Current Affairs – July 02, 2025

{GS2 – IR – Groupings} QUAD at Sea Ship Observer Mission

• Context (TH): The first-ever ’QUAD at Sea Ship Observer Mission’ was launched by India, the US, Japan, and Australia to strengthen coast guard coordination in the Indo-Pacific.

• Held under the Wilmington Declaration, it aligns with India’s SAGAR vision.

Wilmington Initiative: Adopted at the 2024 QUAD Summit, it formalised coast guard cooperation through the launch of the QUAD at Sea Ship Observer Mission. SAGAR Vision: SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) is India’s maritime strategy to ensure regional stability through cooperation and capacity building.

• The mission marked the first observer-level cooperation among coast guards of all four QUAD nations.
• It reflects the collective resolve of QUAD to strengthen a Free, Open, Inclusive & Rules Based Indo-Pacific.
• It reinforces joint maritime readiness through enhanced interoperability , domain awareness and operational coordination.
• The mission helped build trust and laid the groundwork for the QUAD Coast Guard Handshake.

QUAD Coast Guard Handshake: A proposed framework to institutionalise coordination among QUAD coast guards through regular exchanges and shared protocols.

{GS2 – IR – NA} Canada’s Digital Services Tax

• Context (IE): Canada has scrapped its proposed Digital Services Tax (DST) amid Trump’s threat to terminate trade talks and impose tariffs on Canadian goods

• Introduced in 2020, the DST aimed to impose a 3% levy on the revenue earned by large digital companies, such as Google, Meta, Amazon, and Apple, from Canadian users.
• The purpose of the DST was to ensure fair taxation of foreign tech giants operating in Canada but not paying taxes proportionate to their earnings from Canadian users.
• The tax was set to be retroactively applied from 2022, which drew sharp criticism from the US. If the law had been implemented, American companies would have had to pay ~$2.7 billion to the Canadian govt.

{GS2 – MEITY – Schemes} 10 Years of ‘Digital India’ Programme

• Context (IE I PIB): The Government’s flagship ‘Digital India’ programme completed ten years on July 1.

Key Features

• Launched in 2015, the Digital India Mission is a flagship programme of the Government of India.
• Vision: To transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
• Umbrella Programme: Digital India comprises various initiatives under a single programme, each targeted at preparing India to become a knowledge economy and bringing good governance to its citizens.
• Key Pillars: The Digital India Initiative is built upon nine key pillars, each focusing on a specific aspect of transforming India into a digitally empowered nation.

Milestones of Digital India

• Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) App: Launched in December 2016, BHIM is an Indian mobile payment app developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), based on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
• Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN): The GST portal was launched in July 2017. Since then, the number of registered taxpayers has doubled to 1.23 crore.
• Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA): Launched in 2018, it aims to promote digital literacy in rural India, covering six crore rural households (one person per household).
• Aarogya Setu App: In 2020, the Government launched the Aarogya Setu mobile app to bring the people of India together in a resolute fight against COVID-19.

Key Achievements

Digital Connectivity

• Telephone Connections: Rose from ₹93.3 crore in March 2014 to over ₹120 crore in April 2025.
• Internet connections: Jumped from 25.15 Cr (2014) to 96.96 Cr (2024), registering a growth of 285.53%.
• Broadband Connections: Rose from 6.1 Cr (2014) to 94.92 Cr (2024), a 1,452% increase.
• 5G and Connectivity: 5G was launched in 2022. In just 22 months, India installed 4.74 lakh 5G towers, covering 99.6% of districts.
• BharatNet: Connected over 2.18 lakh Gram Panchayats with high-speed internet (Jan 2025).

Digital Finance and Inclusion

• UPI: Nearly 460 million people and 65 million merchants use UPI. According to the ACI Worldwide Report 2024, India handled 49% of global real-time transactions in 2023.
• Aadhaar: Aadhaar-based e-KYC system has helped simplify processes in both banking & public services. It facilitated faster verification, reduced paperwork, and brought transparency across various sectors.
  • As of April 2025, 142 crore Aadhaar IDs have been generated.
• Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT): DBT utilises Aadhaar to deliver welfare payments directly, thereby eliminating fake beneficiaries. It saved the Government over ₹3.48 lakh crore between 2015 and March 2023.
  • By May 2025, ₹44 lakh crore will have been transferred through DBT.
• Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC): Launched in 2022, it helps small businesses enter digital markets. By Jan 2025, it covered 616+ cities & registered more than 7.64 lakh sellers & service providers.
• Government e-Marketplace (GeM): Launched in 2016, it enables purchase of goods & services by govt. departments. It has over 1.6 lakh government buyers & more than 22.5 lakh sellers & service providers.

