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Science &
Technology Concept
its designed energy). On 30 March 2010, the first

THE LARGE HADRON COLLIDER (LHC)
planned collisions took place between two 3.5 TeV
beams, a new world record for the highest-energy
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's man-made particle collisions. The LHC will
largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. It is continue to operate at half energy until the end of
expected to address some of the most fundamental 2012; it will not run at full energy (7 TeV per beam)
questions of physics, advancing the understanding until 2014.
of the deepest laws of nature. The LHC lies in a Purpose
tunnel 27 kilometres (17 mi) in circumference, as
deep as 175 metres (574 ft) beneath the Franco-Swiss Physicists hope that the LHC will help answer
border near Geneva, Switzerland. This synchrotron some of the fundamental open questions in physics,
is designed to collide opposing particle beams of concerning the basic laws governing the interactions
either protons at an energy of 7 teraelectronvolts (7 and forces among the elementary objects, the deep
TeV or 1.12microjoules) per nucleon, or lead nuclei structure of space and time, and in particular the
at an energy of 574 TeV (92.0 µJ) per nucleus (2.76 intersection of quantum mechanics and general
TeV per nucleon). The term hadron refers to particles relativity, where current theories and knowledge are
composed of quarks. The Large Hadron Collider was unclear or break down altogether. Data is also needed
built by the European Organization for Nuclear from high energy particle experiments to indicate
Research (CERN) with the intention of testing various which versions of scientific models are more likely
predictions of high-energy physics, including testing to be correct – in particular to choose between the
for the existence of the hypothesized Higgs boson Standard Model and Higgsless models and to validate
and of the large family of new particlespredicted by their predictions and allow further theoretical
supersymmetry. It was built in collaboration with development. Many theorists expect new physics
over 10,000 scientists and engineers from over 100 beyond the Standard Model to emerge at the TeV-
countries, as well as hundreds of universities and scale, based on unsatisfactory properties of the
laboratories. Standard Model. Issues possibly to be explored by
On 10 September 2008, the proton beams LHC collisions include:
were successfully circulated in the main ring of the • Is the Higgs mechanism for generating
LHC for the first time, but 9 days later operations elementary particle masses viaelectroweak
were halted due to an explosion involving helium symmetry breaking actually realised in nature?
gas. On 20 November 2009 they were successfully It is expected that the collider will either
circulated again, with the first recorded proton– demonstrate or rule out the existence of the
proton collisions occurring 3 days later at the elusive Higgs boson, thereby allowing
injection energy of 450 GeV per beam. After the physicists to determine whether the Standard
2009 winter shutdown, the LHC was restarted and Model or its Higgsless model alternatives are
the beam was ramped up to 3.5 TeV per beam (half more likely to be correct.
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Science & Technology Concept
• Is supersymmetry, an extension of the Standard about two to three years to collect enough data to
Model and Poincaré symmetry, realised in discover the Higgs boson unambiguously. Similarly,
nature, implying that all known particles have it may take one year or more before sufficient results
supersymmetric partners? concerning supersymmetric particles have been
gathered to draw meaningful conclusions. On the
• Are there extra dimensions, as predicted by other hand, some extensions of the Standard Model
various models based on string theory, and predict additional particles, such as the heavy W'
can we detect them? and Z' gauge bosons, whose existence might already
• What is the nature of the dark matter that be probed after a few months of data collection.
appears to account for 23% of the mass-energy The first physics results from the LHC,
of the universe? involving 284 collisions which took place in the
Other open questions which may be explored ALICE detector, were reported on 15 December
using high energy particle collisions: 2009. The results of the first proton–proton
collisions at energies higher than Fermilab's Tevatron
• It is already known that electromagnetism and proton–antiproton collisions were published by the
the weak nuclear force are just different CMS collaboration in early February 2010, yielding
manifestations of a single force called the greater-than-predicted charged-hadron production.
electroweak force. The LHC may clarify After the first year of data collection, the LHC
whether the electroweak force and the strong experimental collaborations started to release their
nuclear forceare similarly just different preliminary results concerning searches for new
manifestations of one universal unified force, physics beyond the Standard Model in proton-proton
as predicted by various Grand Unification collisions. No evidence of new particles was detected
Theories. in the 2010 data. As a result, bounds were set on
• Why is the fourth fundamental force (gravity) the allowed parameter space of various extensions
of the Standard Model, such as models with large
so many orders of magnitude weaker than the
extra dimensions, constrained versions of the
other three fundamental forces? See also
Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, and
Hierarchy problem.
others. On 24 May 2011 it was reported that quark–
• Are there additional sources of quark flavour gluon plasma (the densest matter besides black
mixing, beyond those already predicted within holes) has been created in the LHC.
the Standard Model? Between July and August 2011, results of
• Why are there apparent violations of the searches for the Higgs boson and for exotic particles,
symmetry between matter and antimatter? See based on the data collected during the first half of
also CP violation. the 2011 run, were presented in conferences in
Grenoble and Mumbai. In the latter conference it
• What are the nature and properties of quark- was reported that, despite hints of a Higgs signal in
gluon plasma, believed to have existed in the earlier data, ATLAS and CMS exclude with 95%
early universe and in certain compact and confidence level (using the CLs method) the existence
strange astronomical objects today? This will of a Higgs boson with the properties predicted by
be investigated by heavy ion collisions in the Standard Model over most of the mass region
ALICE. between 145 and 466 GeV. The searches for new
Findings particles did not yield signals either, allowing to
further constrain the parameter space of various
CERN scientists estimate that, if the Standard extensions of the Standard Model, including its
Model is correct, a single Higgs boson may be supersymmetric extensions. On 13 December 2011
produced every few hours. At this rate, it may take it was reported that both the CMS and ATLAS

Current Affairs
detectors have shown intensity peaks in the 124–125 although it is anticipated that additional data to be
GeV range, consistent with either background noise collected during 2012 will allow a definite answer
or the observation of the Higgs boson. On 22 one way or the other. In the popular media, the
December 2011 it was reported that a new particle particle is sometimes referred to as the God particle,
had been observed, the Xb (3P) bottomonium state. a title generally disliked by the scientific community
The Higgs Boson as a mediahyperbole that misleads readers.
The Higgs boson is a hypothetical massive "The God particle"
elementary particle that is predicted to exist by the The Higgs boson is often referred to as "the
Standard Model (SM) of particle physics. Its existence God particle" by the media, after the title of Leon
is predicted by the Standard Model to explain how Lederman's popular science book on particle physics,
spontaneous breaking of electroweak symmetry (the The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What
Higgs mechanism) takes place in nature, which in Is the Question? While use of this term may have
turn explains why other elementary particles contributed to increased media interest,[58] many
havemass.[Note Its discovery would also confirm scientists dislike it, since it overstates the particle's
the Standard Model as essentially correct, as it is the importance, not least since its discovery would still
only elementary particle predicted by the Standard leave unanswered questions about the unification of
Model that has not yet been observed in particle QCD, the electroweak interaction and gravity, and
physics experiments. the ultimate origin of the universe. Lederman said
If shown to exist, it is expected to be a scalar he gave it the nickname "The God Particle" because
boson. (Bosonsare particles with integer spin, and the particle is "so central to the state of physics today,
scalar bosons have spin 0.) Alternative sources of the so crucial to our understanding of the structure of
Higgs mechanism that do not need the Higgs boson matter, yet so elusive," but jokingly added that a
are also possible and would be considered if the second reason was because "the publisher wouldn't
existence of the Higgs boson were ruled out. They let us call it the Goddamn Particle, though that might
are known as Higgsless models. be a more appropriate title, given its villainous nature
Experiments to find out whether or not the and the expense it is causing. A renaming
Higgs boson exists are currently being performed competition conducted by the science correspondent
using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, and for the British Guardian newspaper chose the name
were performed at Fermilab's Tevatron until its "thechampagne bottle boson" as the best from among
closure in late 2011. Some theories suggest that any their submissions: "The bottom of a champagne
mechanism capable of generating the masses of bottle is in the shape of the Higgs potential and is
elementary particles must become visible at energies often used as an illustration in physics lectures. So
above 1.4 TeV; therefore, the LHC (colliding two it's not an embarrassingly grandiose name, it is
3.5 TeV beams) is expected to be able to answer the memorable, and [it] has some physics connection
question whether or not it actually exists. In too.
December 2011, the two main experiments at the
LHC (ATLAS and CMS) both reported independently THE AAKASH
that their data hints at a possibility the Higgs may
exist with a mass around125 GeV/c2 (on the order The Aakash is an Android tablet computer
of 10-25 kg). It is also believed that the original range jointly developed by theLondon-based company
under investigation has been narrowed down DataWind with the Indian Institute of Technology
considerably and that a mass outside approximately Rajasthan and manufactured by the India-based
115–130 GeV/c2 is very likely to be ruled out. company Quad, at a new production centre in
However, the evidence is not yet conclusive, Hyderabad — under a trial run of 100,000 units. The
tablet was officially launched as the Aakash in New
Delhi on Oct 5, 2011. A substantially revised second that was shown as a prototype and was going to cost
generation model is projected for manufacture about twice as much. While it was once projected
beginning in early 2012. The seven-inch touch screen as a laptop computer, the design has evolved into a
tablet features 256 megabytes of RAM, uses an ARM tablet computer. At the inauguration of the national
11 processor with the Android 2.2 operating system, Mission on Education Programme organized by the
has two USB port and delivers HD-quality video. For Union HRD Ministry in 2009, joint secretary N. K.
applications, the Aakash will have access to Getjar, Sinha had said that the computing device is 10 inches
a proprietary market, rather than theAndroid Market. (which is around 25.5 cm) long and 5 inches (12.5
As a multi-media platform, the Aakash project cm) wide and priced at around $30. India's Human
was beset by delays and setbacks. The device was Resource Development Minister, Kapil Sibal
developed as part of the country's aim to link 25,000 unveiled a prototype on 22 July 2010. The price of
colleges and 400 universities in an e-learning the device exhibited was projected at $35, eventually
program. Original projected as a "$35 laptop", the to drop to $20 and ultimately to $10. After the
device will be sold to the Government of India at device was unveiled, OLPCChairman Nicholas
$50 and will be distributed at a government Negroponte offered full access to OLPC technology
subsidized price of $35. A commercial version made at no cost to the Indian team. Doubts about the
in China will be marketed as theUbiSlate 7 at a tablet were dismissed in a television program
projected price of $60. The name Aakash derives "Gadget Guru" aired on NDTV in August 2010,
from the Sanskrit word for "aether" or (empty) space, when it was shown to have 256 MB RAM and 2 GB
and means "sky" in Hindi. of internal flash-memory storage and demonstrated
History running the Android operating system featuring
video playback, internal Wi-Fi and cellular data via
Aspiration to create a "made in India"
an external 3G modem.
computer was first reflected in a prototype "Simputer"
that went into production in a small way. Bangalore Specifications
based CPSU, Bharat Electronics Ltd manufactured As released on 5 October 2011, the Aakash
around 5,000 Simputers to Indian Customers during features an overall size of 190.5 x 118.5 x 15.7mm
2002-07. In 2011, Kapil Sibal (by then the Minister with a 7” resistive screen, a weight of 350gms and
for Human Resource Development MHRD (the using the Android 2.2 operating system with access
Indian Education Minister) announced an anticipated to the proprietary marketplace Getjar (not the
low-cost computing device to compete with the One Android marketplace), developed by DataWind.
Laptop Per Child (OLPC) — though intended for The processor is 366 MHz with Graphics
Accelerator and HD Video Co-processor and the
urban college students rather than the OLPC's rural,
tablet features 256 MB RAM, a Micros SD slot with
underprivileged students. The device was projected a 2GB Micro SD card (expandable to 32GB), two
to be designed by the students of Indian Institute of full-size USB ports, a 2100mAh battery, Wi-fi
Technology Rajasthan – at the time uncredentialed capability, a browser developed by DataWind, an
in research or product development. The announced internal cellular and Subscriber Identity Module
computer had been purchased off the shelf. The (SIM) modem, using a power consumption of 2 watts
project remained dormant for about a year. with a solar charging option. The device features
A year later, the MHRD announced that the 3.5mm audio output and input jack.
low cost computer would be launched in 6 weeks. The Aakash is designed to support various
Nine weeks later the MHRD showcased a tablet document (DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX,
named "Aakash", not nearly what had been projected ODT, ODP,PDF), image (PNG, JPG, BMP and GIF),
and at $60 rather than the projected $35. Arguably audio (MP3, AAC, AC3, WAV, WMA) and video
its greatest champion, India's TV channel "NDTV" (MPEG2, MPEG4, AVI, FLV) formats and includes
said that the new low cost tablet was not a patch an application for access to YouTube video content.

Current Affairs
Specifications Aakash UbiSlate 7

Price Rs.2,500 Rs.2,999
Microprocessor Arm11 – 366Mhz Cortex A8 – 700 Mhz
Random Access 256MB RAM 256 MB RAM
Memory (RAM) {http://www.ubislate.com/
specifications.html }
Battery 2100 mAh 3200 mAh
OS Android 2.2 Froyo Android 2.3 Gingerbread
Network WiFi WiFi & GPRS Phone network
Made in India China
Rebate 50% off for Indian Students Foreign product
Development and testing Nasscom Foundation has partnered with

Kapil Sibal has stated that a million devices DataWind and announced a contest wherein 10
would be made available to students in 2011. The NGOs will have an opportunity to win 20 tablets
devices will be manufactured at a cost of 1500 (€23 each, mainly to improve their operations and
Euro) each, half of which will be paid by the programme implementation.
government and half by the institutions that would Reception
use it. In January 2011, the company initially chosen Problems such as low RAM, frequent system
to build the Sakshat, HCL Infosystems, failed to freeze, poor sound quality, absence of support for
provide evidence that they had at least 600 million all formats and inability to install free software
(60 crore) ($12.2 million) in bank guaranteed funds, available online were also cited by users. Technical
as required by the Indian government, which has commentator Prasanto Roy criticized issues such as
allocated $6.5 million to the project. As a result, a low battery life, an insufficient 7" screen and
the government has put the project out for bidding absence of training and support infrastructure,
again. In June 2011,the HRD announced that it especially in rural areas. Aakash-2 will be released
received a few samples from the production process by 2012.IIT Rajasthan has finalized the
which are under testing. Also it mentions that each improvements of Aakash-1. After receiving feedback
state in India provided 3000 samples for testing on of the early release model from over 500 users from
IITs and other institutions, DataWind announced the
their functionality, utility and durability in field
next iteration, will have a new microprocessor of 700
conditions. The Government of India announced that megahertz as compared to the present 366 megahertz
10,000 (Sakshat) tablet will be delivered to IIT processor. This will improve the speed of the tablet
Rajasthan in late June and over the next four months and solve the existing problems of quick overheating,
90,000 more would be made available at a price of frequent system freeze, poor sound quality, absence
2500 device. Government will subsidize the cost by of support for all formats and inability to install free
about 50%, so a student would have to pay less than online software. A built in camera is the highlight
1,500 for the device. 35% of hardware components of Aakash-2 which was missing in Aakash-1.
were sourced from South Korea, 25% from China, Amount of memory, storage, and USB ports will
16% from the USA, 16% from India and 8% from remain the same. DataWind has scheduled the
other countries. Software Development Data Wind, UbiSlate 7 for January 2012, projecting that
the maker of Aakash, has announced a contest for specifications will include a revised screen, a front-
students wherein their best applications will be facing camera and improved RAM.
embedded in the Ubislate (Aakash Tablet). Top 5 On 16 December 2011, DataWind opened
application winners will be awarded Rs. 1 Lakh Aakash ordering online in their Official website at
each. 2500 with one week Delivery time and Cash on

Delivery facility and its upgraded version Ubislate understanding of the kind of processes that go on in
is available for pre-order at 2999. On 19 December the sun, and also an important building block for
2011, DataWind reported that the first phase of the blueprint of nature," Hooper said.
Aakash tablet has been sold-out completely. It has Particle physicists originally believed that
been just three days since it was opened for Online neutrinos were massless. But in the 1990s, a team
order. of Japanese scientists discovered that they actually
Future plans have a smidgen of mass. This tiny bit of mass may
Made in China, the UbiSlate 7 will be explain why the universe is made up of matter, not
launched between January and February of 2012 antimatter. Early in the process of the Big Bang, there
DataWind is already working on giving the were equal amounts of matter and antimatter,
device a capacitive screen and 3G connectivity. This according to Conway. "But as the universe expanded
version will be priced around Rs.7,000. and cooled, matter and antimatter were mostly
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has annihilated. And a slight asymmetry favored matter
announced the plan to launch LTE (4G) Tablet over antimatter. We think neutrinos may have
between 3500-5000 Rupees, with low cost Internet something to do with that process.... And it's a
service. This tablet will be an upgraded version of puzzle, why we're made out of matter and not
Aakash developed by Data Wind. antimatter." Studying neutrinos is difficult. They're
tough to detect since they interact so weakly with
NEUTRINOS other particles. But the newly-completed IceCube
Neutrino Observatory will study neutrinos inside a
cubic kilometer block of ice in Antarctica. Here's
Neutrionos are teeny, tiny, nearly massless
how: when the neutrinos interact with atoms inside
particles that travel at near lightspeeds. Born from
the deep arctic ice detectors, they sometimes give
violent astrophysical events like exploding stars and
off puffs of energy. "As neutrinos pass through and
gamma ray bursts, they are fantastically abundant in
interact, they produce charged particles, and the
the universe, and can move as easily through lead
charged particles traveling through the ice give off
as we move through air. But they are notoriously
light," Conway said. "That's how they're detected.
difficult to pin down. "Neutrinos are really pretty
It's like having a telescope for neutrinos
strange particles when you get down to it," says John
underground." Fermilab National Laboratory has an
Conway, a professor of physics at University of
experiment that hurls a beam of neutrinos 400 miles
California, Davis. "They're almost nothing at all,
underground from Wisconsin to Northern Minnesota
because they have almost no mass and no electric
in about two milliseconds, and the lab is also
charge...They're just little whisps of almost nothing."
planning a massive linear accelerator called Project
Ghost particles, they're often called. But they are one
X that will study the subatomic particles by sending
of the universe's essential ingredients, and they've
them even farther. "If 100 years ago, I told someone
played a role in helping scientists understand some
that the universe was filled with massless, chargeless
of the most fundamental questions in physics.
particles with no energy, I wonder if they'd have
For example, if you hold your hand toward the
believed you," Conway said. "Who knows where
sunlight for one second, about a billion neutrinos
we'll be 100 years from now."
from the sun will pass through it, says Dan Hooper,
a scientist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory India-Based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is a
and an associate professor of astronomy and proposed particle physicsresearch project to primarily
astrophysics at the University of Chicago. This is study atmospheric neutrinos in a 1,300 meters
because they're shot out as a byproduct of nuclear (4,300 ft) deep cave under Ino Peak near Pudukkottai,
fusion from the sun - that's the same process that Tamil Nadu, India. This project is notable in that it
produces sunlight. "They're important to our is anticipated to provide a precise measurement of

Current Affairs
neutrino mixing parameters. The project is a multi- have taken place in neutrino physics. The award of
institute collaboration and one of the biggest the Nobel Prize in Physics (2002) to the pioneers in
experimental particle physics projects undertaken in neutrino physics is a measure of the importance of
India. The project, expected to be completed in 2015 this field.
at an estimated cost of $250 million, has been As a result of the support received from various
cleared by the Ministry of Environment (India) for research institutes, universities, the scientific
construction in the Bodi West Hills Reserved Forest community and the funding agency, the Department
in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu. When of Atomic Energy, a Neutrino Collaboration Group
completed, the INO will house the world's most (NCG) was established to study the possibility of
massive magnet, four times larger than the 12,500- building an India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO).
tonne magnet in the Compact Muon Solenoid The collaboration was assigned the task of doing the
detector at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. feasibility studies for which funds were made
History available by the DAE. A memorandum of
understanding (MoU) was signed by the directors of
The possibility of a neutrino observatory the participating institutes on August 30, 2002 to
located in India was discussed as early as 1989 enable a smooth functioning of the NCG during the
during several meetings held that year. Since then feasibility period. The NCG has the goal of creating
this question comes up, off and on, in many an underground neutrino laboratory with the long
discussions. The issue was raised again in the first term goal of conducting decisive experiments in
meeting of the Neutrino physics and Cosmology neutrino physics as also other experiments which
working group during the Workshop on High Energy require such a unique underground facility.
Physics Phenomenology (WHEPP-6) held at Chennai On November 20, 2009, Ministry of
in January 2000 and it was decided then to collate Environment (India) Minister Jairam Ramesh in a
concrete ideas for a neutrino detector. letter to Anil Kakodkar, Secretary, Department of
Further discussions took place in August 2000 Atomic Energy and Chairman, Atomic Energy
during a meeting on Neutrino Physics at the Saha Commission of India, denied permission for the
Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata, when a small Department of Atomic Energy to set up the India-
group of neutrino physics enthusiasts started based Neutrino Observatory (INO) project at Singara
discussing the possibilities. The Neutrino 2001 in Nilgiris, as it falls in the buffer zone of the
meeting was held in the Institute of Mathematical Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR). Jairam Ramesh
Sciences, Chennai during February 2001 with the said that based on the report of Rajesh Gopal,
explicit objective of bringing the experimentalists and AdditionalPrincipal Chief Conservator of Forests
theorists in this field together. The INO (PCCF) and Member-Secretary of the National Tiger
collaboration was formed during this meeting. The Conservation Authority (MS-NTCA), the Ministry
first formal meeting of the collaboration was held cannot approve the Singara site. The report says:
in the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, "The proposed project site falls in the buffer
Mumbai, during September 6 and 7th, 2001 at which zone of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and is in close
various subgroups were formed for studying the proximity to the core/critical tiger habitats of
detector options and electronics, physics goals and Bandipur and Mudumalai Tiger reserves. It is also
simulations, and site survey. an elephant corridor, facilitating elephant movement
In 2002, a document was presented to the from the Western Ghats to the Eastern Ghats and
Department of Atomic Energy, (DAE) which laid out vice-versa. The area is already disturbed on account
an ambitious goal of establishing an India-based of severe biotic pressure due to human settlements
Neutrino Observatory, outlining the physics goals, and resorts and that the construction phase of the
possible choices for the detector and their physics. project would involve transport of building materials
Since then many new and fast paced developments through the highways passing through the core area

of the Bandipur and Mudmulai Tiger Reserves. Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam,
Instead, he suggested an alternate site near Suruli North Bengal University (NBU), Siliguri, Panjab
Falls, Theni District in Tamil Nadu. The Minister University (PU), Chandigarh, Physical Research
said this site did not pose the same problems that Laboratory(PRL), Ahmedabad, Sálim Ali Centre for
Singara posed and environmental and forest Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Tamil
clearances should not be a serious issue. He also Nadu and Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology,
assured the DAE that the Ministry would facilitate Sikkim.
necessary approvals for the alternative location. Dr. Design
Naba K. Mondal of the Tata Institute of Fundamental The primary research instrument will consist
Research, who is the spokesperson for the INO of a 50,000 ton magnetized ironparticle physics
project said: "But Suruliyar too is in a reserved forest calorimeter with glass Resistive Plate Chamber
area that is dense and would require cutting down (RPC) technology as the sensor elements.
of trees, something that was not required at Singara.
Can the government assure us that forest clearance The INO design is mostly based on the
monolith experiment that could not go beyond the
for this site will be given," he asks. "Alternatively,
we can move to the nearby Thevaram, which is about proposal Stage. The detector was expected to start
20-30 km away from the Suruliyar falls. This forest collecting data in the year 2012. The location of INO
area has only shrubs but there is no source of water has attracted a lot of attention from the neutrino
here and water will have to be piped over a distance physics community as the distance between INO
of 30 km,". On 18 October 2010, the Ministry of and CERN is very close to "Magic Baseline" - a
Environment & Forests approved both environment distance at which the effect of the CP phase on the
and forest clearance for setting up the observatory measurement of?13 is minimal. The project has been
in the Bodi West Hills Reserved Forest in the Theni hit by lack of skilled man power and opposition by
district of Tamil Nadu. The project is expected to environmentalists. In 2008, INO started a graduate
be completed in 2015 at an estimated cost of $250 training program leading to Ph.D. Degree in High
million. Energy Physics and Astronomy to deal with the
Participating Institutes shortage of particle physicists. The Primary goals of
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) the INO are the following:—
spelling out the operational aspects of the project 1. Unambiguous and more precise determination
and the mode of utilisation of available funds was of Neutrino oscillation parameters using
signed by seven primary project partners: Tata
atmospheric neutrinos.
Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR),
Mumbai,Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), 2. Study of matter effects through electric charge
Mumbai, Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), identification, that may lead to the
Chennai, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), determination of the unknown sign of one of
Kolkata, Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC), the mass differences.
Kolkata, Harish Chandra Research Institute(HRI), 3. Study of charge-conjugation and charge parity
A llahabad and Institute of Physics (IOP), (CP) violation in the leptonic sector as well
Bhubaneswar. Thirteen other project participants as possible charge-conjugation, parity, time-
include: Aligarh University, Aligarh, Banaras Hindu reversal (CPT) violation studies.
University, Varanasi, Calcutta University (CU),
4. Study of Kolar events, possible identification
Kolkata, Delhi University (DU), Delhi, University
of Hawaii (UHW), Hawaii, Himachal Pradesh of very-high energy neutrinos and multi-muon
University(HPU), Shimla, Indian Institute of events.
Technology, Bombay (IITB), Mumbai, Indira Gandhi The INO detector consists of 6 centimeters

