DDC Polls in Kashmir – Will this be a game changer?
What is District Development Council (DDC)? District Development Council (DDC), is a form of elected local government of the Jammu and Kashmir union territory. It is facilitated by the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989 and created under Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Rule, 1996 of the constitution of India. It is primarily aimed at to elect the members from the […]
BELARUS – IN A CAULDRON OF CHAOS
INTRODUCTION Belarus had seized headlines in the West beating the Covid Pandemic, since July 2020. A rigged presidential election followed by mass protests prompted commentators throughout western Europe and the United States to predict the early exit of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, often called as the “Last Dictator in Europe.” But political support and promises […]
Breakthrough in Saudi and Qatar Tensions
Background to the Qatar – Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) crises of 2017 The Cooperation Council of Arab States of the Gulf was originally known as Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and comprised of all Arabian countries of Persian Gulf i.e Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. It was founded in 1981 and […]
Intellectual Property Rights Waiver and TRIPS Agreement
India and South Africa have jointly sought temporary waiver to all intellectual property and patent rights provisions that come under the TRIPS Agreement of the WTO on Covid vaccines, medicines, diagnostic kits, protective gears and other products required to fight the pandemic. What is TRIPS Agreement? TRIPS (Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement […]
India’s Stride in the Domain of Hypersonic Weapons
What are Hypersonic Weapons? Very basically, a hypersonic weapon is one that can travel at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound (5 Mach). This works out to 6174 km/h or for better comprehension, 1.6 Kms per sec. Hypersonic weapons have two other characteristic signatures. These are:- (a) Unlike the conventional ballistic missiles […]
Mayhem at the Capitol Hill
Trump protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol to contest the certification of the 2020 US presidential election results by Congress, at the US Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., US January 6, 2021. The events of January 6 have been termed as a carnage, coup, riot or bordering on sedition. But while Donald Trump may have incited the […]
Violence in Jerusalem and threat of escalation
Religious and historical significance of Al – Aqsa Mosque Jerusalem is historically important for Jews, Christians and the Muslims alike. Al-Aqsa mosque is an important holy site in Islam, located in the Old City of Jerusalem. After Mecca and Medina, Al-Aqsa is the most sacred site for Muslims. It was built about four centuries ago, […]
India’s Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme
Introduction The military standoff with China at the LAC has seen India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conduct a number of missile tests to demonstrate India’s military prowess. The prominent one’s being: The Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) test was conducted on 07 September 2020. A different version of the in-service, surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile […]
Induction of LCA Tejas Mk 1A and history of India’s quest to have its Indigenous Fighter Aircraft
Government of India cleared the Rs 48,000-crore deal for 83 LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) Tejas aircraft on 15 January 2021.This will see a greater collaboration between state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and private firms as part of ‘Make in India’. Of these 83 aircraft, HAL will deliver 73 Tejas Mk 1A and 10 Tejas Mk 1 trainers by […]
INTEGRATED AIR DEFENCE COMMAND- NEED OF THE HOUR
INTRODUCTION After prolonged deliberations and brain storming between Army and Air Force think-tanks, the concept of an integrated Air Defence Command emerged to have better efficiency and coordination of effort in the theatre of war. ADC(Air Defence Command) is the need of the hour taking into consideration the new threat perception emerging from the present […]