NATIONAL: SPORTS / DEFENCE SERVICES: The Indian Army Creates History and Pioneers by Recruiting 4 Meritorious Sportswomen as Havildars to Participate in the Women’s Category in National Boxing & Wrestling.

They were recruited as direct entry Havildars under its Mission Olympic Programme.

The Army has recruited four meritorious sportswomen into the Corps of Military Police as direct entry Havildars under its Mission Olympic Programme.

The four sportswomen — Recruit Havildar Sakshi (Boxing), Recruit Havildar Arundhati Choudhary (Boxing), Recruit Havildar Bhateri (Wrestling) and Recruit Havildar Priyanka (Wrestling) have created history by becoming pioneers to represent the Army in women category at the national championship in boxing and wrestling by participating in the 6th Elite Women National Boxing Championship 2022 from December 19 to 26 at Bhopal and Senior National Wrestling Championship from December 21 to 23 at Visakhapatnam.

The Army has a long tradition of promoting and nurturing sports personnel and runs a well-structured programme named “Mission Olympics”, the statement added.

Earlier in the year, Summy, an international-level sportswoman who excels in 400-metre athletics and Jasmine Lamboria, Commonwealth Games 2022 Bronze medalist in Boxing, were also recruited by the Army.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: RURAL DEVELOPMENT: Sethrichem Sangtam of ‘Better Life Foundation’ gets ‘1st Rohini Nayyar Prize 2022’ for Rural Development in Nagaland

His organisation ‘Better Life Foundation’ focusses on rural livelihood security, environment sustainability and education for change.

Sethrichem Sangtam, who helped triple the incomes of 1,200 marginalised farmers in Eastern Nagaland, was awarded the first Rohini Nayyar prize for outstanding contribution to rural development.

The prize awarded to an individual 40 years or under in age, was presented by the Niti Ayog Vice-Chairman Suman Bery. The winner was selected by an eminent jury from civil society consisting of Dr. Ashok Khosla, founder, Development Alternatives; Dr. Rajesh Tandon, founder, PRIA; and Ms. Renana Jhabwala, national coordinator, SEWA.

Mr. Sangtam works with 1,200 marginalised farmers in Eastern Nagaland through his organisation ‘Better Life Foundation’, which focusses on rural livelihood security, environment sustainability and education for change.

Among his many achievements were encouraging farmers in the region to abandon wasteful slash, burn cultivation and move to permanent farming. The average income of the farmers tripled as a result of his interventions.

The prize had been instituted by the family of the late Dr. Rohini Nayyar, an eminent scholar-administrator who spent much of her professional life working on issues related to rural development in India.

Dr. Nayyar, a well-known economist and former principal adviser at the erstwhile Planning Commission, was one of India’s foremost authorities on rural development. She passed away in October 2021.

Developing India’s social and economic development

The prize will be given out annually by the Nayyar Foundation for Social and Economic Purpose, set up to contribute to the social and economic development in India.

While giving away the award, Mr. Bery said many initiatives for rural India which one saw around at present, like the aspirational districts programme, the development of multi-dimensional poverty index for India, and the digitisation to create financial inclusion in rural India, were results of the efforts by Dr. Rohini Nayyar and her team, while she was in the Planning Commission.

Dr Deepak Nayyar, director of the Foundation, said that during her more than two-decades-long stint in the Planning Commission she also worked on the conceptualisation of the MGNREGA.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / RESEARCH: Global Award ‘Ben Barres Spotlight 2022’ for RGCB Scientist, Dr. Karthika Rajeeve for Study on Pathogens. She is 1 of 12 Scientists Awarded Worldwide.

She has been working on the human pathogens  Chlamydia trachomatis. Her research focuses on how these pathogens evade the host immune system.

Dr. Karthika Rajeeve, staff scientist at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), has been selected for the Ben Barres Spotlight Award, 2022.

The Ben Barres Spotlight Awards has been instituted by scientific journal eLife to perpetuate the memory of American neurobiologist Dr. Ben Barres, a transgender researcher who advocated equality in science.