Current Affairs
(2.4 in) thick Iron plates as passive material, with Illinois northwest of Mattoon, Illinois, subject to
RPCs in between as active material. A prototype of necessary approvals (issuing a “Record of Decision”)
the INO detector with 14 layers, measuring 1m x by the Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the
1m x 1m is already operational in the VECC, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.
Kolkata. The 35 ton prototype is set up over ground FutureGen was to be designed, developed and
to track cosmic muons. operated by the FutureGen Industrial Alliance, a non-
Location profit consortium of coal mining and electric utility
The location of the site was supposed to be companies formed to partner with the DOE on the
Singara 11°32'N 76°36'E 5.5 kilometers (3.4 mi) FutureGen project. The project was still in the
southwest of Masinagudi in the Nilgiri Hills of South development stage when its funding was cancelled
India. The site has been changed due to protests from in January 2008. The Alliance decision of the
environmental groups. The INO will now be built location of the host site, subject to DOE's
at 9°57'14.299?N 77°16'47.561?E Bodi West Hills completing NEPA environmental reviews, was
in Theni district, southern India. announced in December 2007 after a two-year
bidding and review process. Construction was
FUTUREGEN (2003) scheduled to begin in 2009, with full-scale plant
operations to begin in 2012.
Future Gen is a US government project The estimated gross project cost, including
announced by President George W. Bush in 2003; construction and operations, and excluding
its initial plan involved the construction of a near offsetting revenue, was $1.8 billion. The project was
zero-emissions coal-fueled power plant to produce governed by a legally binding cooperative agreement
hydrogen and electricity while using carbon capture between DOE and the Alliance.[9] Under the
and storage. In December 2007, Mattoon Township, agreement, DOE was to provide 74% of the project’s
Coles County, Illinois northwest of Mattoon, Illinois cost, with private industry contributing the other
was chosen as the site for the plant from among four 26%. The DOE also planned to solicit the financial
finalists in Illinois and Texas. On January 29, 2008, support and participation of international
the Department of Energy announced a restructuring governments in the FutureGen project, since by 2020
of the FutureGen project, which was claimed more than 60% of man-made greenhouse gas
necessary due to rising costs. In June 2008, the emissions are expected to come from developing
government announced a call for proposals to elicit countries. Foreign financial support was to offset a
commercial involvement in the restructuring. In portion of DOE’s cost-share. As of January 2008, the
2010, after a number of setbacks, the city of Mattoon foreign governments of China, India, Australia,
backed out of the project. South Korea,1 and Japan had expressed interest in
Original project participating and sharing the cost of the project.
The original incarnation of FutureGen was as FutureGen was to sequester carbon dioxide
a public-private partnership to build the world's first emissions at a rate of one million metric tons per
near zero-emissions coal-fueled power plant. The year for four years, which is the scale a Massachusetts
275-megawatt plant would be intended to prove the Institute of Technology (MIT) report cites as
feasibility of producing electricity and hydrogen from appropriate for proving sequestration. The MIT report
coal while capturing and permanently storing carbon also states that “the priority objective with respect
dioxide underground. The Alliance intended to build to coal should be the successful large-scale
the plant in Mattoon Township, Coles County, demonstration of the technical, economic, and

environmental performance of the technologies that Company Headquarters

make up all of the major components of a large-scale American Electric Columbus,
integrated CCS system — capture, transportation and Ohio
storage.” An injection field test similar to this was Power Service Corp.
done in Norway. Luminant Dallas, Texas
In March 2009 Washington Post reported that PPL Energy Services Allentown,
U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu expressed Group, LLC Pennsylvania
support for continuing the project using stimulus Southern Company Atlanta, Georgia
Services, Inc.
funds (after some changes that have not yet been
specified) and making it a part of a larger portfolio Site selection
of research plants developed in collaboration with Site selection for the FutureGen facility was
other countries. based on a competitive process which began in May
Alliance members 2006. Seven states responded to the Site Request for
The FutureGen Industrial Alliance is a Proposals with a total of 12 proposals. Proposals
consortium of 10 power producers and electric were reviewed against a set of environmental,
utilities from around the globe. technical, regulatory, and financial criteria with
input from external technical advisors on power plant
Company Headquarters design and carbon sequestration. In July 2006, four
Anglo American London, UK candidate sites were selected for further review,
including an environmental impact analysis as
Services (UK) required by NEPA.
Limited
DOE issued its Final Environmental impact
BHP Billiton Energy Melbourne, Australia statement (EIS) on November 8, 2007, which
Coal Inc. concluded that all four sites were acceptable from
Caterpillar Inc. Peoria, Illinois an environmental impact standpoint and all would
China Huaneng Beijing, China move forward in the site evaluation process. EPA
Group published a Notice of Availability (NOA) for the EIS
CONSOL Energy Pittsburgh, in the Federal Register on November 16, 2007. The
Inc. Pennsylvania DOE is required by federal law to wait at least 30
days after the NOA release before issuing its final
E.ON U.S. LLC Louisville, Kentucky
Record of Decision (ROD). The waiting period
Foundation Coal Linthicum Heights, legally closed on December 17, 2007. DOE chose
Corporation Maryland not to issue the ROD and advised the FutureGen
Peabody Energy St. Louis, Missouri Alliance to delay the final site selection
Corp. announcement, which was scheduled to occur at the
Rio Tinto Energy Gillette, Wyoming end of the 30-day waiting period. The Alliance chose
America Services to move ahead with the announcement, citing time,
Xstrata Coal Sydney, Australia money, and a commitment to proposers to select the
Pty Limited final site by year-end. "Every month of delay can add
$10 million to the project's cost, solely due to
Former members inflation," said Michael Mudd, the Alliance's chief
executive.
Four companies initially a part of the
FutureGen Industrial Alliance have since dropped out The FutureGen Alliance announced the
of the project. selection of Mattoon, Illinois as the host site on

Current Affairs
December 18, 2007. According to the EIS, Mattoon, the DOE and the FutureGen Alliance grappled. The
IL the site is located about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) project had remained on schedule with the
northwest of downtown Mattoon in the eastern part announcement of the host site before the end of
of Mattoon township section 8 on 1.8 km2 (440 2007; however, a desire by DOE to restructure the
acres) of former farm land. The carbon sequestration project’s financial arrangement has brought the
area is about 8,000 feet (2.4 km) below the ground. project to a halt. In December 2007, the DOE Acting
In July 2007, Illinois Public Act 095-0018 became Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy James
law giving the state of Illinois ownership of and Slutz stated that projected cost overruns for the
liability for the sequestered gases. Future plants based project "require a reassessment of FutureGen's
on FutureGen should qualify for several provisions design." And that "This will require restructuring
of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. FutureGen to maximize the role of private-sector
Technology overview innovation, facilitate the most productive public-
private partnership, and prevent further cost
FutureGen was intended to combine and test escalation."
several new technologies in a single location, The FutureGen Alliance wrote a letter to the
including coal gasification, emissions controls, Department of Energy’s Under Secretary C.H. “Bud”
hydrogen production, electricity generation, and Albright Jr. stating that overall inflation and the rising
carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS). cost of raw materials and engineering services are
Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle driving costs up on energy projects around the world.
(IGCC) was the core technology behind FutureGen. According to James L. Connaughton, chairman of
IGCC power plants use two turbines – a gas and a the White House Council on Environmental Quality,
steam turbine – to produce electric power more the market for steel, concrete and power plant
efficiently than pulverized coal plants. IGCC plants components has “just gone through the roof
also make it easier to capture carbon dioxide for globally”, and much of the reason is the construction
carbon sequestration. FutureGen was to capture of hundreds of new conventional coal plants.
carbon dioxide produced during the gasification On January 11, 2008, the FutureGen Alliance
process and pump it into deep rock formations sent a letter to the DOE offering to lower the
thousands of feet under ground. FutureGen government's portion of the project's costs. The
specifically targeted rock formations containing initial plans had called for DOE to pay based on a
saline water, as these are one of the most abundant percentage of the total cost, and their portion had
types of geologic formations that can be used to store risen from about $620 million to about $1.33
carbon dioxide worldwide. A study by the Global billion. The letter indicated that DOE's portion
Energy Technology Strategy Program estimates the would now be $800 million.
storage capacity of these saline rock formations in Risk management was a significant portion of
the U.S. to be 2,970 gigatons of carbon dioxide, the cost of the first FutureGen experimental
compared to a capacity of 77 gigatons of carbon implementation. FutureGen involved many complex
dioxide for all other types of reservoirs, such as never-before-solved technology problems. The risks
depleted gas fields. Focusing on rock formations with also included significant health risks, if the untested-
saline water was intended to help ensure that the technology systems failed to work correctly.
lessons learned from the project are broadly [edit]DOE decision controversies
transferable throughout the U.S. and around the
Funding cancellation
world.
On January 29, 2008, the U.S. Department of
Challenges
Energy announced that it would pull its funding for
Maintaining the project schedule and keeping the project, mostly due to higher than expected costs.
costs down were two major challenges with which The move is likely to delay the project as other

members seek the additional funds that the DOE was for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), saying that the
to provide. The sudden concern over cost after an FutureGen Alliance would "Make a concerted effort
Illinois site was chosen over those in Texas raised in the Obama administration to reinstate the project
questions about the motives for the cancellation. and get this built as originally planned."
Local and state officials in Illinois, including then On June 12, 2009, the DOE announced a
Governor Rod Blagojevich, expressed frustration at restart of design work for the FutureGen project.
the move, especially in light of the money and "Following the completion of the detailed cost
resources that the state had spent to attract the estimate and fundraising activities," the press release
project. Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois states, "the Department of Energy and the FutureGen
accused Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman of "cruel Alliance will make a decision either to move forward
deception" of Illinoisans by "creating false hope in or to discontinue the project early in 2010."
a FutureGen project which he has no intention of On August 5, 2010, the DOE announced a
funding or supporting." Durbin claimed that "when retooling of the FutureGen project, dubbed
the city of Mattoon, Illinois, was chosen over FutureGen 2.0. The revised plan includes retrofitting
possible locations in Texas, the secretary of energy a shuttered coal-fired power plant in Meredosia,
set out to kill FutureGen." Mattoon mayor David Illinois to demonstrate advanced oxy-combustion
Cline said "one could question the motivation of the technology, and piping the carbon dioxide 175 miles
Department of Energy which was ready to move to Mattoon for underground storage. Due to these
forward with the project until a site other than Texas changes, leaders in Mattoon decided to drop out of
was chosen." In March 2009, Congressional auditors the FutureGen project. The Illinois sites vying for the
determined that the DOE had miscalculated the underground storage portion of the project were in
government portion of the project's cost, overstating Christian, Douglas, Fayette, and Morgan counties,
the amount by a half billion dollars. As a result, the after sites in Adams and Pike counties were cut in
Bush administration cited the project as having December 2010. In February 2011, Morgan County
nearly doubled in cost when, in reality, it had was chosen for the sequestration site. Construction
increased by 39%. on the power plant and carbon dioxide storage site
Secretary Bodman stated that with restructuring is expected for spring 2013. As of October 4, 2011,
the FutureGen project, DOE plans "to equip multiple the plant detailed design package and cost estimate
new clean-coal power plants with advanced CCS have been submitted to the DOE and the evaluation
technology, instead of one demonstration plant. of them by the DOE should be completed by
That will provide more electricity from multiple November 30, 2011. According to critics, including
clean-coal plants, sequestering at least twice as much the Illinois Policy Institute, the plan presents major
CO2 and providing for wider use and more rapid environmental and fiscal pitfalls.
commercialization." Despite the cancellation of
funding by the DOE, the FutureGen Alliance BIOETHICS
continues to move forward with the project, opening
an office in Mattoon and planning to buy the land Bioethics is the study of controversial ethics
for the plant in August 2008, in partnership with a brought about by advances in biology and medicine.
local group. Revised plan under new presidential Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions
administration. During the 2008 U.S. presidential that arise in the relationships among life sciences,
campaigns, Sen. Barack Obama pledged his support biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and
to clean coal technologies, with plans to develop philosophy
five commercial-scale coal plants equipped with
Terminology
CCS technology. In November 2008, Fred Palmer,
senior vice president at Peabody Energy shared his The term Bioethics (Greek bios, life; ethos,
outlook on FutureGen with the American Coalition behavior) was coined in 1927 by Fritz Jahr, who

Current Affairs
"anticipated many of the arguments and discussions justice—have influenced the thinking of bioethicists
now current in biological research involving animals" across a wide range of issues. Others have added non-
in an article about the "bioethical imperative," as maleficence, human dignity and the sanctity of life
he called it, regarding the scientific use of animals to this list of cardinal values.
and plants. Lolas, F. (2008). Bioethics and animal Another important principle of bioethics is its
research: A personal perspective and a note on the placement of value on discussion and presentation.
contribution of Fritz Jahr. Fritz Jahr's 1927 concept Numerous discussion based bioethics groups exist
of bioethics. In 1970, the American biochemist Van in universities across the United States to champion
Rensselaer Potter also used the term with a broader exactly such goals. Examples include The Ohio State
meaning including solidarity towards the biosphere, Bioethics Society and the Bioethics Society of
thus generating a "global ethics," a discipline Cornell. Professional level versions of these
representing a link between biology, ecology, organizations also exist.
medicine and human values in order to attain the
survival of both human beings and other animal HYDROLOGIC CYCLE OR H 2O CYCLE
species.
Purpose and scope The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic
The field of bioethics has addressed a broad cycle or H2O cycle, describes the continuous
swath of human inquiry, ranging from debates over movement of water on, above and below the surface
the boundaries of life (e.g. abortion, euthanasia), of the Earth. Water can change states among liquid,
Surrogacy to the allocation of scarce health care vapor, and solid at various places in the water cycle.
resources (e.g. organ donation, health care rationing) Although the balance of water on Earth remains fairly
to the right to turn down medical care for religious constant over time, individual water molecules can
or cultural reasons. Bioethicists often disagree among come and go, in and out of the atmosphere. The
themselves over the precise limits of their discipline, water moves from one reservoir to another, such as
debating whether the field should concern itself with from river to ocean, or from the ocean to the
the ethical evaluation of all questions involving atmosphere, by the physical processes of
biology and medicine, or only a subset of these evaporation, condensation, precipitation,
questions. Some bioethicists would narrow ethical infiltration, runoff, and subsurface flow. In so doing,
evaluation only to the morality of medical treatments the water goes through different phases: liquid, solid,
or technological innovations, and the timing of and gas.
medical treatment of humans. Others would
The hydrologic cycle involves the exchange of
broaden the scope of ethical evaluation to include
heat energy, which leads to temperature changes. For
the morality of all actions that might help or harm
instance, in the process of evaporation, water takes
organisms capable of feeling fear.
up energy from the surroundings and cools the
Principles environment. Conversely, in the process of
One of the first areas addressed by modern condensation, water releases energy to its
bioethicists was that of human experimentation. The surroundings, warming the environment. The water
National Commission for the Protection of Human cycle figures significantly in the maintenance of life
Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Researchwas and ecosystems on Earth. Even as water in each
initially established in 1974 to identify the basic reservoir plays an important role, the water cycle
ethical principles that should underlie the conduct brings added significance to the presence of water
of biomedical and behavioral research involving on our planet. By transferring water from one
human subjects. However, the fundamental reservoir to another, the water cycle purifies water,
principles announced in the Belmont Report replenishes the land with freshwater, and transports
(1979)—namely, autonomy, beneficence and minerals to different parts of the globe. It is also

involved in reshaping the geological features of the (95,000 cu mi) of it over the oceans.
Earth, through such processes as erosion and Canopy interception
sedimentation. In addition, as the water cycle also
involves heat exchange, it exerts an influence on The precipitation that is intercepted by plant
climate as well. foliage and eventually evaporates back to the
atmosphere rather than falling to the ground.
Description
The sun, which drives the water cycle, heats Snowmelt
water in oceans and seas. Water evaporates as water The runoff produced by melting snow.
vapor into the air. Ice and snow can sublimate Runoff
directly into water vapor. Evapotranspiration is
watertranspired from plants and evaporated from the The variety of ways by which water moves
soil. Rising air currents take the vapor up into the across the land. This includes both surface runoff and
atmosphere where cooler temperatures cause it to channel runoff. As it flows, the water may seep into
condense into clouds. Air currents move water vapor the ground, evaporate into the air, become stored
around the globe, cloud particles collide, grow, and in lakes or reservoirs, or be extracted for agricultural
fall out of the sky as precipitation. Some or other human uses.
precipitation falls as snow or hail, sleet, and can Infiltration
accumulate as ice caps and glaciers, which can store The flow of water from the ground surface into
frozen water for thousands of years. Most water falls the ground. Once infiltrated, the water becomes soil
back into the oceans or onto land as rain, where the moisture or groundwater.
water flows over the ground as surface runoff. A Subsurface flow
portion of runoff enters rivers in valleys in the
landscape, with streamflow moving water towards The flow of water underground, in the vadose
the oceans. Runoff and groundwater are stored as zone and aquifers. Subsurface water may return to
freshwater in lakes. Not all runoff flows into rivers, the surface (e.g. as a spring or by being pumped) or
much of it soaks into the ground asinfiltration. Some eventually seep into the oceans. Water returns to the
water infiltrates deep into the ground and land surface at lower elevation than where it
replenishes aquifers, which store freshwater for long infiltrated, under the force of gravity or gravity
periods of time. Some infiltration stays close to the induced pressures. Groundwater tends to move
land surface and can seep back into surface-water slowly, and is replenished slowly, so it can remain
bodies (and the ocean) as groundwater discharge. in aquifers for thousands of years.
Some groundwater finds openings in the land surface Evaporation
and comes out as freshwater springs. Over time, the The transformation of water from liquid to gas
water returns to the ocean, where our water cycle phases as it moves from the ground or bodies of
started. water into the overlying atmosphere. The source of
energy for evaporation is primarily solar radiation.
XX Processes Evaporation often implicitly includes transpiration'
Many different process lead to movements and from plants, though together they are specifically
phase changes in water referred to as evapotranspiration. Total annual
evapotranspiration amounts to approximately
Precipitation 505,000 km3 (121,000 cu mi) of water, 434,000
Condensed water vapor that falls to the Earth's km3 (104,000 cu mi) of which evaporates from the
surface . Most precipitation occurs as rain, but also oceans.
includes snow, hail, fog drip, graupel, and sleet. Sublimation
Approximately 505,000 km3 (121,000 cu mi) of The state change directly from solid water
water falls as precipitation each year, 398,000 km3 (snow or ice) to water vapor.

Current Affairs
Advection Greenland - store ice for very long periods. Ice from
The movement of water — in solid, liquid, or Antarctica has been reliably dated to 800,000 years
before present, though the average residence time is
vapor states — through the atmosphere. Without
shorter. In hydrology, residence times can be
advection, water that evaporated over the oceans
estimated in two ways. The more common method
could not precipitate over land.
relies on the principle of conservation of massand
Condensation assumes the amount of water in a given reservoir is
The transformation of water vapor to liquid roughly constant. With this method, residence times
water droplets in the air, creating clouds and fog. are estimated by dividing the volume of the reservoir
Transpiration by the rate by which water either enters or exits the
The release of water vapor from plants and soil reservoir. Conceptually, this is equivalent to timing
into the air. Water vapor is a gas that cannot be see. how long it would take the reservoir to become filled
from empty if no water were to leave (or how long
Residence times
it would take the reservoir to empty from full if no
Average reservoir residence times water were to enter). An alternative method to
estimate residence times, which is gaining in
Reservoir Average residence
popularity for dating groundwater, is the use of
time isotopictechniques. This is done in the subfield of
Antarctica 20,000 years isotope hydrology.
Oceans 3,200 years
Glaciers 20 to 100 years CHANGES OVER TIME
Seasonal snow cover 2 to 6 months The water cycle describes the processes that
Soil moisture 1 to 2 months drive the movement of water throughout the
Groundwater: shallow 100 to 200 years hydrosphere. However, much more water is "in
Groundwater: deep 10,000 years storage" for long periods of time than is actually
Lakes (see lake moving through the cycle. The storehouses for the
retention time) 50 to 100 years vast majority of all water on Earth are the oceans. It
Rivers 2 to 6 months is estimated that of the 332,500,000 mi3
Atmosphere 9 days (1,386,000,000 km3) of the world's water supply,
about 321,000,000 mi3 (1,338,000,000 km3) is
The residence time of a reservoir within the stored in oceans, or about 95%. It is also estimated
hydrologic cycle is the average time a water molecule that the oceans supply about 90% of the evaporated
will spend in that reservoir (see adjacent table). It is water that goes into the water cycle.
a measure of the average age of the water in that During colder climatic periods more ice caps
reservoir. and glaciers form, and enough of the global water
Groundwater can spend over 10,000 years supply accumulates as ice to lessen the amounts in
beneath Earth's surface before leaving. Particularly other parts of the water cycle. The reverse is true
old groundwater is called fossil water. Water stored during warm periods. During the last ice age glaciers
in the soil remains there very briefly, because it is covered almost one-third of Earth's land mass, with
spread thinly across the Earth, and is readily lost by the result being that the oceans were about 400 ft
evaporation, transpiration, stream flow, or (122 m) lower than today. During the last global
groundwater recharge. After evaporating, the "warm spell," about 125,000 years ago, the seas were
residence time in the atmosphere is about 9 days about 18 ft (5.5 m) higher than they are now. About
before condensing and falling to the Earth as three million years ago the oceans could have been
precipitation. up to 165 ft (50 m) higher.
The major ice sheets - Antarctica and

