Bihar Affairs
13% decline in road accidents in Bihar: Government
Statetransport minister Sheela Kumari said road safety was a sensitive issue and all the departments should make efforts together to reduce the road accidents.
At a review meeting ofBiharRoad Safety Council here, she said several steps were taken and an action plan was made to avoid road accidents in the state.
State transport department secretary Sanjay Kumar Agrawal said efforts were being made to reduce road accidents in the state. There had been a 13.7% decline in road accidents in 2020 when compared to the 2019 data. Also, there has been a reduction of 7% in fatalities due to road accidents, he said, adding the NHAI should put up signage related to speed limit and other safety aspects on the highways.
State transport commissioner Seema Tripathi highlighted the work done by Bihar Road Safety Council in 2020-2021 and presented the action plan for 2022.
National and International Affairs
INS Khukri Decommissioned
The INS Khukri (P49), India’s first indigenously built missile corvette, was decommissioned on December 24, 2021, after 32 years of service at Visakhapatnam.
Highlights:
The , decommissioning pennant, and naval ensign were all lowered at sunset during the decommissioning ceremony.
On August 23, 1989, the Mazagon Dock shipbuilders completed the INS Khukri.
It was unique in that it served in both the Western and Eastern Fleets.
The ship was commanded by 28 commanding officers during her service with the INDIAN NAVY.
It traveled over 6,44,897 nautical miles, which is the equivalent of 30 times around the world or three times the distance between the Moon and the Earth. The ship was assigned to the Indian Army’s Gorkha Brigade.
Indian Armys In-house Messaging app
The Indian Army has launched ASIGMA, a modern messaging app that stands for “Army Secure IndiGeneous Messaging Application.”
Highlights:
The AWAN (Army Wide Area Network) messaging application will be replaced by ASIGMA. For the past 15 years, AWAN has been in operation.
On Army-owned hardware, the ASIGMA app has been distributed. It will serve the army from now on, and it will be able to provide lifetime support with future upgrades.It has been designed to meet all future requirements for the Indian army while also providing a better user experience.
The app includes a number of modern features, such as multi-level security, message prioritization and tracking, a dynamic global address book, and to meet the army’s current needs.
It will meet the Army’s real-time data transfer and messaging needs, especially given the current geopolitical security Environment.
India Aids Mozambique
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kesari arrived in Maputo, Mozambique, on December 25 with 500 tonnes of food aid as part of the SAGAR Mission.
Highlights:
500 tonnes of food aid were sent to Mozambique to aid the government’s efforts to combat the ongoing drought and the covid-19 pandemic.
India is also committed to assisting Mozambique’s Armed Forces in their capacity-building efforts.
INS Kesari also carried two Fast Interceptor Craft and self-defense equipment, which will be handed over to the Mozambican Armed Forces.
In accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of SAGAR, aid was extended to Mozambique for the eighth time.
Rare Pink Handfish
After 22 years, Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) discovered a rare pink handfish near the Tasmanian coast. The last time the fish was seen was in 1999.
Highlights:
In February 2021, Australian marine researchers used an underwater camera to photograph the seabed in Tasman Fracture Marine Park. They discovered the pink handfish later while reviewing the footage.
The Taman Fracture Marine Park is known for its deep crack in the earth’s crust, which allows scientists to study marine life up to 4,000 meters below the surface.
Pink handfish was previously thought to only live in shallow waters. This time, however, it was discovered at a depth of 150 meters.