TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Greenfield Airport at Hollongi 2. Operation Ganga 3. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 4. Resolution on Plastic Pollution 5. SARAS 3 Radio Telescope 6. Summit of Quad Leaders 7. Development of Inland Water Transport of Northeast
1. Greenfield Airport at Hollongi
Syllabus: GS III, Infrastructure, Airports
Prelims: Greenfield airports
Mains: Significance of greenfield projects in India
Context: A greenfield airport will be established at Hollong in Arunachal Pradesh considering the significance of air connectivity.
About the Greenfield airport:
- The Airports Authority of India has taken up the initiative to work towards the construction of a greenfield airport in Hollongi.
- Hollongi is 15 km from Itanagar and this greenfield project will facilitate better connectivity once completed.
- It is designed for operations of the A-320 category of aircraft and future extension of runway by 500 metres length with a capacity of handling 200 passengers.
- The terminals will be provided with an energy-efficient rainwater harvesting system and sustainable landscape.
Significance:
- This greenfield project will be a boost to transform Arunachal Pradesh into a gateway to southeast Asia by developing modern infrastructure across the state.
- As this airport will connect the capital city, it was a much-needed step to accelerate economic activities in the region.
Greenfield Airports: Salient Features
- It is an aviation facility with the characteristics of a greenfield project that develops a system for a totally new environment without integrating with other systems. It is a concept used in software development.
- The guidelines for the development of greenfield airports in the country have been formulated by the Greenfield Airport Policy, 2008. These guidelines place contingent responsibilities on the central and state governments exemplifying competitive and cooperative federalism.
- Greenfield airports include those where all activities from airport planning to commissioning are carried out from the very beginning in cities that are not at all connected by air services.
- Greenfield projects are the ones that lack any constraints due to existing infrastructure or prior work.
- Pakyong was the first greenfield airport to be constructed in the northeast region of India and is located near Gangtok, Sikkim.
Syllabus: GS II, International Relations, Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on Indian diaspora.
Prelims: About Operation Ganga
Context: Operation Ganga has facilitated the safe arrival of many Indian students and Indian nationals to Delhi from Ukraine.
About Operation Ganga:
- It is an operation of the Government of India to bring back Indian students stuck in the conflict-hit region of Ukraine.
- It is a multi-pronged evacuation plan to protect the Indian nationals who are residing in the midst of risk emerging from Ukraine’s invasion by Russia.
- The entire cost of evacuation will be borne by the central government.
- Indian missions in Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary have been making arrangements to receive Indian nationals from Ukraine and fly them out of their respective countries under Operation Ganga flights.
- The government also launched an account on social media named OpGanga Helpline to assist the evacuation by sharing instructions and advisories.
- This operation gathered momentum after SpiceJet, Air India Express and IndiGo joined the mission and assisted to operate special flights.
- The Indian Air Force will also send the C-17 Globemaster aircraft to evacuate stranded Indian nationals.
Read more on Operation Ganga in the link.
3. International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Syllabus: GS III, Awareness in the field of IT
Prelims: ITU, 5G
Mains: Development of telecom standards in India
Context: In order to establish an area office and innovation centre in New Delhi, India has signed a Host Country Agreement with the International Telecommunication Union intending to standardise Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
About the Agreement:
- The agreement was signed in a virtual ceremony during the World Telecommunications Standardisation Assembly (WTSA) 20 which was organised in Geneva, Switzerland.
- The WTSA is a global conference of ITU which is a four-yearly event dedicated to the standardisation of ICT. India has proposed to host the next conference of WTSA.
- The development of 5G internet standards in India has been recognised by ITU as one of the three technologies for 5G.
- With more than 1.2 billion telecom subscribers, a robust ecosystem for startups and innovation hubs, India is considerably contributing towards the development of telecom standards.
Read more about ITU in the linked article.
4. Resolution on Plastic Pollution
Syllabus: GS III, Environmental pollution and degradation
Prelims: UNEP
Mains: India’s engagement and global commitment to reduce plastic pollution.
Context: In the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, 175 countries including India adopted a historic resolution to control and mitigate plastic pollution.
The 5th United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA):
- The UNEA 5.2 which was held in Nairobi, considered three draft resolutions to address the issue of plastic pollution.
- One of the resolutions submitted by India called for voluntary global action by countries to reduce plastic pollution by setting up an intergovernmental negotiating committee for a new international legally binding treaty.
Get more details about the UNEA in the link here: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Syllabus: GS III, Achievements of Indians in science and technology
Prelims: About SARAS 3 radio telescope.
Context: The SARAS 3 Radio Telescope has enabled the rejection of a claim of the discovery of radio wave signals from the cosmic dawn by a team of researchers from Arizona State University and MIT in the US.
About SARAS 3 Radio Telescope:
- It is an indigenously built telescope that was developed by the researchers of Raman Research Institute, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology.
- SARAS 3 radio telescope is the first telescope worldwide to reach the required sensitivity.
- This strengthens the research by Indian astronomers with a precise understanding of the evolving Universe.
- It is capable of detecting extremely faint radio wave signals from the depths of time from the “Cosmic Dawn” when the first stars and galaxies were formed in the early universe.
- The radiation emitted by hydrogen atoms at the 21 cm wavelength (1.4 GHz) from the depth of the cosmos, which is a faint cosmological signal, can also be detected.
- The scientists of Raman Research Institute are continuously putting efforts to calibrate the telescope to detect signals from the cosmic dawn with increasing precision.
- It is one of the most sensitive instruments in the world in this field of research.
Syllabus: GS II, International Relations, Regional groupings involving India’s interests.
Prelims: QUAD
Mains: Significance of QUAD in strengthening the Indo-Pacific region.
Details: The Prime Minister has participated in the virtual Summit of QUAD leaders in order to focus on the areas like Humanitarian and Disaster Relief, sustainable debt, supply chains, clean energy, connectivity, capacity building, thereby promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
7. Development of Inland Water Transport of Northeast
Syllabus: GS III, Infrastructure, Ports, Roads
Prelims: Kaladan Multimodal Project, National Waterways
Mains: Significance of Kaladan project in terms of connectivity.
Context: The important connectivity projects in Mizoram have been reviewed.
Important Projects:
- Mizoram plays an important role in the development of inland water transport in the northeast.
- The government is attentive in its action to develop the inland water transport at Khawthilang Tuipui (Karnaphuli) – Tuichawng river stretching upto 23 kms. This is a central sector scheme under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
- Hydrographic surveys were conducted along the stretch of river Tiwang in Khamrang village of Mizoram to Gharmura in Assam. Hydrographic surveys are scientific assessments of the features of water bodies that influence the maritime navigation, maritime construction, dredging and other activities.
- It is noteworthy to mention about the ambitious Kaladan Multimodal Transport Project which will establish a new corridor between India and Myanmar facilitating cargo shipments from the eastern ports to Myanmar and to the northeastern parts of the country through Myanmar.
- Therefore, the Kaladan project will play an exemplary role in connecting the landlocked northeast with the southern coast of Myanmar. The project will be funded by India and the Inland Waterways Authority of India.
Read about the National Waterways of India in the linked article
Image Source: The Print
Read previous PIB here.
March 3rd, 2022, PIB:- Download PDF Here
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