Category: Mains 2016 Initiative

Scorpene Data Leak India signed a $3.5bn (£2.6bn, €3.1bn) deal for six Scorpene vessels in 2005 with France. They are being built in cooperation with a state-owned Mumbai shipbuilder. Over 22,000 pages of top secret data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with…

Draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, 2016 Context– Ministry of Home Affairs in May this year released a draft of “The Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, 2016.” It basically aims to regularize critical information on Maps services that affect “the security, sovereignty and integrity” of the country. Cold response from MNCs like Google to India’s security concerns is…

National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) Context: The government of India in 2016 appointed Ashok Patnaik as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Intelligence Grid. The appointment is being seen as the government’s effort to revive the project. Introduction: 1. The attack on Mumbai in 2008, 26/11 attack, exposed many weaknesses in Indian intelligence security and…

Farm Subsidies and WTO WTO Functions Ensure all countries benefit from world trade. Reducing barriers to international trade – both tariff barriers and non-tariff barriers. Getting the members to Enter into multilateral trade agreements. Providing forum for negotiation and dispute settlement for the members. Cooperating with UN, World and IMF for a global economic policy…

Augmented Reality What is Augmented Reality? Augmented reality is the integration of digital information with the user’s environment in real time. Unlike virtual reality, which creates a totally artificial environment, augmented reality uses the existing environment and overlays new information on top of it. Applications of Augmented Reality: 1. Navigation: Enhanced GPS systems are using augmented…

Zika virus   Introduction Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. It is an emerging mosquito-borne virus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys. Outbreaks of Zika virus disease have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. Symptoms Symptoms of Zika virus infections…

Light Fidelity or Li-Fi What is Li-Fi? Li–Fi is a Visible Light Communications system running wireless communications, traveling at very high speeds. How does it work? 1. Li–Fi uses common household LED light bulbs to enable data transfer, reaching speeds of up to 224 gigabits per second. 2. Although Li-Fi bulbs would have to be kept on…

Historical background of Silk Road: 1. The Silk Road was a network of trade routes, formally established during the Han Dynasty. The road originated from Chang’an (now Xian) in the east and ended in the Mediterranean in the west, linking China with the Roman Empire. 2. As China’s silk was the major trade product, German…

Scramjet Engine Background Oxygen is as essential for the process of combustion as it is for the sustenance of life. Therefore a rocket, during its launch, needs to combine a combustion fuel with liquid oxygen to create the thrust needed for the take-off and flight. However, if the need for liquid oxygen is taken away…

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act was enacted in 1958 to bring under control what the government of India considered ‘disturbed’ areas. How could a region be declared as ‘disturbed’? Section (3) of the AFSPA Act empowers the governor of the state or Union territory to issue an official notification on…