Advancing Strategic Tech Capabilities

• India AI Mission (2024): It aims to build a robust and inclusive AI ecosystem. By May 2025, India’s national computing power had surpassed 34,000 GPUs, marking a significant milestone in the growth of AI infrastructure.
• India Semiconductor Mission (ISM): It aims to build a strong semiconductor and display ecosystem, positioning India as a global hub for electronics manufacturing and design.
  • As of 14 May 2025, six semiconductor projects worth ₹1.55 lakh crore have been approved.

E-Governance

• Karmayogi Bharat + iGOT: Under Mission Karmayogi, the platform trains civil servants with the right Attitude, Skills, and Knowledge. As of May 2025, over 1.21 crore officials are onboarded.
• DigiLocker: It offers citizens access to digital documents. By June 2025, users reached 53.92 crore.
• UMANG: It is a single mobile platform that enables citizens to access services from central to Local Governments. As of June 2025, it has 8.34 crore user registrations.
• BHASHINI (BHASHa INterface for India): Launched in 2022, it aims to facilitate easy access to the internet and digital services in Indian languages, including voice-based access, and support the creation of content in these languages.
  • BHASHINI supports over 35 languages with > 1,600 AI models and 18 language services (May 2025).

{GS2 – MoLI – Schemes} Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme

• Context (PIB): The Union Cabinet approved the Employment Linked Incentive Scheme as part of the Prime Minister’s Jobs and Skills Package announced in Budget 2024–25.

• It will run in two parts for two years, with an extended duration for manufacturing.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Labour & Employment.

PM’s Jobs and Skills Package: It includes five targeted schemes to boost employment, formalisation, skill development, and MSME growth.

Part A: Worker Incentives

• Target Group: This part covers first-time wage employees joining the formal workforce.
  • Employees must be registered with EPFO and have a monthly income of up to ₹1 lakh.
• Wage Subsidy: A one-time wage subsidy of up to ₹15,000 will be provided.
  • Subsidy will be released in 2 instalments: After 6 months & after 12 months of continuous employment. The second instalment requires completion of a financial literacy programme.
• Disbursal Mechanism: The amount will be paid via DBT using Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS). A portion may be held in a savings-linked instrument with delayed withdrawal.

Part B: Employer Incentives

• Target Group: This part supports employers who generate new formal jobs. Employers must be EPFO-registered and retain new hires for a minimum of six months.
  • Firms must add at least two additional employees (if under 50 workers) or five (if 50 or more).
  • New hires must earn not more than ₹1 lakh per month.
• Incentives: An incentive of ₹3,000 per additional employee per month will be provided for two years. Manufacturing firms will receive the same incentive for a period of four years.
  • The incentive slabs are:
    1. ₹1,000 for wages up to ₹10,000,
    2. ₹2,000 for wages up to ₹20,000, and
    3. ₹3,000 for wages above ₹20,000.
• Disbursal Mechanism: The amount will be credited directly to employer’s PAN-linked bank account.

{GS2 – MoST – Schemes} Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme

• Context (PIB): The Cabinet approved the Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Scheme to promote research in strategic and Sunrise sectors.

Sunrise Sectors: Emerging industries with high growth potential and strategic value, e.g., clean mobility, green hydrogen, drones, robotics, space-tech.

About the Scheme

• It is a long-term financing or refinancing program designed to promote private sector investment in research and development (R&D).
• Objectives:
  • Funds projects at advanced stages of development that are close to real-world use.
  • Acquire technologies that are important for national security and economic growth.
  • Set up a Deep-Tech Fund of Funds for supporting high-risk, high-growth innovations.

Implementation Framework

• Implementation: The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is the nodal department for implementing the Scheme.
• Governing Authority: The Scheme is overseen by the Governing Board of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), chaired by the PM.
• EGoS Oversight: The Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS), led by the Cabinet Secretary, reviews scheme performance and approves key changes.

Funding Mechanism

• Two-Tier Structure: The scheme uses a two-tier funding mechanism for structure and accountability disbursement.
  • First Tier: A Special Purpose Fund (SPF) is created within ANRF to hold and manage the overall fund corpus.
  • Second Tier: Selected fund managers receive SPF funding to support RDI-related financial projects.
• Loan-Based Support: Projects are primarily funded through long-term concessional loans with low or zero interest rates.
  • The scheme also offers equity funding to startups and invests in Deep-Tech.

