13 Jan 2024: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INS CHEETAH, GULDAR AND KUMBHIR
2. India’s First National Highway Steel Slag Road
3. BEACH GAMES 2024, DIU

1. INS CHEETAH, GULDAR AND KUMBHIR

Syllabus: GS-3, Science and technology

Prelims: INS CHEETAH, GULDAR AND KUMBHIR 

Context: Indian Navy Ships Cheetah, Guldar and Kumbhir were decommissioned on 12 Jan 2024 after rendering four decades of glorious service to the nation. 

Details:

• The decommissioning event was conducted at Port Blair in a traditional ceremony wherein the National Flag, the Naval Ensign and Decommissioning Pennants of the three ships were lowered for the last time, at sunset.
• Cheetah, Guldar and Kumbhir were built at Gdynia Shipyard, Poland as Polnocny class Landing Ships and were commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1984, 1985 and 1986 respectively, in presence of Shri S K Arora (Cheetah and Guldar) and Shri A K Das (Kumbhir) then Ambassadors of India to Poland. 
• During her initial years, Cheetah was based at Kochi and Chennai for brief periods, and Kumbhir and Guldar were based at Visakhapatnam. 
• The ships were subsequently re-based at Andaman and Nicobar Command, where they served till their decommissioning. 
• These ships were in active Naval service for nearly 40 years, and collectively traversed about 17 lakh nautical miles whilst being at sea for over 12,300 days. 
• As the amphibian platforms of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, these ships have conducted over 1300 beaching operations for landing of army troops ashore.
• During their illustrious journeys, these ships participated in numerous maritime security missions and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations. 
• Notable amongst them are their role during Operation Aman as part of IPKF operations and Operation Tasha a joint operation carried out between Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard in May 1990 to control smuggling of arms and ammunition and illegal immigration across Indian and Srilankan border and made stellar contributions in relief operations post 1997 cyclone off Sri Lanka and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

2. India’s First National Highway Steel Slag Road

Syllabus: GS-3, Economy

Prelims:  India’s First National Highway Steel Slag Road

Context: Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member (S&T), NITI AAYOG inaugurated India’s First National Highway Steel Slag Road section on NH- 66 Mumbai-Goa National Highway today.   

Details:

• Dr Saraswat said that the Steel Slag Road Technology, developed by CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI) is transforming the waste of steel industries into wealth and is helping the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to build stronger and ecofriendly national highways in the country.
• JSW Steel, under the CSIR-CRRI technological guidance, has constructed the 1 km long four lane steel slag road section on Indapur-Panvel Section of NH-66 Mumbai-Goa. 
• For construction of this road around 80,000 tons of CONARC Steel slag were converted as processed steel slag aggregates at JSW Steel Dolvi, Raigad plant. 
• The processed steel slag aggregates are superior to natural aggregates in terms of various mechanical properties and utilized for steel slag road construction in all layers of the road in place of natural aggregates. 
• The road has a bituminous and cement concrete steel slag road section at same location in RHS and LHS carriageways. On this road section, the processed steel slag aggregates and slag cement have been utilized for construction of the cement concrete road in all layers.
• CSIR-CRRI, under a sponsored research project of Ministry of Steel, is developing national guidelines for utilization of processed steel slag in steel slag road construction.
• CSIR-CRRI in collaboration with different steel industries has successfully utilized steel slag in road construction at Gujarat, Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh.

3. BEACH GAMES 2024, DIU

Syllabus: GS-2, Social issues

Prelims: BEACH GAMES 2024, DIU

Context: The Beach Games 2024, the first multi-sports beach games in India, organized at the pristine blue flag certified Ghoghla Beach in Diu concluded with landlocked Madhya Pradesh emerging overall champion, topping the medal tally with a total of 18 medals, including an impressive haul of 7 golds. 

Details:

• The event showcased the sporting prowess of Madhya Pradesh’s contingent and also highlighted the depth of talent fostered within the state.
• Maharashtra won 14 medals including 3 gold, while Tamil Nadu, Uttarkhand and hosts Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Diu & Daman secured 12 medals each.  Assam won 8 medals, out of which 5 were Gold.
• Sporting excellence took centre stage from January 4-11, as 1404 athletes, all under the age of 21, from 28 states and Union Territories, supported by 205 match officials, participated in a diverse range of disciplines. 
• The games were structured into 2 sessions each day. The Morning Session, starting from 8 am and concluding at noon, followed by the Afternoon Session, commencing at 3 pm. 
• This scheduling not only optimized the athletes’ performances under suitable weather conditions but also allowed for a dynamic and engaging viewing experience for the enthusiastic audience.

Read previous PIB articles here.