The United States Department of State has approved the sale of 24 MH-60R multi-mission helicopters to India under its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
MH 60R helicopters will provide India the capability to undertake anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions.
These helicopters will also provide India the ability to perform secondary missions, including vertical replenishment, search and rescue, and communications relay.
It is to be noted that India was granted with USA’s unique Major Defense Partner (MDP) designation in 2016, a step towards India accessing U.S. military technology at a level on a par with those of the U.S.’s closest allies.
In 2018 India was then given Strategic Trade Authorisation-1 (STA-1) status by the U.S and became the third Asian country after South Korea and Japan (and 37th country globally) to acquire it.
COMCASA Agreement
India has signed the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) agreement with the U.S.
The agreement will providing a legal basis for the U.S. to transfer secure communication equipment to India, increasing military equipment interoperability and real time data sharing.
COMCASA is an India-specific version of the Communication and Information on Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA).
Few other agreements signed by India with US are General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) and Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016.
India is yet to sign Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA) with USA.
Terra Instruments
NASA’s Terra Instruments collects data about the Earth’s bio-geochemical and energy systems using five sensors that observe the atmosphere, land surface, oceans, snow and ice, and energy budget.
Each sensor has unique features that enable scientists to meet a wide range of science objectives.
The five Terra onboard sensors are:
ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer)
CERES (or Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System)
MISR (Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer)
MODIS (Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer)
MOPITT (Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere)
All five instruments will be placed on a same satellite and make simultaneous observations, through which scientists are able to compare different aspects of Earth’s characteristics over time.
MODIS
MODIS is ideal for monitoring large-scale changes in the biosphere that are yielding new insights into the workings of the global carbon cycle.
MODIS measures the photosynthetic activity of land and marine plants (phytoplankton) to yield better estimates of how much of the greenhouse gas is being absorbed and used in plant productivity.
MODIS’ bands are particularly sensitive to fires; they can distinguish flaming from smoldering burns and provide better estimates of the amounts of aerosols and gases fires release into the atmosphere.
Due to this feature Forest Survey of India uses MODIS for detecting forest fires in India.
MODIS also sees changes in the Pacific phytoplankton populations that may signal the onset of the famous El Niño/La Niña climatic siblings well ahead of their arrival.
List of ISRO’s Satellite
RISAT - Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT) is a series of all-weather earth observation satellites.
GISAT - GEO Imaging Satellite or GISAT is a planned Indian geo-imaging satellite for providing images quickly during disasters.
GSAT - The GSAT satellites are India's indigenously developed communications satellites, used for digital audio, data and video broadcasting.
IRNSS -Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, with an operational name of NAVIC, is an autonomous regional satellite navigation system that provides accurate real-time positioning and timing services.
CARTOSAT -The Cartosat series is a part of the Indian Remote Sensing Programme.
They were specifically launched for Earth’s resource management and monitoring.
Satellites Developed by DRDO
EMISAT - Electro-Magnetic Imagining Satellite, will intercept radar signals and detect the kind of radar and its location.
Microsat R -Microsat-R was an earth observing satellite manufactured for military use.
KandhamalHaldi
Recently Odisha’s KandhamalHaldi (turmeric) has received GI tag.
The golden yellow spice, named after the district where it is produced, has been cultivated since time immemorial and is known for its medicinal value.
Apart from medicinal value this turmeric is also used for cosmetic and domestic purposes.
Turmeric is the main cash crop of tribal people in Kandhamal.
About 50% of Kandhamal population are engaged in growing the variety.
Few other important GI items of Odisha are Kotpad’s handloom fabric, Konark stone work, Sambalpur Bandhasaree.