{GS2 – MoYAS – Initiatives} MY Bharat 2.0 Platform

• Context (PIB): The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Digital India Corporation to develop the MY Bharat 2.0 platform.

• The MY Bharat initiative was envisioned as a national platform for youth empowerment through structured digital engagement.

Key Features

• MY Bharat 2.0 is a single-window digital ecosystem that aligns young citizens with career-building opportunities, skill development, and civic engagement, anchored in the spirit of Seva Bhav.
• It aims to create a comprehensive and intelligent ecosystem of youth engagement, combining physical and digital outreach, also known as a phygital platform.
• AI-Driven Personalisation: Integrates AI to align opportunities with individual interests, skills, and behavioural patterns, providing a more tailored user experience.
• Real-Time Tools & Assistance: Features a mobile application for instant updates on volunteering and a dedicated WhatsApp chatbot for on-the-go assistance and support.
• Modular and Scalable Architecture: The platform is being rebuilt using a modular architecture approach to ensure scalability and flexibility.
• Seamless Integration with National Platforms: Offer seamless integration with national digital platforms like Aadhaar, DigiLocker, Bhashini, & MyGov, ensuring interoperability & unified user experience.
• Comprehensive Development Hubs: It will feature dedicated sections for National Career Services, a Mentorship Hub, and Fit India, bringing together employment, personal development, and health on one integrated platform.

Digital India Corporation Digital India Corporation is an Indian not-for-profit company established by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, under Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013. It leads and guides in realising the vision, objectives, and goals of the Digital India program. It provides strategic support to Ministries/Departments of the Centre/States to carry forward the mission of Digital India by way of capacity building for e-governance projects, promoting best practices, and encouraging Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), among other initiatives.

{GS2 – Polity – Laws} Cabinet approves National Sports Policy 2025

• Context (PIB | TH): The Union Cabinet approved the National Sports Policy (NSP) 2025, officially announced as “Khelo Bharat Niti 2025”, marking a bold and comprehensive overhaul of India’s sports governance framework.

Key Highlights of NSP 2025

• Excellence on the Global Stage: Establish structured talent pathways, modern infrastructure, and science-backed training through strengthening of National Sports Federations & competitive leagues.
• Sports for Economic Development: Drive economic growth through sports tourism, manufacturing, startups, PPPs, and CSR investments.
• Sports for Social Development: Promote social inclusion, revive traditional sports, and link sports to careers and community engagement.
• Sports as a People’s Movement: Foster a national fitness culture with campaigns, fitness indices, and open access to sports facilities.
• Integration with NEP 2020: Integrate sports into education through curricula, trained educators, and school-based talent development.

Strategic Framework for Implementation

• Governance: Establishment of regulatory & legal framework to ensure transparency & accountability.
• Private Sector Collaboration: Engaging corporate stakeholders through CSR and PPP mechanisms.
• Technology Adoption: Use of AI, data analytics, and emerging technologies in athlete performance tracking and program delivery.
• Monitoring: Creation of National Monitoring Framework with KPIs & time-bound milestones.
• State-Level Alignment: NSP 2025 serves as a model policy for States/UTs to draft their own policies.
• Whole-of-Government Approach: Integration of sports objectives into various Ministries’ and Departments’ schemes.

India’s Sports Policy Journey

Post-Independence Priorities (1947–1980s)

• National focus was on poverty, health, and education, with limited sports investment despite milestones like the 1951 Asian Games and establishment of All-India Council of Sports (AICS) in 1954.
• Budget constraints hindered global success, though hockey excelled & icons like Milkha Singh emerged.

1982 Asian Games

• The 1982 Asiad highlighted the need for structured sports governance. It led to creation of the Department of Sports under the HRD Ministry.
• Resulted in India’s first National Sports Policy (1984).

Post-1991 Liberalisation

• Economic reforms and media exposure sparked public interest in sports and cultural shift.
• The 1997 Draft National Sports Policy was proposed but never implemented, leaving a policy gap.

Post-2000

• Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports was established in 2000; the National Sports Policy 2001 emphasized mass participation and elite performance.

• Significant initiatives included:
  • NSDC 2011: For regulating and professionalising National Sports Federations (NSFs) addressing governance, anti-doping, gender parity, and more.
  • TOPS 2014: Target Olympic Podium Scheme to support elite athletes.
  • Khelo India 2017: Nationwide youth talent identification and sports development program.
  • Fit India Movement 2019: Fitness as a national priority.