Dr. Karthika is one of the 12 scientists from around the world chosen for the prestigious award this year. She has been working on the human pathogens  Chlamydia trachomatis. Her research focuses on how these pathogens evade the host immune system.

“The scientific community at RGCB is elated at the international recognition received by Dr. Karthika Rajeeve,” said Professor Chandrabhas Narayana, Director RGCB.

Money for equipment

Dr. Karthika said she would use the award to buy much-needed equipment to take forward her research, besides attending an international conference on Chlamydia biologists to increase the visibility of her work.

Chlamydia trachomatis (Ctr) is a neglected tropical disease and the infection remains asymptomatic as a silent epidemic. The bacteria persist over extended times within their host cell and thereby establish chronic infections.

Persistent and chronic infection can cause potentially fatal ectopic (outside the uterus) pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory disease and sterility.

Her study challenges a long-standing hypothesis and shows that interferon gamma can down regulate c-Myc, the key regulator of metabolism leading to chlamydial persistence.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: DEFENCE / INDIAN NAVY: 5th Scorpène-class Submarine, the INS Vagir Delivered to Navy by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL), Mumbai

It is scheduled to be commissioned into service in January.

The fifth Scorpène-class conventional submarine,  Vagir, was delivered to the Navy by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai on December 20. It is scheduled to be commissioned into service next month, a Navy official said.

“It is a matter of great pride that Vagir has completed all major trials including the weapon and sensor trials in the shortest time in comparison to the earlier submarines,” the Navy said in a statement. A notable achievement is that this is the third submarine delivered to the Navy in a span of 24 months, it added.

Vagir was launched into water on November 12, 2020 and commenced sea trials on February 1, 2022.

The sixth and last of the Scorpène-class submarines,  Vagsheer, was launched into water in April 2022 and is expected to be delivered to the Navy by end 2023.

Six Scorpene submarines are being built under Project-75 by MDL under technology transfer from Naval Group of France under a $3.75 billion deal signed in October 2005. The project is about four years behind schedule.

The first submarine INS  Kalvari was commissioned in December 2017, second submarine INS  Khanderi in September 2019, third one INS  Karanj in March 2021 and the fourth one INS  Vela joined service in November 2021.

Parallelly, the tender to build six more advanced conventional submarines under Project-75I is in the Request For Proposal (RFP) stage but has suffered delays.

With delays in submarine induction, the SSKs – 209s (German HDWs) and EKMs (Russian Kilo’s), are being put through the Medium Refit Life Certification (MRLC) process which will give them additional life of 10 to 15 years.

The Navy currently has 15 conventional and one nuclear submarine in service. It includes seven Russian Kilo class submarines, four German HDW submarines, four Scorpene class submarines and the indigenous nuclear ballistic missile submarine INS  Arihant.

The Navy has drawn up plans to install Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) modules on all Scorpene submarines as they go for their refit beginning with INS Kalvari in the next couple of years to enhance their endurance. Development of an indigenous AIP module developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is in advanced stages.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: RANKING / SCHOLARLY RESEARCH: India Jumps from 7th to 3rd Global Ranking in Scientific Publications

India has jumped from 7th to 3rd global ranking in scientific publications. This was informed by the Union Minister for Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh on Sunday after a review meeting with the senior official of Department of Science & Technology in New Delhi.

Lauding the consistent efforts of India’s scientific fraternity, Dr Jitendra Singh gave all credit to an enabling milieu and freedom of working provided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said, the very fact that such quantum leaps in India’s scientific pursuits are happening only in the last few years is a testimony to the push given by PM Modi both in terms of the ease of policy as well as his personal indulgence and prioritisation.

Quoting the report of National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Science & Engineering Indicators 2022 of the United States, the Minister said India’s scholarly output has also increased from 60,555 papers in 2010 to 1,49,213 papers in 2020.

Dr Jitendra Singh also took pride that India now ranks 3rd in terms of number of PhDs in science and engineering.

He was also apprised that the number of patents granted to Indian scientists at India Patent Office (IPO) during the last three years has also increased from 2511 in 2018-19 to 4003 in 2019-20 and 5629 in 2020-21.

The National Science Foundation is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering.

