Why in News?

• The Defense Expo 2022 has recently been postponed, due to logistics problems being experienced by participants.

Highlights:

• It were to be the 12^th edition of DefExpo held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat in March 2022.
• The 11^th edition of DefExpo was held at Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) in 2020.
• DefExpo is a flagship biennial event of the Ministry of Defence, showcasing the land, naval, air as well as homeland security systems.
• Spread over 1 lakh sq m., this year’s defexpo was to be the largest since its inception in 1996.
• The event is expected to help boost investment, expand manufacturing capacities and capabilities, discover avenues for technology absorption and thus, contribute to furthering the target of USD 5 billion defense export by 2024 under Atmanirbharta’ in defence.

 

1. Kavach’-Automatic Train Protection System

Tag: Technology

Why in News?

• Recently, the Indian Railways tested ‘Kavach’-Automatic Train Protection System by making two trains move towards each other at full speed.

Highlights:

• The Kavach system was announced in the 2022 Union Budget as a part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Around 2,000 km of rail network is planned to be brought under the Indigenous System to enable safety and capacity augmentation in 2022-23.
• It is India’s own automatic protection system, which is in development since 2012, under the name Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which got rechristened Kavach or “armour”.
• It Is a set of electronic devices and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices installed in locomotives, in the signalling system as well as the tracks.
• They connect to each other using ultra high radio frequencies to control the brakes of trains and also alert drivers, all based on the logic programmed into them.
• TCAS or Kavach includes the key elements from already existing, and tried and tested systems like the European Train Protection and Warning System, and the indigenous Anti Collision Device.
• It will also carry features of the high-tech European Train Control System Level-2 in future.
• The current form of Kavach adheres to the highest level of safety and reliability standard called Safety Integrity Level (SIL)4.
• SIL comes from two voluntary standards used by plant owners/operators to quantify safety performance requirements for hazardous operations.
• There are four SIL Levels (1-4). A higher SIL Level means a greater process hazard and a higher level of protection required.
• In the new avatar, India wants to position Kavach as an exportable system, a cheaper alternative to the European systems in vogue across the world.
• While now Kavach uses Ultra High Frequency, work is on to make it compatible with 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology and make the product for global markets.
• Work is on to make the system such that it can be compatible with other already installed systems globally.

2. The State of India’s Environment Report 2022.

Tag: Environment

Why in News?

• The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has recently released the State of India’s Environment Report 2022.

Highlights:

• The report is the annual publication of the Centre for Science and Environment, and Down To Earth (magazine).
• The report focuses on climate change, migration, health and food systems. It also covers biodiversity, forest and wildlife, energy, industry, habitat, pollution, waste, agriculture and rural development.
• CSE is a public interest research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi.
• The target for the economy is to raise the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to nearly USD 4 trillion by 2022-23. But by 2020, the economy has grown only to USD 2.48 trillion.
• The economy has largely shrunk during the Covid-19 pandemic, making it even more difficult to meet the deadline.
• The target is to increase the female labour force participation rate to at least 30% by 2022-23.
• It stood at 17.3% in January-March 2020.
• The targets are to construct 29.5 million housing units under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)-Rural and 12 million units under PMAY-Urban.
• Only about 46.8% and 38% respectively of the targets under ‘Housing for All’ have been achieved.
• The target is to provide safe piped drinking water to all by 2022-23. Only 45% of the target has been achieved.

3. Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP)

Tag: Defence Technology

Why in News?

• The Ministry of Defence has recently approved projects that will involve design and development of the military hardware covering light tanks, airborne stand-off jammers, communication equipment and simulators under Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP).

Highlights:

• The defense ministry has cleared nine such projects: four under the ‘Make-I’ and five under the ‘Make-2’ categories of the DAP 2020.
• In the Union Budget 2022, India earmarked Rs 84,598 crore – 68% of the military’s capital acquisition budget — for purchasing locally produced weapons and systems to boost self-reliance in the defence sector, besides setting aside 25% of the defence R&D budget for private industry, startups and academia to encourage them to pursue design and development of military platforms.
• The ‘Make’ category of capital acquisition is the cornerstone of the Make in India initiative that seeks to build indigenous capabilities through the involvement of both public and private sector.
• ‘Make-I’ refers to government-funded projects while ‘Make-II’ covers industry-funded programmes.
• Make-I involved in development of big-ticket platforms such as light tank and communication equipment with Indian security protocols.
• Make-II category involves prototype development of military hardware or its upgrade for import substitution for which no government funding is provided.
• The five projects approved under the industry-funded Make-II procedure are simulators for Apache attacks helicopters and Chinook multi-mission choppers, wearable robotic equipment for aircraft maintenance, autonomous combat vehicle and integrated surveillance and targeting system for mechanised forces.
• • The defense ministry has cleared nine such projects: four under the ‘Make-I’ and five under the ‘Make-2’ categories of the DAP 2020.
  • In the Union Budget 2022, India earmarked Rs 84,598 crore – 68% of the military’s capital acquisition budget — for purchasing locally produced weapons and systems to boost self-reliance in the defence sector, besides setting aside 25% of the defence R&D budget for private industry, startups and academia to encourage them to pursue design and development of military platforms.
  • The ‘Make’ category of capital acquisition is the cornerstone of the Make in India initiative that seeks to build indigenous capabilities through the involvement of both public and private sector.Another sub-category under ‘Make’ is ‘Make-III’ that covers military hardware that may not be designed and developed indigenously, but can be manufactured in the country for import substitution, and Indian firms may manufacture these in collaboration with foreign partners.
    