The scientific consensus expressed in the 2007 86% of the global evaporation occurs from the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) oceans, reducing their temperature by evaporative
Summary for Policymakers is for the water cycle to cooling. Without the cooling, the effect of
continue to intensify throughout the 21st century, evaporation on the greenhouse effect would lead to
though this does not mean that precipitation will a much higher surface temperature of 67 °C (153
increase in all regions. In subtropical land areas — °F), and a warmer planet.
places that are already relatively dry — precipitation Aquifer drawdown or overdrafting and the
is projected to decrease during the 21st century, pumping of fossil water increases the total amount
increasing the probability of drought. The drying is of water in the hydrosphere that is subject to
projected to be strongest near the poleward margins transpiration and evaporation thereby causing
of the subtropics (for example, the Mediterranean accretion in water vapour and cloud cover which are
Basin, South Africa, southernAustralia, and the the primary absorbers of infrared radiation in the
Southwestern United States). Annual precipitation Earth's atmosphere. Adding water to the system has
amounts are expected to increase in near-equatorial a forcing effect on the whole earth system, an
regions that tend to be wet in the present climate, accurate estimate of which hydrogeological fact is
and also at high latitudes. These large-scale patterns yet to be quantified.
are present in nearly all of the climate model Effects on biogeochemical cycling
simulations conducted at several international
While the water cycle is itself a
research centers as part of the 7th Assessment of the
biogeochemical cycle, flow of water over and
IPCC. There is now ample evidence that increased
beneath the Earth is a key component of the cycling
hydrologic variability and change in climate has and
of other biogeochemicals. Runoff is responsible for
will continue have a profound impact on the water
almost all of the transport of eroded sediment and
sector through the hydrologic cycle, water
phosphorus from land to waterbodies. The salinity
availability, water demand, and water allocation at
of the oceans is derived from erosion and transport
the global, regional, basin, and local levels.
of dissolved salts from the land. Cultural
Glacial retreat is also an example of a changing
eutrophication of lakes is primarily due to
water cycle, where the supply of water to glaciers
phosphorus, applied in excess to agricultural fields
from precipitation cannot keep up with the loss of
in fertilizers, and then transported overland and
water from melting and sublimation. Glacial retreat
down rivers. Both runoff and groundwater flow play
since 1850 has been extensive.
significant roles in transporting nitrogen from the
Human activities that alter the water cycle
land to waterbodies. The dead zone at the outlet of
include:
the Mississippi River is a consequence of nitrates
• Agriculture from fertilizer being carried off agricultural fields and
• industry funnelled down the river system to the Gulf of
• alteration of the chemical composition of the Mexico. Runoff also plays a part in the carbon cycle,
atmosphere again through the transport of eroded rock and soil.
• construction of dams Slow loss over geologic time
• deforestation and afforestation The hydrodynamic wind within the upper
• removal of groundwater from wells portion of a planet's atmosphere allows light
chemical elements such as Hydrogen to move up to
• water abstraction from rivers
the exobase, the lower limit of the exosphere, where
• urbanization the gases can then reach escape velocity, entering
Effects on climate outer space without impacting other particles of gas.
The water cycle is powered from solar energy. This type of gas loss from a planet into space is
known as planetary wind. Planets with hot lower

Current Affairs
atmospheres could result in humid upper reservoir can provide information about whether the
atmospheres that accelerate the loss of hydrogen. pool or reservoir is functioning as a source or sink
for carbon dioxide.
THE CARBON CYCLE The Atmosphere
Carbon exists in the Earth's atmosphere
The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle primarily as the gas carbon dioxide (CO2). Although
by which carbon is exchanged among the it is a small percentage of the atmosphere
biosphere,pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and (approximately 0.04% on a molar basis), it plays a
atmosphere of the Earth. It is one of the most vital role in supporting life. Other gases containing
important cycles of the earth and allows for carbon carbon in the atmosphere are methane and
to be recycled and reused throughout the biosphere chlorofluorocarbons(the latter is entirely
and all of its organisms.[citation needed]. anthropogenic). Trees and other green plants such
The carbon cycle was initially discovered by as grass convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrates
Joseph Priestley and Antoine Lavoisier, and during photosynthesis, releasing oxygen in the
popularized byHumphry Davy. It is now usually process. This process is most prolific in relatively
thought of as including the following major new forests where tree growth is still rapid. The effect
reservoirs of carbon interconnected by pathways of is strongest in deciduous forests during spring leafing
exchange: out. This is visible as an annual signal in the Keeling
• The atmosphere curve of measured CO2 concentration. Northern
• The terrestrial biosphere, which is usually hemisphere spring predominates, as there is far more
defined to include fresh water systems and land in temperate latitudes in that hemisphere than
non-living organic material, such as soil in the southern.
carbon. • Forests store 86% of the planet's terrestrial
• The oceans, including dissolved inorganic above-ground carbon and 73% of the planet's
carbon and living and non-living marine biota, soil carbon.
• The sediments including fossil fuels. • At the surface of the oceans towards the poles,
• The Earth's interior, carbon from the Earth's seawater becomes cooler and more carbonic
mantle and crust is released to the atmosphere acid is formed as CO2 becomes more soluble.
and hydrosphere by volcanoes and geothermal This is coupled to the ocean's thermohaline
systems. circulationwhich transports dense surface
The annual movements of carbon, the carbon water into the ocean's interior (see the entry
exchanges between reservoirs, occur because of on the solubility pump).
various chemical, physical, geological, and • In upper ocean areas of high biological
biological processes. The ocean contains the largest productivity, organisms convert reduced
active pool of carbon near the surface of the Earth, carbon to tissues, or carbonates to hard body
but the deep ocean part of this pool does not rapidly parts such as shells and tests. These are,
exchange with the atmosphere in the absence of an respectively, oxidized (soft-tissue pump) and
external influence, such as a black smoker or an redissolved (carbonate pump) at lower average
uncontrolled deep-water oil well leak. levels of the ocean than those at which they
The global carbon budget is the balance of the formed, resulting in a downward flow of
exchanges (incomes and losses) of carbon between carbon (see entry on the biological pump).
the carbon reservoirs or between one specific loop
(e.g., atmosphere ? biosphere) of the carbon cycle. • The weathering of silicate rock (see carbonate-
An examination of the carbon budget of a pool or silicate cycle). Carbonic acid reacts with

weathered rock to produce bicarbonate ions. primarily water vapor, carbon dioxide and
The bicarbonate ions produced are carried to sulfur dioxide. The carbon dioxide released is
the ocean, where they are used to make marine roughly equal to the amount removed by
carbonates. Unlike dissolved CO2 in silicate weathering;[citation needed] so the
equilibrium or tissues which decay weathering two processes, which are the chemical reverse
does not move the carbon into a reservoir from of each other, sum to roughly zero, and do
which it can readily return to the atmosphere. not affect the level of atmospheric carbon
• In 1958, atmospheric carbon dioxide at Mauna dioxide on time scales of less than about
Loa was about 320 parts per million (ppm), 100,000 years.
and in 2011 it is about 391ppm. The Biosphere
• Future CO2 emission can be calculated by Carbon is an essential part of life on Earth.
the kaya identity. About half the dry weight of most living organisms
• Carbon is released into the atmosphere in is carbon. It plays an important role in the structure,
several ways: biochemistry, and nutrition of all living cells. Living
• Through the respiration performed by plants biomass holds about 575 gigatons of carbon, most
of which is wood. Soils hold approximately 1,500
and animals. This is an exothermic reaction
gigatons, mostly in the form of organic carbon, with
and it involves the breaking down of glucose
perhaps a third of that inorganic forms of carbon such
(or other organic molecules) into carbon
as calcium carbonate.
dioxide and water.
• Autotrophs are organisms that produce their
• Through the decay of animal and plant matter. own organic compounds using carbon dioxide
Fungi and bacteria break down the carbon from the air or water in which they live. To
compounds in dead animals and plants and do this they require an external source of
convert the carbon to carbon dioxide if oxygen energy. Almost all autotrophs use solar
is present, ormethane if not. radiation to provide this, and their production
• Through combustion of organic material which process is called photosynthesis. A small
oxidizes the carbon it contains, producing number of autotrophs exploit chemical energy
carbon dioxide (and other things, like water sources in a process calledchemosynthesis.
vapor). Burning fossil fuels such as coal, The most important autotrophs for the carbon
petroleum products, and natural gas releases cycle are trees in forests on land and
carbon that has been stored in the geosphere phytoplankton in the Earth's oceans.
for millions of years. Burning agrofuels also Photosynthesis follows the reaction 6CO2 +
releases carbon dioxide which has been stored 6H2O ? C6H12O6 + 6O2.
for only a few years or less. • Carbon is transferred within the biosphere as
• Production of cement. Carbon dioxide is heterotrophs feed on other organisms or their
released when limestone (calcium carbonate) parts (e.g., fruits). This includes the uptake of
is heated to produce lime (calcium oxide), a dead organic material (detritus) by fungi and
component of cement. bacteria forfermentation or decay.
• At the surface of the oceans where the water • Most carbon leaves the biosphere through
becomes warmer, dissolved carbon dioxide respiration. When oxygen is present, aerobic
is released back into the atmosphere. respiration occurs, which releases carbon
dioxide into the surrounding air or water,
• Volcanic eruptions and metamorphism release
following the reaction C6H12O6 + 6O2 ?
gases into the atmosphere. Volcanic gases are

Current Affairs
6CO 2 + 6H 2 O. Otherwise, anaerobic (over 90%, with most of the remainder being
respiration occurs and releases methane into carbonate). Extreme storms such as hurricanes and
the surrounding environment, which typhoons bury a lot of carbon, because they wash
eventually makes its way into the atmosphere away so much sediment. For instance, a research
or hydrosphere (e.g., as marsh gas or team reported in the July 2008 issue of the journal
flatulence). Geology that a single typhoon in Taiwan buries as
• Burning of biomass (e.g. forest fires, wood much carbon in the ocean—in the form of
used for heating, anything else organic) can sediment—as all the other rains in that country all
also transfer substantial amounts of carbon to year long combined. Inorganic carbon, that is carbon
the atmosphere compounds with no carbon-carbon or carbon-
• Carbon may also be circulated within the hydrogen bonds, is important in its reactions within
biosphere when dead organic matter (such as water. This carbon exchange becomes important in
peat) becomes incorporated in the geosphere. controlling pH in the ocean and can also vary as a
Animal shells of calcium carbonate, in source or sink for carbon. Carbon is readily exchanged
particular, may eventually become limestone between the atmosphere and ocean. In regions of
through the process of sedimentation. oceanic upwelling, carbon is released to the
• Much remains to be learned about the cycling atmosphere. Conversely, regions of downwelling
of carbon in the deep ocean. For example, a transfer carbon (CO2) from the atmosphere to the
recent discovery is that larvacean mucus ocean. When CO2 enters the ocean, it participates
houses (commonly known as "sinkers") are in a series of reactions which are locally in
created in such large numbers that they can equilibrium:
deliver as much carbon to the deep ocean as Solution:
has been previously detected by sediment traps. CO2 (atmospheric) ? CO2 (dissolved)
Because of their size and composition, these Conversion to carbonic acid:
houses are rarely collected in such traps, so CO2 (dissolved) + H2O ? H2CO 3
most biogeochemical analyses have First ionization:
erroneously ignored them. H2CO 3 ? H+ + HCO3- (bicarbonate ion)
Second ionization:
Carbon storage in the biosphere is influenced HCO3- ? H+ + CO32- (carbonate ion)
by a number of processes on different time-scales: This set of reactions, which of each has its own
while net primary productivity follows a diurnal and equilibrium coefficient, determines the form that
seasonal cycle, carbon can be stored up to several inorganic carbon takes in the oceans. The
hundreds of years in trees and up to thousands of coefficients, which have been determined
years in soils. Changes in those long term carbon empirically for ocean water, are themselves functions
pools (e.g. through de- or afforestation or through of temperature, pressure, and the presence of other
temperature-related changes in soil respiration) may ions (especially borate). In the ocean the equilibria
thus affect global climate change. strongly favor bicarbonate. Since this ion is three
The Hydrosphere steps removed from atmospheric CO2, the level of
inorganic carbon storage in the ocean does not have
Present day" (1990s) sea surfacedissolved a proportion of unity to the atmospheric partial
inorganic carbonconcentration (from the GLODAP pressure of CO2. The factor for the ocean is about
climatology). ten: that is, for a 10% increase in atmospheric CO2,
The oceans contain around 36,000 gigatonnes oceanic storage (in equilibrium) increases by about
of carbon, mostly in the form of bicarbonate ion 1%, with the exact factor dependent on local

conditions. This buffer factor is often called the growth and that effective caps are urgently needed,".
"Revelle Factor", after Roger Revelle. A 2010 study conducted by the Project and Nature
In the oceans, dissolved carbonate can Geocience revealed that the world's oceans absorb
combine with dissolved calcium to precipitate solid 2.3 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide. On
calcium carbonate, CaCO3, mostly as the shells of December 5th, 2011 analysis released from the
microscopic organisms. When these organisms die, project claimed carbon dioxide from fossil-fuel
their shells sink and accumulate on the ocean floor. burning jumped by the largest amount on record in
Over time these carbonate sediments form limestone 2010 to 5.9 percent from a growth rate in the 1990s
which is the largest reservoir of carbon in the carbon closer to 1 percent annually. The combustion of coal
cycle. The dissolved calcium in the oceans comes represented more than half of the growth in
from the chemical weathering of calcium-silicate emissions, the report found.
rocks, during which carbonic and other acids in
groundwater react with calcium-bearing minerals VACCINATION AND IMMUNIZATION
liberating calcium ions to solution and leaving
behind a residue of newly formed aluminium-rich Vaccination is the administration of antigenic
clay minerals and insoluble minerals such as quartz. material (a vaccine) to stimulate the immune system
The flux or absorption of carbon dioxide into of an individual to develop adaptive immunity to a
the world's oceans is influenced by the presence of disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the
widespread viruses within ocean water, that infect effects of infection by many pathogens. The efficacy
many species of bacteria. The resulting bacterial of vaccination has been widely studied and verified;
deaths spawn a sequence of events that lead to greatly for example, the influenza vaccine, the HPV vaccine,
enlarged respiration of carbon dioxide, enhancing the and the chicken pox vaccine among others. In
role of the oceans as a carbon sink. general, vaccination is considered to be the most
Global Carbon Project effective method of preventing infectious diseases.
Global carbon dioxide emissions, 1800 to The active agent of a vaccine may be intact but
2007. The Global Carbon Project (GCP) was inactivated (non-infective) or attenuated (with
established in 2001. The organisation seeks to reduced infectivity) forms of the causative pathogens,
quantify global carbon emissions and their causes. or purified components of the pathogen that have
The main object of the group has been to fully been found to be highly immunogenic (e.g., the outer
understand the carbon cycle. The project has brought coat proteins of a virus). Toxoids are produced for
together emissions experts and economists to tackle the immunization against toxin-based diseases, such
the problem of rising concentrations of greenhouse as the modification of tetanospasmin toxin oftetanus
gases. The Global Carbon Project works to remove its toxic effect but retain its immunogenic
collaboratively with the International Geosphere- effect.
Biosphere Programme, the World Climate Smallpox was likely the first disease people
Programme, the International Human Dimensions tried to prevent by purposely inoculating themselves
Programme on Global Environmental Change and with other types of infections. In 1718, Lady Mary
Diversitas, under the Earth System Science Wortley Montagu reported that the Turks had a
Partnership. In late 2006 researchers from the project tradition of deliberately inoculating themselves with
claimed that carbon dioxide emissions had fluid taken from mild cases of smallpox, and that
dramatically increased to a rate of 3.2% annually she had inoculated her own children. Before 1796
from 2000. At the time, the chair of the group Dr when British physician Edward Jenner tested the
Mike Raupach stated that "This is a very worrying possibility of using the cowpox vaccine as an
sign. It indicates that recent efforts to reduce immunization for smallpox in humans for the first
emissions have had virtually no impact on emissions time, at least six people had done the same several

Current Affairs
years earlier: a person whose identity is unknown, patient already has contracted a disease. Vaccinia
England, (about 1771); a Mrs. Sevel, Germany (about given after exposure to smallpox, within the first three
1772); a Mr. Jensen, Germany (about 1770); days, is reported to attenuate the disease
Benjamin Jesty, England, in 1774; a Mrs. Rendall, considerably, and vaccination up to a week after
England (about 1782); and Peter Plett, Germany, in exposure likely offers some protection from disease
1791. or may modify the severity of disease. The first rabies
The word vaccination was first used by Edward immunization was given by Louis Pasteurto a child
Jenner in 1796. Louis Pasteur furthered the concept after he was bitten by a rabid dog. Subsequent to
through his pioneering work in microbiology.
this, it was found that proper post-exposure
Vaccination (Latin: vacca—cow) is so named
prophylaxis (PEP) of potential rabies cases within 14
because the first vaccine was derived from a virus
days infection provides complete protection against
affecting cows—the relatively benign cowpox virus—
which provides a degree of immunity to smallpox, the disease. Other examples include experimental
a contagious and deadly disease. In common speech, AIDS, cancer and Alzheimer's disease vaccines. The
'vaccination' and 'immunization' in general have the essential empiricism behind such immunizations is
that the vaccine triggers an immune response more
same colloquial meaning. This distinguishes it from
rapidly than the natural infection itself.
inoculation, which uses unweakened live pathogens,
Most vaccines are given by hypodermic
although in common usage either is used to refer to injection as they are not absorbed reliably through
an immunization. the intestines. Live attenuated polio, some typhoid
The word "vaccination" was originally used and some cholera vaccines are given orally in order
specifically to describe the injection of smallpox to produce immunity based in the bowel.
vaccine. Vaccination efforts have been met with Adjuvants and Preservatives
some controversy since their inception, on scientific,
Vaccines typically contain one or more
ethical, political, medical safety, religious, and other
adjuvants, used to boost the immune response.
grounds. In rare cases, vaccinations can injure people Tetanus toxoid, for instance, is usually adsorbed
and, in the United States, they may receive onto alum. This presents the antigen in such a way
compensation for those injuries under the National as to produce a greater action than the simple
Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Early aqueous tetanus toxoid. People who get an excessive
success and compulsion brought widespread reaction to adsorbed tetanus toxoid may be given the
acceptance, and mass vaccination campaigns were simple vaccine when time for a booster occurs.
undertaken, which are credited with greatly reducing In the preparation for the 1990 Gulf campaign,
the incidence of many diseases in numerous Pertussis vaccine (not acellular) was used as an
geographic regions. adjuvant for Anthrax vaccine. This produces a more
Mechanism of Function rapid immune response than giving only the Anthrax,
which is of some benefit if exposure might be
In the generic sense, the process of artificial imminent.
induction of immunity, in an effort to protect against They may also contain preservatives, which are
infectious disease, works by 'priming' the immune used to prevent contamination with bacteria or fungi.
system with an 'immunogen'. Stimulating immune Until recent years, the preservative thiomersal was
response, via use of an infectious agent, is known used in many vaccines that did not contain live
as immunization. V accinations involve the virus. As of 2005, the only childhood vaccine in the
administration of one or more immunogens, which U.S. that contains thiomersal in greater than trace
can be administered in several forms. amounts is the influenza vaccine, which is currently
Some vaccines are administered after the recommended only for children with certain risk

factors. Single-dose Influenza vaccines supplied in They will replicate, but locally or very slowly. Since
the UK do not list Thiomersal (its UK name) in the they do reproduce and continue to present antigen
ingredients. Preservatives may be used at various to the immune system beyond the initial
stages of production of vaccines, and the most vaccination, boosters may be required less often.
sophisticated methods of measurement might detect These vaccines may be produced by passaging, for
traces of them in the finished product, as they may example, adapting a virus into different host cell
in the environment and population as a whole. cultures, such as in animals, or at suboptimal
Vaccination versus inoculation temperatures, allowing selection of less virulent
strains, or by mutagenesis or targeted deletions in
Many times these words are used
genes required for virulence. There is a small risk of
interchangeably, as if they were synonyms. In fact,
reversion to virulence, this risk is smaller in vaccines
they are different things. As doctor Byron Plant
with deletions. Attenuated vaccines also cannot be
explains: "Vaccination is the more commonly used
used by immunocompromised individuals.
term, which actually consists of a "safe" injection
Reversions of virulence were described for a few
of a sample taken from a cow suffering from
attenuated viruses of chickens (infectious bursal
cowpox... Inoculation, a practice probably as old as
disease virus, avian infectious bronchitis virus, avian
the disease itself, is the injection of the variola virus
infectious laryngotracheitis virus, avian
taken from a pustule or scab of a smallpox sufferer metapneumovirus.
into the superficial layers of the skin, commonly on 3. Virus-like particle vaccines consist of viral
the upper arm of the subject. Often inoculation was protein(s) derived from the structural proteins of a
done "arm to arm" or less effectively "scab to arm"... virus. These proteins can self-assemble into particles
Vaccination began in the 18th century with that resemble the virus from which they were derived
the work of Edward Jenner. but lack viral nucleic acid, meaning that they are not
Types infectious. Because of their highly repetitive,
All vaccinations work by presenting a foreign multivalent structure, virus-like particles are typically
antigen to the immune system in order to evoke an more immunogenic than subunit vaccines (described
immune response, but there are several ways to do below). The human papillomavirus and Hepatitis B
virus vaccines are two virus-like particle-based
this. The four main types that are currently in clinical
vaccines currently in clinical use.
use are as follows:
1. An inactivated vaccine consists of virus or 4. A subunit vaccine presents an antigen to the
immune system without introducing viral particles,
bacteria that are grown in culture and then killed
whole or otherwise. One method of production
using a method such as heat or formaldehyde.
involves isolation of a specific protein from a virus
Although the virus or bacteria particles are destroyed
or bacterium (such as a bacterial toxin) and
and cannot replicate, the virus capsid proteins or administering this by itself. A weakness of this
bacterial wall are intact enough to be recognized and technique is that isolated proteins may have a
remembered by the immune system and evoke a different three-dimensional structure than the
response. protein in its normal context, and will induce
When manufactured correctly, the vaccine is antibodies that may not recognize the infectious
not infectious, but improper inactivation can result organism. In addition, subunit vaccines often elicit
in intact and infectious particles. Since the properly weaker antibody responses than the other classes of
produced vaccine does not reproduce, booster shots vaccines.
are required periodically to reinforce the immune A number of other vaccine strategies are under
response. 2. In an attenuated vaccine, live virus or experimental investigation. These include DNA
bacteria with very low virulence are administered. vaccination and recombinant viral vector

Current Affairs
Human Vaccines
Viral diseases
Virus Diseases or Vaccine(s) Brands
conditions
Hepatitis Hepatitis A Hepatitis A vaccine Havrix, Avaxim
A virus
Hepatitis B Hepatitis B Hepatitis B vaccine Engerix-B
virus
Human Cervical cancer,
papilloma Genital warts, HPV vaccine Cervarix, Gardasil
virus anogenital cancers
Influenza Influenza Influenza vaccine FluMist, Fluzone, Influvac,
Vaxigrip
virus
Japanese Japanese Japanese
encephalitis encephalitis encephalitis
virus vaccine
Measles virus Measles MMR vaccine, Priorix
MMRV vaccine
Mumps virus Mumps MMR vaccine, Priorix
MMRV vaccine
Polio virus Poliomyelitis Polio vaccine
Rabies virus Rabies
Rotavirus Rotaviral Rotavirus vaccine Rotateq, Rotarix
gastroenteritis
Rubella virus Rubella MMR vaccine, Priorix
MMRV vaccine
Varicella Chickenpox, Varicella vaccine,
zoster virus Shingles Shingles vaccine, Varivax, Zostavax
MMRV vaccine
Variola virus Smallpox Smallpox vaccine
Yellow fever Yellow fever Yellow Fever vaccine
virus
Bacterial Diseases
Virus Diseases or Vaccine(s) Brands
conditions
Bacillus anthracis Anthrax Anthrax vaccines
Bordetella pertussis Whooping cough DPT vaccine Boostrix, Adacel
Clostridium tetani Tetanus DPT vaccine Boostrix, Adacel
Corynebacterium Diphtheria DPT vaccine Boostrix, Adacel
diphtheriae

