ADMM
- The 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) and 5th ADMM-Plus were held recently Singapore.
- The conferences were attended by defence ministers from India, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and US.
- ADMM and ADMM-Plus serves as key Ministerial-level platforms in regional security architecture for promoting strategic dialogue and practical cooperation between ASEAN and its partners.
ASEAN
- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established in 1967 in Thailand.
- ASEAN has 10 members namely, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.
- ADMM-Plus is platform for ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners to strengthen security and defence co-operation for peace, stability, and development in the region.
Azad Hind Government
- 2018 is 75th anniversary year of the Azad Hind Government, founded on 21st October, 1943.
- It was inspired by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose who was the leader of Azad Hind Government and also the Head of State of this Provisional Indian Government-in-exile.
- It was a part of the freedom movement, originating in 1940s outside India with a purpose of allying with Axis powers to free India from British rule.
- The existence of the Azad Hind Government gave a greater legitimacy to the independence struggle against the British.
- Pertinently, the role of Azad Hind Fauj or the Indian National Army (INA) had been crucial in bequeathing a much needed impetus to India’s struggle for Independence.
Man-Made Moons
- China is planning to launch its own ‘artificial moon’ by 2020 to replace streetlamps and lower electricity costs in urban areas.
- For this China has developed “illumination satellites” that will shine in tandem with the real moon, but are eight times brighter
- By reflecting light from the sun, the satellites could replace streetlamps in urban areas, saving an estimated 1.2 billion yuan, expected this man-made moons illuminate an area of 50 square kilometres.
C-FLOWS
- National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) has invented Chennai Flood Warning System (C-FLOWS).
- It is a six-module ensemble which can predict flooding due to heavy rainfall sea-level rise and increase in water levels of the three rivers Cooum, Adyar and Kosasthalaiyar that traverse the Chennai city.
- The State government shared data such as ward boundaries, population details, and infrastructure available across Tamil Nadu, which have been used in the warning system.
- Knowing the elevation at different spots, the system can predict the way the area would flood based on different scenarios that have been simulated.
National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR)
- The Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management Project Directorate (ICMAM PD), an attached office of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) was established at Chennai in 1998.
- Its objective is to implement International Development Association (IDA) assisted Environment Management Capacity Building Project.
- The Project Directorate has been continuing its activities in the field of Coastal Research, fully funded by MoES.
- It was re-designated as National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) in 2018.
Source: PIB, The Hindu, Business Line
