SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AFFAIRS NOVEMBER 2013

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AFFAIRS NOVEMBER 2013

• India has declared itself free from Notifiable Avian Influenza (H5N1), commonly called bird flu, and notified the same to World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). India notified outbreak of Avian Influenza (H5N1) at Poultry Production Unit, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Anjora, Durg and Government Poultry Farm, Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh on 05th August, 2013. The control measures adopted in the outbreak were stamping out of entire poultry population including destruction of eggs, feed, litters and other infected materials in the radius of 1 km around the outbreak location, restriction on movement of poultry, disinfection and cleaning up of infected premises and subsequently issuing of the Post Operation Surveillance Plan (POSP). The POSP was issued on 12th August, 2013. Even though India is free from bird flu, regular surveillance to be continued throughout the country especially in the vulnerable areas bordering infected countries and in areas visited by migratory birds.
  
• Marking a new high in India-Russia strategic cooperation, the Defence Minister, AK Antony commissioned the completely refurbished 44,500 tonne carrier Admiral Gorshkov into the Indian Navy as INS Vikramaditya at an impressive ceremony at sub-zero temperature in the wind-swept Sevmash Shipyard in the beautiful city of Severodvinsk in Russia, on 16 November. Speaking at the event, Antony said INS Vikramaditya would significantly enhance the reach and capability of the Indian Navy. He said, the country has a rich maritime history and the Indian Ocean has guided our fate over the centuries. INS Vikramaditya, the floating airfield has an overall length of about 284 meters and a maximum beam of about 60 meters, stretching as much as three football fields put together. Standing about 20 storeys tall from keel to the highest point, the sheer sight of this 44,500 tonne mega structure of steel is awe inspiring. The ship has a total of 22 decks. The ship has the ability to carry over 30 aircraft comprising an assortment of MiG 29K/Sea Harrier, Kamov 31, Kamov 28, Sea King, ALH-Dhruv and Chetak helicopters. The MiG 29K swing role fighter is the main offensive platform and provides a quantum jump for the Indian Navy’s maritime strike capability. These fourth generation air superiority fighters provide a significant fillip for the Indian Navy with a range of over 700 nm and an array of weapons including anti-ship missiles, Beyond Visual Range air-to-air missiles, guided bombs and rockets. The ship is equipped with state of the art launch and recovery systems along with aids to enable smooth and efficient operation of ship borne aircraft. Major systems include the LUNA Landing system for MiGs, DAPS Landing system for Sea Harriers and Flight deck lighting systems.
  
• The Minister of Railways Mallikarjun Kharge flagged off the first ever Dual Cab 4500 HP Freight Diesel locomotive called Vijay from Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW), Varanasi, a production unit of Indian Railways, on 6 November 2013. At the same time, the Minister announced to stop the Swatantrata Senani Express at Bhulanpur Railway Station, Sub-way at DLW administration. It is important to note that the DLW has not only increased its production in large but also developed latest state-of-the-art technologies. Building of this WDG4D High Horse Power freight locomotive is a breakthrough for DLW as well as for the Indian Railways. Vijay, the dual cab freight WDG4D is a trailblazer. It is the first dual cab diesel electric freight locomotive to be built by Indian Railways.
• India has developed a new tactical surface-to-surface missile 'Pragati' with a range between 60-170 km and will offer it to friendly countries. The new missile, now on display at a defence exhibition in South Korea, is based on the Prahaar missile developed by the DRDO for the Army and can be termed as its export variant with minor differences, said a DRDO official on 28 October .The government has approved that it may be offered to friendly countries if anyone shows interest in it, he said. The missile is the main exhibit of the DRDO which is showcasing an array of indigenous weapons at the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX 2013).This is the first time ever that an array of latest defence equipment developed by the DRDO, will be unveiled internationally at such a scale. DRDO chief Avinash Chander is leading the Indian delegation at the show. ADEX 2013 is expected to host more than 300 companies from 33 countries. DRDO's participation also commemorates the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and South Korea.
• India's space agency, ISRO, on 5 November 2013 successfully launched its historic mission to Mars from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, about 100km from Chennai. It was India’s first mission to the red planet. The mission follows India’s successful 2008-2009 Chandrayaan-1 moon probe, which discovered water molecules in the lunar soil. The total cost of the Mars mission is US $ 73 million. The main objective of the mission is to develop the technologies required for design, planning, management and operations of an interplanetary mission. The main objective of the mission is to explore Mars surface features, morphology, mineralogy and search for methane in the Martian atmosphere using indigenous scientific instruments. The satellite carries instruments such as Lyman Alpha Photometer, a methane sensor, a composition analyser, a camera and an imaging spectrometer for studying the atmosphere, particle environment and surface imaging. The satellite is scheduled to reach the Mars orbit in September 2014 and is designed to circle the Red Planet in an elliptical orbit of 366 km X 80000 km.