entry experiment (SRE) mission. ISRO has developed and demonstrated most of the baseline technologies essential for undertaking human spaceflight mission. Globally also, there is a renewed interest in undertaking manned exploration initiatives. (Source:pib)


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Cabinet approves Indian Human Spaceflight Initiative: Gaganyaan Programme.

How Rafale row bombed a groundbreaking move that would've changed Indian defence. - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

How Rafale row bombed a groundbreaking move that would've changed Indian defence.

The defence ministry has been unable to implement groundbreaking changes in policies on production and offsets, despite a budgetary speech promise and detailed inputs by the industry that saw the proposed amendments as key enablers.

Hit by the Rafale controversy, the defence ministry has not moved to amend its offsets policy since May this year, when a draft was presented for comments. (The opposition has targeted proposed offsets to Reliance Defence in the Rafale deal.) A new defence production policy that was promised in 2018 has met a similar fate, with limited forward movement since the draft was issued in March.
The proposed changes would have allowed the establishment of a fund regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to promote startups to meet the offsets obligations of foreign vendors that are worth billions of dollars.
They also offer major incentives for investing in the defence manufacturing corridors of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
However, after several rounds of consultations with stakeholders, including industry bodies, the ministry has not been able to move ahead on implementing the new rules. Internal dissent and opposing views within the ministry are believed to have come in the way of moving forward.
The absence of incentives on offsets has also resulted in the defence manufacturing corridors remaining stagnant, despite verbal commitments by some players to set up shop. “Unless the offsets policy is clear and gives a defined multiplier credit, foreign vendors will not venture and cannot make plans for investments in the corridor,” an industry analyst who did not wish to be named told ET.
The draft amendments also proposed that foreign companies can invest a significant part of their obligations in Sebi-regulated funds for defence, aerospace and internal security, something that has been welcomed by several global players. This also has hit a wall. Waiting-game-123
Offsets have ended up being a tricky issue for the government, given that at least three big cases have come under the scanner for alleged corruption, including the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal and the now-defunct Offsets India Solutions (OIS) that was promoted by fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari.
The bigger disappointment for the Indian private sector, however, has been the lack of progress in promulgating a new Defence Production Policy 2018 that was announced as an “industry-friendly” move in this year’s budget.
The new policy is meant to promote production by the private and public sector in collaboration with each other and with micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). While a wellappreciated draft has been shared with stakeholders, a lack of consensus seems to have stalled progress. Rafale-infograph-123
Some of the initiatives mentioned in the policy — such as a defence startup challenge and a defence investors cell — have been implemented individually but insiders say that a new policy will be impossible to notify this calendar year. There is lack of clarity on whether it will be ready ahead of the next budget either.
The draft policy that called for enhanced foreign direct investment (FDI) for domestic production also spelt out the government’s target of generating 3 million jobs in the next seven years and taking India to the top five countries in the world in the aerospace and military sectors.
“If even a policy is taking so long to be finalised, what is the chance that the targets can ever be met?” said an analyst, reflecting a growing sentiment within the industry. The draft policy has an ambitious target for the defence sector in India by 2025, aiming for an extraordinary $5 billion of exports, besides achieving self-reliance in complex systems such as fighter aircraft, autonomous weapon systems and small arms.(Source:defencenews.in)


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How Rafale row bombed a groundbreaking move that would've changed Indian defence.

Indian Navy inducts its first Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Indian Navy inducts its first Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle.

The Indian Navy Wednesday inducted its first 'Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle' into service here and was in the process of acquiring one more soon to deploy the vessels permanently at Mumbai and Visakhapatnam.

With the DSRV's induction, the Indian Navy has joined the select league of world navies that have an integral submarine rescue capability, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba said after the induction at the Western Naval Command here.
The maiden trials of the DSRV were successfully completed on October 15.
"The DSRV (induction) is a landmark event and it marks the culmination of years of focused efforts of the Navy in acquiring niche submarine rescue capability. With these capabilities, the Indian Navy has joined the select league of navies that operate such assets," Admiral Lanba said.
The second vehicle has already left for delivery to India and will be based at the naval base in Visakhapatnam, he said.
The endeavour is to provide rescue services in the Indian Ocean region and beyond, he said, adding that the Navy can extend services to friendly nations.
INS Nistar was the first submarine rescuer followed by INS Nireekshak which carries out dual role of diving support and submarine rescue vessel, he noted.
"A need was felt as early as 1980s to induct a dedicated, non-tethered DSRV to match the growing reach and depth of our submarines," Lanba said.
The inducted submarine -- a third generation product of Scotland-based JFD, a part of James Fisher and Sons Plc -- has the latest technology and capability, he said.
The vehicle is currently deployed on mother ship INS Sabarmati, provided by the Shipping Corporation of India, which will be placed in Mumbai.
JFD has won the contract of 193 million pounds for the supply and 25 years of maintenance of the two DSRVs.
More than 80 naval personnel have undergone training on DSRV operations and its exercises will continue in future as well, a Naval official said.
The vehicle can rescue as many as 14 people in one dive, the official said.
The Navy has also given a Rs 9,000 crore contract to the Hindustan Shipyard Limited for building two mother ships for DSRVs and deliver them by 2020, the official said.
The DSRV will be permanent deployed on the mother ship and it can be flown away in case of emergency rescue, the Navy said.


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Indian Navy inducts its first Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle.

Four Indian PSUs for the first time among world's top 100 arms makers - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Four Indian PSUs for the first time among world's top 100 arms makers.

For the first time, four Indian arms manufacturing companies – all public sector units, including two from Bengaluru have found a place in the list of world's top 100 arms manufactures. A report from a Stockholm-based institute that tracks arms trade around the world revealed.

Notwithstanding their inclusion and a 6% growth in sales from the previous year, the total volume of Indian arms sale remains less than 2% of the global arms sale – an indication of India's poor export performance at the international arena.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has clubbed India with Brazil and Turkey in the category of emerging producers.
The combined sales of the seven companies based in these three countries were $ 11.1 billion in 2017 —an increase of 8.1% compared to the previous year.
India is the largest producer with three defence PSUs and Indian Ordnance Factory Board selling military equipment worth $ 7.5 billion to the three Services.
The minuscule Indian share in the global pie is a contrast to the Narendra Modi-government's claims of turning India into a defence manufacturing hub.
In the last four and half years, the government claimed to have taken multiple policy initiatives to kick-start defence manufacturing in the private sector in a big way. However, almost all such measures are stuck on the papers till now.
The leading Indian defence manufacturers continue to be Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Indian Ordnance Factory Board and Bharat Electronics Limited that figure in the SIPRI top-100 list since 2002.
In 2017, a fourth defence PSU Bharat Dynamics Limited broke into the top-100 with arms sales of $ 880 million. HAL and IOFB are among the top-50 companies since 2002.
“All four companies are state-owned and are almost entirely dependent on domestic demand. There was a marginal decrease in Hindustan Aeronautics’ total arms sales, while the totals of the other three companies each rose by approximately 10%,” says the SIPRI report.
US companies dominate the global market capturing 57% of the share followed by Russia (9.5%), UK (9%) and France (5.3%).
Lockheed Martin remained the world’s largest arms producer in 2017, with arms sales of $ 44.9 billion. “The gap between Lockheed Martin and Boeing—the two largest arms producers in the world—increased from $ 11 billion in 2016 to $ 18 billion in 2017,” said Aude Fleurant, director of SIPRI’s arms and military expenditure programme in the report.(defencenews.in)


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Four Indian PSUs for the first time among world's top 100 arms makers.