Mr Singh added that India’s research performance in science and technology has improved significantly over the past few years which is visible through a large amount of scientific knowledge in terms of research publications, development of technologies and innovations contributing to overall development.

source/content: newsonair.gov.in (headline edited)

GLOBAL: SPORTS / FIELD HOCKEY: Indian Women’s Hockey Team beat Spain 1-0 to lift ‘1st FIH Women’s Nations Cup 2022’ in Valencia, Spain

In Hockey, the Indian Women’s Hockey Team defeated Spain 1-0 in the Final to win the FIH Women’s Nations Cup 2022 in Valencia, Spain yesterday.

Indian remained undefeated during the tournament and also got promoted to the 2023-24 FIH Hockey Women’s Pro League.

This was the inaugural season of the Women’s FIH Nations Cup, with a promotion to next year’s Women’s Pro League hockey up for grabs for the winner.

For India, Gurjit Kaur scored the winning goal of the match in the first quarter.

Hockey India has announced Rs 2 Lakh for each player and 1 Lakh rupees for each support staff of the Indian Women’s Hockey Team that won the FIH Women’s Nations Cup 2022.

source/content: newsonair.gov.in (headline edited)

NATIONAL: DEFENCE / INDIAN NAVY: ENGINEERING /SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / MADE IN INDIA: Indigenously Produced and Indigenously Designed ‘Missile Destroyer  INS Mormugao’ Commissioned into the Indian Navy

The INS Mormugao is said to be equipped state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles besides modern surveillance radar which provides target data to weapon systems.

Remarking that the state-of-the-art warship INS Mormugao was a major example of the country’s indigenous defense production capability, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on December 18 expressed confidence about India being able to cater to not just local but global ship-building needs as well.

Mr. Singh was speaking at Mumbai’s Mazagaon docks during the Commissioning Ceremony of the INS Mormugao, the second of four ‘Visakhapatnam’-class destroyers (also classed as P-15B stealth, guided-missile destroyers) indigenously designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau.

The warship, christened after the historic port city in the coastal State of Goa, was built by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL).

Also present on the occasion were General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Indian Armed Forces; Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar; Goa CM Pramod Sawant along with Goa Governor Sreedharan Pillai among others.

“The commissioning of this warship is proof of excellence in India’s warship design and development. The INS Mormugao is one of India’s strongest warships and I have full confidence that it will facilitate remarkable growth in country’s maritime capability. The ship will be among one of the world’s most technologically-advanced missile carrier and is a major example of our indigenous defence production capability. There is no doubt that in the near future, we will cater to India’s ship-building needs but that of the world’s as well,” said Mr. Singh, adding that the country was en-route to attaining the objective of not only ‘Make in India’ but ‘Make for World’.

The INS Mormugao is said to be equipped state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles besides modern surveillance radar which provides target data to weapon systems. Capable of achieving speeds of over 30 knots, the warship is said to be able to fight under nuclear, biological and chemical warfare conditions.

Noting the continuous increase for demand in military equipment owing to global security reasons, the Defence Minister said that the country had every opportunity to utilise its capabilities to the fullest and move forward towards making India “an indigenous shipbuilding hub.”

Commenting on the name of the warship and the historic importance of Mormugao, Mr. Singh said: “Even as a port, Mormugao has contributed significantly to the growth of India’s maritime trade. Even today, it is one of the oldest and largest ports in the country and will retain this special place due to the services it provides…be it Mormugao fort or Mormugao port, both are recorded with great distinction in Indian history of India,” he said, noting the 17th century Maratha campaign against the Portuguese under Chhatrapati Sambhaji (Shivaji’s son).

The INS Mormugao was launched in September 2016 and commenced her sea trials on December 19, 2021, coinciding with 60 years of Goa’s Liberation from Portuguese rule. Her commissioning on today (December) coincides with the day that ‘Operation Vijay’ was launched in 1961 to free Goa from Portuguese rule.

Navy Chief, Admiral R. Hari Kumar said the achievement was “indicative of the large strides” the country had taken in warship design and building capability over the last decade, while stating that the Navy had a tradition of naming ships after cities which created an enduring umbilical link between the two.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: LEADERS: Leo Varadkar begins second inning as Irish Prime Minister

Varadkar has Indian roots as his father Ashok is from Maharashtra and his mother Miriam is Irish. He is also amongst the few openly gay leaders of the world.