Coxiella burnetii Q fever

Haemophilus Epiglottitis, meningitis, Hib vaccine Hiberix
influenzae type B (Hib) pneumonia
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Tuberculosis (BCG)
tuberculosis vaccine
Neisseria meningitidis Meningococcal Meningococcal Neisvac C,
meningitis vaccine Meningitec
Salmonella typhi Typhoid fever Typhoid vaccine Typhim Vi, Typherix
Streptococcus Pneumococcal Pneumococcal Pneumovax,
pneumoniae pneumonia conjugate Prevenar
vaccine, Pneumo-
coccal polysaccharide
vaccine
Vibrio cholerae Cholera Cholera vaccine Dukoral
IMMUNIZATION, OR IMMUNISATION, is well, for example in experimental vaccines against

the process by which an individual's immune system nicotine (NicVAX) or the hormone ghrelin (in
becomes fortified against an agent (known as the experiments to create an obesity vaccine).
immunogen). When this system is exposed to Active immunization/vaccination has been
molecules that are foreign to the body (non-self), it named one of the "Ten Great Public Health
will orchestrate an immune response, but it can also Achievements in the 20th Century".
develop the ability to quickly respond to a Passive and active immunization
subsequent encounter (through immunological
Immunization can be achieved in an active or
memory). This is a function of the adaptive immune
passive manner: vaccination is an active form of
system. Therefore, by exposing an animal to an
immunization.
immunogen in a controlled way, its body can learn
to protect itself: this is called active immunization. Active immunization
The most important elements of the immune Active immunization entails the introduction
system that are improved by immunization are the of a foreign molecule into the body, which causes
B cells (and the antibodies they produce) and T the body itself to generate immunity against the
cells.Memory B cell and memory T cells are target. This immunity comes from the T cells and
responsible for a swift response to a second the B cells with their antibodies.
encounter with a foreign molecule. Passive Active immunization can occur naturally when
immunization is when these elements are introduced a person comes in contact with, for example, a
directly into the body, instead of when the body itself microbe. If the person has not yet come into contact
has to make these elements. with the microbe and has no pre-made antibodies
Immunization is done through various for defense (like in passive immunization), the person
techniques, most commonly vaccination. Vaccines becomes immunized. The immune system will
against microorganisms that cause diseases can eventually create antibodies and other defenses
prepare the body's immune system, thus helping to against the microbe. The next time, the immune
fight or prevent an infection. The fact that mutations response against this microbe can be very efficient;
can cause cancer cells to produce proteins or other this is the case in many of the childhood infections
molecules that are unknown to the body forms the that a person only contracts once, but then is immune.
theoretical basis for therapeutic cancer vaccines. Artificial active immunization is where the
Other molecules can be used for immunization as microbe, or parts of it, are injected into the person

Current Affairs
before they are able to take it in naturally. If whole There are many applications of nano
microbes are used, they are pre-treated, Attenuated technology such as in the area of medicine,
vaccine. The importance of immunization is so great chemistry and nvironment, energy, agriculture,
that the American Centers for Disease Control and information and communication, heavy industry
Prevention has named it one of the "Ten Great Public and consumer goods. he alleged potential of this
Health Achievements in the 20th Century". technology has garnered the attention of both
Passive immunization developed and developing ountries across the globe.
The US National Science Foundation (NSF) has listed
Passive immunization is where pre-
it as one of six priority reas; it is one of the themes
synthesized elements of the immune system are
in the EU Framework Program for Research and
transferred to a person so that the body does not need
Technological Development n Europe; and it has
to produce these elements itself. Currently,
been the focus of research in countries worldwide.
antibodies can be used for passive immunization.
Globally, investments have been ade,
This method of immunization begins to work very
nanotechnology programmes initiated and research
quickly, but it is short lasting, because the antibodies
and development has commenced. It is observed
are naturally broken down, and if there are no B cells
hat US, Japan, and Germany dominate the current
to produce more antibodies, they will disappear.
R&D effort in nanotechnology with the country focus
Passive immunization occurs physiologically,
largely based on their own expertise and needs.
when antibodies are transferred from mother to fetus
Globally, there has been an increase in expenditure
during pregnancy, to protect the fetus before and
by both governments and private companies in
shortly after birth. Artificial passive immunization
nanotechnology developments. Total global
is normally administered by injection and is used if
expenditure public + private) in nanotechnology
there has been a recent outbreak of a particular
R&D in 2007 amounted to $13.5 billion, up 14%
disease or as an emergency treatment for toxicity (for
from in 2006. xpenditure by corporations in
example, fortetanus). The antibodies can be produced
nanotechnology R&D in 2007 witnessed a 23%
in animals ("serum therapy") although there is a high
increase over 2006 to each $6.6 billion, passing
chance of anaphylactic shock because of immunity
government spending for the first time. At the
against animal serum itself. Thus, humanized
commercial level, the impact of nanotechnology,
antibodies produced in vitro by cell culture are used
is evident in three major industry sectors, viz.,
instead if available.
materials and manufacturing (coatings and
composites for products like automobiles and
NANO TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT IN buildings), electronics (displays and batteries) and
INDIA ealth care and life sciences (pharmaceutical
applications). According to the Woodrow Wilson
Nanotechnology, which deals with under- nternational Center for Scholars’ Project on
standing and control of matter at dimension of Emerging Nanotechnologies (2009), there are more
roughly 100 nm and below, has a crosssectoral than 1000 company-identified nano technology
application and an interdisciplinary orientation. At products on the market, the majority being roduced
this scale, the physical, chemical and biological by companies based in USA. The categorisation of
properties of materials differ from the properties of nanotechnology products indicates a oncentration
individual atoms and molecules or bulk matter, in the fields of health and fitness products
which enable novel applications. Nanotechnology (cosmetics, clothing, personal care and sporting
research and development is directed towards equipment) (Figure 1.1). The analysis of the product
understanding and creating improved materials, category suggests that nanotechnology mainly
devices and systems that exploit these properties as mpacts the consumer goods industries. An estimate
they are discovered and characterized. by Lux Research indicates that nanotechnology-

erived revenues will attain 15% of projected global years. The five-year programme followed the flagship
manufacturing output ($2.6 trillion) in 2014 as initiative, the Nanoscience and Technology Initiative
ompared to 0.1% in 2006 ($50 billion). The (NSTI) that was in operation from 2001–06. Close
emergence of nanotechnology in India has witnessed to 200 projects have been undertaken in the NSTI
the ngagement of a diverse set of players, each with and NSTM since 2002 (Figure 1.4). The DST has also
their own agenda and role. Nanotechnology in India set up ‘Centers of Excellence (CoE) for Nanoscience
is a overnment led initiative. Industry participation and Technology’ established under the NSTI to
has very recently originated. Nanotechnology R&D undertake R&D to develop specific applications in
arring few exceptions is largely being ensued at a fixed period of time.
public funded universities as well as research On the whole the 19 CoE have been spread
institutes. An overview of the key players engaged across 14 distinct institutions (Figure 1.5). These CoE
in nanotechnology in India. have been set up primarily at those institutes that
Given the enabling nature of nanotechnology have either been engaging in nano technology based
and ability to develop along with existing R&D prior to their establishment or have developed
technologies, it has the potential to be utilised as a the resources to do so. Aside DST, several other
tool to address key development related challenges agencies with diverse mandates are also actively
in diverse sectors like energy, water, agriculture, engaged in supportingnanotechnology in the
health, environment and the like. Enabling energy national arena. DBT (Department of Biotechnology)
storage, production and conversion within renewable is supporting research in nano technology and the
energy frameworks has been cited as the primary area lifesciences. CSIR (Council of Scientific and
where nanotechnology applications might aid Industrial Research), a network of 38 laboratories that
developing countries. Nanotechnology engages in scientific and industrial R&D for socio-
interventions might be sought at specific junctures economic benefit has also commissioned R&D in
to improve quantity and quality of water and nanotechnology in diverse areas. SERC (Science and
wastewater treatment systems. Enhancement of Engineering Research Council) too has aided projects
agricultural productivity has been identified as a on nanotechnology.
critical area of nanotechnology application Support for these projects has been through its
nanotechnology for attaining the Millennium general R&D schemes for basic science and
Development Goals. engineering science India’s International
In light of the developments worldwide hailing Collaborations Several bilateral collaborations
nanotechnology as a technology with the potential emerged in nanoscience and technology, as it was a
of addressing a number of developing country needs, part of nearly all the S&T agreements between India
India has sought to promote nanotechnology and other countries. Initiatives for joint R&D have
applications in sectors that are likely to have a wide figured prominently with Indian institutes engaging
impact, and influence the course of future in projects of similar kind in the US, EU, Japan,
development in the country. Sectors such as health, Taiwan and Russia. The S&T departments of Brazil,
energy and environment have received greater South Africa and India have embarked on a tri-
attention by various technology departments in the lateral initiative to developed collaborative
government (DST, DBT and SERC). Figure 1.3 shows programmes in several common areas of interest, and
the distribution of sponsored projects from 2006 to nanotechnology being one of them. Other initiatives
2008 across key sectors. Department of Science and include Science and Technology Initiatives with
Technology (DST), the chief agency engaged in the Indian diaspora – Scientists and Technologists of
development of nanotechnology, initiated India’s Indian Origin Abroad (STIOs) for encouraging
principal programme, the Nanoscience and networking between Indian scientists and scientists
Technology Mission (NSTM) in 2007, with an and technologists of Indian origin that are based
allocation of Rupees 1000 crores for a period of five abroad. The International Science and Technology

Current Affairs
Directorate (ISAD) of the CSIR that aims to strengthen to encourage collaborations between scientists from
cooperation between CSIR and international the two regions in the area of nanotechnology. A
institutions has facilitated workshops and memorandum of understanding also has been signed
collaborative projects with international partners like between India and UNESCO to establish a Regional
South Africa, France, South Korea, China, Japan in Centre for Education and Training in Biotechnology,
the area of nanoscience and technology. Another where one of the focus areas is on nano-
forum for international collaboration is the Euro- biotechnology.
India Net set up under the FP6 between EU and India
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Science & Technology Current
Science &
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The new graphic processing unit (GPU)-based

1. DEFENCE, SPACE & NUCLEAR
supercomputer, which has been named SAGA-220
TECHNOLOGY (Super-computer for Aerospace with GPU
Architecture-220 TeraFLOPS), would be used for
Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor ‘has solving complex aerospace problems, said an ISRO
Independent Safety Mechanisms’ press release. The supercomputer was fully designed
The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), and built by the VSSC, using commercially available
under construction at Kalpakkam, near Chennai, is hardware and open source software components. Its
“a unique reactor” which does not require water for total cost was about Rs.14 crore. ISRO Chairman K.
emergency cooling of its nuclear fuel core in the case Radhakrishnan inaugurated it.
of an accident, said Baldev Raj, who laid down Army to Set up Jungle Warfare Training
office as Director, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Area
Research (IGCAR) at Kalpakkam. The 500 MWe
PFBR will be commissioned in 2012. The Army is awaiting clearance from the
(The PFBR will use plutonium-uranium oxide Ministry of Defence (MoD) to conduct training in
as fuel, and liquid sodium as coolant. If sodium jungle warfare to a brigade size force in Chhattisgarh.
comes into contact with water, it will catch fire. At The land for setting up the training area, also called
Fukushima in Japan in March, four reactors’ nuclear the “manoeuvre range,” has been identified at
fuel core could not be cooled because the station Narainpur in Chhattisgarh and approval accorded in
suffered a black-out after the tsunami, which also principle. The area under the Central Command,
knocked out the pumps and the diesel generator sets. which encompasses Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand,
So water could not be pumped for cooling the fuel Bihar, and parts of Madhya Pradesh, were affected
core.) S.C. Chetal, who took over as IGCAR Director, by left wing extremism, but presently the Army was
explained that in the case of sodium fire in an open not mandated to operate against such elements. Uttar
place, sodium bicarbonate — a dry chemical powder Pradesh and Uttarakhand were the other two States
— would be used to douse the fire. If sodium caught in the Command. The Army’s role in this context
fire in an enclosed place, nitrogen would be injected was advisory and providing assistance in capacity
to extinguish it. Sodium fire was milder than oil building to the Union government. Though the Army
catching fire, Mr. Chetal said. was not involved in anti-Naxal operations, it had
imparted training to about 50,000 police and
ISRO Unveils Supercomputer paramilitary force personnel in such operations.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) The Army was trying to set up training areas
has built a supercomputer, which will be India’s since 2006 as the existing ones were shrinking owing
fastest in terms of theoretical peak performance of to rapid urbanisation.
220 TeraFLOPS (220 Trillion Floating Point Army-Air Force Joint Exercise begins
Operations per second). Named Satish Dhawan
Supercomputing Facility, it is located at the Vikram A six-day joint exercise of the Army and the
Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. Air Force begin in the deserts of Bikaner and Suratgarh

Current Affairs
near the Pakistan border. ‘Vijayee Bhava’ will involve concerned. NDMA vice-chairman M. Shashidhar
tank to tank wars, helicopter operations and others, Reddy said that as part of the chemical, biological,
Army officials said. radiological nuclear response and rescue
Personnel from both the services have been preparedness, the Authority was working on a project
practising for the past 15 days for the drill. According for installation of ‘dosi-meters’ (to measure exposure
to the Army, it conducted 10 major exercises near to environment hazards) in 1,000 police stations in
the Pakistan border in the last six years and this 35 cities with more than one million population.
exercise will boost the synergy between the defence Based on these and various guidelines brought
forces. out by the NDMA, the Ministry of Health and Family
Resourcesat-2 Images Presented to Welfare was identified as the nodal Ministry. A task
force formed by the Ministry prepared a road map
Manmohan
covering assessment of the capacities and an action
High quality images beamed by Resourcesat- plan for enhanced medical preparedness.
2 of the Indian landmass and other countries were
presented to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by top
Separate Council Mooted for Defence
officials of the Indian Space Research Organisation. Studies in Varsities
The images covered New Delhi, Surat, Bareilly With national security as a discipline and
and Dubai. The three cameras aboard Resourcesat-2 autonomous subjects not finding a rightful place in
were operated from April 28 and several hundreds higher education in Indian universities, even though
of images, covering India and many parts of the international security receives far greater attention,
world, were acquired. a committee of defence experts has suggested
The PSLV- C16 lifted off from at Sriharikota institution of a Council of National Security Research
on April 20 and put Resourcesat-2, Youthsat (a joint and Studies, corresponding broadly to the Council
India-Russian satellite) and X-Sat from the Nangyang for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), to
Technological University of Singapore. promote and coordinate defence and strategic studies
Manmohan wants Safety Measures in the country.
The expert committee set up by Union Human
Upgraded at Nuclear Facilities
Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal to make
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on suggestions on developing scholarship in the field
Wednesday directed the Department of Atomic of studies relating to national security interests has
Energy and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board to recommended setting up autonomous Centres of
upgrade safety measures at the nuclear facilities in National Security Studies on the pattern of the
the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis. Defence Ministry-funded Institute of Defence Studies
At a special meeting to review the country’s and Analysis (IDSA). These would be funded directly
disaster preparedness in the light of the disasters the by the HRD Ministry and will aim to attract young,
tsunami caused in Japan in March, Dr. Singh, who bright scholars to undertake policy related future-
is also Chairman of the National Disaster oriented research through award of fellowships.
Management Authority (NDMA), asked the two
agencies to look at Beyond Design Basis Accident.
Fast Attack Craft INS Kabra Commissioned
(The technical phrase connotes factoring in accident Water jet-propelled Fast Attack Craft (FAC) INS
sequences that are possible but were not fully Kabra, eighth in a series of 10 Car Nicobar-class FACs
considered in the design process). designed and built by the Kolkata-based Garden
Dr. Singh also reviewed the earthquake and Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) for the Navy,
tsunami preparedness and desired that the guidelines was commissioned by Vice-Admiral K.N. Sushil,
the NDMA formulated be made into action plans Flag. Vice-Admiral Sushil said smaller ships like FACs
by the ministries/departments at the Centre and also were important in tackling peacetime challenges to
the State governments. The NDMA was directed to maritime security such as piracy and low-intensity
proactively follow up the issue with agencies conflicts. “INS Kalpeni [the water jet-propelled FAC

commissioned under the command in October last] The International Maritime Organisation
has extensively participated in anti-piracy operations.” (IMO) had been perennially concerned over the
Wednesday’s ceremony involved an transportation of marine species between different
announcement of the commissioning warrant issued parts of the world because of discharge of ballast
by the Chief of the Naval Staff, hoisting of the naval water from ocean-going ships.
ensign and the national flag aboard the ship to the Over the years, it had been taking several
tune of the national anthem, and breaking of the measures to address the issue. But, so far, none of
commissioning pennant. them had been totally effective. Incidences of
INS Kabra has speeds in excess of 35 knots. It invasion of alien species in coastal water due to
offers excellent manoeuvrability and is ideal for high- ballast water discharge continue.
speed interdiction of fast-moving targets. In the new development that promises to be
The ship’s speed, agility and quick response of far-reaching significance, the scientists have got a
will be useful in search and rescue operations. The patent from the United States Patent Office for a
low draught also allows the ship to operate in shallow treatment technology for the ballast water that is not
waters close to the coast. only highly effective, but is also all more eco-friendly
INS Kabra complies with the latest regulations as it does not use any chemicals.
of the International Maritime Organisation on sea A.C. Anil, Scientist at the Council of Scientific
pollution control. and Industrial Research’s Goa-based National
Its main armament is a 30-mm CRN-91 gun. Institute of Oceanography (NIO), who developed the
Also fitted with machine guns of various types and technology in collaboration with his colleagues at
the IGLA shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, the the Pune-based National Chemical Laboratory and
ship has a crew of three officers and 39 sailors. It is University of Bombay’s Institute of Chemical
commanded by Commander Bandhul Mishra, a Technology, said the technology is based on the
specialist in missile, weapons and radar systems. principle of ‘hydrodynamic cavitation.’ The action
Kalam for Developing BrahMos’ plan included an electronic reporting system,
whereby ships sailing in and out of these ports would
Hypersonic Version
have to declare where they were coming from, the
The former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, on quantum of ballast water and other such details.
Sunday asked the BrahMos Aerospace to develop an The exercise would be expanded to create a
advanced version of the BrahMos cruise missile to national integrated action to cover the remaining
maintain India’s leadership in the field. eight major ports in the country by 2016.
India is the only country to have a supersonic
cruise missile developed in a joint venture with
DRDO Plans Another K-15 Missile Launch
Russia. BrahMos Aerospace CEO and Managing The Defence Research and Development
Director A. Sivathanu Pillai said BrahMos was a Organisation (DRDO) plans another test-firing of the
unique missile that could be configured for multiple K-15 missile from a pontoon off the coast of
types of platforms on land and sea and underwater Visakhapatnam.
against different types of land and sea targets. “Its Developed under the Sagarika project, the K-
competitor is yet to be born. Its speed and devastating 15 has been test-fired several times from submerged
power has made it unparalleled.” The missile system pontoons off Visakhapatnam.
has been inducted in the Army and the Navy. The pontoon, simulating the conditions of a
submarine, will be positioned about 10 to 20 metres
Indian Scientists Develop Technology to
below the sea surface. A gas-charged booster will
Manage Ballast Water erupt into life, driving the two-stage missile to the
A group of Indian scientists may have found surface. The missile’s first stage will then ignite and
the solution to an issue of global concern: disturbance it will climb 20 km in the air before cutting a
of eco systems because of the growing maritime parabolic path and travelling over a range of 700 km.
traffic across the world. The missile, which is under production, can carry

Current Affairs
both conventional and nuclear warheads. It will submitted a report to the Prime Minister’s Office,
form part of the lethal arsenal of the country’s first which says the country has the technical capability
nuclear-powered submarine, Arihant, which is to make a project to design and develop a regional
undergoing sea trials. India is building two more such aircraft with a seating capacity of 70 to 90 that would
submarines. The DRDO is developing a K-4 be stretchable to 80-100 seats.
underwater-launched missile, which will have a The panel, headed by the former Chairman of
range of 3,000 km. Developmental tests of the the Indian Space Research Organisation, G.
missile’s gas-booster have taken place from a Madhavan Nair, and Director-General of the Council
pontoon. The sixth launch of the interceptor missile, of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Samir
developed by the DRDO, is scheduled for the first Brahmachari has estimated that the project could cost
fortnight of February. A modified Prithvi missile, about Rs. 7,700 crore — Rs. 4,500 crore for the design
taking off from the Integrated Test Range at and development activities and Rs. 3,200 crore for
Chandipur on the Orissa coast, will act as an the production unit.
“enemy” missile. The interceptor, to be fired from India All set to Test New Short-range
the Wheeler Island, off Damra on the State’s coast,
Tactical Missile
will ambush the “enemy” missile in endo-
atmosphere at an altitude of 15 km. ‘Prahaar’ (to strike), a totally new quick-
Sources in the DRDO called it “a tricky reaction, short-range tactical missile, which will fill
mission” because the attacker would have a the gap for such a battlefield weapon system in
manoeuvrable trajectory and try to dodge the India’s missile arsenal, is all set to be flight-tested.
interceptor from homing in on it. Of the five earlier The 150 km-range missile would replace
missions, four were successful. unguided rockets and “is going to be an excellent
weapon.” It would bridge the gap between Pinaka,
PSLV Launch on July 15 a 40-km range multi-barrel rocket system, and the
Preparations are on in top gear for the launch 350-km Prithvi-II, which had been converted into a
of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV- C17) strategic missile. Unguided rockets of 90-km range
from Sriharikota. The rocket will put into orbit had also been imported from Russia.
communication satellite GSAT-12. Both the launch ‘Hot Run’ of First of 2x1000 MWe Reactors
vehicle and the satellite were built by the Indian in Koodankulam Starts
Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The satellite
that weighs 1,410 kg has 12 extended C-band The much-awaited ‘‘Hot run’’ of the first of
transponders. the 2 X 1,000 MWe reactors under construction as
The PSLV-C17 will inject GSAT-12 into an part of Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP)
elliptical transfer orbit (sub-geosynchronous transfer commenced, indicating that this nuclear reactor may
orbit) with a perigee of 284 km and an apogee of attain criticality within another five months provided
21,000 km. Subsequently, commands will be given the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) is
from ISRO’s Master Control Facility at Hassan, satisfied with the functioning of the hi-tech
Karnataka, for firing the liquid apogee motor on board equipment of this reactor and gives its clearance on
the satellite to raise both its apogee and perigee to time.
an altitude of 36,000 km and place it in a circular As the AERB’s clearance reached KKNPP
orbit. morning, the ‘Hot run’, an important activity that
will take place before the reactor is loaded with the
2020 May see India-built Aircraft in the real fuel assemblies made of enriched uranium,
Skies commenced immediately.
India could join by 2020, if not earlier, the The ‘Hot run’ will involve heating the primary
select group of countries that manufacture aircraft. coolant water to the reactor’s operating temperature
A committee, comprising top bureaucrats, of 280 - 300 degree Celsius. The reactor systems will
aerospace scientists and industry leaders, recently be operated at the temperature at which it will

operate when it has enriched uranium fuel bundles. had recently signed its biggest defence deal with the
The process of ‘Hot run’ will take place with U.S. to procure 10 C-17s for $ 4.1 billion. American
the dummy fuel assemblies, which were loaded into defence major Boeing would set up test facilities for
the reactor several months ago. hi-tech aeronautics engines for the Defence Research
The dummy fuel assemblies have the same and Defence Organisation. Hindan, the closest Air
configuration as the real fuel assemblies but have no Force station outside the capital, is already home to
enriched uranium inside. The reactor vessel houses the C-130J Super Hercules, which was inducted in
163 fuel assemblies. February for carrying out special operations.
The Last Voyage of the Space Shuttle Till now, Agra has been the main hub of heavy
lift aircraft such as the Ilyushin-76 and Il-78 mid-air
For the last time, the engines of a space shuttle refuellers along with the bases in Chandigarh and
roared, the ground rumbled, and the shuttle Atlantis Nagpur. After procuring the 10 aircraft, the IAF is
rose off the launching pad and quickly disappeared likely to order six more C-17s to augment its fleet of
into the gray, overcast sky. By dawn on Friday, cars the Il-76, C-130J and An-32 transporters.
and campers lined the sides of roadways with the The Globemaster is capable of carrying a
prime views as hundreds of thousands of people came maximum payload of 77.5 tonnes, including combat
to watch the 135th and last flight in the space shuttle vehicles, artillery guns and battle-ready troops and
program. The program, which began in 1981, will will strengthen India’s capabilities to rapidly move
come to an end when the Atlantis’ wheels roll to a troops and equipment in its areas of interest.
stop on the runway in two weeks. Atlantis is carrying The four-engine aircraft is capable of taking off
8,000 pounds of supplies and spare parts to the and landing even on makeshift runways, barely 3,500-
International Space Station. feet long and 90-feet wide.
INS Viraatin Kochi for Refit Using ‘White Spaces’ well
Two years after it received a comprehensive life- Are we ready to take on the “White Spaces”
extending refit, with a major upgrade and overhaul and harness them for better and more thorough use
of systems and equipment, the Navy’s aircraft of spectrum? And we do not mean “white spaces”
carrier, , is back for another round of routine literally. Technically, “White Spaces” is a term used
refit at the Cochin Shipyard. “There is a fair amount to “indicate those parts of the spectrum used for
of life left for the carrier and we expect it to last at communication applications [like radio, television
least till 2018. It might go even beyond that,” R. Hari and Internet] available in a given geographical area
Kumar, Commanding Officer of , said. that work without causing interference to the primary
Originally commissioned into the Royal Navy users of spectrum.” The primary users are the licensed
of the U.K. as on November 18, 1959, users of spectrum band. They often do not use the
the battle-hardened Centaur-class vessel, which allocated spectrum to the maximum. “White Space”
proved its mettle in the Falklands action in 1982, devices could help find the spectrum’s under-utilised
began its life in the Indian Navy as on May aspects and make the secondary users utilise them
12, 1987. Even as the floating giant completes 52 without causing any interference to the primary
years of existence and is set to turn 25 years with users. Simply, the technology works by sensing the
the Indian Navy, it seldom shows any signs of aging. spectrum that remains unused and uses it to transmit
C-17 Globemaster to be Inducted at wireless products.
Hindan Air Base “PSLV a Proud Symbol of ISRO’s Self-
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will induct C-17 reliance”
Globemaster III, its largest strategic heavy lift aircraft, India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle proved
at its Hindan base in Ghaziabad after it is procured its versatility and reliability once again when the
from the United States. The first aircraft would be PSLV-C17 put the communication satellite GSAT-
delivered during 2013-14, IAF officials said. India 12 in a perfect orbit. This is the 18th successful flight