    Why in News?

    • The Defense Expo 2022 has recently been postponed, due to logistics problems being experienced by participants.

    Highlights:

    • It were to be the 12^th edition of DefExpo held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat in March 2022.
    • The 11^th edition of DefExpo was held at Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) in 2020.
    • DefExpo is a flagship biennial event of the Ministry of Defence, showcasing the land, naval, air as well as homeland security systems.
    • Spread over 1 lakh sq m., this year’s defexpo was to be the largest since its inception in 1996.
    • The event is expected to help boost investment, expand manufacturing capacities and capabilities, discover avenues for technology absorption and thus, contribute to furthering the target of USD 5 billion defense export by 2024 under Atmanirbharta’ in defence.

     

    1. Kavach’-Automatic Train Protection System

    Tag: Technology

    Why in News?

    • Recently, the Indian Railways tested ‘Kavach’-Automatic Train Protection System by making two trains move towards each other at full speed.

    Highlights:

    • The Kavach system was announced in the 2022 Union Budget as a part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Around 2,000 km of rail network is planned to be brought under the Indigenous System to enable safety and capacity augmentation in 2022-23.
    • It is India’s own automatic protection system, which is in development since 2012, under the name Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which got rechristened Kavach or “armour”.
    • It Is a set of electronic devices and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices installed in locomotives, in the signalling system as well as the tracks.

     

    • They connect to each other using ultra high radio frequencies to control the brakes of trains and also alert drivers, all based on the logic programmed into them.
    • TCAS or Kavach includes the key elements from already existing, and tried and tested systems like the European Train Protection and Warning System, and the indigenous Anti Collision Device.
    • It will also carry features of the high-tech European Train Control System Level-2 in future.
    • The current form of Kavach adheres to the highest level of safety and reliability standard called Safety Integrity Level (SIL)4.
    • SIL comes from two voluntary standards used by plant owners/operators to quantify safety performance requirements for hazardous operations.
    • There are four SIL Levels (1-4). A higher SIL Level means a greater process hazard and a higher level of protection required.
    • In the new avatar, India wants to position Kavach as an exportable system, a cheaper alternative to the European systems in vogue across the world.
    • While now Kavach uses Ultra High Frequency, work is on to make it compatible with 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology and make the product for global markets.
    • Work is on to make the system such that it can be compatible with other already installed systems globally.

     

    2. The State of India’s Environment Report 2022.

    Tag: Environment

    Why in News?

    • The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has recently released the State of India’s Environment Report 2022.

    Highlights:

    • The report is the annual publication of the Centre for Science and Environment, and Down To Earth (magazine).
    • The report focuses on climate change, migration, health and food systems. It also covers biodiversity, forest and wildlife, energy, industry, habitat, pollution, waste, agriculture and rural development.
    • CSE is a public interest research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi.

     

    • The target for the economy is to raise the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to nearly USD 4 trillion by 2022-23. But by 2020, the economy has grown only to USD 2.48 trillion.
    • The economy has largely shrunk during the Covid-19 pandemic, making it even more difficult to meet the deadline.
    • The target is to increase the female labour force participation rate to at least 30% by 2022-23.
    • It stood at 17.3% in January-March 2020.
    • The targets are to construct 29.5 million housing units under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)-Rural and 12 million units under PMAY-Urban.
    • Only about 46.8% and 38% respectively of the targets under ‘Housing for All’ have been achieved.
    • The target is to provide safe piped drinking water to all by 2022-23. Only 45% of the target has been achieved.

     

    3. Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP)

    Tag: Defence Technology

    Why in News?

    • The Ministry of Defence has recently approved projects that will involve design and development of the military hardware covering light tanks, airborne stand-off jammers, communication equipment and simulators under Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP).

    Highlights:

  • ‘Make-I’ refers to government-funded projects while ‘Make-II’ covers industry-funded programmes.
  • Make-I involved in development of big-ticket platforms such as light tank and communication equipment with Indian security protocols.
  • Make-II category involves prototype development of military hardware or its upgrade for import substitution for which no government funding is provided.
  • The five projects approved under the industry-funded Make-II procedure are simulators for Apache attacks helicopters and Chinook multi-mission choppers, wearable robotic equipment for aircraft maintenance, autonomous combat vehicle and integrated surveillance and targeting system for mechanised forces.
  • Another sub-category under ‘Make’ is ‘Make-III’ that covers military hardware that may not be designed and developed indigenously, but can be manufactured in the country for import substitution, and Indian firms may manufacture these in collaboration with foreign partners.