• In 2024, government released Drafts of the National Sports Policy and National Sports Governance Bill.
• India’s 2036 Olympic bid revived strategic focus, prompting new policy and governance reforms.

{GS2 – Social Sector – Education} Vacant Reserved Faculty Posts

• Context (TH): Despite constitutional guarantees, a large number of reserved faculty posts in central universities remain vacant.

• Reservation in faculty recruitment for SC (15%), ST (7.5%), OBC (27%), and EWS (10%), are meant to ensure representation and correct historical injustices. Yet, implementation across central universities and premier institutions like IITs, IIMs, and AIIMS remains inconsistent.

Persistent Gaps in Faculty Recruitment

• High Vacancy Levels: As of April 2021, 45 central universities had 2,389 (SC), 1,199 (ST), and 4,251 (OBC) faculty posts vacant.
• Limited Success of Recruitment Drives: Despite efforts in JNU and DU, a 2023 UGC report found 30% of reserved posts especially at senior levels remain unfilled.
• Underrepresentation in Leadership: While lower-level jobs meet reservation norms, top academic and administrative positions are still largely held by unreserved category candidates.

Structural and Systemic Barriers

• Autonomy Without Accountability: Central universities and premier institutes enjoy significant autonomy, often resulting in weak enforcement of reservation norms.
• The 13-Point Roster Issue: Implemented in 2018, this system treats individual departments as the unit for reservation, drastically reducing seats for SCs, STs, and OBCs in small departments. It sparked legal challenges and widespread protests.
• Discretionary Rejections: Many qualified reserved-category candidates are rejected with vague reasons like “not suitable,” without transparent evaluation.
  • 2022 study at Ambedkar University found ~60% of such vacancies stemmed from discretionary bias.
• Lack of Diversity in Selection Panels: Homogenous & upper-caste-dominated committees often sideline inclusive hiring. Political/ideological interference further raises concerns over fairness in recruitment.

Way Forward

• Strict Enforcement of Reservation Norms: Mandate regular UGC audits and public disclosure of reservation data for faculty recruitment across all central institutions.
• Revisit the 13-Point Roster: Reinstate or reform the system to use the entire university as the unit of reservation, ensuring better compliance with representation goals.
  • The ongoing Supreme Court hearings on this matter could provide much-needed legal clarity.
• Transparent & Inclusive Hiring Processes: Diversify selection committees with members from marginalised backgrounds. Standardise recruitment evaluation criteria to prevent subjective or biased decisions.
• Political and Policy Will: The rhetoric of inclusivity must be matched with administrative and political action. Social justice should not remain a symbolic commitment but a deliverable mandate.

{GS3 – Envi – CC} Draft Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity Target Rules, 2025

• Context (HT): The Ministry of Environment has issued the Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity Target Rules, 2025, and the draft under the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), 2023.

Key Highlights

• Legally binding targets: The rules propose legally binding greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets for over 460 industrial units as part of India’s first compliance-based carbon market.
  • Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) will determine emission targets.
• Sectors Covered: Aluminium, iron and steel, petroleum refining, petrochemicals, and textiles.
• Tenure: These targets are applicable for the 2025–26 and 2026–27 periods, with a focus on reducing carbon intensity across key sectors.
• Compliance mechanism: The obligated entity shall achieve the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Intensity (GEI) targets in the respective compliance year. Alternatively, they can meet the GEI target by purchasing carbon credit certificates from the Indian carbon market
  • The draft rules define GEI as tonnes of CO2 equivalent emitted per unit of output or product.
• Penalties: Failure to comply will attract financial penalties under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
  • Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will impose Environmental Compensation for the shortfall in the respective compliance year.

Carbon Credit Trading Scheme, 2023

• Launched by the Ministry of Power under the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2022.
• Aim: Establish a domestic carbon market to incentivize and regulate the reduction of GHGs emissions.
• Incentivizing Emission Reduction: The CCTS assigns a carbon credit to each tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) reduced or avoided, effectively putting a price on emissions and encouraging businesses to adopt cleaner technologies.
• Carbon Credit Certificates: Under this initiative, carbon credit certificates are issued by the BEE to entities that exceed their emission reduction targets.
  • Entities failing to meet their targets must purchase carbon credit certificates.
• Obligated Entities: Ministry of Power notifies obligated entities based on recommendations from BEE.
• Compliance & Voluntary Markets: The Scheme includes both compliance and voluntary sectors.
  • Compliance Segment: Targeting specific industries, it is scheduled to begin in 2025-26.
  • Voluntary Market: Allows companies, individuals, and obligated entities to participate in trading carbon credits.
• Emission intensity targets are set by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, based on recommendations from the Ministry of Power.
• Implementation: Overseen by a National Steering Committee chaired by the Power Secretary.
• Trading Platform: Grid Controller of India Limited will act as the registry, and the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission will regulate trading activities and register power exchanges.
• Alignment with Paris Agreement: The CCTS aligns with India’s climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.