Current Affairs
of the PSLV in a row and this is the third time that it to take the satellite’s apogee from 21,020 km to
is putting a satellite in a geo-synchronous transfer 36,000 km when the satellite was at its perigee.
orbit (GTO), which is a tricky business. And the PSLV Similarly, the commands to the LAM to fire to take
proved its versatility because it is the more powerful the perigee from 284 km to 36,000 km were given
XL version of the PSLV that put the GSAT-12 in orbit. on July 18 and 19 when the satellite was at its
There are three versions of the PSLV — the apogee. “Thus, it was a challenging operation,” said
standard, the core-alone without the six strap-on an ISRO official. With 12 extended C-band
booster motors, and the XL version, which carries transponders, the satellite will be useful in tele-
more solid fuel in its strap-on motors than the education, tele-medicine, disaster management
standard version. All the three versions have proved support, telephone services and so on.
to be unalloyed successes. An XL version had The PSLV-C18 will put the 1,000-kg Megha-
successfully put Chandrayaan-1 in a GTO in October Tropiques (Megha in Sanskrit means cloud and
2008. Tropiques in French means tropics), being built by
Important Mission the ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore, into an 867 km
orbit. It will be useful in studying the weather in
K. Radhakrishnan, Chairman, Indian Space tropical countries. ISRO is also building for
Research Organisation (ISRO), called it an surveillance, RISAT-1 (Radar Imaging Satellite) which
“important mission, both from the technological will be put in orbit by the end of December by PSLV-
angle and for the people of the country.” The mission C19. It can take pictures of the earth day and night
was so perfect that the rocket put the satellite in a and in all weather condition.
sub-GTO with an apogee of 21,020 km against the
planned 21,000 km and a perigee of 284 km against India Richer by One of the World’s Largest
a targeted 281 km. The GSAT-12 with its 12 extended Uranium Reserves
C-band transponders would be used in tele-medicine, Tummalapalle in Andhra Pradesh could have
tele-education, village resource centres and one of the largest uranium reserves in the world.
supporting disaster management. Though putting the Recent studies have indicated that it could have a
GSAT-12 in a sub-GTO was “a tricky mission,” Dr. reserve of 1.5 lakh tonnes of the scarce material, said
Radhakrishnan said, the ISRO was successful in doing Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Srikumar
it with the experience gained from the Chandrayaan- Banerjee here.
1 mission. “Studies have already shown that the area had
GSAT-12 Reaches Its Home in a Circular a confirmed reserve of 49,000 tonnes and recent
surveys indicate that this figure could go up even
Geo-synchronous Orbit
threefold,” he disclosed. He was inaugurate
India’s communication satellite GSAT-12, put construction work on two more units of 700 MW
in orbit on July 15, reached its home in a circular each at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS)
geo-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 36,000 km. by making “the first pour of concrete”.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C17) of the He said uranium deposits in Tummalapalle
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which appeared to be spread over 35 km. Exploratory works
lifted off from the space station at Sriharikota on July are under way. At present, the country is estimated
15, 2011, put the 1,410 kg GSAT-12 in a sub geo- to have a total reserve of about 1,75,000 tonnes of
synchronous transfer orbit (sub-GTO) with an apogee uranium, apart from this. The two new units at
of 21,020 km and a perigee of 284 km. Rawatbhata are being constructed at an estimated cost
After the satellite was put in a sub-GTO, the of Rs. 12,000 crore and are scheduled to be ready in
liquid apogee motor (LAM) on board was fired once five years from “the first pour of concrete.”
each day from July 16-19 to circularise the orbit at The reactors are on the lines of the two 700
an altitude of 36,000 km. On July 16 and 17, MW reactors under construction at Kakrapar in
commands were given from the Master Control Gujarat. They have been designed by the Nuclear
Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka to the LAM Power Corporation of India Limited by scaling up

the 540 MW reactors operating at Tarapur in India to Get Nerpa by Year-end

Maharashtra since 2005. Russia will transfer the Akula-II class Nerpa
The reactors have advanced safety features, nuclear attack submarine to India on a 10-year lease
including passive safety systems that work on natural by the end of 2011, Russian Naval Chief Admiral
principles such as gravity, and natural convection and Vladimir Vysotsky has said.
do not need operator intervention or motive power “There are no obstacles for the transfer of the
to ensure reactor safety under any state of operations. submarine to the Indian Navy by the end of this
According to an NPCIL note, there would be year,” Admiral Vysotsky was quoted as saying by
two independent and diverse systems to shut down Interfax. He said an Indian crew had undergone the
the reactor, a passive decay heat removal system to full course of training and the submarine was being
ensure cooling of the reactor core even in case of prepared for delivery trials.
total loss of power and steel-lined containment to Under the lease contract, estimated to be
contain the entire radioactivity within the reactor between $650 million and $900 million, India had
building even in a severe accident scenario. funded the completion of the submarine at Amur
New Moon Around Pluto Shipyard before the collapse of the Soviet Union.
NASA astronomers, while searching for rings The Nerpa was to be inducted into the Indian
around the dwarf planet Pluto, have discovered a tiny Navy like INS Chakra by mid-2008, but on November
new moon around the planet, photos from the 8, 2008, shortly after the sea trials commenced, as
Hubble Space Telescope showed. The moon, which many as 20 sailors and technical workers were killed
has been temporarily named P4, was spotted in a onboard, while they were asleep, due to the release
Hubble survey searching for rings around Pluto. The of toxic Freon gas following a technical problem in
tiny satellite, the fourth and smallest one, is the automatic fire suppression system.
estimated to be between 13 to 34 km wide. For Why the Moon is Lopsided: A New
comparison, Pluto’s largest moon Charon is 1,043 Explanation
km across. The dwarf planet’s other moons, Nix and
A whack from a smaller sibling could, it
Hydra, range between 32 to 113 km across.
seems, account for one of the abiding mysteries
Antenna of GSAT-12 Deployed about the Moon — why the side seen from the Earth
The antenna of communications satellite is so different from its other hemisphere.
GSAT-12 was deployed afternoon, to much applause The nearside is low and flat, with lava-filled
from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s basins that are readily visible as dark patches which
Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in early astronomers mistakenly labelled as ‘maria’ (or
Karnataka. seas). In 1959, the Soviet Union’s Luna 3 became
Commercial Use the first spacecraft to go behind the Moon and the
photographs it sent back showed the far-side to be
ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan said the mountainous.
satellite’s 12 transponders would be put through a Later studies also showed that the Moon’s crust
series of in-orbital tests and they would be considered was much thicker on the far-side. The nearside, on
fully operational for commercial use after four to five the other hand, has rocks rich in potassium, rare earth
weeks. elements and phosphorous, which the other side
Final Deployment lacked.
GSAT 12 will facilitate telemedicine, tele- Strange Asymmetry
education and village resource centres. The 1.2-metre A new explanation for this strange asymmetry
reflector antenna was the final deployment of the has been put forward in a paper in the latest issue of
satellite, which is now in the final configuration of the journal . The Moon, it suggests, may once
36,000-km circular orbit. It will be co-located with have had a companion that was one-third its diameter
INSAT-2E and INSAT-4A. and just four per cent of its weight. Both Moons
Current Affairs
formed from the huge cloud of debris that was flung in the paper was correct, there should be rocks there
into space when a Mars-sized object slammed into that were far older than those found on the nearside.
the Earth some 4.5 billion years ago. Juno Leaves for Jupiter
For tens of millions of years, the smaller moon
was held in place by the competing gravitational pull NASA launched the billion-dollar solar-
from the Earth and the Moon. During that period, powered spacecraft Juno on a five-year journey to
the Moon cooled sufficiently for a crust to form, with Jupiter.
an ocean of molten rock (known as magma) beneath The unmanned satellite observatory shot into
it. Meanwhile, the companion Moon, being smaller, space aboard a 197-foot-tall (60 metres) Atlas V
solidified, according to the scenario envisaged by rocket, blasting off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force
Martin Jutzi and Erik Asphaug of the University of Station in Florida at 12:25 p.m.
California at Santa Cruz in the U.S. Once it arrives in July 2016, the spacecraft will
Then, about 70 million years after their orbit the poles of the gas giant, which has more than
formation, the companion moon’s orbit became twice the mass of all planets in the solar system
unstable and it ended up crashing into the Moon. combined and is believed to be the first planet that
The collision occurred by cosmic standards at a ‘low- took shape around the Sun.
impact velocity.’ As a result, the smaller companion Named after the wife of the Roman god Jupiter,
got splattered over the Moon, “pasting on a thickened the $1.1 billion spacecraft is NASA’s first mission
crust and forming a mountainous region comparable to the planet since Galileo was launched in 1989. It
in extent to the far-side highlands,” the two scientists aims for 30 orbits over a period of one year.
noted in their paper. Juno will get closer to Jupiter than any other
The crash also pushed the magma ocean, which NASA spacecraft has and will be the first to undertake
had higher levels of potassium, rare earth elements a polar orbit of the planet, said Scott Bolton, Juno
and phosphorous, into the other hemisphere. principal investigator and scientist at the Southwest
Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas.
Plausibility The orbiter Galileo entered the planet’s orbit
Many processes in nature could produce the in 1995 and plunged into Jupiter in 2003, ending
observed pattern of lunar asymmetry and the current its life. Other NASA spacecraft — including Voyager
study demonstrated “plausibility rather than proof,” 1 and 2, Ulysses and New Horizons — have done
observed Maria Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute flybys of the planet.
of Technology in a commentary published in the Juno will spend the first two years of its
same issue of the journal. mission going around the Sun, then return for a flyby
Such proof could come from the America’s of the Earth, which will give a gravitational boost to
Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory spacecraft accelerate the spacecraft on a three-year path toward
that will head to the Moon next month. Dr. Zuber Jupiter.
is the principal investigator for the mission. The When it gets there, Juno — orbiting around
mission will provide “very detailed information 5,000 km (3,100 miles) above the gas giant — will
about the crustal thickness,” observed Dr. Jutzi in make use of a series of instruments, some of which
an e-mail. were provided by European space agency partners in
The paper had made “an interesting suggestion Italy, Belgium, France and Denmark, to learn about
that appears viable conceptually but may not be the the workings of the planet and what is inside.
real story,” cautioned J.N. Goswami, director of the Two key experiments will gauge how much
Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad and water is in Jupiter and whether the planet “has a core
chairman of the Science Advisory Board for India’s of heavy elements at the centre, or whether it is just
Chandrayaan-2 lunar mission. gas all the way down,” Mr. Bolton said at a press
Bringing back samples from more than one briefing. Scientists also hope to learn more about
location on the far-side on the Moon would provide Jupiter’s magnetic fields and its Great Red Spot, a
useful evidence, he pointed out. If the scenario given storm that has been raging for more than 300 years.

Water Flow Signs Found on Mars Construction of the vessel was started by the
The possible presence of liquid water is certain Soviet Union in 1985. It was completed in 1992
to revive speculation that Mars is teeming with except for its electronic components. After the Soviet
microbial organisms. The recipe for life, at least as Union broke up in 1991, Ukraine took over the ship.
we know it, calls for liquid water, carbon-based In 1998, the vessel was bought by a Macao casino
molecules and a source for energy. company. Since March 2002, it had been berthed in
There is plenty of ice on Mars, but the chemical Dalian.
reactions for life come to a halt when water freezes. Currently, the United States, the United
High-resolution photographs taken by NASA’s Kingdom, France, Russia, Spain, Italy, India, Brazil
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which arrived at Mars and Thailand operate the 21 active-service aircraft
in 2006, show finger-like streaks up to five yards wide carriers.
that appear on some steep slopes in the late Martian Agni-II Missile Launched Scheduled for
spring. These streaks grow and shift through summer, Tomorrow
reaching hundreds of yards in length before they fade Preparations are under way for the launch of
in winter. One crater had about 1,000 streaks. India’s intermediate range ballistic missile, Agni-II,
But finding streaks is not the same as finding from Wheeler Island, off Dhamra village on the
water. An instrument on the Mars orbiter capable of Orissa coast. The Strategic Forces Command of the
detecting water has not found any, but that might Army, which handles nuclear weapons-delivery
just mean that the amount of water in the flows is systems, will conduct the launch. Agni-II is already
too little to be seen. under production and the Army has deployed it. The
The scientists said the best explanation they two-stage missile can carry a nuclear warhead
could offer for the streaks was that they were caused weighing one tonne. The missile has been designed
by a flow of extremely salty water down the slopes. and developed by the Advanced Systems Laboratory
The salts, which have been detected all around Mars, at Hyderabad, an important missile complex, coming
would allow the water to remain liquid at much under the Defence Research and Development
colder temperatures than pure water. Organisation (DRDO).
China’s First Aircraft Carrier Sets out for Rudra to Join Army Soon
Sea Trial
The Army’s aerial firepower capabilities will
China’s first aircraft carrier set out on a low- get a boost, with the induction soon of the attack
profile sea trial, its first journey under the Chinese version of indigenously-built Advanced Light
flag. The vessel set sail from the port of Dalian, Helicopter (ALH) ‘Rudra.’
which narrowly escaped tropical storm Muifa. The ‘Rudra’ is the first weaponised chopper
Military sources said the trial was in line with the built in the country and will be inducted into the
carrier’s refitting schedule and would not be a long Army Aviation Corps in the current financial year,
one. Refitting work will continue after the vessel Army officials said.
returns to port. Armed with an array of guns, rocket pods, air-
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy to-air and anti-tank guided missiles, the fleet of the
behemoth is a former Soviet Navy aircraft carrier that weaponised helicopters, the “heavily-loaded” ALH,
has been fully refitted for its new role as a platform was approved for induction as part of modernisation
for research and training. and capability development efforts by the
Soviet ship government, they said.
The ship, formerly named Varyag, is an Admiral ‘Rudra’ is an armed variant of ALH Dhruva
Kuznetsov Class aircraft carrier that is 304.5 metres chopper and “necessary changes have been made in
long and 37 metres wide, with a displacement of the airframe of the chopper to give it agility and speed
58,500 metric tonnes. to make it a suitable support weapon for the ground
troops.”

Current Affairs
BrahMos Airborne Launcher Prototype at building up a space station, so we need a more

Undergoing Tests powerful carrier rocket,” Jing told Xinhua at the
launch center.
The BrahMos Aerospace Limited (BATL) has
been contracted to build five prototype airborne Manmohan for reinforcing maritime
launchers of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile security
with its first flight test on a Su-30 MKI aircraft slated Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said India
to take place by the end of 2012. should ensure adequate control over its maritime
Fabricated using high strength aluminium, the activity for security reasons. Speaking at the Golden
6-metre-long airborne launcher — the largest in the Jubilee celebrations of the Shipping Corporation of
world — weighs 350 kg. “The first prototype is India (SCI) he said, “India’s maritime sector is of vital
undergoing various tests in Hyderabad. Four more significance to our economy and every effort should
prototypes will be fabricated at BATL with tests be made to strengthen it.”
conducted in a staggered fashion,” Mr. Pillai said.
NASA’s flying telescope in search of distant
All Set for China’s Space Module Launch stars
A spokesperson for China’s manned space A new and powerful telescope is being used
programme said that fuel had been injected into the by NASA astronomers for studying the atmospheres
Long March-2FT1 carrier rocket in preparation for of planets and the formation of stars. However, unlike
launching the Tiangong-1 space module. most of the space agency’s telescopes, the
The Long March-2FT1 is the latest modified Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy
model of the Long March-2 rocket series and features (SOFIA) is not in space — rather it flies around
a more powerful thrust force, said spokeswoman Wu mounted on a Boeing 747 jet with a large door cut
Ping at a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite on the side for it to see out. One reason why scientists
Launch Center in northwest China. have chosen to put the telescope on a plane is that
The Long March-2FT1, given more than 170 the plane lands every day, says Alycia Weinberg,
improvements, is 52-metre long with a payload to astronomer at the Carnegie Institution for Science,
low Earth orbit of 8.6 tonnes,said Mr. Wu. who is in charge of planning observations on SOFIA.
The modifications came after an unsuccessful The daily landings let researchers fix things or
launch in August when a Long March-2C rocket failed upgrade instruments. Plus, with no more space
to send an experimental satellite into orbit. Engineers shuttle missions, fixing telescopes in space ranges
conducted comprehensive technical evaluations and is no more viable. Another reason a flying telescope
made modifications to Tiangong-1’s Long March-2F makes sense is that at 45,000 feet you’re above most
carrier rocket, which shares most of its components of the moisture in atmosphere. For, water vapour
with the failed Long March-2C. makes viewing the sky at infrared wavelengths
To contain the Tiangong-1 module, which is impossible. Like sounds that are too low or too high
larger than China’s Shenzhou manned spacecraft, the for human ears to hear, infrared wavelengths are light
Long March-2FT1 has a larger nose fairing, according and the human eye cannot see them.
to Jing Muchun, chief designer of the Tiangong Atoms, molecules
mission’s carrier rocket system.
One of the things astronomers especially like
Compared with carrier rockets that the United
to do with light from distant objects is put it through
States and Russia have used to launch Moon-landing
a spectrometer that can reveal the kinds of atoms and
vehicles and space station components, China’s Long
molecules that are in the light from whatever the
March rocket series is much less powerful.
telescope is pointed at.
For example, a carrier rocket must have a
payload capacity of at least 20 tonnes to send one Army’s winter war games begin this week
single part of the International Space Station into low Buoyed by its successful summer war games
Earth orbit. “China’s manned space programme aims in Rajasthan and Punjab, the Army will hold another

such massive exercise, featuring a potent strike corps Project and High-z Supernova Search Team looked
in the Rajasthan desert along the Pakistan border. at the “redshift” from these ultra-bright stars. Redshift
This time around, the Bhopal-based 21 Corps is a measurement of a star’s redness in the light
will carry out the winter exercises, which will go on spectrum. The farther the distance, the more the
for two months till the middle of December, top wavelength stretches deeper into the red zone,
sources in the Army Headquarters here told IANS. becoming a yardstick of how far light has travelled.
The war games are aimed at building the The technique entailed looking at the sky just
capacities of the strike formation in delivering deadly after the new Moon and again three weeks later,
blows to the enemy forces in short offensives, by before moonlight obliterates the faint light of stars.
breaching defences and capturing important strategic The two images are then compared in the hope of
assets deep inside the other’s territory. They will spotting a new dot of light that could be the flare of
enable the 21 “Sudarshan Chakra” Corps to showcase a distant supernova.What the two teams had
its firepower through battle tanks and artillery guns. expected to find was a cosy redshift that would back
The summer war games ‘Vijayee Bhava,’ that theories that the Universe — set in motion by the
took place in the Rajasthan desert in May, were Big Bang 14 billion years ago — was expanding, but
conducted by the Ambala-based 2 “Kharga” Corps, at ever-slower speed. In 1998, the two rival groups
the other of the three strike formations. put forward results that shook the very foundations
The ‘Pine Prahar’ exercises in the plains of of science. They found greater and greater redshift
Punjab, also in May, were staged by the Jalandhar- values from their “standard candles,” signalling the
based 11 “Vajra” Corps, a pivot formation with both Universe’s expansion was not constant but
defensive and offensive elements. accelerating. The implication was clear: ultimately,
The Army has carried out nearly a dozen major the force of gravity would no longer be enough to
exercises in the western sector from 2004 to validate keep matter together. Instead, atoms would become
a new battle doctrine loosely termed “Cold Start” more and more diluted in an ever larger, always
by think tanks and the media. In simple terms, it colder and emptier space.
involves replacing a lumbering elephant with a race Satellite in good health
horse. Although Army chief General V.K. Singh has
denied the existence of a “Cold Start” doctrine, he The Megha-Tropiques satellite, put in orbit by
did acknowledge that the Army had plans for speedy the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C18) on
mobilisation in case a conflict loomed. October 12, is in good health and its four scientific
instruments have been energised. The satellite is a
Nobel winners sweep away cosy view of joint contribution from India and France to the global
Universe scientific community engaged in research on climate
What if, instead of ending in a bang or a and weather systems that affect the daily life of
whimper, it did neither, and just expanded on and humanity the world over and particularly in the
on, flying apart in a limbo of deep chill and tropical region, a press release from the Indian Space
disconnected atoms? This is the implication — as Research Organisation (ISRO) said. Three co-
revolutionary as it is scary— of the insights that passenger satellites, the SRMSat from the SRM
earned three astronomers the Nobel Physics Prize. University, near Chennai, the Jugnu from the Indian
Saul Perlmutter and Adam Riess of the United States Institute of Technology, Kanpur and the Vesselsat-1
and U.S-Australian Brian Schmidt won the from Luxembourg were put in orbit by the PSLV-C18.
paramount award for using ancient stars that flare in The user-institutions have confirmed establishing
dramatic death throes to measure distance on a contact with their satellites.
cosmic scale. ‘Shakti’ wound up with search-and-destroy
These so-called type 1a supernovae were used mission
by their teams as “standard candles” whose distance
could be measured, like beacons inthe night. Working In an unprecedented operation, highly-trained
in competing groups, the Supernova Cosmology Indian and French troops undertook a daring search-

