20 October 2023

• INS Imphal: India's third Project 15B stealth destroyer was delivered to the Navy four months ahead of schedule. It is the first Indian warship with accommodation for women officers and sailors.
• Belt and Road at 10: the BRI completed 10 years since its launch in 2013. Analysis of its impacts and India's competing connectivity initiatives followed.
• 69th National Film Awards: the ceremony was held; the awards cover films released in 2022.
• India-Sri Lanka ferry service: the 'Cheriyapani' ferry service between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai was formally relaunched.

GS area: Science and Technology, Defence

INS Imphal was delivered to the Indian Navy by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) on October 20, 2023, four months ahead of schedule.

• Project 15B: the fourth and newest generation of Indian-designed guided-missile destroyers. The class follows Project 15 (INS Delhi class), Project 15A (INS Kolkata class), and Project 15B.
• Project 15B ships: Visakhapatnam (lead ship, December 2021); Mormugao (December 2022); Imphal (October 2023); Surat (pending).
• Significance of INS Imphal: first Indian warship specifically designed with accommodation for women officers and sailors. Reflects the expanding role of women in the Indian Navy.
• Specifications: crew of 312; range 4,000 nautical miles; armament includes BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine weapons, and torpedo tubes.
• Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL): public sector shipyard in Mumbai; under the Ministry of Defence. Builds destroyers, frigates, and submarines.
• Related projects: Project 75 (Kalvari-class submarines) is also built at MDL; Project 17A frigates (Nilgiri class) at MDL and Garden Reach Shipbuilders.
• Name significance: Imphal is the capital of Manipur. Naming a destroyer after a northeastern state capital reflects the political commitment to the region.

Static linkage: Defence, science and technology.

GS area: International Relations

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) marked 10 years in October 2023.

• Launch: Xi Jinping announced the Silk Road Economic Belt in September 2013 and the Maritime Silk Road in October 2013. Together they became the BRI.
• Scale: over 150 countries and international organisations; more than 3,000 projects; investment estimates range from USD 1 to 8 trillion depending on methodology.
• Completion target: 2049 (centenary of the People's Republic of China).
• Six major economic corridors: China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC); New Eurasian Land Bridge; China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor; China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor; China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor; China-Myanmar Economic Corridor.
• India's opposition: India has boycotted all BRI summits (2017, 2019). Primary objection: CPEC passes through Gilgit-Baltistan, a region India claims as its territory. India also cites sovereignty and transparency concerns.
• India's counter-initiatives:
  • IMEC (India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor): launched at the G20 New Delhi Summit (September 2023). Connects India to Europe via the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel.
  • INSTC (International North-South Transport Corridor): connects India to Russia and Central Asia via Iran.
  • IDEAS: India's development assistance providing Lines of Credit to neighbouring and partner countries.
  • Blue Dot Network: India, US, Japan; quality infrastructure standards.
• Debt-trap diplomacy: critics cite Sri Lanka's Hambantota Port (99-year lease to China in 2017) and Pakistan's growing debt exposure as examples. China disputes this framing.

Static linkage: International relations.

GS area: International Relations, Geography

The ferry service between Nagapattinam (India) and Kankesanthurai (Sri Lanka) was formally relaunched under the name 'Cheriyapani.'

• Route: Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu to Kankesanthurai in northern Sri Lanka. Distance: approximately 110 km.
• Historical precedent: a steam ferry service between the two coasts operated from the early 1900s. Passenger rail and ferry services (the Boat Mail / Indo-Ceylon Express between Chennai and Colombo) continued until 1982 when the Sri Lankan civil war disrupted them.
• Civil war interruption: the conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from 1983 to 2009 severed most India-Sri Lanka transport links.
• Significance: reduces travel time for passengers crossing the Palk Strait from 20+ hours (via Colombo airport) to a few hours by sea.
• Palk Strait: separates Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka. Also of relevance: the underwater Palk Bay is a sensitive area for fishermen from both countries; incidents over fishing rights are a recurring bilateral irritant.
• India-Sri Lanka debt support: India provided a USD 4 billion assistance package to Sri Lanka during the 2022 economic crisis, including currency swap, credit lines, and deferred loan repayments. The ferry revival is part of rebuilding the relationship.

Static linkage: International relations, geography.

GS area: Art and Culture, Governance

The 69th National Film Awards ceremony was held in October 2023 (for films released in 2022).

• Established: 1954 under the name "State Awards for Films." Renamed National Film Awards.
• Administered by: the Directorate of Film Festivals under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• Dadasaheb Phalke Award: the highest honour in Indian cinema, given for lifetime contribution. Named after the father of Indian cinema.
• Categories: Best Feature Film in each language; National Integration award (Silver Lotus); Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment; non-feature films.
• Technical jury: a different jury for non-feature films and the feature film categories; final recommendations go to the Ministry.
• Significance for UPSC: the Film Certification Board (CBFC), censor certificates, and the relationship between freedom of expression and film regulation are prelims-worthy. Article 19(1)(a) rights extend to films but subject to reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2).

Static linkage: Art and culture, governance.

GS area: Science and Technology, Health

ICMR was testing RISUG (Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance) ahead of potential approval.

• Type: a non-hormonal injectable male contraceptive. An injectable polymer (styrene maleic anhydride) is placed in the vas deferens.
• Mechanism: the polymer creates a physical charge barrier that kills sperm trying to pass through the vas deferens. No hormones are involved.
• Duration: effective for up to 10 years. Can be reversed by injecting a solvent to dissolve the polymer.
• Efficacy: 97.3 per cent rate of azoospermia (absence of sperm in semen); 99.02 per cent rate of preventing pregnancy in Phase III trials.
• Side effects: none serious reported so far.
• Significance: the only long-acting reversible male contraceptive option. All current long-acting reversible contraceptives are designed for women (IUDs, implants, injectables). RISUG addresses the gender imbalance in contraceptive burden.
• International version: the same technology is being developed as Vasalgel in the United States.

Static linkage: Science and technology, health.

GS area: Science and Technology, Economy

PIB released the India Semiconductor Mission's progress alongside APAAR card news.

• India Semiconductor Mission: launched 2021. Targets establishing semiconductor fabrication, OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test) facilities, and design clusters in India.
• Approved projects (2023): Tata Electronics and Foxconn (later restructured) for fabrication in Dholera, Gujarat; CG Power and Renesas joint venture for OSAT in Sanand, Gujarat; Kaynes Semicon for OSAT in Sanand.
• Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme: supports semiconductor chip design startups. Approximately 20+ Indian chip design startups have received support.
• Critical element: India produces no chips domestically currently. Import dependence is total. The 2020-21 global chip shortage highlighted how strategic this sector is.

Static linkage: Science and technology, economy.

• Copyright and AI: Universal Music Group, ABKCO, and Concord Publishing sued Anthropic AI in October 2023, alleging misuse of over 500 copyrighted song lyrics to train chatbot Claude without permission. The case raised questions about IP rights in AI training datasets.
• FIDE World Junior Rapid Chess Championship 2023: Indian Grandmaster Raunak Sadhwani won the title in October 2023.