RECENT NOTEWORTHY DEVELOPMENTS

RECENT NOTEWORTHY DEVELOPMENTS

1. First batch of women ITBP inducted
   1. The Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has inducted its first batch of female constables
   2. The recruits were inducted after training at the ITBP’s Basic Training Centre at Bhanu in Haryana
   3. The primary responsibility of the ITBP is to guard the international border between India and China
   4. Previously, the Border Security Force (BSF) also recruited their first batch of female troopers last year and deployed them along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab and the India-Bangladesh border
2. India develops Gun Fire Control System for the navy
   1. India has developed a new generation multi-sensor multi-weapon defence system against enemy targets on board naval ships
   2. The Gun Fire Control System (GCFS) developed by the Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) is to be deployed on P-28 class of ships
   3. The purpose of the GCFS is to locate a hostile target using RADAR or video tracker, act on early warning signals and track its approach, and control the exact position and firing of weapons for destruction of the target. The GCFS then continues to track the target while simultaneously pointing the weapon at it, until it is completely destroyed
   4. The GCFS comprises five subsystems: tracker, weapon control, sight control, combat management system and support systems
3. Sangeet Natak Akademi wins best tableau prize
   1. The tableau of the Sangeet Natak Akademi won the Best Tableau prize for this year’s Republic Day
   2. The Sangeet Natak Akademi tableau showcased models of various classical instruments
   3. The Sangeet Natak Akademi functions under the Ministry of Culture
   4. The second place went to Goa’s tableau highlighting the international film festival, while third went to Chhattisgarh’s float highlighting the 2.5 billion year old stalagmite caves in Kotumsar
   5. This year’s parade had 21 tableaux including 13 from various states and eight from central government ministries and departments
   6. The Government also announced 6 Padma Vibhushan, 43 Padma Bhushan and 81 Padma Shri awardees this year. However, there are no Bharat Ratna awardees in 2010
4. India to open consulate in Jaffna
   1. India has announced that it will be opening a consulate in Jaffna (Sri Lanka)
   2. Jaffna, located in the Jaffna peninsula in northern Sri Lanka, is considered to be the historical and cultural centre of the Tamil population in Sri Lanka
   3. The consulate will bring about closer contacts between India and the Tamil population there
   4. India has announced a Rs 500 crore package for reconstruction and rehabilitation of about 300,000 Tamils displaced by the fighting between the SL government and the LTTE early 2009
5. Mahinda Rajapakse re-elected President of Sri Lanka
   1. Sri Lanka’s incumbent President, Mahinda Rajapakse, has been re-elected as President for a second term
   2. He won against the opposition candidate retd. Gen Sarath Fonseka by a vote ratio of 58% to 40%
   3. The opposition candidate was the head of the Sri Lankan Army during its campaign to defeat the LTTE in early 2009
   4. Rajapaksa was the candidate from the United People’s Freedom Alliance, while Fonseka was the candidate of the New Democratic Front, which included support from the main opposition parties United National Party (UNP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Perumna (JVP)
   5. The elections, held on 26 Jan 2010 were Sri Lanka’s sixth Presidential elections since independence from Britain in 1948
   6. Sri Lanka’s President’s are elected for a term of six years. Rajapaksa’s first term as President was to expire only in 2011, however he called an early election in 2010. Rajapaksa’s current term will now expire in 2016
6. Russia unveils stealth fighter aircraft
   1. Russia has unveiled first stealth fighter jet aircraft, the Sukhoi T-50
   2. Also called the Sukhoi PAK FA (Prospective Aircraft Complex for Frontline Aviation), the stealth fighter made its maiden flight in Russia’s far east this week
   3. The Sukhoi PAK FA is a fifth generation multirole fighter, meant to compete with the American F-22 and the American/British F-35
   4. Fifth generation fighters combine high-performance airframes, advanced stealth technology, Low Probability of Intercept Radar (LIPR) and networks for shared situational awareness
   5. Currently, the F-22 is the only fifth generation aircraft that has been commissioned and deployed. The F-35 and the T-50 are still in development
   6. The Sukhoi PAK FA is to serve as the basis for the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) to be developed for India
   7. The fundamental difference between the PAK FA and the FGFA will be that the former is a single seater aircraft, while the latter is to be a twin seater (as per Indian Air Force norms)
   8. The FGFA is to be jointly developed by Sukhoi and the HAL. The HAL is to supply critical software (including mission computer and navigation systems), most of the cockpit displays, countermeasure dispensing systems (CMD), and modifying the single-seat prototype into a two-seat variant