Current Affairs
and-destroy mission in the hills of Ranikhet in layer of methane, last gasps of an atmosphere that
Uttarkhand to neutralise terrorists hiding in the dense has been bleeding off into space for eons.
Pilkholi forests. The mission was part of the Russian mission to Mars moon stuck in
consolidation exercise that marked the culmination
Earth’s orbit
of a 15-day ‘Shakti-2011’ war games at Chaubatia,
which were undertaken by armies of both countries A Russian space probe to a Mars moon
for the first time. launched is stuck in the Earth’s orbit after its engines
failed to fire. After the booster rocket put the
Second India-Oman joint air exercises end spacecraft on a support orbit around the Earth, the
The Indian Air Force completed its second joint probe’s own engines were programmed to get started
exercise with its counterparts from Oman, whose to put it on a trajectory to Mars, but they did not.
northern tip is located at the Straits of Hormuz, The Russian space agency said it may still be possible
entrance to the crucial Gulf. The previous exercise to put the probe back on track. The project, named
was held in 2009, the first sch full-fledged endeavour Phobos-Grunt that means “soil from Phobos” after
one of Mars’ two moons, is dubbed the most
with a Gulf State.
challenging inter-planetary mission so far. It involves
The exercise, said sources, was part of India’s sophisticated manoeuvring to approach Phobos from
efforts to build strategic ties with Oman, whose ports a Mars orbit, soft-land on the surface of 22-km wide
have been utilised by Indian Navy frigates for anti- Phobos, collect samples of its soil and return to the
piracy duty off the Gulf of Aden. In fact, Oman is Earth in 2014. Nobody has yet attempted to bring
the first Arab State to have formalised defence ties rock samples from the moon of a planet. Scientists
with India, and its Foreign Minister Yusuf Bin Alawai hope the mission could help solve the mystery of
bin Abdulla was the first high-level leader from an the origin of Phobos and the solar system.
Arab country to visit India after the November 2008 Phobos-Grunt is carrying a Chinese mini-
Mumbai attacks. satellite that is to study Mars for two years in its orbit.
It helped that of the largely U.S., U.K. and The spacecraft has onboard a U.S. experiment with
French-origin military hardware, Oman also has bacteria, plant seeds and microscopic invertebrates
Jaguar fighters which were deployed for the “Exercise to find out whether life could have migrated between
Eastern bridge-2011” at the Jamnagar Air Force base planets. The French and German space agencies also
in Gujarat. Closer security ties, said sources, would have provided instrumentation for the mission. Russia
had sent several probes to Mars in the past, but none
smoothen the path for greater economic engagement.
reached its goal. The last attempt was mounted five
Oman has a free trade agreement with the U.S. and, years ago, when the Mars-96 spacecraft failed to reach
according to Oman’s Ambassador Sheikh Humaid even its support orbit and fell back to the Earth.
Bin Ali Bin Sultan Al-mani, India could use its
industrial zones and the port of Salana, which can CISF contingent for U.N. mission
be used to send goods to the U.S. Central Industrial Security Force Director-
‘Tiny planet has water ice’ General N. R. Das flagged off a 140-strong Formed
Police Unit contingent for the United Nations
Astronomers have discovered a mysterious stabilisation mission in Haiti. The contingent,
dwarf planet, which they believe is covered in ice headed by Commandant Anil Kumar Pandey, will
and may sport the wispy remnants of an atmosphere. assist the Haitian National Police in weapons control
The planet, named “Snow White,” lies outside and public security measures; it will ensure
Neptune and is orbiting the sun as part of the Kuiper restoration and maintenance of the rule of law,
belt — the ring of icy bodies that orbit the sun beyond public safety and public order in the troubled nation
Neptune. Officially known as 2007 OR10, it is through operational support. A major responsibility
actually red. Half of its surface is covered by water of the contingent will be to protect civilians under
ice that probably spewed from ancient imminent threat of physical violence and ensure
cryovolcanoes, researchers said. It is believed that safety of UN personnel, facilities, installations and
equipment and to secure free movement of its
the planet’s reddish hue likely comes from a thin personnel.
Agni II Prime to be tested again Operational Trials of ATC Systems of IAF

Missile technologists of the Defence Research Scheduled for Next Year
and Development Organisation (DRDO) are reaching The Indian Air Force’s ambitious plan to
Wheeler Island off the coast of Orissa for the launch improve the infrastructure of its airfields is on course
of India’s Agni II Prime missile. The missile will take and a key component in integrating various systems
off from a specially designed truck and, if the flight for air traffic control should become operational for
is successful, it will target an area 3,000 km away trials by early next year at the first site.
in the Bay of Bengal. Agni-II Prime is a two-stage The first site is being readied by U.S. major
surface-to-surface missile that aims at filling the gap Raytheon to enable different radars of the IAF to
in the ranges between Agni-II and Agni-III. While integrate and provide data. It is one of the crucial
Agni-II can take out targets 2,000 km away, Agni-III programmes of a Rs. 1,000-crore Modernisation of
can travel a distance of 3,000 km to 3,500 km. Airfield Infrastructure (MAFI) contract that Tata Power
All the three are strategic missiles that can carry Strategic Electronic Division signed with the IAF in
nuclear warheads. But test flights like these carry April. The MAFI project is split into two phases. The
conventional explosives. Agni-II Prime is 20 metres first phase envisages upgrading the facilities in 30
long and weighs 17 tonnes. This time it will carry a air bases, including testing, integration and
warhead weighing 800 kg instead of the normal 1,000 sustenance of the Instrument Landing System,
kg. “We are aiming to go for range of 3,000 km this Distance Measurement System, the Tactical Air
time,” a DRDO official said. The Advanced Missile Navigation system, the Air Traffic Management
Laboratory, Hyderabad, has designed and developed System and the CAT-2 Airfield Lighting System. It is
the missile. expected to be completed in 42 months. In Phase-
AERB for more Power, Water for Nuclear II, 20-odd airfields that include those with the IAF,
the Army, Navy and the Coast Guard are to be taken
Stations up for modernisation. The Defence Ministry feels that
A committee appointed by the Atomic Energy based on the experience gained in the
Regulatory Board (AERB) has recommended implementation of the first phase, the requirement
“extended and enhanced availability” of both power in respect of the second phase will be consolidated.
and water for all the nuclear power stations in the The time line for the second phase is also
country, including the Kudankulam Nuclear Power approximately 42 months. With the completion of
Project (KKNPP), in the aftermath of the accident at both the phases, a total of 59 airfields will have
the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan in March this lighting system to facilitate night landing. Of these
year. AERB chairman S.S. Bajaj said, “What has been operational air bases, eight do not have electrical
recommended is portable power packs that can be airfield lighting facility while four of these are
hooked up for power supply when normal electricity provided with solar-powered/portable lighting
systems are not available. A secure water source system.
should be identified for emergency cooling of the Aircraft Induction
reactor core.” The upgrading of the existing air bases is also
While dealing with Kudankulam, the in line with the massive modernisation of the IAF
committee found that it had a lot of strong points. inventory with the induction of C130J and the
Its reactors were well protected, particularly from acquisition of heavy-lift C17 Globemaster transport
tsunami, as they were situated at a higher elevation aircraft and other platforms.
than the maximum anticipated tsunami level. With
regard to earthquakes, he said the reactors were BDL to Produce Akash Missiles
designed very well. “Besides, they have a lot of safety Minister of State for Defence M. M. Pallam
features, including the passive heat removal system Raju said that there is a need to expand the production
(PHRS). (The PHRS uses the atmospheric air to cool capacity of Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) in view
the reactor fuel core when all sources of power supply of the increasing demand.
to the reactor unit fail and there is a station black-
Largest Order
out. The PHRS does not need electrical pumps).
The BDL has recently bagged the largest ever
Current Affairs
order worth Rs. 14,000 crore for supply of Akash The first flight of the Agni-I took place on
weapon systems to the Indian Army. The facility January 25, 2002. It was developed quickly in about
which the Union Minister laid the stone would cater 15 months. Soon after the Kargil war broke out in
to the requirement of supply of Akash missiles. June 1999 and in the wake of nuclear tests by India
New Earth-like Planet May have Water, Life and Pakistan in May 1998, India felt that it should
develop a short-range missile that would fill the gap
Scientists claim to have discovered a between Prithvi-II, which has a range of 250 km and
potentially habitable planet which has an the Agni-II, which can take out places 2,500 km
environment much similar to that of the Earth and away. So the single-stage Agni-I was born out of the
may contain water and even life. The exoplanet, two-stage Agni-II.
called Gliese 581g, is located around 123 trillion
miles away from the Earth and orbits a star at a INS Arihant on Track
distance that places it squarely in the habitable or The first indigenous nuclear submarine
the Goldilocks zone, the scientists said. The research, programme, INS Arihant, is on track and it is
published in the Astrophysical Journal , suggests that expected to go in for sea trials over the next few
the planet could contain liquid water on its surface, months, but the aircraft carrier being built at the
meaning it tops the league of planets and moons Cochin Shipyard had suffered a setback, Navy Chief
rated as being most like Earth, they said. Admiral Nirmal Verma said.
The team reported the discovery of two new INS Arihant comes under the Advanced
planets around Gliese 581. This brings the total Technology Vessel programme that was launched in
number of known planets around this star to six, the July 2009 in Visakhapatnam.
most yet discovered in a planetary system outside of Sudarshan Shakti Aims to Transform Armed
our own. Like our solar system, the planets around
Gliese 581 have nearly-circular orbits, the team said. Forces
Gliese 581 has a mass three to four times the Earth’s President Pratibha Patil, Supreme Commander
and orbits its star in just under 37 days. Its mass of the armed forces, witnessed one of the largest
indicates that it is probably a rocky planet with a military exercises in recent times — “Sudarshan
definite surface and enough gravity to hold on to an Shakti” — aimed at starting the transformation of the
atmosphere, they said. — PTI forces into a modern, lean, and agile fighting
Agni-I Missile Successfully Test-fired off combination capable of leveraging new-age
technologies.
Odisha Coast The exercise, in the deserts near Barmer in
The Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Rajasthan, helmed by the Southern Army Command
armed forces successfully test-fired an Agni-I missile and the South Western Air Command, led by
from the Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast, on formations under the Bhopal-based 21 Corps, a strike
Thursday to test its readiness to launch ballistic Corps also known by the name Sudarshan Chakra
missiles carrying nuclear warheads. Corps, looks to build synergy between the Army and
The Agni-I, developedby the Defence Research the Air Force in a network-centric environment to
and Development Organisation (DRDO), is already help face challenges of the 21 {+s} {+t} Century –
in the Army’s arsenal. The missile, with a range of including having to fight in an environment
700 km, is Pakistan-specific. It covers the western dominated by the threat from nuclear, biological, and
range. It is 15 metres long, weighs 12 tonnes and chemical weapons.
has a single stage, powered by solid propellants. It India, Russia Agree on Credit for
can carry a one-tonne nuclear warhead.
The Agni-I, the Agni-II, the Agni-III and the Kudankulam Units 3, 4
Agni-IV form the quartet of Agni series, all of which : India and Russia have resolved their
can carry nuclear warheads. They are surface-to- differences over the Kudankulam nuclear plant in
surface missiles. These four and the Prithvi variants Tamil Nadu, according to Prime Minister Manmohan
provide teeth to India’s nuclear deterrence posture. Singh and highly placed Russian government sources.
The DRDO has developed all these missiles. . In fact, Dr. Singh was confident of “going ahead’’

with Unit I of the Russia-supplied Kudankulam plant Akula-II class vessel that had recently finished sea
in a “couple of weeks.’’ The second one should trials.
follow after six months, he said at a joint press 10-year Lease
conference with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
Separately, highly placed sources in the Russian The deal for the submarine, which is being
nuclear energy sector said the two sides had sorted transferred on a 10-year lease, was worth $920
out their differences over the setting up of the next million. The report said an Indian crew would sail
two units, and “maybe, more.” The sources claimed the Akula-II class craft to its home base. “All of the
that the nuclear liability legislation, the bone of naval tests and performance checks have been
contention between the two sides, would not apply completed,” the Russian navy official said.
to these units as well. The submarine, capable of remaining
The Russian sources made it clear that underwater for months, will be rechristened ‘INS
Moscow’s proposal to New Delhi to set up a joint Chakra’ and it would be for the first time in more
facility for production of nuclear fuel on the Russian than two decades that the Indian navy would have a
soil would not lead to transfer of enrichment and nuclear attack submarine.
reprocessing (ENR) technologies to India. “Russia When Russia makes the delivery, it will make
will not under any circumstances violate its India only the sixth operator of nuclear submarines
international commitments in this sphere,” the in the world. The Akula-II class submarines are
sources said referring to the Nuclear Suppliers equipped with 28 nuclear-capable cruise missiles
Group’s ban on sale of sensitive nuclear technologies with a striking range of 3,000 km. The Indian version
to countries that have not signed the Non- is reportedly expected to be armed with the 300-km
Proliferation Treaty. A joint statement released later Club nuclear-capable missiles.
noted that negotiations for Units 3 and 4 were at an India had funded the completion of the
advanced stage and the two sides “reiterated their submarine at Amur Shipyard before the collapse of
commitment to the agreements reached previously the Soviet Union in 1991. — PTI
on the construction of Russian design nuclear plants President Inaugurates New SHAR Mission
at “new sites’’ in India. On Russian insistence, India Control Centre
agreed to place an order for 42 Sukhois that will
include replacements for the two crashed fighters. Pratibha Patil visited the Satish Dhawan Space
India and Russia also concluded negotiations Centre (SDSC SHAR) at Sriharikota here on Monday
on obtaining military and strategic communications and dedicated the new Mission Control Centre to
from the Glonass constellation of satellites being put the nation. She also witnessed a simulation of the
into orbit by Moscow as an alternative to the West- launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)
controlled GPS system. at the Mission Control Centre and various exhibits
of the advances in space science and technology. The
Navy Floats out First Indigenous Aircraft new centre has been developed with state-of-the-art
Carrier facilities to meet the requirements for the launch of
The first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) of the Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-
the Navy was floated out at the Cochin Shipyard III and future missions of the Indian Space Research
Limited (CSL), at a low-key event attended by senior Organisation (ISRO).
shipping and naval officers. The floating ceremony Later, she visited the First Launch Pad, where
was followed by a meeting to review the progress in the integration of the soon-to-be-launched of PSLV-
the work being done on the aircraft carrier, a 40,000- C19 was in progress.
tonne fleet air defence platform of the Navy, which In her address to ISRO scientists, the President
will be named after the legendary INS Vikrant. said the entire country was looking forward to the
successful flight-testing by the ISRO of the
Russia Hands over Nuclear Submarine to indigenous cryogenic stage on-board GSLV-1. “I
India understand that our next generation heavy-lift launch
Nuclear-powered attack submarine Nerpa that vehicle, GSLV Mark III, is also in an advanced stage
was handed over to India on a 10-year lease, is an of development.”

Current Affairs
GRAIL-A reached its lunar orbit on at Mauna Kea, the 8.3-metre Subaru, is also a partner.
Saturday. TMT may not hold the title for long, however,
as a partnership of European countries plans to build
The two spacecraft have taken three months the European Extremely Large Telescope, which
to reach the Moon as opposed to the usual three- would have a 42-metre, or 138-foot, mirror. — AP
day journey taken by the manned Apollo missions.
The longer journey allowed scientists to better test Russian Mars Probe to Fall in Indian Ocean
the two probes. Scientists believe that the Moon was Russia’s stricken Mars probe, Phobos-Grunt,
formed when a planet-sized object crashed into the is likely to fall into the Indian Ocean west of
Earth, throwing off a load of material that eventually Indonesia. The crash area pinpointed by Roskosmos
became our planet’s airless, desolate satellite. How is in the Indian Ocean west of Jakarta, but the space
it heated up over time, creating a magma ocean that agency said the time and place could change
later crystallised, remains a mystery, despite 109 past depending on atmospheric conditions, solar activity
missions to study the Moon since 1959 and the fact and probe rotation.
that 12 humans have walked on its surface. The 13.5-tonne spacecraft was launched on
China, India to Work for Largest Telescope November 9 on a mission to Phobos, the larger of
Mars’ two moons. It was to deploy a Chinese mini-
China and India have catapulted to the probe in Martian orbit and bring back a sample of
forefront of astronomy research with their decision Phobos soil. However, the probe stuck in Earth orbit
to join as partners in building a Hawaii telescope, as its upper-stage thrusters failed to fire. Roskosmos
which will be the world’s largest. China and India said most of the spacecraft would burn on re-entry
will pay a share of the construction cost, expected in the atmosphere, but 20 to 30 parts with a total
to top $1 billion, for the telescope at the summit of weight of up to 200 kg are expected to hit the Earth.
Mauna Kea volcano. They will also have a share of
the observation time. The Thirty Meter Telescope’s Second Nuclear Submarine Headed for
segmented primary mirror, which will be nearly 100 Year-end Launch
feet or 30 metres long, will give it nine times the At a time when diminishing operational
light-collecting area of the largest optical telescopes availability of its conventional submarine fleet has
in use today. Its images will also be three times put the Navy in dire straits, it has some reason to
sharper. cheer.
New Planets The construction of a second Arihant-class
G C Anupama, professor at the Indian Institute nuclear submarine, to be named INS Aridaman, is
of Astrophysics, said the largest telescope in India moving fast at the Shipbuilding Centre (SBC) in
has a 2-metre mirror, though India is building one Visakhapatnam. It is slated for launch by this year-
that will be 4 metres. “So it’s a huge jump for us end or in the first quarter of next year.
from 4-meter to 30-metre,” said Ms. Anupama in a “The boat, under outfitting now, is headed for
telephone interview on the sidelines of the advisory a year-end launch. Meanwhile, hull fabrication is on
committee’s meeting. “It definitely will take Indian for the third Arihant-class nuclear-powered ballistic
astronomy to greater heights.” The telescope, known missile submarine,” the sources said. “Unlike surface
as TMT, will be able to observe planets that orbit vessels, submarines are fully outfitted before launch,
stars other than the Sun and enable astronomers to which makes it a prerequisite for its weapons to be
watch new planets and stars being formed. tested and ready well in advance.”
The University of California system, the The first submarine of the class, INS Arihant,
California Institute of Technology and the launched in July 2009, has just completed its harbour
Association of Canadian Universities for Research acceptance trials and is set to undergo the crucial
in Astronomy founded the telescope, which is sea acceptance trials in February.
expected to be finished by 2018.China joined as an “This will be followed by weapon trials before
observer in 2009, followed by India the next year. the submarine is formally inducted into the Navy,
Both are now partners, with representatives on the hopefully in 2013, when the country will attain the
TMT board. Japan, which has its own large telescope much-desired nuclear triad,” the sources said.

Concurrently, nuclear-powered submarine INS had been known in the Royal Navy, has indeed
Chakra, borrowed on a 10-year lease from Russia brought back dear memories in many ‘ex-HMS
mainly for training purposes, will be inducted in the Andromeda shipmates’ besides Indian Navy
latter half of 2012. Troubled by the eroding strength personnel who have served aboard INS Krishna
of its conventional underwater arm, the Navy’s ‘blue (pennant number F 46). It comes at a time when the
water’ aspirations remained in the realm of wishful HMS Andromeda Association is planning a reunion
thinking, with the force failing to add even a single of Andromeda veterans, about 400 worldwide, in the
submarine to its inventory in the last decade. last week.
With the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) India, European Union join Hands for Anti-
programme to indigenously design and build
nuclear-powered attack submarines gaining piracy Military Operations
momentum after years of indecision and India and the European Union (EU) have joined
disorientation in the 1990s, the goal, claimed the hands for launching joint military operations in the
sources, was within reach now. Indian Ocean against piracy activities. EU has
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Verma deployed four warships and supporting military ships
said last year that once commissioned, INS Arihant of EU member-countries and is engaged with the
would be deployed on ‘deterrent (combat) patrol.’ Indian Navy in developing synergy in the region.
Although it would be home-ported in “We have launched a concrete collaboration
Visakhapatnam, the submarine, armed with nuclear- with India since December 2011 on anti-piracy
tipped K-15 or B-5 ballistic missiles and having a operations in the Indian Ocean. We have put in place
range of about 750 km, would offer effective one of the biggest military operations — Operation
deterrence against Pakistan, the sources pointed out. Atlanta — against piracy in the Indian Ocean. We
The missiles are developed under the are developing a synergy with the Indian Navy in
dealing with such situations,” Joao Cravinho,
Sagarika programme. Ambassador and Head of EU Delegation to India,
Displacing about 6,000 tonnes, the 112 metre- said.
long Arihant-class of boomer submarines are powered India, Japan Coast Guard Units
by indigenously-built 80-MW nuclear power plants.
Each submarine is said to store 12 K-15 missiles Demonstrate Capabilities
besides torpedoes and torpedo-launched cruise A mock drill on the deep seas by the Indian
missiles. and Japan Coast Guard units demonstrated the
Obsolete Fleet inherent capabilities of the two forces to jointly
counter a range of maritime threats in the Asia-Pacific
While the ATV project is on track, the Navy region. The Indo-Japan Coast Guard Joint Exercises,
finds its back against the wall having to operate a which alternates between India and Japan every year,
flagging fleet of Russian Kilo-class and German was organised off the Bay of Bengal where fleets
HDW conventional diesel-electric submarines, 14 headed by the newly-commissioned Indian Coast
in all, 75 per cent of which are over the hill. Guard vessel Vishwast and the Japanese ship Settsu
INS Krishna to make its Last Voyage Today simulated a range of search-and-rescue, pollution
control and anti-piracy operations.
After traversing the seas for 44 years — first as
the Royal Navy’s HMS Andromeda from 1968 to The joint exercise named “Sahyog-Kaijin-XI”
was supervised by ICG Director-General Vice-
November 1994 and in its current avatar as one of
Indian Navy’s First Training Squadron Ships, INS Admiral M. P. Muralidharan and his Japanese
Krishna, from August 1995 — is set to sing its swan counterpart Admiral Hisayasu Suzuki, Commandant
song. It will embark on its last voyage, setting course of the Japan Coast Guard.
for Mumbai from the Southern Naval Command’s Rafale edges out Eurofighter
south jetty for a minor refit before being India on Tuesday selected the French Fighter
decommissioned later this year. The news of the Rafale over the Eurofighter Typhoon in a multi-billion
imminent retirement of the ‘Grey Mistress,’ as she dollar contract for the supply of 126 Medium Multi-