{GS3 – Envi – CC} India’s Climate Taxonomy Must Include Loss and Damage

• Context (IE): India recently released a draft Climate Taxonomy, aiming to align financial flows with green goals, but overlooks Loss and Damage (L&D), which includes irreversible climate impacts that cannot be adapted to.

What is Loss and Damage (L&D)? L&D refers to climate-induced harms that exceed the limits of adaptation, including: Economic losses: Crop failure, property damage, job losses Non-economic losses: Health impacts, loss of education, cultural heritage Triggered by sudden disasters (cyclones, floods) & slow-onset events (sea-level rise, erosion) Despite global recognition and the creation of a Global L&D Fund at COP28, current global pledges cover less than 0.2% of annual losses faced by developing nations, making domestic inclusion urgent.

India’s Vulnerability to Loss & Damage

• High Climate Risk: India ranks as the 7^th most climate-vulnerable country globally (World Bank), with over 80% of its population living in climate disaster-prone areas.
• Diverse Climate Hazards: Coastal erosion in Odisha, Flooding in Assam and Bihar, Heatwaves in Gujarat and Rajasthan & Riverbank erosion in Bengal and the Northeast.
• Socio-Economic Impact: Climate disasters disproportionately affect vulnerable groups such as informal workers lose wages, migrant families struggle to access relief, and children face educational disruptions during events like floods, heatwaves, or cyclones.
• Ineffective Relief Mechanisms: Current disaster relief remains largely reactive, fragmented, and underfunded. Compensation is often delayed, inadequate, or inaccessible to the most affected.

Need to Include L&D in Climate Taxonomy

• Expand Eligible Sectors: Enable financing for often-neglected needs like post-disaster housing, livelihood restoration, healthcare, and education continuity.
• Strengthen Frontline Response: Provide funding for disaster management bodies, NGOs, and local communities to move beyond emergency relief.
• Integrate with Welfare Schemes: Align programs like MGNREGA, PM Awas Yojana, and PDS to include L&D-related compensation and resilience-building.
• State-Level Climate Planning: Encourage climate-smart budgeting by states with L&D as a central focus of adaptation and recovery strategies.

Way Forward

• Develop robust data and assessment frameworks to capture both economic and non-economic losses.
• Ensure community participation in defining and measuring L&D.
• Institutional convergence between climate, disaster, and social welfare departments to ensure holistic response.
• Build a finance architecture that supports not just future-proofing but also climate justice & reparations.

{GS3 – Envi – Conservation} Model Rules for Agroforestry

• Context (DTE): Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEFCC) released model rules to regulate tree felling in agricultural land & promote agroforestry.

• The objective is to simplify approvals, reduce timber imports, and increase tree cover on farmlands.

About the Model Rules

• These are meant for voluntary adoption by States/UTs to bring uniformity in regulating tree felling.
• National Timber Management System (NTMS): Centralized digital platform for registering agroforestry plantations and tree-felling requests. It auto-verifies girth, species, & location using uploaded data.
• State–level committee formed under 2016 Wood-Based Industries Guidelines to oversee agroforestry. It verifies applications through field agencies and periodically uploads validated data to NTMS.
• Divisional Forest Officer will oversee verification agencies and ensure timely processing.
• Felling procedure: NOC is auto-issued for up to 10 trees; for more, a permit is issued following verification.
  • For up to 10 trees, geotagged photographs are uploaded on NTMS for identification. For more than 10 trees, physical inspection and reporting are mandatory.

About Agroforestry Agroforestry is the practice of integrating trees with crops or livestock on the same land unit. Legal Framework: It is primarily governed under the National Agroforestry Policy, 2014. Area Estimate: India has ~25 million hectares under agroforestry, covering about ~8% of its area. Significance: It contributes to sustainable land use, biodiversity, and climate resilience. Types of Agroforestry Agrisilviculture: This system combines crop cultivation alongside timber or fuelwood trees. Silvopasture: It integrates trees with grazing lands to provide fodder and shelter for livestock. Agrihorticulture: This model intercrops fruit-bearing trees with seasonal agricultural crops. Apisilviculture: It promotes flowering tree plantations to support beekeeping and pollination. Aqua-forestry: This system pairs tree planting around ponds with fish farming activities.