Smooth handover of power midway in coalition deals is a risky proposition in this part of the world, but not in Ireland as Leo Eric Varadkar was sworn in as Ireland’s prime minister on Saturday. This is his second stint as PM; he first occupied the hot seat in 2017.

The 43-year-old Varadkar is an Irish Fine Gael leader who served as deputy PM and minister for enterprise in the outgoing government since 2020. He succeeded Michael Martin, who will function as deputy PM under Varadkar. Eighty-seven members of Irish Parliament voted to elect Varadkar as PM, while 62 were against it.

On June 26, 2020, a first-ever coalition government was formed that comprised Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Green Party. As part of the arrangement, Fianna Fáil leader Michael Martin was to hold office of PM until December 16 and then hand over the baton to Varadkar.

Varadkar has Indian roots as his father Ashok is from Maharashtra and mother Miriam is Irish. He is also amongst the few openly gay leaders of the world and lives with his partner Matthew Barrett, who is a qualified medical practitioner like Varadkar.

It was during a radio interview on January 18, 2015 (his 36th birthday) that Varadkar came out as being gay. “It’s not something that defines me. I’m not a half-Indian politician, or a doctor politician or a gay politician for that matter. It’s just part of who I am, it doesn’t define me, it is part of my character I suppose,” he had said. He has also been an advocate of same-sex marriage.

He has studied medicine and completed his internship at KEM Hospital in Mumbai. Varadkar has been regularly visiting India, specially Maharashtra. His last trip to India was in 2019 with his partner.Sources said Varadkar would like to visit India as soon as possible depending on scheduling issues since India is already caught up with various events around the G20.

There are many issues that Varadkar will have to deal with in his present term. These includes issues surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol—the part of Brexit treaty which Varadkar negotiated in 2019 to keep the region within the European Union’s customs block—which remains unresolved.

Ireland is also grappling with a cost of living crisis, high energy bills and an influx of refugees from Ukraine.Housing will be one of the new government’s major policy priorities as it looks to deliver progress ahead of an election due by March 2025. The shortage of homes has been building up for a decade and with forecasts showing a decline in new construction next year. One of Varadkar’s first pieces of legislation will be a planning bill.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: During its Current Presidency of the UN Security Council, India Launches ‘Group of Friends’ to Promote Accountability for Crimes against UN Peacekeepers (Blue Helmets)

India, Bangladesh, Egypt, France, Morocco and Nepal are co-chairs of the ‘Group of Friends to Promote Accountability for Crimes Against Peacekeepers’.

India has launched a ‘Group of Friends’ to promote accountability for crimes against peacekeepers, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar  announcing that New Delhi will soon have a database that will record all crimes against the Blue Helmets.

India, Bangladesh, Egypt, France, Morocco and Nepal are co-chairs of the ‘Group of Friends to Promote Accountability for Crimes Against Peacekeepers’ launched on Thursday during India’s current presidency of the U.N. Security Council.

“UN Peacekeeping today has become more challenging than ever before. Peace operations are also being conducted in an ambiguous and complex environment,” Mr. Jaishankar said in his keynote address at the launch of the Group of Friends.

“Today’s peacekeeper is not mandated to keep the peace but to take on robust mandates in extremely hostile conflict zones. The involvement of armed groups, terrorists and transnational organised crime has adversely impacted their operations,” he said.

Mr. Jaishankar said that the Group of Friends represents the “political will” of member states, particularly of the troop and police contributing countries, to champion the implementation of the provisions of U.N. Security Council resolution 2589, which was adopted in August last year under India’s Presidency of the Council.

Resolution 2589 had called upon member states, hosting or having hosted United Nations peacekeeping operations, to take all appropriate measures to bring to justice perpetrators of the killing of, and all acts of violence against United Nations personnel, including, but not limited to, their detention and abduction.