Current Affairs
Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) — the country’s the Southern coast and displayed cooperation the
largest defence deal to date. Indian Air Force in its annual TROPEX (Theatre-level
Interestingly, for a company that faltered at the Readiness and Operational Exercise). The display was
start, with the Defence Ministry indicating that the witnessed by Defence Minister A.K. Antony.
Rafale was out of the race, Dassault made a Against the backdrop of the Indian Ocean, two
comeback and went on to win the bid. broad but well-networked fleets provided a glimpse
The decision to open exclusive negotiations of the Forces’ prowess and proficiency in operating
with Dassault was acclaimed by French President their latest acquisitions in a dense electronic
Nicolas Sarkozy, who praised the “very high-level, environment.
fair and transparent competition involving the two Interceptor Missile Scores with Direct Hit
European finalists.” The two aircraft were chosen
from a list of six, including U.S. Boeing (F/A18) and India moved closer to the deployment of the
Lockheed Martin (F-16), Russian MiG-35 and fledgling, home-grown Ballistic Missile Defence
Swedish Saab (Gripen), in April last year. (BMD) system when an interceptor missile achieved
The deal is estimated to be worth $10.2 billion a direct hit and destroyed an incoming target missile
(Rs.54,000 crore). The plan includes acquiring 126 at an altitude of 15 km over the Bay of Bengal.
aircraft, 18 of them in fly-away condition and the With this success, India joined a select band
rest to be made in India at the Hindustan Aeronautics of four countries which have ballistic missile defence
facility under transfer of technology. capabilities.
For France, the deal is the third big defence Soon after the ‘hostile missile,’ a modified
contract that has come its way. In the current surface-to-surface Prithvi, was launched at 10.10 a.m.
financial year, the Government of India cleared the from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, Orissa,
$2.4 billion upgrade of 51 Mirage-2000 aircraft and the interceptor, AAD-05, was fired from the Wheeler
the $970 million supply of MICA fire-and-forget Island. Equipped for the first time with an omni-
missile for the same aircraft. directional warhead and travelling at a speed of Mach
5-6, the interceptor homed in on the target and
Potentially Habitable Planet Discovered smashed it to smithereens five minutes later.
International astronomers said on Thursday India plans to put in place a two-tiered BMD
they have found the fourth potentially habitable system in two phases for endo and exo-atmospheric
planet outside our solar system with temperatures interception of incoming enemy missiles. While the
that could support water and life about 22 light-years first phase seeks to intercept and kill ballistic missiles
from Earth. The team analysed data from the European having a range of less than 2,000 km, the second
Southern Observatory about a star known as GJ 667C, phase envisages destroying those with ranges of more
which is known as an M-class dwarf star and puts than 2,000 km.
out much less heat than our Sun. However, at least Dassault, Reliance ink MoU for
three planets are orbiting close to the star, and one
of them appears to be close enough that it likely Collaboration in defence Sector
absorbs about as much incoming light and energy French defence major Dassault Aviation has
as Earth, has similar surface temperatures and perhaps entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU)
water. The new rocky planet, GJ 667Cc, orbits its with Reliance Industries for partnering in defence and
star every 28.15 days — meaning its year equals about homeland security sector. The MoU comes soon after
one Earth month — and has a mass at least 4.5 times the Defence Ministry on January 31 had offered
that of Earth, according to the research published Dassault the multi-billion dollar deal to supply 126
inAstrophysical Journal Letters . Other planets combat aircraft to the IAF.
circling the same star could include a gas-giant and India, Riyadh to set up defence Cooperation
an additional super-Earth.
Panel
Navy, Air Force Stage Network-centric
India and Saudi Arabia have decided to set up
Exercise a joint panel on defence ties. It will also explore ways
The Navy staged a network-centric exercise off of cooperation in fighting piracy in the Indian Ocean

region. At a meeting between Defence Minister A.K. Indian nuclear programme until now. This was stated
Antony and his Saudi counterpart Prince Salman Bin was by R. N. Jayaraj, Chief Executive Officer of the
Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, the two sides expressed concern Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) in Hyderabad, in a
over the rise in piracy in the Indian Ocean region presentation made at a two-day India International
and agreed to “explore practical cooperation and an Nuclear Symposium (IINS), which concluded here
active role of the Royal Saudi Navy in the Indian on Thursday. The IINS was organised by the London-
Ocean Naval Symposium construct.” based World Nuclear Association (WNA).
Mi-17 V5 Induction into IAF Today Natural uranium contains only 0.7 per cent of
the fissile isotope Uranium-235, the rest being the
The Indian Air Force will add muscle and fertile isotope Uranium-238, which gets converted
strength to its fleet of medium-lift helicopters with to Plutonium-239 in the reactor by neutron
the induction of upgraded Russian Mi-17 V5 absorption. The SEU, which is being proposed to be
helicopters. The first lot of 21 of the 80 helicopters used in future 700 MWe PHWRs, will contain 1.1
to be procured as per an agreement signed with per cent of U-235. The Light Water Reactors (LWRs)
Russia four years ago arrived earlier. of the type being built at Kudankulam and the types
The armour-plated armed helicopter has that are likely to be supplied by other foreign vendors
effective firepower and powerful engines that use low enriched uranium (LEU), which has 3 to 5
enhances the payload carriage capability at higher per cent U-235 enrichment.
altitudes. Mi-17 V5, an upgrade of Mi-17, has state-
of-the-art avionics and onboard navigation systems. Advantage
It is a glass cockpit variant — the first of its kind to The advantage of using SEU, according to Mr.
get inducted into the IAF. It has autopilot that is Jayaraj, is the higher nuclear burn-up that can be
compatible with the latest generation (Gen-III) night achieved. Burn-up is a measure of the amount
vision goggles. thermal energy that is extracted from a given amount
of nuclear fuel. The burn-up achieved with natural
Three more Nuclear Fuel Complexes to be uranium in the present Indian PHWRs is about 6700-
Set up 7000 megawatt-days (MWd)/tonne (t) of uranium-
The Department of Atomic Energy plans to set oxide. The burn-up that is achievable with SEU in
up three more nuclear fuel complexes in the wake PHWRs would be about three times this value (about
of a massive plan to increase the capacity of nuclear 21,000 MWD/t), Mr. Jayaraj said. Use of SEU in
power plants to 63,000 MW by 2032, from the Indian PHWRs was tested in one of the Indian
current level of 4,780 MW. reactors, according to reliable sources in the NPCIL.
At present, only Hyderabad has such complex. The physics and energy production characteristics
It produces fuel bundles and other components for have been extensively studied by introducing few
all the 20 reactors that are in operation in the country. elements of SEU in some fuel bundles in the reactor
The first of the three additional plants would core. The 700 MWe contains 4704 fuel bundles, each
come up at Kota in Rajasthan and would be used to containing 37 fuel elements each.
supply fuel to the four 700 MW Pressurised Heavy Promising Results
Water Reactors being built at neighbouring The results are apparently very promising and
Rawatbhata and Kakrapar in Gujarat. The sites for it is felt that SEU can now be introduced as a
the other two are yet to be finalised. significant fraction of the fuel make-up in PHWRs,
Use of Enriched Uranium in PHWRs even up to 40 per cent based on appropriate
Proposed regulatory approvals from the Atomic Energy
Regulatory Board (AERB), NPCIL sources said.
The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and One of the key arguments in favour of this
the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) approach is that, if SEU can now be procured from
plan to use slightly enriched uranium (SEU) in the international market, why not make the best use of
future 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors it in safeguarded PHWRs of the Indian programme.
(PHWRs) instead of the current technology of using Envisaging an imminent approval of the
natural uranium as the fuel in all the PHWRs of regulatory authorities, the NFC has already drawn up

Current Affairs
plans to produce SEU fuel bundles from the year Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad, developed Akash, a
2018. It has projected a requirement of about 10,000 surface-to-air missile. Torpedoes are underwater
bundles of SEU in the beginning, which could grow missiles which are fired from ships, submarines or
up to 55,000 bundles by 2030. helicopters against ships and submarines. The TAL
Farmers to benefit from Tropical Legumes is about 2.75 metres long, weighs 220 kg and packs
50 kg of explosives. It is an anti-submarine torpedo
II project
and can travel upto a maximum distance of seven
A second phase of an agricultural research for km before taking out an enemy submarine. It can be
development project aimed at improving the launched from ships, helicopters and aircraft. The
livelihoods of poor farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and Navy has placed an order for 25 TALs.
South Asia has been recently agreed on.
This is one of seven grants which Bill Gates Nirbhay Likely to be Test-fired in April
announced in Rome at the 35th Session of the The Defence Research and Development
Governing Council of the International Fund for Organisation (DRDO) has developed a new sub-sonic
Agricultural Development (IFAD). This cruise missile called Nirbhay (Fearless in Sanskrit),
announcement, nearly $200 million in grants, brings which may be test-fired in April.
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s total This is the first time that India has developed
commitment to agriculture to more than $2 billion a cruise missile that will travel at a sub-sonic speed
since the program began in 2006. (less than the speed of sound). India and Russia have
Three Year Project jointly developed BrahMos, a supersonic, cruise
missile, which travels for 290 km at 2.8 Mach (2.8
The three-year, US$21 million project known times the speed of sound).
as Tropical Legumes II (TL II), is part of a ten-year India felt the need for developing a sub-sonic
plan which seeks to improve the livelihoods of 60 cruise missile with a long range, and the upshot is
million small farmers and their families in 15 Nirbhay. The Aeronautical Development
countries in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Establishment (ADE), a DRDO facility in Bangalore,
It is also expected to bring about US$ 1.3 has designed Nirbhay, the equivalent of Lakshya,
billion in added value to the productivity of the which is a pilotless target aircraft developed by the
target crops, namely: chickpea, common bean, ADE. Nirbhay has many technologies derived from
cowpea, groundnut, pigeonpea and soybean. Lakshya. The maximum speed of Lakshya is 0.65
The project is expected to help small farmers Mach. Nirbhay is India’s equivalent of Tomahawk,
overcome productivity constraints such as drought, a long-range, sub-sonic cruise missile, developed by
pest and disease problems, and unavailability and the U.S. Nirbhay is a two-stage, surface-to-surface
lack of access to quality seed of improved legume missile. While a booster engine would “kick the first
varieties. stage” from the ground, the second stage has a turbo-
Torpedo, Akash missile to be handed over prop engine, akin to an aircraft’s. It can carry multiple
to Navy and IAF tomorrow payloads and engage several targets. “Even if there
are multiple targets, it can pick out a target and attack
The indigenously developed advanced light- it. It is a loitering missile; it can go round and round
weight torpedo and the Akash missile system will a target, perform several manoeuvres and take it apart.
be handed over to the Navy and the Indian Air Force It has precision, endurance and accuracy. It is an
respectively. Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), important missile,” DRDO officials said. With a
Hyderabad, is the production agency for both the range of more than 750 km, Nirbhay can remain in
torpedo and the missile. The Navy has christened it the air for a long time. Capable of flying at the height
Torpedo Advanced Light (TAL). of a tree (so, it is known as “tree-top missile), it can
The Naval Science and Technological soar to a minimum of 10 km and a maximum of 50
Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam, which comes km.
under the Defence Research and Development The DRDO will also soon test-fire Helina, the
Organisation (DRDO), has designed and developed helicopter-fired version of Nag, the third-generation
the TAL. The Defence Research and Development anti-tank missile. Helina is a portmanteau term,

standing for helicopter and Nag (the cobra). Nag has steam generators for Kakrapara (3 and 4 units) and
‘fire and forget’ and ‘top attack’ capability. Carrying Rajasthan (7 and 8 units) nuclear power plants being
an eight-kg warhead, it has an infra-red seeker and set up by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India
can destroy enemy tanks four km away. Based on the Limited (NPCIL). Each steam generator will need
information available from the target, Helina will 2,500 tubes and NFC would be supplying 20,000
lock on to it midway through its flight and zero in tubes for the eight steam generators by the middle
on to it. of 2013-14. In tune with L& T’s strategy of promoting
A modified version of Arjun-Mark I main battle self-reliance, the company had opted to source the
tank will prove its mettle by firing a LAHAT missile tubes from NFC rather than importing them. To pool
from an Army range this month. The LAHAT (Laser the strengths of both the organisations, NFC and L
Homing Attack or Laser Homing Anti-Tank missile) &T have signed a Memorandum of Understanding
is a third-generation semi-active low-weight anti-tank for long-term manufacture and supply of SG tubes,
missile. This version was fired from the Arjun tank establishing the complete supply chain for the tubes.
in 2004. The Combat Vehicles Research and
Development Establishment, a DRDO facility at 2. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Avadi, designed and developed the Arjun. MISCELLANEOUS
Dahanu Coast Guard Station
Commissioned India Loses Ground in ICT Ranking
Vice Admiral, M.P. Muralidharan, Indian India has slipped five places in the network
Coastal Guard commissioned the Dahanu Coast readiness index rankings of countries released by the
Guard establishment, fourth in Maharashtra. World Economic Forum and the business school
“Dahanu Coast guard station will be a major INSEAD. The rankings indicate the relative position
milestone for Indian coast guard in augmenting its of countries in information and communication
prowess and presence along the Maharashtra coast,” technologies (ICT).
Vice Admiral Muralidharan said. He added that the The rankings, presented in the 10th anniversary
station will be assigned the responsibility of edition of the Global Information Technology Report
coordinating various maritime operations like 2010-11, paints a picture of an India that has fallen
surveillance, search and rescue, pollution response behind in “most indicators.” This has resulted in its
and coastal security among others and will be slipping to 48 from the 43rd rank last year.
instrumental in effectively sanitizing the area to The rankings assess the “conduciveness of
check illegal intrusion and other nefarious activities. national environments for ICT development and
Speaking to reporters he said that whilst the station diffusion, including the broad business climate,”
would be a hub in the coastal security network, it regulatory aspects, the human and hard infrastructure
will also play an important role of intelligence- needed for promotion, the degree of preparation for
gathering and sharing with other stake holders. The and interest in using ICT by key stakeholders and the
station will also have experienced and highly extent of its use by them.
professional rapid action team to thwart maritime India has lost ground most in the ‘readiness
security challenges. component’ of the index, which is made up of
India Joins Select Group of Nations in individual, business and government readiness sub-
Making Tubes for Nuclear Plants components. The country’s position in readiness
India joined a select band of nations when the slipped to 33 overall from 22 last year, the fall being
Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) successfully the steepest in the individual readiness parameters,
manufactured critical tubes required for steam which include quality of the education system, adult
generators of nuclear power plants. Currently, only literacy and tariff for fixed phone and fixed broadband
three companies in the world are producing the UNS Internet, among others.
NO8800 U tubes with NFC becoming the fourth Among the BRIC countries, China continued
entity. The first tubing consignment was handed over its upward climb in the rankings to reach the 36th
to Larsen & Toubro, which is manufacturing eight spot, while Brazil was ranked 56th and Russian

Current Affairs
Federation, 77th. China, ranked 59 in 2006-07, has opportunities for small companies. “Cloud-based
been ranked a high 16 in the readiness component, solutions are particularly useful because they are cost-
36 in the usage component and 57 in the effective and offer unprecedented scalability,” he
environment component. observed. The provision of software as a service, for
NDMA fine-tuning network: Sashidhar instance, had changed they way businesses function,
he added.
The National Disaster Management Authority
(NDMA) is in the process of fine-tuning the New Remote Sensing Data Policy Eases
communication network after setting up the tsunami Curbs
early warning centre, its chairman M. Sashidhar The Union government has revised its 10-year-
Reddy said here. At a seminar — ‘3/11 Japan Disaster old remote sensing data policy, easing restrictions
- Social, Operational & Technological Lessons’ — on high-resolution satellite imagery of ‘sensitive
he said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had asked areas’ in the country.
the NDMA to be ready with action plans to tackle At a time when use of satellite images for all
the situation in times of natural calamities and experts sort of purposes has grown dramatically, the new
were now working on it. “Our mandate is to prepare policy tries, as the earlier one did, to balance the
detailed guidelines for every situation, but the real demand for higher resolution data with the country’s
challenge here would be to see that they are security considerations. But these days, high
implemented,” he said. resolution images of Indian cities are freely accessible
Now, a Revolutionary Paper Phone through Internet resources such as Google Maps and
Google Earth.
Canadian scientists have developed what they Fifteen years back, when India’s IRS-1C was
say is the world’s first interactive paper phone, as launched, its panchromatic camera, with a resolution
thin and flexible as a credit card, which is set to of 5.8 metres, gave the highest resolution images
herald a new generation of computers. available from any civilian satellite in the world.
Extremely lightweight and made of a thin-film, Large blocks of imagery taken by the satellite over
the prototype device can do everything a smartphone the country were, however, considered sensitive and
currently does — from making calls to playing music not released. Each of those blocks could cover
to sharing books. hundreds of square kilometres on the ground. A few
And most impressively, the PaperPhone uses years later, in 1999, the American Ikonos satellite,
no power when nobody is interacting with it, the which could take images with a resolution of one
reported. metre, was launched. In 2001, India launched its own
Small Units Urged to Make the Most of one-metre-resolution remote sensing satellite, the
Cloud Computing Technology Experiment Satellite, which was
primarily intended for the security services.
Minister for Large and Medium Industries
The Cartosat-2 satellite, which the Indian Space
Murugesh R. Nirani has urged small units in the State
Research Organisation (ISRO) launched in 2007,
to make the most of cloud-based computing systems
gives images with a resolution of one metre. The
to boost productivity. Addressing a seminar on cloud
Cartosat-2A and Cartosat-2B that followed can take
computing for micro, small and medium enterprises
images with a resolution of 0.8 metres.
(MSME), Mr. Nirani said: “Cloud-based computing
But much higher resolution images are
has brought computing power within the reach of
small units.” Cloud-based systems host hardware at available from U.S. commercial satellites. The
QuickBird’s cameras have a resolution of 0.6 metres;
remote locations, which can be harnessed through
the WorldView-1 (0.5 metres); WorldView-2 (0.46
the Internet.
metres); and GeoEye-1 (0.41 metres). As a result, the
New Opportunities views of many Indian cities on Google Maps and
Mr. Nirani pointed out that the rapid growth Google Earth, which use commercially available
of Internet in the last decade offered new imagery, can have a resolution of about half a metre.

New Internet Security Software from between clouds and aerosols as well as cloud physics
Appin and greenhouse gases. Presently, the Ministry hires
aircraft for conducting such experiments.
Appin Security Group announced the launch
The aerial laboratory would be designed in
of Fort Appin, a new Internet security software that
such a way that it could be used for six to eight hours
defends computers against viruses, hackers, spam,
in a day for at least 300 days every year. Among other
and identity theft. Priced at Rs.750 for single user
things, it would be equipped for undertaking studies
annual licence for businesses, the software also has
on cyclones and for determining their tracks.
a special module built in Appin labs that does
heuristic-based malware blocking and removal Development of Bt Brinjal a Case of Bio-
thereby providing zero-day protection even when the piracy
signatures have not been updated. The development of Bt brinjal was a case of
New Radar System for Himachal bio-piracy, according to the National Biodiversity
The Himachal Pradesh Government has finally Authority (NBA). According to sources, the NBA has
completed the process of land allotment for a new finally concluded its year-long investigation and
weather centre at Jakhu hill in Shimla. recommended action against the U.S. agri-business
It is here that the Indian Meteorological giant Monsanto and its Indian collaborators who
Department proposes to install a radar system in order developed and promoted the controversial,
to provide early warning of natural calamities in the genetically modified vegetable.
hill State. The radar would have the ability to A decision to “take the case to its logical
monitor and forecast weather conditions every six conclusion” was taken at an NBA meeting on June
hours with precision and area specificity. 20, according to official sources, who say this means
Monsanto & Co. could face criminal proceedings.
Potato Genome Decoded When the NBA met this week, it discussed
An international team of scientists has decoded “comprehensive evidence” and “supporting proof”
the full DNA sequence of the potato for the first time, gathered against Bt brinjal’s promoters, say sources.
a breakthrough that holds out the promise of boosting The charge against Bt brinjal’s developers –
harvests of one of the world’s most important staple which include Monsanto’s Indian partner Mahyco
crops. Researchers at the James Hutton Institute in as well as Indian universities and research
Dundee in Scotland say it should soon be possible organisations – is that they allegedly accessed nine
to develop improved varieties of potato much more Indian varieties of brinjal to develop their genetically
quickly. The genome of an organism is a map of how modified vegetable without prior permission from
all of its genes are put together. Each gene controls the NBA or the relevant State and local boards.
different aspects of how the organism grows and This is a violation of the Biological Diversity
develops. Act, 2002, according to the Environmental Support
Group (ESG) which lodged the formal complaint
India to Acquire Plane to Study Monsoon
with the Karnataka Biodiversity Board on February
India is to soon have an air-borne laboratory 15, 2010, soon after the Government put a
to study the interactions between clouds and moratorium on Bt brinjal on health and safety
“aerosols” – tiny suspended particles in the grounds.
atmosphere – as part of an exercise to better
Oldest’ Microbe Fossils Found in Australia
understand the phenomenon of monsoon.
Speaking at the foundation day of his Ministry, The fossilised remains of microbes that lived
he said, “we will soon commission an air-borne beside the sea in the earliest chapter of life on Earth
research platform”. have been discovered in a slab of rock in Western
According to senior Ministry officials, it would Australia. Researchers found the tiny fossils in rock
be a small aircraft that would carry several formations that date to 3.4bn years ago, making them
instruments on-board to study the interactions strong candidates to be the oldest microbes found.

Current Affairs
Some clung to grains of sand that had gathered on reporters after releasing the policy document. The
one of the first known stretches of beach on Earth. Minister said planning of frequency bands for various
God Particle, if it Exists, will be Found by services and applications for their co-existence
without constraining the existing assignments was
2012
essential. “The growing demand for information-rich
The Large Hadron Collider will be able to find content, faster access and mobility by both
the Higgs Boson — a hypothetical particle that may commercial and captive users is increasingly being
explain why elementary particles have mass — the met by broadband wireless application. The new plan
“latest by the end of 2012” or “we will exclude it,” will help the ICT sector prepare for future growth
Rolf Heuer, director-general of the European and bring about revolution in the sector, thereby
Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), said . leading to enhanced economic growth,” Mr. Sibal
Even if the particle was not found, “it would added.
be a fantastic discovery.” The question of the
particle’s existence, “the Shakespearean question —
Hopes fading on detecting ‘God Particle’
to be or not to be” would be settled by the end of B.G. Sidharth, Director-General, B.M. Birla
2012, he said. Science Centre, said hopes were fading for the
detection of the ‘God Particle’ or Higgs boson with
Sibal introduces new plan for better the Fermi National Laboratory’s Tevatron near
spectrum management Chicago just having been closed. The Higgs Boson
As the Communications and Information is the corner stone of what is called the Standard
Technology Ministry gears to introduce three new Model of particle physics which stood its ground for
crucial policies — the much-awaited National a few decades, he said in a press release. This particle
Telecom Policy-2011; the Electronics Policy; and the has also been called ‘God Particle’ because as
IT Policy— Union Communications and IT Minister originally conceived by the British physicist, Peter
Kapil Sibal unveiled the National Frequency Higgs in the mid-sixties, this particle would endow
mass to all other particles in the universe.
Allocation Plan-2011 (NAFP) that will help in better
management of spectrum, besides development and Upheaval of sorts
promotion of indigenous manufacturing and “If the Higgs Boson does not exist as now
technologies in the information and communication appears probable, this would be nothing short of an
technology (ICT) sector. To be effective from October upheaval, calling for major modification in our ideas
1, the NFAP-2011 contains spectrum allocation for of physics, perhaps even theories of the birth and
various radio communication services and early life universe”, he added.
applications in different frequency bands. It will
provide the basis for development, manufacturing
Lab of the Big Bang experiment leaves
and spectrum utilisation activities, both for the Pratibha Patil mesmerised
government and private sectors. “In today’s society, President Pratibha Patil visited the lab of the
radio spectrum is becoming increasingly important prestigious France-based European Organisation for
for all walks of life and needs to be managed Nuclear Research, commonly known as CERN,
rationally. “While spectrum management has always where she patted Indian scientists for their
been important, the complexity of the task has been contributions to cutting edge-research work.
compounded by the proliferation of both traditional Ms. Patil, who is on a State visit to
and entirely new radio spectrum frequency- using Switzerland, drove to the CERN lab that is situated
services in recent years. just minutes away from the Swiss border. An
It is essential that these scarce resources be used inquisitive Ms. Patil, who was mesmerised by the
rationally, optimally, efficiently and economically lab known for its cutting-edge research work in
so that equitable access could be available to a large physics, left CERN’s Director General Rolf-Dieter
variety of radio communication network in an Heuer pondering for answers on many occasions. The
interference-free radio environment,” Mr. Sibal told experiment had aimed to recreate the conditions of

the Big Bang, when the universe is thought to have of ICT in all sectors of the economy and providing
exploded into existence about 14 billion years ago. IT solutions to the world. It also aims to strengthen
“I am also proud at the continuing contributions of and enhance India’s position as the global IT hub
Indian scientists here,” the President told PTI. The and to use IT as an engine for rapid, inclusive and
focus of the visit was the ALICE project, one of the sustainable growth in the national economy,” he
largest experiments in the world devoted to research added.
in the physics of matter at an infinitely small scale, The draft policy will also look into formulating
in the laboratory. When Mr. Heuer claimed that by fiscal and other incentives to attract investment in
next year the European nuclear research centre would this sector in Tier II and Tier III cities, besides
be able to get to the truth about Higgs Boson, a promoting innovation and research and design in
hypothetical massive elementary particle predicted cutting-edge technologies and in strategic sectors
to exist by the Standard Model (SM) of particle such as defence, space and atomic energy.
physics, Ms. Patil was keen to know how it would Referring to the launch of world’s cheapest
benefit the future of mankind. tablet PC ‘Aakash’, Mr. Sibal said the aim was to
Draft IT policy targets $200 b exports by integrate Internet and mobile-based delivery of
services onto a common platform to enable seamless,
2020
ubiquitous, secure and personalised delivery of
Communications and Information Technology government and non-government services throughout
Minister Kapil Sibal unveiled the draft National Policy the country.
on Information Technology 2011 that envisages
taking the overall revenue from the sector from $89
New policy rings in free roaming
billion as of today to $300 billion by 2020, besides Seeking to eliminate the ambiguities of the
creating additional one-crore jobs. He also hinted past, the draft National Telecom Policy 2011 will
that once the Direct Taxes Code (DTC) was in place, remove national roaming charges, make broadband
the Centre might extend tax holiday under the available on demand, bring in a ‘one-nation, one-
Software Technology Park of India (SPTI) scheme, licence’ policy and allow mobile numbers to be
which expired in March this year, besides giving ported to any part of the country. Under the new draft
incentives to small and medium enterprises engaged policy unveiled by Communications Minister Kapil
in the IT sector. Sibal, users will be allowed to port their mobile
Exploring new markets numbers, keeping the same number, even while
switching service areas. It proposes to accord the
Aimed at further consolidating the position of telecom industry the status of an infrastructure sector,
the Indian IT and IT-enabled services (ITeS) sector helping it get easy credit flow for funding rollout
in the global arena, the draft policy has set the target plans or expansion. With the policy aiming at a ‘one-
of achieving $200 billion exports target by 2020 nation, one-licence’ regime, the distinction between
against the current level of $59 billion. “Today, 80 local and STD calls will vanish. Telecom operators
per cent of the IT sector revenue comes from exports, would not require separate licences for operations
mainly from North America and Europe. While we in various parts of the country, and a single licence
have seen IT sector exports growing at 30 per cent, would suffice. “We will seek Telecom Regulatory
this year it may be around 15 per cent due to global Authority of India recommendations on new
financial crisis…we need to diversify our exports by licences, migration to new licences and [an] exit
exploring new markets to sustain the growth policy,” Mr. Sibal said.
momentum,” he pointed out. The draft policy,
which will be available for comments from public Low carbon aviation fuel developed
and various stakeholders for a month, also focuses Leading private international carrier, Virgin
on gaining a significant global market share in cloud- Atlantic, said India could soon be producing a world-
based technologies and services, and mobile-based first low carbon aviation fuel with just half the carbon
value added services. “The focus is on deployment footprint of the standard fossil fuel alternative.