{GS3 – Envi – Conservation} The Hong Kong International Convention

• Context (IMO): The Hong Kong International Convention (HKC) on safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships came into force on 26 June 2025.

About Hong Kong International Convention on Recycling of Ships

• The Hong Kong Treaty is a global treaty under the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
• It oversees the global recycling of end-of-life ships to promote safety and environmental protection through standardized practices.
• Collaborative Framework: It involves cooperation between the IMO, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and the Basel Convention for comprehensive regulation.
  • IMO Role: It oversees the implementation of the convention globally.
  • ILO Involvement: It contributes to worker safety standards.
  • Basel Convention Link: It aligns with the Basel Convention, which regulates the cross-border movement and disposal of hazardous waste.
• Objectives: Minimise workers’ health hazards, regulate hazardous materials, such as asbestos and heavy metals, promote safe handling & waste disposal.

Features / Components

• Inventory Requirement: Ships must carry an Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) detailing hazardous substances.
• Recycling Plan: Ship Recycling Plans (SRP) must be approved by the competent authority from the ship recycling country.
• Completion Certificates: Recycling yards must issue Recycling Completion Certificates within 14 days.
• Material Restrictions: An appendix lists hazardous materials that are prohibited in ships and yards.

Significance

• Legal Framework: Creates uniform legal system to ensure safe ship recycling & reduce marine pollution.
• Worker Safety Standards: It improves safety norms in certified ship recycling facilities.
• Trade Advantage: Compliant countries can attract high-value ships from regulated markets.
• Sustainability: Promotes recycling and resource recovery aligned with circular economy goals.

{GS3 – S&T – Defence} INS Tamal

• Context (PIB): The Indian Navy commissioned INS Tamal, a Russian-built, stealth multi-role frigate, at Kaliningrad, Russia.

• It will strengthen the Indian Navy’s combat readiness and promote self-reliance in warship capability.

About INS TAMAL

• INS Tamal is the eighth multi-role stealth frigate under Project 1135.6 and the second ship of the Tushil class. It is named after Tamal, the mythical celestial sword of Indra.
  • Project 1135.6: It is a result of a 2016 Indo-Russian agreement to build four stealth frigates, with two built in Russia and two in India.
• INS Tamal will join other ships in the series to operate from Karwar, Karnataka, under the Western Fleet of the Indian Navy.

Credit: The Hindu

Stealth Frigate: A warship built to lower radar and sound detection for better surprise and survivability in combat. Tushil class: It is India’s extended version of the Project 1135.6, featuring indigenous systems added under Indo-Russian defence cooperation.

Key Features

• Indigenous Contribution: Approximately 26% of the ship’s systems, including sensors, electronics, and weapons, are made in India.
• High-Speed Endurance: The ship can sail at over 30 knots for extended long-range deployment.
• Hybrid Capability Integration: The ship integrates Russian propulsion with Indian systems like BrahMos and HUMSA-NG, indicating a successful technological partnership.
• Underwater Warfare: Equipped with heavyweight torpedoes for anti-submarine warfare operations.
• Aviation Operations: It supports helicopters used for early threat detection and anti-submarine warfare missions.

HUMSA-NG Sonar System: It is an Indian-made sonar developed by the DRDO and BEL for detecting medium-range submarines.

{GS3 – S&T – Defence} INS Udaygiri

• Context (TH): INS Udaygiri, second ship of Project 17A stealth frigate, was delivered to Indian Navy.

• It is the second among the seven Project 17A (P-17A) frigates under construction at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL) in Mumbai and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers in Kolkata.

Project 17A is a successor to the Shivalik-class frigates of Project 17 (P-17).

• INS Udaygiri is a multi-mission frigate, capable of operating in a ‘Blue Water’ environment, dealing with both conventional and non-conventional threats in the area of India’s Maritime Interests.
• It is fitted with an advanced weapons and sensor suite, sourced from indigenous manufacturers, with enhanced ‘sleek and stealthy’ features.
• The ship utilises a Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsion system, enabling it to switch between diesel engines and gas turbines according to operational requirements, such as speed and efficiency.
• The ship is equipped with an Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) that manages all key parts of the ship, a supersonic surface-to-surface missile system capable of targeting enemy ships and other maritime targets, Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile System, 76 mm main gun.