The resolution had also called on member states to take all necessary measures to investigate such acts and arrest and prosecute perpetrators of such acts in line with their national law, consistent with applicable international obligations, including under international humanitarian law.

Mr. Jaishankar said the UNSC resolution was co-sponsored by more than 80 member states and unanimously adopted by the Council.

“It is, therefore, very befitting that this ‘Group of Friends’ being launched today under India’s ongoing Presidency of the UNSC, will seek to promote accountability in practical terms both within and outside the UNSC,” he said.

He noted that technology can be a force multiplier in achieving these goals. Comprehensive databases and analytical tools for recording and assessing crimes against peacekeepers will be key to addressing impunity.

“India has facilitated the launch of a database that will record all crimes against UN peacekeepers. I am glad to note that it will soon be ready for launch as well,” he said. Mr. Jaishankar said that upholding accountability for crimes against U.N. peacekeepers is a “multi-stakeholders” task.

“It is also a fact that in some cases, the host States do not have the political will or the necessary capabilities to ensure such accountability when crimes are committed against Peacekeepers.” Mr. Jaishankar cited data that shows that in the last three years alone, 68 peacekeepers belonging to 20 countries have lost lives for the cause of peace.

India, among the largest troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping, has lost 177 of its peacekeepers in the line of duty, the largest by far from any troop-contributing country.

Mr. Jaishankar also voiced concern that disinformation campaigns about peacekeeping missions and their mandates have also led to an increase of risks for peacekeepers.

“All these factors have seen an exponential increase in the number of crimes committed against peacekeepers in recent years,” he said.

“Peacekeeping is one of the key tools available with the Security Council to maintain international peace and security, to practically stabilise conflict zones and move towards peace building.”

“Peacekeepers from across the world contribute to this endeavour. They venture forth into hostile conflict zones to protect those who are unable to protect themselves. As those member states, who send them in that cause, it is our solemn duty to ‘Protect the Protectors’,” he said.

A concept note on the Group of Friends said that it will seek to facilitate the promotion of accountability for all acts of violence against United Nations peacekeepers; seek facilitation of capacity building and technical assistance to the host state authorities.

It will actively engage and share information with the Secretary-General and assist the member states hosting or those who have hosted peacekeeping operations, in bringing to justice the perpetrators of such acts; serve as an informal platform at the United Nations to exchange information, share best practices and mobilise resources directed at facilitating accountability for crimes committed against peacekeepers; and monitor progress on bringing accountability for crimes against peacekeepers.

The Group of Friends will convene two meetings of its members per year, organise and host one event per year involving Permanent Missions and other stakeholders, designed to inform and galvanise support for promoting accountability for crimes against peacekeepers; and organize and hold other meetings, briefings, and events as needed, based on the annual work plan and developments relevant to safety and security of peacekeepers.

The Group will convene and be moderated by representatives of the Permanent Missions of Bangladesh, Egypt, France India, Morocco and Nepal as co-chairs and include all interested Member States and United Nations partners.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: TRANSPORT / GREEN: Indian Railways bags 9 (nine) ‘National Energy Conservation Awards 2022’

The Kacheguda station bagged the first and the Guntakal Railway Station bagged the second award for adopting the best practices for energy conservation.

Indian Railways has won nine National Energy Conservation Awards for the year 2022, with the South Central Railway (SCR) bagging the first and second prize in railway station category.  These awards were given for the best energy management practices and presented by President Droupadi Murmu at a function held by Bureau of Energy Efficiency under the aegis of Ministry of Power. 

According to an official statement of the Ministry of Railway, the South Central Railway bagged the first and the second awards for energy conservation measures in railway station category. The Kacheguda station bagged the first and the Guntakal Railway Station bagged the second award for adopting the best practices for energy conservation.

The certificates of merit were awarded to the Kanpur Central Railway station under the Northern Central Railway, the Rajahmundry railway station and the Tenali Railway station. Under the buildings category, Ajmer workshop of North Western Railway was awarded the first prize. Certificate of merit was awarded to the Railway hospital Guntakal  (SCR), Electric Traction Training Centre, Vijayawada (SCR) and Divisional Railway Hospital, Pratapnagar (Western Railway).

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headlines edited)