Current Affairs
Fuel production process creation of a ‘National Optical Fibre Network’

In partnership with LanzaTech, it has achieved (NOFN) for providing broadband connectivity to
a breakthrough in aviation fuel technology. The new panchayats at an initial cost of over Rs.20,000 crore,
process will see waste gases from industrial steel which will help in offering governance, banking and
production being captured, fermented and health services online.
chemically converted using Swedish Biofuels The project aims to extend the existing optical
technology to be used as a jet fuel. The revolutionary fibre network, which is available up to district and
block levels, to the gram panchayat level, by utilising
fuel production process recycles waste gases that
Rs.20,000 crore from the Universal Service
would otherwise be burnt into the atmosphere as Obligation (USO) Fund. A similar amount of
carbon dioxide. India, which is amongst the world’s investment is likely to be made by the private sector
largest steel producers, will be one of the first complementing the NOFN infrastructure while
countries where the fuel will be produced as providing services to individual users. As per a study
LanzaTech and partners develop facilities in the conducted by the World Bank, with every 10 per cent
country. Within three years, Virgin Atlantic routes increase in broadband penetration, there is a 1.4 per
from Delhi to London Heathrow could see flights cent increase in GDP growth. “The Rs.20,000-crore
running on the new fuel. A demonstration plant will project is likely to be completed in the next two
be commissioned in China this year and the first years…the NOFN will also facilitate implementation
commercial operation will be in place by 2014. A of various e-governance initiatives such as e-health,
facility in India should follow around six months e-banking and e-education, thereby facilitating
later. The technology is currently being piloted in inclusive growth,” Telecom Secretary R.
New Zealand. After successful implementation, a Chandrashekhar told journalists. Initially, the
wider roll-out could include operations in the U.K. broadband project would be executed by the state-
and the rest of the world, Virgin Atlantic said in a owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and
other institutions such as RailTel, Power Grid and
statement.
the Gas Authority of India. For the implementation
Cabinet approves ordinance to phase out and execution, the Cabinet has approved the
analogue cable TV by 2014 formation of a special purpose vehicle with equity
from the Government of India, Mr. Chandrashekhar
Analogue cable television will become said. The proposed NOFN will enable effective and
obsolete in India in three years time, with the faster implementation of various mission mode e-
government deciding to promulgate an ordinance to governance projects amounting to around Rs.50,000
make the digitalisation of cable services mandatory crore initiated by the Department of Information
by 2014. The Union Cabinet approved the Technology as well as the delivery of a whole range
Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s proposal to of electronic services in the above areas by the private
promulgate the Digitalisation of Analogue Cable sector those in rural areas.
Systems Ordinance. Nod for GSI restructuring
The shift would mean that all customers must
have a set top box whether they want to receive free- The Union Cabinet approved the restructuring
to-air or pay channels. They will be able to watch of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), which
high quality channels of their choice on an a la carte includes rightsizing its strength by filling up posts
basis, and are likely to have access to internet and over a 10-year period.
telephone through the same digital cable. Mission Mode
Broadcasters may be able to generate more revenue It approved constitution of geophysics,
directly from subscribers, and thus reduce their chemistry and engineering science, and technology
dependence on TRPs and advertisers. streams as organised services so as to bring them at
Creation of National Optical Fibre par with the geology stream. “The restructuring will
Network approved also facilitate the GSI to effectively function in
mission mode with well defined objectives,
The Union Cabinet approved a scheme for the
encourage individual and group development and on Chinese microprocessor chips, an advance that
facilitate specialisation.” The Cabinet approval was surprised high-performance U.S. computing
based on the recommendations of a high-power specialists. The announcement was made at a
committee set up by the Ministry of Mines to review technical meeting held in Jinan, China, organised
the GSI’s functioning and assess its capacity and by industry and government organisations. The new
capabilities to meet emerging geosciences machine, the Sunway BlueLight MPP, was installed
challenges, both national and global. The in September at the National Supercomputer Center
recommendations, when implemented, would in Jinan, the capital of Shandong province in eastern
immensely enhance the GSI’s capacity and capability China.
in addressing emerging challenges, especially in The Sunway system, which can perform about
augmenting the resource base, both for essential and 1,000 trillion calculations per second a petaflop will
strategic minerals. “It will also facilitate the GSI to probably rank among the 20 fastest computers in the
undertake issues having immediate societal relevance world. More significantly, it is composed of 8,700
like climate change, glacial retreats, desertification ShenWei SW1600 microprocessors, designed at a
and coastline changes as well as geogenic issues.” Chinese computer institute and manufactured in
First-of-its-kind weather satellite launched Shanghai. Currently, the Chinese are about three
generations behind the state-of-art chip making
The U.S. space agency launched a first-of-its technologies used by world leaders such as the
kind satellite that will send back data on weather United States, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
and climate to help forecasters predict major storms “This is a bit of a surprise,” said Jack Dongarra,
and other changes in the environment. “Liftoff of the a computer scientist at the University of Tennessee
Delta II with the NPP satellite, blazing the way in and a leader of the Top500 project, a list of the
new technology for climate research and weather world’s fastest computers. Last fall, another Chinese
forecasting,” said NASA commentator George Diller. based supercomputer, the Tianhe-1A, created an
The $1.5-billion National Polar-orbiting international sensation when it was briefly ranked
Operational Environmental Satellite System as the world’s fastest, before it was displaced in the
Preparatory Project (NPP) took off aboard a Delta II spring by a rival Japanese machine, the K Computer,
rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California designed by Fujitsu.
at 2:48 a.m. local time (0948 GMT).
The satellite will carry five instruments to study World’s Lightest Material Developed
temperature and water in the atmosphere, how clouds Scientists have developed what they claim is
and aerosols affect temperature, and how plants on the world’s lightest material — a metal with a density
land and in the ocean respond to environmental of 0.9 mg/cc. A team from the University of
changes. It is one of 14 Earth observation missions California, the California Institute of Technology and
currently being managed by NASA. Project managers the HRL Laboratories says that the new material
said they hope it will operate for about five years. redefines the limits of lightweight materials because
The NPP — which will circle the Earth at a of its unique “micro-lattice” cellular architecture.
height of 820 km in a polar orbit — will help fill in The scientists were able to make a material that
data gaps left by European weather observatories, consists of 99.99 per cent air by designing the 0.01
per cent solid at the nanometre, micron and
NOAA scientist Louis Uccellini said earlier this millimetre scales, the latest issue of Science reported.
month. He said the satellite was carrying infrared and “The trick is to fabricate a lattice of interconnected
microwave instruments that are “basically equivalent hollow tubes with a wall thickness 1,000 times
to a slight improvement over what we are using with thinner than a human hair,” said lead scientist
the European satellites.” Tobias Schaedler of HRL.
China’s supercomputer surprises U.S. The material’s architecture allows
experts unprecedented mechanical behaviour for a metal,
including complete recovery from compression
China has made its first supercomputer based exceeding 50 per cent strain and high energy
Current Affairs
absorption, say the scientists. “Materials actually get requirements of major national programmes like the
stronger as the dimensions are reduced to the nano- National Optical Fibre Network and the State Wide
scale. Combine this with the possibility of tailoring Area Network. Besides taking care of our needs in
the architecture of the micro-lattice and you have a defence, railways and other strategic sectors, the
unique cellular material,” team member Lorenzo technology can also be used for providing broadband
Valdevit said. connectivity in rural and remote areas,” Mr. Pilot
Developed for the Defence Advanced Research said.
Projects Agency, the novel material could be used State-of-the-art Technologies Required to
for battery electrodes and acoustic, vibration or shock Counter Bio-terror
energy absorption, say the scientists.
Scientists from 10 laboratories, including the
7 Firms get C-DoT Knowhow Defence Research and Development Establishment
In a move that would give the much-needed (DRDE), Gwalior, are working on an ambitious, Rs.
push to broadband penetration in the country, the 300-crore project, to develop technologies for
Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) detection and protection against Chemical,
transferred indigenously-developed Gigabit Passive Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) agents.
Optical Network (GPON) technology to seven This was stated by DRDE director M.P. Kaushik
telecom equipment manufacturers, including private at the inaugural session of a two-day national
players. conference on ‘Biological Disaster Management: A
The GPON technology is a pivotal component step towards building national capacity and resilience
required for broadband connectivity over optical — The role of industry under PPP,’ organised by the
fibre. “The cost-effective GPON will prove to be a FICCI here.
game-changer technology for India…it can be used According to Mr. Kaushik, bio-terrorism was
to provide triple play (voice, video and data). The the number one threat among chemical, biological,
present GPON standards specify 2.5 Gbps (Gigabit radiological and nuclear (CBRN) weapons. He stated
per second) downstream and 1.25 Gbps upstream that more attention was needed to be paid to counter
data capability to customer premise. Apart from bio-terrorism. State-of-the-art technologies were
urban areas, especially multi-dwelling units, the large required for detection, protection and mitigation
data carrying capability is important for Indian along with greater awareness among all sections to
villages too where prevailing low literacy levels will counter the threats through better preparedness.
necessitate information with greater graphic andaudio Quoting a WHO study, he said that dispersal
content for better dissemination. It will give a boost of a 50 kilo bacterial agent on a five lakh population
to broadband connectivity across India,” said Union could result in 95,000 deaths.
Minister of Communications and IT Kapil Sibal. Referring to stoppage of vaccine production
Besides, voice telephony, high speed Internet against small pox following its elimination, he said
access and IPTV, the C-DOT GPON has provision that this could lead to a serious situation if the disease
to carry cable TV signal too, all on a single optical re-emerged due to lax bio-security measures or if used
fibre. Another important advantage of GPON is that by terrorists.
it can carry information from a central office to For now, the Higgs Boson Exists only in
subscribers up to 60 km away without needing any
intermediate repeaters thus doing away with the Theory
requirement of power, shelter and upkeep services Physicists said they had narrowed the search
at the intermediate locations. for the elusive sub-atomic Higgs Boson particle that
In his address, Minister of State for would confirm the way science describes the
Communications and IT Sachin Pilot said the Universe.
technology was well-suited for the Indian Experiments at Europe’s giant atom smasher
environment. Pointing out that the GPON have “reduced the window where scientists think
technology has been tested, validated, field-evaluated they will find the Higgs Boson,” also known as the
and made operational in BSNL’s network in Ajmer God Particle, said Bruno Mansoulie, a researcher at
(Rajasthan), he said: “It will help fulfil our the European Organisation for Nuclear Research

(CERN). The Higgs Boson is the missing link is the participants in federally funded research, no matter
so-called Standard Model of physics, which explains where such research occurred.
how the basic building blocks of all matter fit The Commission recommended several areas
together. where immediate changes could be made to current
Its existence — if confirmed — would explain rules and procedures, which could increase
in a single stroke the mystery of what gives this accountability and thereby reduce the likelihood of
invisible constellation of particles mass. harm or unethical treatment.
Such a discovery would rank in importance In returning the results of its extensive review,
with major breakthroughs of the last century, going the Bioethics Commission said a key reason why it
back to Einstein’s first formulation of quantum still could not conclude that adequate protections
physics. For now, however, the Higgs Boson only were in place was the limited ability of some
exists only in theory. If it turns of to be a mirage, it governmental agencies to identify basic information
would force scientists back to the drawing board to about current human subjects research.
rewrite the textbook of particle physics. CERN Science needs 2.5 Times more Investment:
reported on Tuesday the midpoint results from two
separate experiments, which independently arrived Advisory Council
at the same conclusion, pointed to activity within a If India is to position itself as a global leader
certain range of mass that would be consistent with in science, it will need to invest 2.5 times its current
the Higgs Boson. allocation, believe members of the Science Advisory
The Web-cast presentation was made before Council to the Prime Minister. While the 11th Five
several hundred scientists in an atmosphere charged Year Plan earmarked Rs. 72,000 crore for science,
with excitement and punctuated with applause. the 12th Five Year Plan should see an investment of
Taken together, the results provide “tantalising Rs. 2.2 lakh crore, including a substantial
hints” that the sought-after particle is hiding inside contribution from the private sector, M.K. Bhan,
a narrow range of mass, CERN said. Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology, told
“It’s too early to draw definitive conclusions, presspersons on Sunday.
we need more data,” said Fabiola Gianotti, head of The Science Advisory Council placed before
the ATLAS experiment, adding, “But we have the Prime Minister several recommendations to
established a solid foundation for passionately promote excellence in science, said C.N.R. Rao,
exciting months ahead.” However, she said that a chairman of the council. Among the
definitive answer was expected with 12 months. — recommendations is the establishment of 200 centres
AFP of excellence in science, he added. The council
U.S. Panel finds Gaps in Bioethics recommended performance-based grants to
institutions and universities and also proposed
Protections creating links between the Indian Institutes of
Following last year’s revelations that U.S. Technology, Indian Institutes of Science Education
researchers had conducted macabre human and Research, and colleges. Major grants for research
experiments on Guatemalan prison and mental in the areas of energy, health, agriculture and
hospital inmates between 1946 and 1948, a environment were proposed.
presidential Bioethics Commission has said it could Large Hadron Collider Finds New Variant
not unequivocally say all federally funded research
provided human subjects with “optimal protections of Particle
against avoidable harms and unethical treatment”. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), famously
Apology engaged in the quest for the Higgs boson, has turned
up a heavier variant of a sub-atomic particle first
After issuing a public apology to Guatemala, discovered a quarter-century ago, scientists reported.
President Barack Obama urged the bipartisan
presidential Commission to oversee a thorough Newcomer
review of regulations and international standards to The newcomer is called Chi-b(3P), which was
assess whether they adequately protected human uncovered in the debris from colliding protons,

Current Affairs
according to research published in the open-access communication on the Internet to travel outside the
online journal arxiv. Like the elusive Higgs and the country and wants all such traffic to be routed
photon, it is a boson, meaning it is a particle that through the National Internet Exchange of India
carries force. But while the Higgs is not believed to (NIXI), a government-supported not-for-profit
be made of smaller particles, the Chi-b(3) comprises organisation that facilitates exchange of domestic
two relatively heavy particles, the beauty quark and Internet traffic. “Many email and Voice over Internet
its anti-quark. They are bonded by the so-called Protocol users in India rely on services of foreign
“strong” force which also causes the atomic nucleus origin ... communication made through these
to stick together. The Chi-b(3P) is a heavier version services can be accessed by the government of other
of a particle that was first observed around 25 years countries, where the servers for providing these
ago. “The Chi-b(3P) is a particle that was predicted services are hosted, by invoking the provisions of
by many theorists, but was not observed at previous their laws,” says the latest report of the Department
experiments,” said James Walder, a British physicist of Telecommunications, prepared by the working
quoted by the University of Birmingham in a press group on Telecom for the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-
release. 17).
Described by some as the world’s largest The second of two NASA lunar probes — on a
machine, the LHC is located in a 27-km ring-shaped mission to study the Moon’s inner core so scientists
tunnel near Geneva that straddles the Franco-Swiss can better understand the origins of planets — went
border up to 580 feet below ground. Streams of into orbit as planned, said the U.S. space agency.
protons are fired in opposite, but parallel, directions The second Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory
in the tunnel. (GRAIL-B) began orbiting the Moon at about 2243
Powerful Magnets GMT, according to officials at NASA’s Jet
Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
The beams are then bent by powerful magnets
so that some of the protons collide in four giant labs, 250 MW CFBC Boiler to go on Stream at
which are lined with detectors to record the sub- NLC this Month
atomic debris that results. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) will
On December 13, physicists at the European commission its first unit of 250 MW lignite-powered
Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) said they CFBC (circulating fluidised bed combustion) boiler
had narrowed the search for the Higgs — the so-called at Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) complex in
“God particle” that may confer mass. Tamil Nadu. The second unit will become
The theory behind the Higgs is that mass does operational during April-May, said A. V. Krishnan,
not derive from particles themselves. Instead, it Executive Director, BHEL, Tiruchi Complex, where
comes from a boson that interacts strongly with some the technology for CFBC boilers operated with non-
particles but less, if at all, with others. coal fuel options such as lignite, bagasse and straw
Finding the Chi-b(3P) is a further test of the was developed. Mr. Krishnan hoped that lignite-fired
powers of the LHC, which became the world’s biggest boilers of 500 MW capacity could be developed by
particle collider when it was completed in 2008. 2017-20. Unlike in the case of coal that is powdered,
New Telecom Network for Government pulverised and then burnt in furnace, the CFBC
soon boilers have the advantage of fuel flexibility.
After supplying 2 x 125 MW CFBC boilers for
India’s vulnerability to spying activities by Surat lignite power project (SLPP) through technical
unfriendly nations in the Internet era has forced the collaboration with Germany-based AE&E Lentjes,
Government to chalk out a Rs.450-crore plan to BHEL installed on its own two other boilers of 125
develop and deploy a pan-India secure network and MW capacity each for NLC’s mine at Barsingsar in
network-based services such as e-mail and Internet- Rajastan.
telephony, thus providing a foolproof infrastructure
for telecom and Internet communication exclusively Now, Hydrogen-driven Three-wheelers
for government use. The world got its first fleet of hydrogen-fuelled
The government does not want any official three-wheelers when seven vehicles were unveiled

at the ongoing Auto Expo 2012. Called ‘HyAlfa’, the spectrum). The current prescribed limit is 2x6.2 MHz
three-wheeler is almost a zero-emission vehicle while of GSM spectrum as per licence norms.
its fuel consumption is substantially lower as New Family of Limbless Amphibians Found
compared to gasoline with 1 kg of hydrogen giving
around 80 km mileage. Scientists have discovered a new family of
The three-wheelers have beendevelopedunder limbless amphibians from northeast India with their
a project, DelHy 3W, of the United Nations ancient lineage traced to eastern and western parts
Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)’s of Africa, a relationship preserved from the time the
International Centre for Hydrogen Energy southern continents broke up more than 150 million
Technologies (UNIDO-ICHET) in association with years ago. Kerala-born Delhi University scientist S.D.
Mahindra & Mahindra and IIT-Delhi, besides being Biju and co-researchers from India and Europe have
supported by the Ministry of New and Renewable reported their discovery in the latest issue of the
Energy (MNRE). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. They
have named the new family as Chikilidae and the
Grocer-archaeologist Discovers Gupta-era new genus as Chikila, deriving the name from the
Temple Near Bundi Northeast Indian tribal language of Garo.
An amateur archaeologist has discovered the Until this discovery, there were only nine
remains of a temple supposed to have been built in known families of legless amphibians, also called
the 5th Century A.D. during the Gupta period, when caecilians, found across the wet tropical regions of
the concept of installing statues of deities in temples Southeast Asia, India, Sri Lanka, parts of East and
was introduced, in dense forests 35 km away from West Africa, the Seychelles and northern and eastern
Bundi district town in Rajasthan. The temple has a parts of South America. From morphological and
‘Shivalingam’ with the face of Lord Shiva engraved DNA analyses, the researchers show that the new
on it. family had evolved independent of other species of
caecilians starting from the time of the dinosaurs.
Telecom Licences will be Delinked from Its closest relatives now live in Africa.
Spectrum
anel Recommends Elimination of Railway
Even as the telecom industry eagerly awaits the
Level Crossings
government’s decision on spectrum pricing,
Communications and Information Technology The elimination of all level crossings from the
Minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday announced major railway landscape within the next five years as a
contours on spectrum management and licensing measure of avoiding accidents and deaths is one of
framework, which includes allowing operators to the key recommendations of the High Level Safety
hold more spectrum, liberalising mergers and Review Committee that recently submitted its report
acquisitions, and a uniform licence fee regime. to the Ministry of Railways. In its report, the Anil
To be a major component of the proposed Kakodkar committee, argued that such a step would
National Telecom Policy 2011, the new guidelines “not only eliminate the accidents at level crossings
say all future licences will be ‘Unified Licences’ that which account for 65 per cent of total deaths due to
will be delinked from spectrum allocation, while all train accidents but will also improve the line capacity
existing telecom licences will be migrated to the new as trains get held up at busy LC gates. It will also
regime. The new guidelines also say the licence fee save operation and maintenance costs incurred in the
and spectrum usage charges payable by each such gates.”
licensee will be on actual AGR, subject to a The Kakodkar committee’s analysis of data for
minimum presumptive AGR. This minimum figure the last five years showed that in the Indian Railway
would be reviewed by the Telecom Regulatory system spread across 64,000 route kilometres,
Authority of India every year. Mr. Sibal also said the derailments accounted for nearly half the total
prescribed limit on spectrum assigned to a service accidents followed by accidents at unmanned level
provider will be 2x8 MHz (paired spectrum) for GSM crossing gates (36 per cent). Level crossing incidents
technology for all service areas other than Delhi and contributed to 59 per cent of the deaths and 42 per
Mumbai where it will be 2x10 MHz (paired cent of casualties.

Current Affairs
Salt-loving wheat Could Ease Food Crisis today to nine billion. The challenge will be made
even tougher by the impact of climate change on
Plant scientists said they had bred a strain of
rainfall patterns. Salinity is already a bad problem
wheat that thrives in saline soils, boosting the quest
in arid and semi-arid developing countries where
to feed Earth’s growing population at a time of water
soils are naturally salty or irrigation water has a high
stress and climate change. Durum wheat with a salt-
level of salt.
loving gene had yields which were up to 25 per cent
greater than ordinary counterparts, according to trials Neutrino Observatory Work to begin in
carried out in highly saline fields. April
The gene, called TmHKT1;5-A, helps remove
The country’s first underground experimental
sodium from the water that is transported from the
laboratory spread over 26 hectares, which will detect
plant’s roots to the leaves, said a research team led
and study neutrinos, the smallest particles known to
by Matthew Gilliham of the University of Adelaide,
humans, will come up at Pottipuram village in Bodi
southern Australia. Spotted in a scan of ancestral
West Hills. The huge project is being undertaken
wheat strains, TmHKT1;5-A was inserted into a
jointly by the Department of Atomic Energy and the
commercial strain by traditional cross-breeding, not
Department of Science and Technology with the
through genetic engineering, which is contested in
participation of 25 leading research institutions in
many countries. Durum wheat — Triticum
the country.
turgidum — is used for making pasta, bulgur and
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests
couscous. It is more salt-sensitive than bread wheat
accorded clearance in October 2010 for the INO
( Triticum aestivum ). By some estimates, world
project which will have an underground experimental
food requirements will soar by 70 per cent by 2050
facility to study neutrinos, which are elusive and
as the planet’s population rises from seven billion
fundamental particles of nature.
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environmental performance of the technologies that Company Headquarters

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Science & Technology Concept

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Science & Technology Concept

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Science & Technology Concept

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Science & Technology Concept

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Science & Technology Concept

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Science & Technology Concept

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Science & Technology Concept

Coxiella burnetii Q fever

IMMUNIZATION, OR IMMUNISATION, is well, for example in experimental vaccines against

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Science & Technology Concept

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The new graphic processing unit (GPU)-based

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the 540 MW reactors operating at Tarapur in India to Get Nerpa by Year-end

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BrahMos Airborne Launcher Prototype at building up a space station, so we need a more

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Agni II Prime to be tested again Operational Trials of ATC Systems of IAF

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