Iran's key strategic port of Chabahar became operational with the maiden shipment of wheat from India to Afghanistan recently.
This is a major push for India's Afghan outreach bypassing Pakistan for the first time under the 2016 Indo-Afghan-Iran trilateral pact.
India is also constructing a railway line between Chabahar and Zahedan to connect the port to rest of the Iranian railway network.
It is further to be linked with Delaram-Zaranj road, built by India in Afghanistan that connects at Afghan-Iran border via rail through Zahedan.
The port, through Zahedan railway network, could also be linked with the International North South Transport Corridor connecting India with Russia.
International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC)
INSTC is a multi-modal connectivity project via ship, rail and road route for moving freight between India, Russia, Iran, Europe and Central Asia.
INSTC would enhance accessibility to the land locked central Asian nations.
The current members are India, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, and Bulgaria (observer).
Centres for vulnerable victims
The Supreme Court has recently ordered the setting up of at least two vulnerable witnesses’ deposition centres in the jurisdiction of every High Court.
It is primarily to help witnesses in criminal cases, often minor survivors of rape or victims of sex abuse, to testify without fear or intimidation in a conducive environment.
The order upholds the right of vulnerable witnesses to be protected while testifying in court and is in consonance with international norms in these matters.
INS Viraat
INS Viraat, the second aircraft carrier in the Indian naval fleet is set to become museum which was proposed by the Andhra Pradesh Government.
INS Vikrant is India's first aircraft carrier.
INS Viraat is the second centaur class aircraft carrier in service.
Earlier known as HMS Hermes, it served Royal Navy of UK from 1950 to 1980's and later re-commissioned in Indian Navy in 1987.
It holds the Guinness Record for being the oldest-serving warship.
It played a pivotal role in the Indian peacekeeping operations in Sri Lanka and the 1999 Kargil War.
It also took part in major operations like Op. Parakram – a India Pakistan in the LOC and Op. Pawan by IPKF to take control of Jaffna from the LTTE as part of the Indo-Sri Lankan accord.
INS Vikramaditya
US team members of joint working group (JWG) on aircraft carrier cooperation have been allowed to visit and operate Russian built Aircraft INS Vikramaditya.
INS Vikramaditya is a Kiev class aircraft carrier which was commissioned by Russian Navy in 1987 under the name Baku.
It was later renamed as Admiral Gorshkov and later offered to India in 2004.
It is the biggest and heaviest ship to be operated by the Indian Navy.
INS Vishal
INS Vishal is a follow up of INS Vikrant class air craft carriers.
It is currently being built by Cochin Shipyard limited for the Indian Navy.
It is intended to be the first supercarrier to be built in India.
It would be a 65,000-70,000 tonne, nuclear-powered vessel that launched aircraft with an "electro-magnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS)".
EMALS uses electro-magnetic energy to catapult aircraft to launch speed.
India's selection of EMALS would allow the US a place in the design of the ship.
