National
Indian Navy commissions INS Mormugao (YARD 12705)
⇒ Indian Naval Ship (INS) Mormugao (D67), second warship of the P15B class of stealth guided-missile destroyers, was commissioned in the august presence of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai on December 18, 2022.
Designed & constructed by:
The event marked the formal induction of the second of the four ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers, indigenously designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai.
About Ins Mormugao:
» The majestic ship measures 163m in length, 17 m in breadth with a displacement of 7400 tonnes and can rightfully be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India.
- The ship is propelled by four powerful Gas Turbines, in a Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) configuration, capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots. The ship has enhanced stealth features resulting in a reduced Radar Cross Section (RCS).
» Mormugao is packed with sophisticated ‘state of the art’ weapons and sensors such as Surface to Surface Missile and Surface to Air Missiles.
- The ship is fitted with a modern Surveillance Radar which provides target data to the gunnery weapon systems of the ship.
- The ship’s Anti-Submarine Warfare capabilities are provided by the indigenously developed Rocket Launchers, Torpedo Launchers and the ASW helicopters.
- Named after the historic port city of Goa on the west coast, the ship is equipped to fight under Nuclear, Biological and Chemical warfare conditions.
» With over 75% indigenous content, all her major weapons and sensors have been developed and manufactured in India either directly through design and development by Indian Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) or through strategic tie-ups and Transfer of Technology with reputed foreign OEMs.
P15B destroyers:
- P15B destroyers incorporate new design concepts for improved survivability, seakeeping and manoeuvrability. Enhanced stealth has also been achieved, making the ships difficult to detect.
- With a significantly increased indigenous content, P15B destroyers are a hallmark of self-reliance in warship design and building and a shining example of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
Background:
- The ship was launched on September 17, 2016 and commenced sea trials on December 19, 2021, coinciding with 60 years of Goa Liberation.
- The commissioning on 18 December is significant as it was the same date in 1961 when Operation Vijay was launched to liberate Goa from Portuguese rule.
NMDC wins IEI Industry Excellence Award 2022
⇒ National Miner NMDC won the coveted IEI (Institution of Engineers, India) Industry Excellence Award 2022 on 16th December, 2022 in Chennai.
- The largest producer of the iron ore in the country was felicitated at the 37th Indian Engineering Congress for its outstanding performance and high level of business excellence.
- On behalf of NMDC, Shri N R K Prasad, CGM (IE & MS), received the award from Dr K Ponmudy, Minister for Higher Education, Government of Tamil Nadu.
Key Points:
- The Institution of Engineers (India) has given the Industry Excellence Award to NMDC, after reviewing the business operations, financial performance, environmental performance, research and development, CSR and corporate governance policies of a company.
- With an eco-friendly, economic and efficient approach, NMDC is taking up transformational projects to retain its domestic leadership and foray towards becoming a global mining company.
ICMR-NARFBR at Genome Valley
⇒ Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the ICMR-NARFBR (National Animal Resource Facility for Biomedical Research) at Genome Valley, Hyderabad on 17 December 2022.
Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said ICMR-NARFBR has potential to make India a key global player in Biomedical research in 21st-century and play a crucial role in improving health and welfare of the nation.
Key Points:
- Significance of NARFBR can be adjudged from the fact that study of animals in biomedical research becomes crucial in discovering causes, diagnosis and treatment of zoonotic agents and diseases.
- NARFBR is an apex facility which will provide ethical care and use and welfare of laboratory animals during research.
- The newly build centre will work as the state-of-the-art facility for not just ethical animal studies but spans from basic, applied to regulatory animal research.
- It will help in capacity building of new researchers and will create processes for pre-clinical testing of new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics within the country along with quality assurance checks.
Sports
3rd T20 World Cup Cricket for the Blind 2022
⇒ The Indian national blind cricket team won the T20 World Cup for the Blind for the third consecutive time.
- They beat Bangladesh by an impressive margin of 120 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on 17 December 2022.
Key Points:
- After winning the toss, Indian skipper Ajay Kumar Reddy choose to bat and his team eventually set a formidable target of 277 runs for Bangladesh.
- Sunil Ramesh was declared Man of the Match in the final and also received the Man of the Series in the B3 category. Ajay was adjudged Man of the Series in the B2 category while Bangladesh’s Mohammed Mahmud Rashid was the Man of the Series in the B1 category.
Other Points:
- The Indian national blind cricket team is affiliated with the Cricket Association for the Blind (CABI), which is independent of BCCI.
- The first T20 Blind Cricket World Cup was held at Aditya Academy Ground in Bangalore, India in 2012.
» The rules of blind cricket are formed by the World Blind Cricket Council.
- In blind cricket, there are 11 players in every team, which comprises four B1 players (fully blind), three B2 players (partially blind), and four B3 players (partially sighted).
- They play using a plastic ball that is larger than a standard cricket ball and is fitted with ball bearings that make a noise when it is moved.
- The wickets are made of fluorescent metal tubes and all three wickets are attached together.
- Another important rule is that the bowler shouts “Play” before throwing the ball.